Question: Why does Quetzalcoatl hate Fuxi and Nuwa?
In our games, the dragon gods have had something of an ongoing rivalry which occasionally erupts into violent dragon combat, which is something everyone should try to avoid if possible because it is definitely not pretty. The three of them plus Ryujin should generally be kept away from each other when possible (and, indeed, it was Ryujin who killed Quetzalcoatl during the Half-Soul story, although he was later resurrected by the efforts of Geoff's band during Blood Heirs).
Most of the time, I wouldn't take the Rivals and Enemies on our god-pages too seriously. They have to do with events that occurred in our games as often as with basic god-rivalries across cultures. So if you see one that doesn't seem to make sense - especially between gods with cultures that are very remote from one another - it's likely that those gods got into some kind of tiff during one of our plots, rather than that they have some kind of secret mythological rivalry.
Showing posts with label Ryujin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ryujin. Show all posts
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Enter the Dragon
Question: Do you have any advice for someone wishing to play a Scion of Ryujin? Specifically, what kind of parent would he be (from what I’ve gathered, not a good one)? I have already read your post about what kind of relics he might give, but do you have any more suggestions? And I don’t know if you’ve gotten to the Amatsukami rewrite, but if you haven’t, what associated powers would you give Ryujin (and why do you think he has Moon)?
That's a big old bucket of dragony questions! One thing at a time:
1) Ryujin, as a parent, is a multi-faceted ball of twine. Traditionally, he has a strong interest in his offspring - at least in the story of his daughter's marriage to Hoori - and is likely to be protective of them and cranky if anyone else messes with them without his permission. At the same time, he's notoriously temperamental - see why the jellyfish has no bones - and not overly bright, so while he'll be up in arms if anyone lays a finger on his Scions, said Scions may not be able to expect him to be very nice to them in spite of his protectiveness. Asian sea-dragons - not just Ryujin but other similar figures throughout Japan, Korea and China - tend to be the sorts of dudes who don't really think things through very well and have trouble with complicated concepts, but who have no problem rampaging around murdering people and flooding the countryside if irritated. In short, he acts about like you'd expect a dragon to act, which means he probably isn't going to win any awards for Father of the Year.
2) We did already do a post about Ryujin relics, but if you want specific ideas for stats, we happen to have just statted up a Tide Jewel in our new Reliquary, so feel free to check it out. The Impenetrable Approval of the Ministry of Waters in the same supplement, while intended for use by Chinese Scions, could also be reflavored and used by a Scion of Ryujin.
3) We have not actually done the Amatsukami rewrite yet, so there are still weird associations on his page that came from the original writeup in Scion: God. Moon is a good example; there's no reason whatsoever for Ryujin to have Moon and we're entirely baffled about why it's there, except maybe that whoever wrote him up was thinking that the moon controls the tides and so does Ryujin. But since every sea god is not also a moon god (in fact, very few are both), that's some pretty lame reasoning. Animal (Turtle) is probably similarly a wash - sea turtles are important in Japanese myth, but Ryujin himself seldom appears as one - but the dragon-god's powers of shapeshifting and appearing as various creatures might be best served by Epic Appearance instead. We usually don't like giving sea-gods Animal (Fish) just for living in the ocean, but since Ryujin uses fish as messengers and servants and has been known to do things like summoning every fish in the ocean, he might legitimately be said to have it (perhaps also Animal [Snake], as they're considered his emissaries on earth?). The book gives him all three physical Epic Attributes, doubtless because he's a dragon and dragons are huge, but considering that he was outrun by a human woman in one myth I'd have to say Epic Dexterity isn't his high point, and while he's probably more than formidable in Strength and Stamina, I can't think of any time that he really proves he's a God Of those things, so I'd probably leave them out as well. Of course, Water goes without saying.
This is all pretty conjecture-y, though. As I said, we haven't done our Japanese rewrite yet, and we'll want to do some immersive research on Ryujin and his fellow deities before we make any final calls on associations, so those suggestions above may not be the best possible ones out there. You can definitely make bank on the fact that he does have Water and does not have Moon, though.
4) Our advice to Scions of Ryujin is to be prepared for life to be large and in charge at all times. Your father is a dragon; sometimes that's going to be awesome, but at other times it's going to suck like everything that has ever sucked, and it's never, ever going away. Whether you follow in his toothy footsteps or decide to be the more human face of the seas, the shadow of the vast sea serpent will always be right behind you.
That's a big old bucket of dragony questions! One thing at a time:
1) Ryujin, as a parent, is a multi-faceted ball of twine. Traditionally, he has a strong interest in his offspring - at least in the story of his daughter's marriage to Hoori - and is likely to be protective of them and cranky if anyone else messes with them without his permission. At the same time, he's notoriously temperamental - see why the jellyfish has no bones - and not overly bright, so while he'll be up in arms if anyone lays a finger on his Scions, said Scions may not be able to expect him to be very nice to them in spite of his protectiveness. Asian sea-dragons - not just Ryujin but other similar figures throughout Japan, Korea and China - tend to be the sorts of dudes who don't really think things through very well and have trouble with complicated concepts, but who have no problem rampaging around murdering people and flooding the countryside if irritated. In short, he acts about like you'd expect a dragon to act, which means he probably isn't going to win any awards for Father of the Year.
2) We did already do a post about Ryujin relics, but if you want specific ideas for stats, we happen to have just statted up a Tide Jewel in our new Reliquary, so feel free to check it out. The Impenetrable Approval of the Ministry of Waters in the same supplement, while intended for use by Chinese Scions, could also be reflavored and used by a Scion of Ryujin.
3) We have not actually done the Amatsukami rewrite yet, so there are still weird associations on his page that came from the original writeup in Scion: God. Moon is a good example; there's no reason whatsoever for Ryujin to have Moon and we're entirely baffled about why it's there, except maybe that whoever wrote him up was thinking that the moon controls the tides and so does Ryujin. But since every sea god is not also a moon god (in fact, very few are both), that's some pretty lame reasoning. Animal (Turtle) is probably similarly a wash - sea turtles are important in Japanese myth, but Ryujin himself seldom appears as one - but the dragon-god's powers of shapeshifting and appearing as various creatures might be best served by Epic Appearance instead. We usually don't like giving sea-gods Animal (Fish) just for living in the ocean, but since Ryujin uses fish as messengers and servants and has been known to do things like summoning every fish in the ocean, he might legitimately be said to have it (perhaps also Animal [Snake], as they're considered his emissaries on earth?). The book gives him all three physical Epic Attributes, doubtless because he's a dragon and dragons are huge, but considering that he was outrun by a human woman in one myth I'd have to say Epic Dexterity isn't his high point, and while he's probably more than formidable in Strength and Stamina, I can't think of any time that he really proves he's a God Of those things, so I'd probably leave them out as well. Of course, Water goes without saying.
This is all pretty conjecture-y, though. As I said, we haven't done our Japanese rewrite yet, and we'll want to do some immersive research on Ryujin and his fellow deities before we make any final calls on associations, so those suggestions above may not be the best possible ones out there. You can definitely make bank on the fact that he does have Water and does not have Moon, though.
4) Our advice to Scions of Ryujin is to be prepared for life to be large and in charge at all times. Your father is a dragon; sometimes that's going to be awesome, but at other times it's going to suck like everything that has ever sucked, and it's never, ever going away. Whether you follow in his toothy footsteps or decide to be the more human face of the seas, the shadow of the vast sea serpent will always be right behind you.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Dragonish Delights
Question: I know you've only just begun your Birthright project, but I thought I'd ask anyway. What are some Birthrights that Ryujin might give to a Scion? I had an idea of a Tide Jewel Birthright Relic.
Tide jewels are indeed a perfect place for a relic from the irascible old dragon of the deeps! They're traditionally owned and parceled out by him, and while they might have famously appeared in the pockets of other august Japanese personages, there's no reason he might not have more to bestow on his lucky Scions. It might be especially cool to hand down tide jewels that have figured in other myths (such as the one used by Jingu/Himiko to conquer Korea, for example).
I'm especially fond of the idea of Ryujin giving his children jellyfish; having terrorized the poor jellyfish into doing his ill-tempered bidding for time out of mind, he doubtless has plenty of them and they make a fun and unique Creature Birthright that you don't see every day. They are a bit more difficult to work with due to requiring water to function, but I defy anyone to think of a maliciously stinging Nemean jellyfish without shuddering at least a little bit. For a Creature Birthright more able to get around and function outside of water, a giant sea turtle might also be a good option, bringing to mind Japanese myths of heroes carried out to sea or rescued by the creatures.
Hoderi's fishhook, an object of much contention in the myths of Ryujin, Hoori and his daughter Toyotama-Hime, might also be a cool idea for a relic - or if not Hoderi's specifically, a magical fishhook that recalls his. Magical scales from Ryujin's own hide or perhaps a writhing, dragonish whisker might also be badges a Scion could wear with pride to represent his or her father.
As for what those relics would do, it would have to depend on the character him- or herself and what kind of things the player envisioned for them, but the dragon-god has plenty of options for exploration no matter what your preferences.
Tide jewels are indeed a perfect place for a relic from the irascible old dragon of the deeps! They're traditionally owned and parceled out by him, and while they might have famously appeared in the pockets of other august Japanese personages, there's no reason he might not have more to bestow on his lucky Scions. It might be especially cool to hand down tide jewels that have figured in other myths (such as the one used by Jingu/Himiko to conquer Korea, for example).
I'm especially fond of the idea of Ryujin giving his children jellyfish; having terrorized the poor jellyfish into doing his ill-tempered bidding for time out of mind, he doubtless has plenty of them and they make a fun and unique Creature Birthright that you don't see every day. They are a bit more difficult to work with due to requiring water to function, but I defy anyone to think of a maliciously stinging Nemean jellyfish without shuddering at least a little bit. For a Creature Birthright more able to get around and function outside of water, a giant sea turtle might also be a good option, bringing to mind Japanese myths of heroes carried out to sea or rescued by the creatures.
Hoderi's fishhook, an object of much contention in the myths of Ryujin, Hoori and his daughter Toyotama-Hime, might also be a cool idea for a relic - or if not Hoderi's specifically, a magical fishhook that recalls his. Magical scales from Ryujin's own hide or perhaps a writhing, dragonish whisker might also be badges a Scion could wear with pride to represent his or her father.
As for what those relics would do, it would have to depend on the character him- or herself and what kind of things the player envisioned for them, but the dragon-god has plenty of options for exploration no matter what your preferences.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)