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Infest: Raxivort, Lord of the Rats |
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| Posted on Sun, November 24, 2002 by Toran |
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chatdemon writes "The history and motivations of the god Raxivort, presented in a format similar to the Forgotten Gods of the Suloise series here on Canonfire, including notes for playing a Raxivarr cleric character in 3rd edition D&D
Author: chatdemon
Raxivort, Lord of the Rats
By chatdemon (chatdemon@hotmail.com)
(Used with permission. Redistribution of this article without the express consent of the author is forbidden by Canonfire.com's Copyright Policy).
Raxivort
The Rat lord, The Father of Rodents, Lord of Xvartkind, Nightflutterer, Master of Rats, Sovereign of the Ratmen, Kimich (in the Amedio Jungle region)
CE lesser god of Xvarts, Rats, Wererats, Ratmen and Bats
Throughout history, the Demonlord Graz'zt has had a multitude of servants, many of whom rose to positions of prominence on their own after escaping the bonds he forced upon them. One such being was a demon named Raxivort, a loyal servant whom Graz'zt tasked with creating a servitor race to inhabit the Flanaess when the Infernal and Celestial powers of Oerth agreed to each create a mortal race of servants to populate their world. From his own palace of Karnima, deep within Graz'zt's realm in the abyss, Raxivort set about creating the creatures now called Xvarts. He arrogantly chose to ignore the instructions given him by Graz'zt and molded his creation in his own image; large, muscular blue skinned humanoids with a flowing tuft of hair positioned as a topknot upon their head, and named them Xvarts in honor of himself. After his creation was complete, Graz'zt looked down upon Oerth and saw Raxivort's treachery. The Demonlord erupted into a frenzy of fury, driving his errant servant out of the abyss after having his left hand dipped in a lake of infernal fire in order to bar him from ever producing a flawless creation in the abyss, and twisting the xvarts into small, weak, cowardly beings, leaving their blue skin and wiry topknots as a reminder to Raxivort, and all others who looked upon them of the price of defiance.
Raxivort settled on the plane of Pandemonium, founding a small realm with what was left of his power and establishing a connection to Xvartkind on Oerth, granting their shamans and witch doctors minimal spellcasting ability, and allowing their faith to keep what little Infernal power he had flowing. For eons, the outcast demon plotted revenge on Graz'zt and a way to establish the dominance of Oerth that his servant Xvarts could no longer deliver due to the presence of stronger mortals on the world, such as Humans, Elves and Orcs. He realized that given the power of the gods of those races, he could never create a race of beings strong enough to take Oerth by force, so he dreamt up the idea of creating a race of tiny creatures that, while physically small and unimposing, could infest the realms of the greater races and eventually erupt in epic hordes to swarm over the entire Oerth, devouring the creations of his rival gods. The results of that scheming were the humble rats, mice and bats that now inhabit almost every known region of Oerth.
The success of his rodent creations caused a huge surge in Raxivort's power, of which much he miserly kept to himself, ascending into true godhood, but the wounds of Graz'zt's treatment of the Xvarts ran deep, and in his determination to ensure their success as a race, Raxivort increased the power given to his shamans, and showed the Xvarts how to become true clerics in his service. Raxivort loved his new rodent minions deeply however, and with their new power, the Xvarts were tasked with worshipping and serving rats and their kin, creating the bond with these creatures that Xvarts are known for in the Flanaess.
Most of the other gods of Oerth despise Raxivort for cheating the system and creating a second race of servant creatures, but Raxivort himself sees this as petty jealousy inspired by the ability of ratkind to survive and even thrive in almost all of Oerth's climates, and to infest the communities of every known race. Only the Suloise goddess Bralm respects the Rat Lord, feeling a sort of kinship with him, since many of her children, such as the locust and the cockroach, thrive in the same way rats and their kin do; feeding off of the chaff of Oerth's societies. Bralm's relations with Raxivort are grudging and strained though, given the fact that his creatures are higher on the food chain than hers are, and have diets based heavily on the consumption of her creations. Raxivort dwells away from the other gods of Oerth in his realm on Pandemonium, where his only companions other than the rats, mice, bats, Xvarts and Ratmen that serve him are the beastlord Sneer, his son and closest friend, and the beastlord Flutter, his blind daughter and loyal servant.
Make your fortune from the debris of society, thrive where others refuse to dwell, and serve none but the Lord of Rodents. Bow to none but those in service of your deity, and cast away the chains of culture that become too cumbersome to bear. Serve the children of Raxivort, for they will inheret Oerth, and will smile upon those who treated them with kindness.
Raxivort's followers are usually Xvarts or Ratmen, though there are small cults devoted to him found among the people of every intelligent race in the Flanaess. Raxivarr are forbidden from ever killing a rat, mouse, bat or related creature under any circumstances, doing so will result in immediate loss of all powers granted by their divine classes. Other Ratmen, Xvarts and followers of Raxivort are not included in this taboo, but killing a member of those groups is always followed by the ritual consumption of their flesh to appease the Rat Lord's anger. Raxivarr serve no real productive role in most societies, living on the fringes and causing grief to most lawful citizens of their community through their simple existence, which is always accompanied by some manner of rodent infestation.
Domains: Animal, Chaos, Beastmaster, Pestilence
Weapon: Falchion, Dagger, Claws of the Rat (Spiked Cestus/Tiger Claws)
Garb: Raxivarr are generally dirty and unkempt, smelling of the sewers or local garbage heap, They favor dull colors for their garb, with blacks, browns and greys being common. Tattooing, Scarification, and the wearing of shiny jewelry are very common ways of showing one's status in the church. The holy symbol of Raxivort is a flaming hand, crafted of electrum or a similar blue hued metal.
Special: All Raxivarr, to acquire the Pestilence prestige domain, must have their left hand immersed in a brazier of red hot coals, a process which causes permanent scarring, which mystically turns a sickly blue color as it heals, and causes 1d4 points of permanent hit point damage, which may not be healed by any known means, and ignores any damage resistance to fire the character may possess. The Raxivarr may undertake this ritual at any time in their career, ignoring the usual rules for acquiring a prestige domain, but the process must be supervised by a cleric or shaman of Raxivort of at least 12th level and requires the sacrifice of 5,000 g.p. worth of rare coals and incense. This honors Raxivorts overcoming of the curse Graz'zt laid upon him, and displays the undying loyalty the character has to his deity.
Author's note: Inspiration for the story of Raxivort's origins as a servatn of Graz'zt came from TalMeta's Greyhawk Gods for Runequest material, on his website, http://www.talmeta.net
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Average Score: 4.5
Votes: 10
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Re: Raxivort, Lord of the Rats (Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Mon, November 25, 2002 | I like the detail about scarification, and the connection to Bralm.
I'm not sure I buy the idea that their hairstyles are some kind of demonic curse or gift, though. If they don't want to have topknots anymore, can't they just untie them? Or shave? |
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