Centaur religion/cults

[Grimmshade]

The Bestiary says the centaurs worship Arachne but she's not available in the book. 

Any suggestions for what religions the centaur PC can belong to?

[Tarumath]

I don't think Arachne Solara is a Goddess you can really get magic from.

Not that their religious rituals revolving around her are completely ineffective but her involvement is probably more symbolic than anything except maybe for a few beastmen mystics (who are not going to have magic relevant to the game).

IMO, they are probably mainly animists who worship nature itself and the local spirits of the Dragon Pass.

[Grimmshade]

Would the elf religion be suitable then?

Or do they not belong to a cult? 

[PhilHibbs]

Just because most (or even all) Centaurs worship Arachne Solara, that doesn't mean the PC has to. They could worship Yelm, Humakt, Daka Fal, Foundfoal, Eurmal, anything really.

[soltakss]

In my Glorantha, there is a version of Yemlamio, like Yelmalio the Rider, that some Centaurs worship. Also, centaurs usually worship Hunter, some worship Ironhoof, others worship the Wild Lady, as a manifestation of Arachne Solara. 

They probably don't worship Grazelander deities, due to one of the Grazers' origin myths, so that they are separate from the Grazers. 

To a certain extent, Centaurs might be a product of EWF HeroQuesting, so might only go back one and a bit Ages, so they might not have developed a set of typically centaur deities.

[Grimmshade]

Foundchild looks like a pretty good choice, as the player wants to make a centaur hunter.

[jajagappa]

5 hours ago, Grimmshade said:

The Bestiary says the centaurs worship Arachne but she's not available in the book. 

Any suggestions for what religions the centaur PC can belong to?

I would use these:

Shamans who call upon the various spirits of Beast Valley (might have suggested Daka Fal except it notes "Ancestor worship is mostly nonexistent")

Chalana Arroy - healers

Foundchild - hunters

Possibly Issaries (though Donandar the musician and entertainer will be a better choice once available)

 

[Zozotroll]

Foundchild is a very good choice for a hunter.  There are several huntr cults out there, all are similar.  Use foundchild for now, and let the PC change later if one comes out they like better.

 

[Grimmshade]

2 hours ago, Zozotroll said:

Foundchild is a very good choice for a hunter.  There are several huntr cults out there, all are similar.  Use foundchild for now, and let the PC change later if one comes out they like better.

 

One of my other players suggested Odayla, what do you think that choice? There's not a ton of info in the Core.

[Zozotroll]

The big deal with Odayla is to turn into a bear.  Lots of fun potential with that, but if what you want to be is a great hunter foundchild offers more, particularly the runespells.  I usually want specialists to be specialist, not generalist.  So foundchold will be a better hunter than Odayla.  But, he is not really trying to play a hunter, he i most likely going to be an adventurer which is a very different thing.  

[Grimmshade]

2 hours ago, Zozotroll said:

The big deal with Odayla is to turn into a bear.  Lots of fun potential with that, but if what you want to be is a great hunter foundchild offers more, particularly the runespells.  I usually want specialists to be specialist, not generalist.  So foundchold will be a better hunter than Odayla.  But, he is not really trying to play a hunter, he i most likely going to be an adventurer which is a very different thing.  

This makes total sense to me. I'll recommend Foundchild!

[D]

2 hours ago, Zozotroll said:

The big deal with Odayla is to turn into a bear.  Lots of fun potential with that, but if what you want to be is a great hunter foundchild offers more, particularly the runespells.  I usually want specialists to be specialist, not generalist.  So foundchold will be a better hunter than Odayla.  But, he is not really trying to play a hunter, he i most likely going to be an adventurer which is a very different thing.  

Does that mean a centuar who becomes a bear like this still has 6 limbs?

[Zozotroll]

Not according to the spell description.    Just turn into a bear and stay that way for an hour.  Mind with all the effects, you are likely to be a vary dangerous bear.

[jajagappa]

3 hours ago, Grimmshade said:

One of my other players suggested Odayla, what do you think that choice? There's not a ton of info in the Core.

Two things:  1) Odayla is very Orlanthi - very counter to the ways of the centaurs; 2) Odayla is a bear, a centaur is half horse, half man, and not at all bear-like.

Foundchild is much more aligned with the spirit aspects of the centaurs and beast-men.

[PhilHibbs]

Join Odayla and Yinkin, then he can be half man half bear half horse half cat! Manbearcataur!

[Joerg]

IMO the centaurs will worship Grazer deities. The Pain Centaurs of Remakerela were stitched from captive horse folk and their horses, IMO. Yes, the Pure Horse Folk of Prax were allies of the EWF, but they would have had their share of wild bachelors raiding the EWF nonetheless, and if these were captured, they might have been enslaved, and bought up by the Remakers.

Ironhoof is their demigod ruler, not always present in Beast Valley, but will be summoned in times of big wars. He is a son of Yelm Kargzant.

Kero Fin or her daughter Tara, Lady of the Wild, is the mistress of fertility for both their herds of cattle (shared with the Minotaurs, who have an additional use for them) and the wild beasts of prey they hunt.

Golden Bow (Dastal the Hunter) or a javelineer deity are likely to be both warrior and hunter occupational cults. Do the centaurs use couched lances, or do they have stick swords similar to the Wind Children? I don't see them using shields to avoid missiles, too much of their bodies remains unprotected, so they probably will go for the extra damage of long-shafted two-handed weapons.

Full time warriors will be rare, most of their warriors will be hunters or herders. Yelmalio might be an option for warriors but is problematic when looking at their (and their neighbors in Vanntar) history, but also Storm Bull (shared with the Minotaurs) and possibly Humakt (shared with the Durulz).

There will be a few full time centaur crafters, and I think that their craftsmanship will be highly sought after not just by fellow beastmen but also by the humans in their neighborhood. Other rare specialisations will be Issaries traders, Drogarsi skalds and Skovari jugglers (through Donandar), and possibly tamers (of dogs, manticores etc) and falconers.

 

The Arachne Solara rites are tied in with the worship of the Wilderness and the Land (Lady of the Wild, Kero Fin) at Wild Temple. Without eight-legged effigies, who can decide whether a dyonysian rite is dedicated to Tara or to Arachne Solara?