[@Jarl Coolgruuf] I see where you're going with Pelegath and the idea might be waterproof plot-wise, but please hear me out when I say that it's still not the best idea.


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I've been through at least three of these deity roleplays so far. More depending on how you define them. In every single one there are chaotic spirits of madness/darkness/destruction/whatever who are ostensibly neutral and unpredictable. Sometimes there are several. Everyone wants to be Sheogorath or Eris or, I dunno, that Discord guy from MLP.

In this case the role is filled very neatly by Vestec, and earlier by Vakarlon, and even by Amartia. They all brought somewhat unique themes to the same niche- Vakarlon's philanthropy, Vestec's self-awareness, Amartia's constant evolution.

Even in this one roleplay, the archetype has been well explored. Outside of it, it's been worked into the ground. If neutrality and whimsy passed off as madness is the core of a character, [i]that character is cliche.[/i]

Cliches aren't necessarily bad. Vestec is a lot of fun to keep around. But they [i]have[/i] to be played in an innovative way, or else they're just a mirror of what's already been done.

Jvan is a cliche, but, if I may say so myself, she is a cliche done well. She may be your standard Lovecraftian horror- Huge, amoral, causes body horror, has a weird monk cult, into abstract mathematics, shape shifting horde of underlings- But that's just part of her identity. She's an artist, she's a fairy, she's a child and a scientist and a mountain god, she's eager and wrathful and generous and sadistic.

Even then, that cliche is a fair bit rarer than that of the 'mad' trickster god. So please, consider giving yourself a challenge and make Pelegath more than his origins. There are so many other ways to explore Keriss's situation- Make a hopeful god born of the fight against despair, make a god of loneliness that abandons her as soon as he's born, make a god who explores the symbolism and emotional reality of depression and trauma without defaulting to 'mad'.

Your character doesn't even have to draw his traits from Keriss. You could get others involved or assign him traits plucked straight out of the void by Fate. An elemental affinity or a magical theme or a craft or anything. Maybe Keriss has a sadness baby, sings a lullaby to cheer him up and ends up creating a demigod of Language (Verse). There's so much potential for you to play around with and show us your creativity.

Believe me, we want to meet Pelegath and remember him, more than the old ideas he's meant to be.
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