At 08:41 AM 7/5/2004 +0200, Magian wrote:
> Gary thanks again for the many resources you continue to post. I`ve
been enjoying your work.
You`re welcome. Kind of you to say.
As long as were on the subject, Ive been working on an essay having to do
with creating these characters. Its quite long, but heres the first
part. The whole thing is called
A Guide to Creating Awnsheghlien and Ersheghlien
One of the most important aspects of the Birthright setting is the
system of bloodlines, which represents the power of the gods flowing
through the characters of Cerilia, allowing them to influence the events of
the campaign world dramatically. Blooded characters have greater personal
power and are able to affect the political process in a way beyond that of
normal people. These characters are definitive of the Birthright setting
and their influence permeates the campaign world.
Amongst some scions the blood of the gods has an even more dramatic
effect than others. For these characters the power of the gods leads to a
physical transformation. Those characters who have the blood of Azrai or
the Bloodtrait blood ability can (or must) begin a process of
transformation into a creature of mythic proportion. Those scions with
Azrai`s derivation whose bloodline leads to a transformation are called
awnsheghlien (singular: awnshegh) from the Sidhe for creatures of shadow
while the scions of all other derivations who transform are called
ersheghlien (ershegh) meaning creatures of light.
The text below addresses the creation of new awnsheghlien and
ersheghlien. It deals with the role of these creatures in the campaign,
their employment in play as well as presents some guidelines and concepts
for how to go about creating such characters.
Means and Motivation
Not all scions become awnsheghlien or ersheghlien. In fact, most scions
remain typical humans throughout their lives, untouched by the
transformative effects of bloodline. The most important factor in
determining whether or not a scion will be affected by his bloodline is his
bloodline derivation. Succinctly put, scions of Azrai represent the
majority of those characters who transform. Awnsheghlien significantly
outnumber ersheghlien. The very nature of Azrai`s bloodline is corruption,
manipulation and degeneration. Before his destruction at Deismaar
everything that Azrai touched became perverted by his influence, and all
those who have inherited his bloodline are vulnerable to the dark
transformation. Though some awnsheghlien embrace their change, and become
so-called “major awnsheghlien” (see the ??? feat on p??) not all scions of
Azrai look forward to transforming into some perverse parody of their own
personality as seen through the corruption of Azrai. Nonetheless, all
scions of Azrai have the option of becoming awnsheghlien simply by taking
levels in the class. In fact, Azrai`s scions must consciously resist the
temptation to transform.
On the other hand, scions of other bloodline derivations may not simply
transform into ersheghlien at will. Only those with the Bloodtrait ability
have the option of becoming ersheghlien, and both the pace and amount of
transformation (the number of levels they take in the Ershegh class on page
??) is completely voluntary for them.
More important than simply recognizing who is capable (or vulnerable) to
becoming an awnshegh or ershegh, however, are the particulars of the
characters themselves. What is their background and personal history,
their personality and demeanor? The transformation of awnsheghlien and
ersheghlien is into a form having to do with the “spirit” or “anima” of the
character, so an understanding of the character`s motives, goals, failures
and experiences is particularly important.
For most awnsheghlien and ersheghlien we can assume that the process of
transformation is a dramatic and unpleasant experience. Creatures changed
by the blood of the gods must in many ways leave their humanity
behind. Any pretense at a normal life can be dismissed once the process
has begun for characters whose physical body changes so dramatically must
stand outand apartfrom their former fellows. Whether they desire it or
not, they can no longer exist as part of a community as they did before.
For ersheghlien this issue is particularly significant because their
transformation is voluntary. They must choose to leave their humanity (or
other race) behind. Such characters might later come to regret that
decision, but it is reasonable to assume that there is some serious
motivation in the background of the character that inspires them to get the
process started. When determining the background of an ershegh pay
particular attention to his reasons for embracing the transformation, and
bear in mind that those issues do not simply vanish once the transformation
has begun. Stimuli strong enough to cause a person to abandon their basic
humanity will likely hang around and influence their behavior long after
they have begun to assume a new form.
Form and Transformation
The simplest and most obvious form of awnsheghlien and ersheghlien are
those creatures associated with an animal, beast or magical creature. It
is a theriomorphic transformation, based on the change of a human being
into some totemic beast. Such beings take on characteristics of that
iconic creature, gaining powers and abilities associated with it. That is,
they not only gain abilities based upon the animal they personify, but the
symbolic powers of that creature as well.
In some cases, the transformation of an awnshegh or ershegh is not
limited to taking on characteristics of an existing animal, beast or
monster. Some awnsheghlien and ersheghlien embody less readily
recognizable forms, having transformations that seem to embody no existing
or imaginary creature but a completely new and unique being. Some seem to
take on characteristics that represent the embodiment of an abstract
concept; an emotion, a spiritual form or even something as abstract as a
philosophy. It is not enough for The Hag to take on the physical
characteristics of a hag. She must embody symbolic representation of a
hag. In the Hag`s case the emotional state is bitterness and envy, while
the character`s spiritual aspect manifests in dark powers based on diabolic
magics, and her philosophy is based upon Machiavellian view of life. In
the final analysis any form or philosophy is possible within the scope of
awnsheghlien and ersheghlien transformation, and probably the best
awnsheghlien and ersheghlien are ones that combine mental, emotional and
physical concepts to create a wholly unique character.
As scions transform into awnsheghlien or ersheghlien they take on
characteristics and gain abilities beyond that of typical creatures, and
sometimes they gain powers beyond even the fantastic or mundane creatures
that they resemble. They become archetypical creatures, embodying the both
the flesh and the spirit of the creature they represent. In the process
they gain powers similar to the powers of their totemic creature, but can
also gain powers beyond those of a typical creature of that type. A
creature that begins to take on the form of a giant lizard, for instance,
may gain claws, fangs, etc. but he may also take on strange, mythic
characteristics like the ability to summon lizards, communicate with them
telepathically, etc. He may take on a form dissimilar from a typical
lizard, becoming a gross caricature of the creature he emulates, or a being
that embodies symbolic or other anthropomorphic quality of the totem animal.
The transformation of an awnsheghlien or ersheghlien need not replicate
the stats or abilities of the totem animal identically. In fact, it is
often the case that a transformation will take on qualities of a particular
animal or beast, but still retain human characteristics or not gain all of
the abilities of the totemic form. A scion might take on the qualities of
a fish, for instance, but not be able to breath water or he might become
cat-like but not be able to see in the dark. Such abilities may come to
the scion in time as the transformation continues to take effect, but the
important aspect of the transformation is that it embodies the spirit or
personality of the totem animal in a thematic sense, not that the character
actually becomes identical to that creature. Where dogs are seen as loyal,
cats indifferent, lions noble, tigers ferocious, bears lumbering and rats
vile, these things are as important to the form an awnshegh or ershegh will
take as their claws or fangs.
One way of looking at awnsheghlien and ersheghlien is that they occupy
in the Birthright setting the role that in other settings might be taken up
by the lowest rung of divinities. They are the spirits of the totemic form
they are transforming into and become not just identified with that totem,
but an extraordinary representative of that type of creature. They are
archetypes, embodying not only the physical characteristics of the creature
but the symbolic ones as well. A character who transformed into a rat-like
awnshegh, for instance, might become a sort of demi-god of ratness, taking
on the physical appearance of a rat, but also embracing the personality,
attitudes, goals and purposes of a giant, prototypical rodent.
Another way to look at awnsheghlien and ersheghlien is that they are the
fantastically powered characters of the Birthright campaign setting similar
to characters in comic books. They are, in effect, superheroes and
supervillains, elevated by the “mutation” of their bloodline into creatures
with powers beyond that of typical mortals. Of course, in the fantasy
setting of Cerilia these creatures take on a more medieval flavour, but if
one uses the superhero concept as the basis for coming up with new
characters it can aid the process in subtle yet significant ways.
The most obvious influence of the superhero/villain perspective is that
awnsheghlien and ersheghlien have super powers. Among the powers of
awnsheghlien in the original Birthright materials are characters who can
fly through the air, shoot death beams from their eyes, grow to
extraordinary size and strength, and wield magical or psychic powers. Any
of these things are powers exhibited by comic book characters.
Aside from any similarities to comic book characters that awnsheghlien
and ersheghlien have when it comes to their powers and abilities, they are
also very similar to such characters on a thematic and emotional
level. Awnsheghlien and ersheghlien take part in a constant struggle of
good versus evil. They engage in what is, essentially, a morality play
with awnsheghlien representing the powers of evil and Birthright characters
representing their eternal opponents. In many cases, Birthright characters
might not be ersheghlien. They might be simple PCs with no significant (or
only a few) of the blood abilities that form the basis of this comic book
comparison. However, in most RPGs even “mundane” characters can manifest
powers and abilities beyond that of typical humans, and in a fantasy RPG
with an extensive system of magic, elaborate special abilities, etc. even
“commoner” PCs can be the equivalent of superheroes.
Many awnsheghlien control domains and some of those domains are the
largest in Cerilia. Such characters are comparable to comic book villains
who control large complexes filled with minions who obey their leaderand
oppose PCswithout question. Given the political level of play in the
Birthright setting this interpretation becomes all the more
significant. PCs engage their opponents not at the face-to-face level, but
by interacting with a broad and influential level of play that determines
the fate of many people. When determining the powers and abilities of an
awnsheghlien or ersheghlien, therefore, it is particularly important to
consider the character`s role at the domain level of play.