Howling Lords of the Midnight Hunt and the followers of Elgath

[Havard]

So, the deity named Elgath is one that I have been struggling with a bit. He is CN of alignment and the patron of beasts, hunters and archers. He also has this bad reputation surrounding him that the Egg of Coot is a manifestation of Elgath. The DAB book does not give us too much detail on this deity, but the BMPG gives us a bit more. 

According to the BMPG p 137, the followers of Elgath are split into various groups:

• Druids of Elgath: Lead by Archdruid Folmeran Proteus (based in a temple in the outskirts of Jackport)
  
• Hunters, Archers and Clerics: Lead by Talbert Haver (Cleric). Granted, the text could be interpreted that even this is not a single group, but just in order to not make things too complex I think it makes sense to consider them the same group. It is not clear to me what the Hunters and Archers disagree with the Druids about, but the Druids dislike Clerics being part of the order. Tablert Haver was a Ranger before he became a Cleric. Hunting in a proper and respectful way is important to this group, which has lead them into conflict with the followers of Sollus. 
  
• Paladins of Elgath: Lead by Justinus Folgarth, this small group call themselves the "Hunters of Elgath". Justinius was a Druid before he became the first Paladin of Elgath. They are based in the Wet Woods. This group works to keep magical beasts under control. They give me a Witcher-like vibe.
  
• The Howling Lords of the Midnight Hunt: This group is not detailed in the section about Churches, but in the chapter about organisations. More below:
  

This group is described in the BMPG p 200. 

Group Name: The Howling Lords of the Midnight Hunt
Known Strongholds: Wurm Wood (New Lands)
Leader: Krimean the Wolf King (Archdruid)
Patron Deity: Elgath



So this group gets 1,5 pages dedicated to it in the BMPG. This is an ancient group formed by members who were blessed by Elgath the King of Beasts. They are divided into smaller groups called packs scattered around the North. Each pack has a totem animal (bear, wolf, crocodile, tiger, hawk, and so on). They use Wild Shape or dress up with beast masks, furs and clawed gauntlets in order to  look like beasts. They also use animal companions and trained beasts who become part of their packs.  Druids, Barbarians, Rangers and Wokans are accepted members. They are on good terms with the other followers of Elgath as well as other druids. They are openly hostile towards the City of Blackmoor as they hate clockwork and steam tech. They are also in open conflict with various beastmen and gatormen tribes. Finally, they hate the Clerics of Odir for their claim of leading the people of the North, but do not engage in open blodshed with them. 


So, there are so many groups associated with one deity. I think the main religious divide is between the Druids on the one side and the Hunters/Archers/Clerics on the other, but I am not quite sure what the divide is about. The Paladins seem to be a very small group so we don't have to make a big fuss about them, but I did like that they remind me of the Witchers. The Midnight Hunt group does not seem involved in the religious divide, but they seem like very fierce hunters. Their hostility towards Blackmoor and tech are also noteworthy. 

What do you make of this group?



-Havard

[Havard]

Another question is how do these guys relate to the Werewolves of the North. 

In the Wolf Wood, listed in DAB as part of the Westryn Kingdom, (DAB 141-142) there are two tribes of Werewolves. One is lead by a Skandaharian who calls himself the Spirit of the Moon. The other is a Thonian who calls himsef the Prince of Wolves.

I find it interesting that we have a Prince of Wolves (Werewolf) and a Wolf King (Archdruid) in the same setting without them being somehow connected?

-Havard

[Yaztromo]

I may be wrong, but I have the feeling that Dave Arneson didn't imagine strong religiosity in Blackmoor and, when there were strict religious groups, they were typically evil villains (think about the Temple of Id, or the Afridhi, or the Cult of the Frog, for example, while the Church of St.Cuthbert often looks more an opportunity to have a good laugh rather than a group of particularly strong religious people).
Having multiple organisations associated to a single deity may be aligned to the organisation of the medieval society, that had plenty of guilds etc. often linked to saints and similar patrons. It doesn't necessarily mean that these organisations were integralists, but, if they were, they were probably on the evil side.
Maybe various developments and twists of the setting may have changed in part this general approach.

In light of the above, the Nidnight Hunt and their patron Elgath, as they are described, sound more on the evil side of this spectrum, to me. Maybe they can be hidden masterminds of some evil plot in many Blackmoor campaigns.

[Zeromaru X]

In the Wolf Wood, listed in DAB as part of the Westryn Kingdom, (DAB 141-142) there are two tribes of Werewolves. One is lead by a Skandaharian who calls himself the Spirit of the Moon.

Isn't the Spirit of the Moon this big wolf thing that is leading all the shapechangers against the Kingdom of Blackmoor in the Age of the Wolf storyline?

[Greg]

In our real world, it is extremely common for there to be many groups, orders, and sects associated with a single deity, so the number of groups associated with Elgath in Blackmoor seems normaly to me. The rivalry between druids and clerics also seems to make sense, and that might be the only difference you need.

To the druids, the point of the faith might be to be in tune with the beasts, hunters, archers, and the natural world. They may view this as the point of Elgath's teachings or will. To clerics, the point of the faith might be to be in tune with Elgath himself and his church. Hence, you could have two different views of how someone should practice their religion and show their allegiance to Elgath. The clerics might view the druids as nature worshipers who put nature above Elgath, which is sacrilege. The druids might think that the clerics are too focused on the idea of a church or an organized religion. To the druids, the clerics may have missed the point of Elgath's teachings. Each group, then, might have its own adherents and supporters among the other professions and common people associated with the faith.

[Havard]

I may be wrong, but I have the feeling that Dave Arneson didn't imagine strong religiosity in Blackmoor and, when there were strict religious groups, they were typically evil villains (think about the Temple of Id, or the Afridhi, or the Cult of the Frog, for example, while the Church of St.Cuthbert often looks more an opportunity to have a good laugh rather than a group of particularly strong religious people).
Having multiple organisations associated to a single deity may be aligned to the organisation of the medieval society, that had plenty of guilds etc. often linked to saints and similar patrons. It doesn't necessarily mean that these organisations were integralists, but, if they were, they were probably on the evil side.
Maybe various developments and twists of the setting may have changed in part this general approach.

In light of the above, the Nidnight Hunt and their patron Elgath, as they are described, sound more on the evil side of this spectrum, to me. Maybe they can be hidden masterminds of some evil plot in many Blackmoor campaigns.

Religion and Gods have been presented in different ways through the different versions of Blackmoor:

1. Original Campaign: In addition to various evil cults you mention, the FFC talks about Paladins, Crusaders, Patriarchs, religious buildings etc. Under the description of the Bishop (Carr), we get a humorous description of the Church of the Facts of Life, while still keeping details fairly vague. We can see the gradual evolution of the Cleric class. Also, lots of demons and undead. St. Cuthbert is never mentioned in Dave Arneson's work AFAIK, though there is a "Saint Cuth" in the Adventures in Fantasy RPG. 

2. DA Modules: Explicit references to Temple of Id, Temple of the Frog, Zugzul, Odin, Thor

3. ZGG line gives fully developed pantheon, some deities taken from Mystara. Others adapted from RW mythologies, while some seem to be fully original. 

In the Wolf Wood, listed in DAB as part of the Westryn Kingdom, (DAB 141-142) there are two tribes of Werewolves. One is lead by a Skandaharian who calls himself the Spirit of the Moon.

Isn't the Spirit of the Moon this big wolf thing that is leading all the shapechangers against the Kingdom of Blackmoor in the Age of the Wolf storyline?

Oh, yes I believe so! Thanks for pointing that out.

In our real world, it is extremely common for there to be many groups, orders, and sects associated with a single deity, so the number of groups associated with Elgath in Blackmoor seems normaly to me. The rivalry between druids and clerics also seems to make sense, and that might be the only difference you need.

To the druids, the point of the faith might be to be in tune with the beasts, hunters, archers, and the natural world. They may view this as the point of Elgath's teachings or will. To clerics, the point of the faith might be to be in tune with Elgath himself and his church. Hence, you could have two different views of how someone should practice their religion and show their allegiance to Elgath. The clerics might view the druids as nature worshipers who put nature above Elgath, which is sacrilege. The druids might think that the clerics are too focused on the idea of a church or an organized religion. To the druids, the clerics may have missed the point of Elgath's teachings. Each group, then, might have its own adherents and supporters among the other professions and common people associated with the faith.

This makes a lot of sense. The sourcebook says that the different groups will still work together against common enemies. I suppose for the most part this division will be most interesting to players seeking to play a follower of Elgath, although a campaign where other forces are trying to break the different factions of Elgath apart could be interesting.


-Havard