Goblin Cult

Playing a game of Delve, and I've a Goblin. The way the referee plays this game is a fun variation on the regular introduction to this system: we have no idea who we are, and only roll up our stats when we do something that would use that stat. Same with the starting skills and all that. And, similar to Traveller, it is entirely random so we play something we may not normally do. In fact, I don't think I've ever played a goblin before.

Turns out he also has 2 snake tattoos on the backs of his little green hands. And three cats (the referee knows I am a cat person who actually does happen to have 3 cats). My Goblin, like the last time I played this game with this referee, did not do well on his learning roll (the L in Delve). Took him 2 sessions to finally remember who he was (first time we played it took 3 sessions I want to say. I do have bad rolls!)

Fugh Srebnalk is a magic-wielding Goblin apparently: he can take 30-60 foot jumps and can talk with his 3 cats. Digging into various books and zines, I came up with this cult. Books used were Gobsmack!, the Ultimate Bestiary: Revenge of the Horde, Remarkable Cults and Their Followers, Fairyland, Rackham Vale and probably a few others. At least I am using the things I get!

Forest Goblins are a type of Goblin, and I decided that I liked the idea of a forest Goblin. A bit more fey than your typical D&D monster-Goblin, with ties going back to the Goblin King and Fey. But having turned their backs on the Goblin King, tired of being cannon fodder, the Forest Goblins, at least this bunch, want to get back to the land of the Fairy. From that arises the following cult, mostly rolled up though with some discretion added.

Druidic Circle:

  Druidic circles are usually composed of those who revere and draw their power from nature.

  Circles exist outside the laws of civilization

  Wilder, more brutal code: may harvest blood of trespassers to fertilize groves

  Bloodshed and cruelty are part of nature

 Size and Wealth:

   Goblin cult - various factions of Goblin shamans. No wealth, no buildings

 Resources:

   depends of the band. 

 Origin:

   Founded by banished exiles

 Founded:

  seeks to discover or obtain some lost form of magic: an artifact, relic, or a specific collection of spells

Power Source:

  drawn from a portal to another plane of existence (land of the Fey)

Focus: 

  cult kills people in power and replaces them. Not really sure how that works out as Goblins without a glamor would have a difficult time replacing someone. Going with some of the more powerful shamans can either cast a glamor or manage to give a Goblin the power of a glamor. 

Weakness:

  dependent on exotic resource. And I've yet to figure what that resource is, but it is probably why he was in that war band: while the rest may have been fighting for something, Fugh (and his now dead female companion) were actually closer to spies. They were using the warband as a cover to recover whatever artifact or relic. I'll be talking with the GM and we'll flesh this out. 

Symbols:

   winding snakes (this was the one I picked rather than rolled based on the original random roll for my character's brand)

Name: Keepers of the Powerful Creed

Revering Maeve, Queen of the Unseelie, the Keepers have portals to the land of Fairie. 

These portals require the blood of strangers to keep functioning. They also look for

crystals of power: these are used with blood in dark rituals performed by the shamans.

Most Goblins that are part of this cult help trap & kill strangers in their forests.

They think Elves' blood is an even more powerful agent in the rituals. The shaman has

not said one way or the other.

As they move up in the cult, they get tattooed:

• Novice: no tattoo, but a leather thong necklace with a crudely carved snake.  Generally just attend the ceremonies, hoping for some magic or something
• Hunter: single snake tattoo. Part of the crew that catches strangers in their area. They get closer to the portals but are not allowed to cross.
• Hunt Master: two snale tattoos. Lead the huning groups, and on particularly good catches (Elves) and are allowed to cross back to the land of Fairy for a period of time
• Shaman: leads the rituals, and has several tattoos