We all have one, that place where we keep all the really cool ideas that just don’t fit in the world we’ve built. What you got? What’s that cool thing you made that toy can’t really use?
We all have one, that place where we keep all the really cool ideas that just don’t fit in the world we’ve built. What you got? What’s that cool thing you made that toy can’t really use?
I have been thinking about a TTRPG character idea inspired by the Skyjacks world created by James D’Amato.
A religion based on an existing but absent god. Immortal Angels were the only visible, but rare, part of the Host, but they all apparently died when the god stepped away from the Throne.
They reanimate some long time later without direction from management. The hierarchy of the church has been using pieces of apparently-dead angels as relics, parting them out to churches and temples. When the angels reanimate, they are scattered in pieces and suffering immensely.
The church sees the relics twitch or make noise, and view it as miracles signaling the return of God. Because the miracles bolster the power of the church which has been so long without apparent divine favor, they don’t consider giving up their relics.
One angel reanimates where they were entombed by the old-fashioned priest of a far-flung village. Together they embark on a quest to take back the relics of the corrupted church and get the band of angels back together. With enough angels, maybe they can convince God to come back to the Throne.
Oh fuck that’s such a metal and amazing idea! I’ve been toying with the idea that the “living saints” in my world are just liches but I don’t have an adequate pay off for that yet.
Do the saints put on a show that they are fighting each other, but secretly they meet under a tree or something and coordinate the next century of Kayfabe?
I was thinking they hold honorary positions in the church and act as living immortal proof of their religion’s power, but actually they’re nothing more than a well preserved zombie and they serve knowingly or unknowingly to advance the sinister power that actually runs the organization. Some are so fervent they believe lichdom is a stolen ritual and they are the real thing, some don’t remember being turned and might be disgusted to find out the truth, still others may hold this as blasphemy and seek to destroy the current church.
That sounds pretty awesome! I like the stolen lichdom especially.
I imagine it’d actually be the other way around and lichdom is the original but the church uses a combination of other spells to hide the obviously issues with the process. This process is inherently against their own god, so it actually condemns the saints.
I love this. I have in my “unsorted concepts” folder a BBEG who is a true devout in a religious order, who believes in the god he worships. he eventually gets elevated to his order’s head honcho office, and the rules of the cult dictate that he will receive a True Vision from God to guide him in his tenure. When he walks into the office, he sees a letter from his predecessor saying essentially “the last True Vision we received was like four or five leaders ago, they just stopped and we don’t know why, make something up and good luck”. And then he goes on his arch-villain arc to find out what happened to his god. I love the idea of having angels or other divine artifacts that reawaken, definitely going to incorporate some of this into his lore. Thanks!
I love your idea, that sounds awesome!