Another way of looking at it might be the fact that the Greeks had Athena and Ares, both war gods (Strategy and Combat, respectively), so I see no reason why Arr-Kelaan can't have one of each also.
No weapons, no magic? Makes me think this will devolve into a 'rock-paper-scissors' contest at the end. However, there's 3 falls so it could be just about anything in between.
My impression of Krushcor is that he's not in the mood to cheat, since that would annoy Beyurn and she'd stomp off in a huff, his fun over. This monthly get-together probably has further reaching implications in Arr-Kelaan, on top of that, though I'll bet Krushcor comes just for the brawl and not the wider meaning.
Looking forward to seeing where this goes.
I like that relationship analysis, Zolem. Deities are one of my favorite things to throw into any setting. My longest-running game started with the party meeting a god in a bar. Fortunately he was the whimsical type, and didn't simply smash people when they asked hundreds of questions.
I'm curious to see how this fight will go. Will they attack so fast that we mortals can't even see their swings? What's the prize for the winner? What differences in strategy will they utilize?
Will Ronson douse them in beer, stuff Krushcor into a cannon and send him into space where he's doomed to freeze up and die, because he doesn't want Krushcor in his pantheon?
That supposition is unlikely to see its fruition but it would be exciting.
@ Rohano - That's actualy sort of how I devide my own war deities, those that strive for tactical supremesy and the 'smashin it all' type. And I also agree that these two are purely neutral on the GE axis. War in and of itself is neither good nor evil in its entirity, and as such neutral war deities makes the most sense. On that note, if a LG god of Justice (like Mike, who's name I'll continue to use in the following example) is present, I don't tend to align him with the war gods (or even just one of them), because he wants to protect the week from harm, not conquer the enemy kingdom. Now if say my LN War deity (let's call him Bob) was conducting the defense of a small villaige from a rampaging goblin hoard, Mike would be all ready to join in. On the other hand, if a tribe of Joe's followers are about to be eaten by a dragon, Mike would still be glad to lend a hand, even though Joe is CN. So while Mike will not align with Bob or Joe, he will work with them under the right circumstances. And yes, I do play deitific politics within my own homebrew panthions. It's fun to figure out how all the gods relate to and feel about one another, especialy when the feelings aren't reciprocated. For example, let's take a look at the relagion between out three example gods. Bob hates Joe because he's a stupid raging barbarian who doesn't get the purpose of battle, to achieve a goal. Bob considers Mike naieve and his heart is in the right place, but he needs to step up and get more proactive. Mike considers Bob to have potential, but he's too strict to get it right. Joe revels in battle too much and puts his followers in danger so often it's inexcusable in Mike's mind. Joe likes Bob, he's a worthy opponent and fun to fight. Mike doesn't fight as much as he should, but when he does he goes all out, another good fight.
continuing with Sijo's reference... if this is anything like Merlin & Madame Mim's battle, I'll be quite satisfied, LOL. 'Course that means someone's gotta cheat with the magic rule ;0)
From a cosmological perspective relating to D&D, Beyurn and Krushcor divide have one domain in common (war) but their portfolios are somewhat dissimilar. They aren't redundant because fighters, warriors, soldiers all have their own alignments, their own philosophies, and may be worship many different deities.
Beyurn is lawful. She is benevolent but not to the point that she goes out of her way to do good, her goal is to establish worldwide lawfulness. Lawful neutral god of war. Portfolio: wars, lawful warriors, generals. Note that despite her extremely martial philosophy, she is wise enough to settle some (but not all) battles with compromises and diplomacy.
Krushcor is chaotic. He is somewhat selfish and cares little for others but he doesn't go out of his way to cause suffering (and therefore isn't expressly evil). I believe it is true that he doesn't take joy in watching people die, but in watching them die in battle. For him there is no reason to fight other than to enjoy fighting. In the standard D&D (Greyhawk) pantheon, Kord, god of Strength, is very similar to Krushcor in that he enjoys a good fight and nothing more, but he also enjoys sporting events and competitions and fair matches - Krushcor cares nothing for fairness or for sport, simulated battle is not enough. Chaotic neutral god of battle. Portfolio: barbarians, gladiators, brawlers, generals and wars that are fought for no other reason but to wage war. Note that while he doesn't care about anything else except fighting, he is intelligent enough to accept things like duels with other gods in order to settle disagreements.
I could explain things from a business perspective in great detail but I think it's easy to understand if you think of these two gods as Coke and Pepsi, and their warriors are all the young adult males who buy and drink cola.
mmmm...I think Beyurn is goddess of civilized warfare to create universal peace and Krushcor is the god of barbarian battles who just likes to fight. Course, it's not my pantheon, but that's what I gather.
*Gets a flashback to Merlin and Madame Mim's battle in The Sword In The Stone* :D
Kidding aside, I cannot help but wonder why is there a need a for two different battle deities. Is Beyurn worshiped by warlords and Kushcor by footsoldiers?
For those who missed it yesterday [url=http://www.rmcomics.com/RMStore]WE ARE TAKING PRE-ORDERS FOR THE CONSEQUENCES TRILOGY[/url]
Go back a page for details (or go to the store), but I did want to mention that there are now only 24 (of 25) 7 book bundles left (that's all 7 Gods of Arr-Kelaan books for $65 - save more than $20). When they're gone, they're gone.
TBAWriter at 6:55PM, Sept. 7, 2009
Rohano: That would never happen. Ronson wouldn't intervene. He just doesn't care.
Mcdeam at 5:19PM, Sept. 7, 2009
Another way of looking at it might be the fact that the Greeks had Athena and Ares, both war gods (Strategy and Combat, respectively), so I see no reason why Arr-Kelaan can't have one of each also.
erasimusi at 8:36AM, Sept. 6, 2009
No weapons, no magic? Makes me think this will devolve into a 'rock-paper-scissors' contest at the end. However, there's 3 falls so it could be just about anything in between. My impression of Krushcor is that he's not in the mood to cheat, since that would annoy Beyurn and she'd stomp off in a huff, his fun over. This monthly get-together probably has further reaching implications in Arr-Kelaan, on top of that, though I'll bet Krushcor comes just for the brawl and not the wider meaning. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.
Rohano at 7:57AM, Sept. 5, 2009
I like that relationship analysis, Zolem. Deities are one of my favorite things to throw into any setting. My longest-running game started with the party meeting a god in a bar. Fortunately he was the whimsical type, and didn't simply smash people when they asked hundreds of questions. I'm curious to see how this fight will go. Will they attack so fast that we mortals can't even see their swings? What's the prize for the winner? What differences in strategy will they utilize? Will Ronson douse them in beer, stuff Krushcor into a cannon and send him into space where he's doomed to freeze up and die, because he doesn't want Krushcor in his pantheon? That supposition is unlikely to see its fruition but it would be exciting.
Legolos229 at 8:09PM, Sept. 4, 2009
fun stuff.
Zolem at 3:26PM, Sept. 4, 2009
@ Rohano - That's actualy sort of how I devide my own war deities, those that strive for tactical supremesy and the 'smashin it all' type. And I also agree that these two are purely neutral on the GE axis. War in and of itself is neither good nor evil in its entirity, and as such neutral war deities makes the most sense. On that note, if a LG god of Justice (like Mike, who's name I'll continue to use in the following example) is present, I don't tend to align him with the war gods (or even just one of them), because he wants to protect the week from harm, not conquer the enemy kingdom. Now if say my LN War deity (let's call him Bob) was conducting the defense of a small villaige from a rampaging goblin hoard, Mike would be all ready to join in. On the other hand, if a tribe of Joe's followers are about to be eaten by a dragon, Mike would still be glad to lend a hand, even though Joe is CN. So while Mike will not align with Bob or Joe, he will work with them under the right circumstances. And yes, I do play deitific politics within my own homebrew panthions. It's fun to figure out how all the gods relate to and feel about one another, especialy when the feelings aren't reciprocated. For example, let's take a look at the relagion between out three example gods. Bob hates Joe because he's a stupid raging barbarian who doesn't get the purpose of battle, to achieve a goal. Bob considers Mike naieve and his heart is in the right place, but he needs to step up and get more proactive. Mike considers Bob to have potential, but he's too strict to get it right. Joe revels in battle too much and puts his followers in danger so often it's inexcusable in Mike's mind. Joe likes Bob, he's a worthy opponent and fun to fight. Mike doesn't fight as much as he should, but when he does he goes all out, another good fight.
dgriff13 at 2:44PM, Sept. 4, 2009
continuing with Sijo's reference... if this is anything like Merlin & Madame Mim's battle, I'll be quite satisfied, LOL. 'Course that means someone's gotta cheat with the magic rule ;0)
seventy2 at 8:06AM, Sept. 4, 2009
i think i'd love to be the god of battles.
Rohano at 8:06AM, Sept. 4, 2009
From a cosmological perspective relating to D&D, Beyurn and Krushcor divide have one domain in common (war) but their portfolios are somewhat dissimilar. They aren't redundant because fighters, warriors, soldiers all have their own alignments, their own philosophies, and may be worship many different deities. Beyurn is lawful. She is benevolent but not to the point that she goes out of her way to do good, her goal is to establish worldwide lawfulness. Lawful neutral god of war. Portfolio: wars, lawful warriors, generals. Note that despite her extremely martial philosophy, she is wise enough to settle some (but not all) battles with compromises and diplomacy. Krushcor is chaotic. He is somewhat selfish and cares little for others but he doesn't go out of his way to cause suffering (and therefore isn't expressly evil). I believe it is true that he doesn't take joy in watching people die, but in watching them die in battle. For him there is no reason to fight other than to enjoy fighting. In the standard D&D (Greyhawk) pantheon, Kord, god of Strength, is very similar to Krushcor in that he enjoys a good fight and nothing more, but he also enjoys sporting events and competitions and fair matches - Krushcor cares nothing for fairness or for sport, simulated battle is not enough. Chaotic neutral god of battle. Portfolio: barbarians, gladiators, brawlers, generals and wars that are fought for no other reason but to wage war. Note that while he doesn't care about anything else except fighting, he is intelligent enough to accept things like duels with other gods in order to settle disagreements. I could explain things from a business perspective in great detail but I think it's easy to understand if you think of these two gods as Coke and Pepsi, and their warriors are all the young adult males who buy and drink cola.
Kai san at 7:39AM, Sept. 4, 2009
mmmm...I think Beyurn is goddess of civilized warfare to create universal peace and Krushcor is the god of barbarian battles who just likes to fight. Course, it's not my pantheon, but that's what I gather.
Sijo at 6:51AM, Sept. 4, 2009
*Gets a flashback to Merlin and Madame Mim's battle in The Sword In The Stone* :D Kidding aside, I cannot help but wonder why is there a need a for two different battle deities. Is Beyurn worshiped by warlords and Kushcor by footsoldiers?
Talekyn at 5:42AM, Sept. 4, 2009
There can be only ONE! Sorry, couldn't resist.
Thelric at 5:31AM, Sept. 4, 2009
This is going to be interesting.
Ronson at 5:30AM, Sept. 4, 2009
For those who missed it yesterday [url=http://www.rmcomics.com/RMStore]WE ARE TAKING PRE-ORDERS FOR THE CONSEQUENCES TRILOGY[/url] Go back a page for details (or go to the store), but I did want to mention that there are now only 24 (of 25) 7 book bundles left (that's all 7 Gods of Arr-Kelaan books for $65 - save more than $20). When they're gone, they're gone.
Flup at 3:38AM, Sept. 4, 2009
Yes, I do wonder what the prize is...
Nolim at 2:14AM, Sept. 4, 2009
They said nothing about superhuman strength, did they ?
Lunetta at 1:22AM, Sept. 4, 2009
nice
Amp Zaphrix at 11:29PM, Sept. 3, 2009
Rock, Paper, SCISSORS!
Darius Drake at 11:04PM, Sept. 3, 2009
What does the winner get? The services of the other for a week?