Paul Wolfe and I created a set of 13
patrons for
Dungeon Crawl Classics, with illustrations by the illustrious
David Fisher,
Scott Ackerman, and myself. This was in early days for the
Dungeon
Crawl Classics system, and, if you were looking for patrons outside the
core rulebook, there were few to choose from. Designing patrons was, and
remains, probably the most labor-intensive part of prepping for a DCC campaign,
so this seemed like an extremely useful product to get out there.
Based on the reviews, I think we were right.
I wrote in
the Introduction, “Potential new patrons repeatedly show up in both official
and third-party Dungeon Crawl Classics adventures, but as of this writing, none
of these adventures include a full write-up for a patron.” I am very happy to
say that this is no longer the case.
The thirteen
patrons in this product are:
Enzazza, Queen of the Hive: Where bees,
wasps, and their kin gather, the golden voice of Enzazza be heard. She appears
as a beautiful woman with golden skin and black hair. She wears fancy clothing
in hues of black, gold, and yellow, with surprisingly ornate needle-work floral
patterns. Enzazza is a patron who is
exclusively interested in female casters.
Four Maidens of Tylin: The peasants of
the Tylin region pay tribute to the Maidens for good fishing, calm waters, and,
strangely, for good sex. Many an impotent man and barren woman have unlashed
their rowboats from the shores of one of the four lakes, rowed out to one of
the shrines and burned incense to a Maiden. Many betrothed, newlyweds, and even
couples married for decades, pay tribute to all four, some on a regular basis –
either in hope or thanks.
King Halgaz Bekur: The icy reaches of
Kran bred men of ice and iron. These men, reavers all, once paused their
clannish wars, united under Halgaz Bekur, a witch-king, and descended into the
Warm Lands in a froth of rapine and destruction that lasted for generations. Three
heroes finally ended the reign of the witch-king, wielding artifacts both found
and created. The Warm Lands and its people lay in devastation, but the sun rose
on a new age. The soul of the King was released but not destroyed and sank into
the earth.
Hecate, Goddess of Witches: Since
ancient times, the Witch-Goddess Hecate has interfered in human affairs for
unknown reasons. It is certain, though, that she intercedes on behalf of some
witches as well as on behalf of those wizards and elves she patronizes.
Hhaaashh-Lusss, Lord Duke of Reptiles: With
the mouth of a crocodile, venomous bite, turtle-shell scales, and serpentine
body, Hhaaashh-Lusss, the Cold-Blooded One, Lord Duke of Reptiles, is a
supernatural being whose very existence is centered upon promoting the
interests of all scaly things that creep and crawl through desert, sea, and
swamp. He has no interest in the cosmic battle between Law and Chaos, and
prefers patient waiting for his own prey. He is slow to act, but resolute in
his decisions.
Lavarial, Angel of the Temple: Beautiful
and fierce, the Angel of the Temple seeks to protect travelers in night-haunted
lands, and to overthrow the crawling legions of Chaos. In many lands, her
symbol is a red cross on a white field, symbolizing the meeting of paths,
purity of purpose, and blood – both spilled in the service of Law and saved by
miraculous healing.
Logos, the Perfect Form: When Logos
looked across the cosmos in the long ago, he was at first amused by the
“mistakes of creation” he saw – the many imperfect forms, the pain and anguish,
love and joy, and the roiling Chaos of living things. Even the stars and
planets in their wheeling geometry did not seem so perfect as the world of
Logos, moving serenely through existence. After a time, amusement turned to
discomfort, and discomfort, in its turn, turned to a form of alien disgust and
hatred of all that is not perfect in its behavior and geometry.
Ptah-Ungurath, Opener of the Way: Known
by many names, Ptah-Ungurath has always heralded the approach of Chaos. Some
know him as The Black Goat, and others call him Father and Mother of Monsters.
He appears as a man standing only 4 feet tall, slender and swarthy, with eyes
that reflect the swirling stars of the cosmos. Any who views him can sense his
sinister majesty, and few can do aught but throw themselves on their knees and
prostrate before him.
Ptah-Ungurath
knows much about electricity, building glass and metal machines that create
gates to the far places of the universe. He is the Opener of the Way beyond
space and time, where the titanic temples of tenebrous gods hold sway with
strange piping and slow dances like the plod of time itself. Beyond even these,
Ptah-Ungurath knows the way to the end of all things, the stinking graveyard of
the universe, where worlds lie like putrid corpses and cities are no more than
malodorous pustules on their decaying masses.
Radu, King of Rabbits: From ancient
times, every creature had a lord or lady as patron of their kind. The King of
Rabbits is not powerful, but he is cunning and swift, and his ears can pick up
the first hint of danger when its source is yet miles away. He appears as a
large rabbit, which can walk as a man at will, occasionally smoking a mixture
of lavender and tobacco in a briarwood pipe.
Set-Utekh the Destroyer: Long before
men crawled forth upon the face of the world, Set-Utekh and his brothers came
to this plane. They sought to tame the great reptiles of the nascent world and
to order all things as they desired. They taught men to write hieroglyphics,
build monuments to their glory, navigate rivers and shallow seas, and to war.
They took wives from the children of men, and their children were worshiped as
gods.
Alone among
these alien brothers, Set-Utekh sought not to build but destroy. So terrible
was the destruction he wrought that the green land of the Sons of Osiris were
blasted into a desert. The very existence of living beings upon this world was
threatened. Even the plane itself came close to becoming nothing more than
whirling dust and motes of ash. The Sons of Osiris therefore rose up, and with
the aid of their semi-divine parents bound the Destroyer in a moment of
Space-Time deep beneath a pyramid in the once-green land. Lest Set-Utekh become
free, the key to his binding was hidden away on another planet or plane beyond
the ken of human beings.
Umwansh, Father of the Waves: The great
water elemental Umwansh has servants who gird the oceans. He can bring storms
against vessels far at sea or see them safely ashore. He is also the Lord of
Many Treasures, who has the pick of those things which have sunken from a
thousand ships and a hundred drowned lands into the sea. He appears to mortals
as a great blue-green man of whatever size he desires and, often, with a long,
wavy beard. Clad in shells and scale, water trickles down his skin, and he
smells like brine. Umwansh is attended by lesser elementals of various sizes
and abilities.
The Arm of Vendel Re’Yune: Deep in the
Hellraker Mines is a small octagonal room containing a plain stone fountain.
Projecting from one of the walls is a rotted, semi-petrified humanoid arm (from
the shoulder to skeletal fingertips). Of the information gleaned by scholars
from those that have braved Hellraker and returned, the arm is believed to
belong to the sorcerer Vendel Re’Yune, a powerful force in the Wars of Chance.
Re’Yune is said to have challenged the very gods, who responded by altering the
path of his last dimensional sojourn -- unfortunately, being immortal did not
save the upstart sorcerer. He is believed to have lived on in a constant state
of painful death trapped within a stone wall. Though rumors persist that the
arm has appeared in other places under other circumstances, what is known by a
very few is that Re’Yune grants highly volatile but puissant powers to those
that enter his service.
Yan Oshoth, Revered Ancestor: From
among your ancestors, the spirit of Yan Oshoth reaches across time and space to
bring glory to your family name! In turns poet, statesman, and warrior, Yan
Oshoth is the greatest of the honored departed your family still lights candles
to in prayer and remembers on the Day of the Dead. He will grant you guidance,
wisdom, and knowledge. In your direst need, he may even grant you his warrior's
arm.
For those
who are curious about these things, Paul
Wolfe created the Four Maidens of
Tylin, King Halgaz Bekur, and
what is probably the best patron in the book – The Arm of Vendel Re’Yune. I am responsible for the rest.
I also wrote
the following text, which appears on the OGC page of the product. I hope that
you take it to heart, and that these patrons see use in other DCC products. You
can find references to one or more of these patrons in David Fisher’s The Trolls of Mistwood, Paul Wolfe’s The God-Seed Awakens!,
and my own The Revelation of Mulmo.
Dragon's Hoard Publishing is proud to
support the Dungeon Crawl Classics role-playing game. To this purpose, the
publisher and authors hereby grant permission to use the name of any patron or
patron spell in this product by name, and to include the full write-up of up to
two patrons, in any product published for the Dungeon Crawl Classics
role-playing game, either by Goodman Games or under the Goodman Games DCC RPG
Third Party Publishing License Agreement. Prospective publishers must include
the copy, "Additional patron material from Angels, Daemons, and Beings
Between, published by Dragon's Hoard Publishing, Daniel J. Bishop and Paul
Wolfe authors, copyright 2012" in a reasonably prominent location (such as
the credits section of the book, or in the licensing section) to obtain this
permission.
