What deity does my Ratonga worship?

[Mizlek]

<p>I wonder if I might elicit some help from you in deciding on a deity for one of my characters, a Ratonga Dirge. I'll give a quick background.</p><p> He lives in, and supports Freeport. Not because of any sense of loyalty, but more from fear of the consequences of disloyalty. He is an adventurer and sage by trade. He enjoys history, fables, old stories and maps, and the books that contain them. He's not particularly evil, though his back story has him being caught stealing books from the Arcane Library. Neither is he good though, more neutral than either. His bags are filled with in-game books, and he likes to share stories from them with people he travels with when there is time.</p><p> Now, do Ratonga have a traditional racial deity? I understand that the Ratonga were created by Brell and Bristlebane. Do they worship either of those? I'm not sure Bristlebane is a good fit, and I guess I don't really know enough about Brell to have an opinion there. What about other gods? Is there a God of Knowledge? Of History? Of Books? Of Travel? Of Learning?</p><p> I would like to find a deity that is in-game, or soon to be in-game (Kunark) so I could explore a deity quest line. Perhaps integrate some that knowledge into my character. I don't care about numbers and stats and abilities and that sort of stuff. I'm more concerned about an in-character option. And if there is no good in-game option, I might then be open to a deity that has no presence in EQ2 at this time.</p><p> Thanks for any suggestions!</p>

[Illmarr]

I really can't make an informed suggestion from a lore/roleplay angle on Ratonga, but for a rather comprehensive listing of the Norrathian Pantheon: <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?topic_id=378866" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/...topic_id=378866</a>

[Cusashorn]

<cite>Mizlek wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Now, do Ratonga have a traditional racial deity? I understand that the Ratonga were created by Brell and Bristlebane. Do they worship either of those? I'm not sure Bristlebane is a good fit, and I guess I don't really know enough about Brell to have an opinion there. What about other gods? Is there a God of Knowledge? Of History? Of Books? Of Travel? Of Learning?</p></blockquote>No, no, no, no, and no. There are no gods that cover those things in particular. (Before anyone says Zebuxoruk, he's not a god of knowledge. He's a mortal turned god who just knows some things that mortals arn't suppose to know.) Brell Serilis created the Ratonga. He only had Bristlebane give you the opportunistic characteristics that made you more sensible to other races. His first failed attempt, the Roekillik, were too evil and malicious for thier own good.

[Rayle]

<p>well Rats on earth are often associated with death and disease... they are filthy rodents who will eat ANYTHING....they often live in sewers,walls,and dark damp places... they are great at getting into places they shouldnt, and they are quite sneaky, most of the time you dont realize they are there until you actually see one. So, i would say there are three good guesses</p><p>1.)Bertox - The Plaguebringer</p><p>2.)Brell Serilis - The Duke of Below</p><p>3.)Bristlebane Fizzlethorp - The King of Thieves</p>

[Cusashorn]

But Ratonga arn't rats. They're Ratonga. Not rats, so saying that the Ratonga are carriers of disease and pestilence and eat garbage and crawl around the sewers would be inaccurate to thier entire race.

[Enever]

Ratonga do not worship any deity, or they keep it to themselves... They were created by Brell, of course, wit ha pinch of Bristlebane's mischief.  My ratonga don't follow any deity however. Of course, they follow some, because of how they act. My fury is just starting to understand Karana...My Necromancer follows no one....My ranger respects Tunare...My Monk follows Quellious...My other two aren't really ratonga (one's a roekillik, the others something else I rather not discuss)Information on the ratonga is very sparse. I tried to summon up some official word in my old post...but not Dev bit it.Sorry If I wasn't able ot help...but I'm also still in the dark about our fellow 'tonga.

[Mizlek]

<p>Hey, that's a great link Illmarr. More on that in a bit.</p><p> So is it that Ratonga are not a particularly religious people or is it that that side of them hasn't been fleshed out by the developers? From reading the in game Book of Ratonga History (exact name escapes me), I gather that they are (or were?) very in-touch with the natural world around them. "Feeling the vibrations of the world and dancing to it's rhythms" or something to that effect. I wonder if they aren't a little Mystical or Shamanistic, which makes me think they may worship a variety of those sorts of deities.</p><p>On the other hand, from that link Illmarr posted:</p><p>"<i>The ratonga do recognize Brell Serilis as their creator. They know quite well who commissioned the creation of the ratonga and roekillik clay statues that now rest within the Clay Menagerie, the planar depository for all of Brell's creations</i>."</p><p> I suppose it would stand to reason that a race of people would worship their creator. On the other hand, there is this:</p><p>"<i>From what outsiders can decipher, most ratonga and all roekillik worship a deity named Caertex. He is a mad being of supreme mental powers. Along with these powers comes the inability to block the thoughts of other entities within a massive range. This rat-like deity is said to exist deep in the Plane of Underfoot, within a portion called the Endless Tunnels. This is said to be a place not even planars venture. Those who enter the Endless Tunnels are lost forever. Here can be found the only peaceful sanctum for Caertex, who hides from the thoughts of nearly an entire plane</i>."</p><p>Well, how about that then. This only confuses me. From the discussions I've run across discussing this Caertex, there seems to be confusion over whether he's a Deity or just some dude in a dungeon.</p><p>Anyways. I'm no closer to deciding on a Deity for my Ratonga Dirge but I'm more interested than ever. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> Perhaps he doesn't worship a deity at all. He doesn't strike me as a particularly religious person, but I was hoping to explore that aspect and see what became of it. I also play a Ratonga Defiler, and come Kunark, I will be hot on the trail of Bertoxxulos! Maybe that will satisfy my want to explore religion in EQ2.</p><p> Does any have a link to more information on Brell Serilis? I'd like to learn more about him than that previous link provided.</p><p>Thanks!</p>

[Ama]

<cite>Cusashorn wrote:</cite><blockquote>But Ratonga arn't rats. They're Ratonga. Not rats, so saying that the Ratonga are carriers of disease and pestilence and eat garbage and crawl around the sewers would be inaccurate to thier entire race.</blockquote><p>Well....i've seen alot of ratonga in league with those plague bringer guys.  I would say the good ol duke of bellow is primarily the diety to choose since he created the ratonga.  Bristlebane would be a second choice since he is like the 2nd creator of them giving the ratonga their personalities.  Still get the impression they are evil and should really be classified as neutral since they are just opportunistic little buggers.  </p><p>As for bertox that's questionable since I can only see some ratonga wanting a partial bit of his power for use in their devious ways.  </p>

[Trepan]

Your ratonga should worshipTimer the cheese guy. <span style="color: #008000;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.toontracker.com/timer/timer.htm" target="_blank">http://www.toontracker.com/timer/timer.htm</a>8-)</span>

[Illmarr]

<p>Well, Brell was the first God of Influence to discover Norrath. He created a portal to the Underfoot of Norrath and seeded it with "all manner of creatures". Once he did this, he had called a meeting with Tunare, Rallos Zek and Prexus, The Ocean Lord. At this meeting, each created a race and deposited it on Norrath. Brell created the Dwarves at this time. This meeting and seeding drew the attention of other Gods. A second pact was made between Brell, Bristlebane, Rallos and Cazic Thule. WIth this one, Brell created the Gnomes.</p><p><a href="http://lorenorrath.free.fr/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://lorenorrath.free.fr/</a></p><p>Read the left side from the top (Everquest Book of the Ages links) for the story of Norrath's creation. No mention of Ratonga really, but it will give you a good background knowledge on how the world was shaped in general. All the lore up to and including the Ykesha stuff is shared between EQ1 and EQ2. Anything after Ykesha may or may not have happened in EQ2. Until those stories are told in EQ2's lore, don't consider them having happened the same way as they did in EQ1, if at all. (This was a way to let the development teams for both games concentrate on their respective games without having to worry about messing up continuity)</p>

[Illmarr]

<p>And not worshipping is always an option. My Swashbuckler had no diety he actually prayed to at an alter in his home when they were released. He has always worshipped Bristlebane. He hit the diety jackpot when he finally arrived though. But if it's not a question of what abilities you can gain if you do choose a God, then feel free to pick any God on the list that seems to ring true for your character. Or choose none. I'd guess throughout Norrathian history there have been more Agnostics than anything else.</p><p>Bristlebane is the God of choice as far as Bards go, ability wise and historically (Well available God of choice. Many Bards also historically have worshipped Veeshan, the Mother of all Wurms. No r/p reason why you could not worship a God that has no in game benefits, I know a lot of people that worship Erollisi Marr, the Goddess of Love) </p><p>Brell is thought of as the creator of the Ratonga (With an assist) so there is the reason to go Brell if so inclined.</p>

[Telis]

Ratonga don't initially worship anyone or anything (maybe their greed, but thats another matter). However, Ratongan creation is pointed to Brell Serilis as far as I know, and perhaps also given a touch of Bristlebane for their trickiness. However, as far as I know, Ratonga do not worship him as a whole. You can choose how you worship... my main, Telis respects Brell for their creation, but follows Rodcet Nife, the Prime Healer, out of his own decisions.

[Vollux]

<p>Seems like Bristlebane would be your first choice since you describe your character as basically good but steals books.  Most followers of Bristlebane seem to have a basically neutral character.  What I've noticed in EQ2 is they have really played up his practical joke side more then the Gypsy - Thieving side.  </p><p>In EQ it seemed more even handed view.  He sure didn't seem so harmless.</p><p>Plane of Mischief was a funny place. </p><p>Thing was; you might be laughing at the plane of mischief, but you would still be dead -funny looking or not.</p>

[HelixStalwa]

And then there's Belaska, the Ancestress. She is mentioned in the History of the Ratonga in-game book once or twice. Personally I'd say she is revered, rather than worshipped, and probably more by Ratonga from the Deep Tunnels rather than those who are city-born. Belaska was definitely a real Ratonga but has probably been elevated to something like demi-goddess status by the belief of so many Ratonga through the ages.

[Nocturnal Aby]

<p>Perhaps it's just me, but Blaska seems more like a heroine/proginator than a deity.  Think Adam/Eve in Judao-Christianity, or Abraham among the Jews.  In a way, sort of like George Washington for those who call the U.S. their home.  She was probably a chieften/leader type who united her people, and had many children from many men, heh.  Total speculation, but that's the sort of thing I get from it.</p><p>Deity wise, I imagine them worshipping Brell, though their faith may have waned from his silence, and their pursuit by the Roekillik.  Only they know for sure who they follow...maybe someday those of us who play Ratonga will be let in on the secret.</p>

[Terron]

<cite>Cusashorn wrote:</cite><blockquote>But Ratonga arn't rats. They're Ratonga. Not rats, so saying that the Ratonga are carriers of disease and pestilence and eat garbage and crawl around the sewers would be inaccurate to thier entire race.</blockquote>Not entirely inaccurate, given the number who do live in Freeport's sewers, particularly the diseased ones.

[Cusashorn]

<cite>Terron@Splitpaw wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Cusashorn wrote:</cite><blockquote>But Ratonga arn't rats. They're Ratonga. Not rats, so saying that the Ratonga are carriers of disease and pestilence and eat garbage and crawl around the sewers would be inaccurate to thier entire race.</blockquote>Not entirely inaccurate, given the number who do live in Freeport's sewers, particularly the diseased ones.</blockquote>Thats' why I said thier ENTIRE race. There are humans on Earth who act and live in the same environments, whether they choose to or not, but that doesn't mean every last one of us does.

[Araxes]

Here is the lore I base my ratonga on, and it comes built from various pieces of lore I have picked up over 3 years time.Araxes acknowledges the fact that Brell was the creator of the ratonga race.  He knows that, in the scheme of creation, ratongas are very, very new to the history of the world.  He knows that they did not evolve, but rather, were created through a magically-enhanced (or forced) evolution.  He knows that Brell is the god who did this, and he [grudgingly] acknowledges that Bristlebane has imbued the ratonga with charisma, mischief, and cunning.  Araxes prefers to think of it in these terms, though: wickedness, anarchy, and deceit.He has an inflated ego, and it comes in part from three places. First, having been created by magical energies he views himself as a magical being, something beyond ordinary flesh and blood.  He sees this obtusely, not necessarily in a conscious way.  But he is aware of it, all the same, and it gives him a sense of power that he thinks the other races lack (with the exception of Arasai -- although he sees them as test-tube creations rather than a race like ratonga who have been endowed with godly power).  Second, his ego originates from is in knowing that he has also breached the Void in his studies to master the arcane energies of a Warlock's power.  (I won't get further into this issue here, since it's completely a separate topic, but it does play into his choice of god-worship, which is why I bring it up, now.)  The third issue that comes into play, that sways Araxes' beliefs in the divine, that of the entity Caertex.  Araxes believes in this entity, although he has never seen nor met it.  He believes that Caertex is a prophet of the Void, and as such, has enormous psionic ability.  He has no basis for this belief except from legend and brief mentions of this creature in obscure texts.  He believes that after the ratonga were created they MUST have been guided by some external force, out of the Endless Tunnels.  He knows that the ratonga are imbued with the blood of dragons (another reason he views ratonga, particularly himself, as superior to other races), he knows that this ties into their escape and is in large part why they are so intelligent and adept with magic of all types -- but he doesn't know what force actually guided them from their bondage to Brell.  He attributes this solely to Caertex.However, although he acknowledges these facts about his creation, his studies of the Void, his thrist for power beyond all else, to unlock the arcane magic of another plane, another world altogether, perhaps -- these drive him in the here-and-now.Ultimately, he holds allegiance to no one god, except that god which will best serve his purposes.  As I mentioned above, he views ratonga as a race as deceitful -- manipulative, conniving even.  He knows he is selfish and petty, and he thinks all other ratonga are ultimately the same, at heart.  Therefore, his choice of worship is merely a means to an end.  So far, that means has been Cazic, the Faceless One.  In the absence of a god that could further his arcane power (such as Bertoxxulous), he was forced to find one which could allow him the power of fear, and the power of psionics, mind-control, and domination.  Not to mention a highly secretive sect of worshippers who not readily make themselves known appealed to him on a basic level - for he also knows that ratonga are secretive to the extreme.But soon, he will choose a new path, one that will bring him greater power, that will allow him to meld his beliefs as a warlock with his belief in the divine: the Plaguebringer, for Araxes, is a perfect match.  Evil, powerful, and completely in tune with what Araxes embraces -- disease, pestilence, chaos.  Cazic was close, in an idealistic way -- he allowed fear which in turn gave way to anarchy, cruelty, and malice -- but as Araxes' sees it, Bertoxxulous matches those ideals AND grants power to match the magical energies of the Void.The primary question remaining in Araxes' mind is -- is there something else out there?  Some force that controls the Void, what exactly is it, if it does exist, and how can it be harnessed?  These tie more into a belief in the metaphysical than the divine, for he knows that the Void is not entirely an ethereal thing, he sees the advanced technology of the Obelisks, the nightmarish creations of blackness, the alien shadowmen and strange, hard, symmetrical architecture, and he knows it is not quite godly.  He knows ... it is something beyond a god.So he bides his time, waiting for the ultimate revelation.

[Wooe]

<p>Despite the general view of rats, they are atually quite cleanly little animals. A tame rat can easilie be housebroken and they might not spend as much time as a cat cleaning, but both rats and mice (from my experience) keep themselves cleaner then dogs (that are not seen as dirty animals).</p><p>Enough with that tho. Ive never seen ratongas as 'evil' beings. They are oportunistic and have some problem with the 'ownership' concept, but then again, so are halflings and whoever claimed them to be evil? To me, ratongas as forced to freeport solely as a balance measure to halflings, from back when all was to be balanced evenly. My ratongas are all goodly, with same quirks as one would see in halflings. Before the 'return of the gods' event prior to EoF launch I was ambivalent between brell and bristlebane but that event closed the door to brell for my rats for good. You had dwarves, gnolls and essentially all races that are related to brell involved in 'his' quest.. Except for ratongas. Sure, there was one, not as a worshipper but as the bad guy! Here you have cannibal gnolls and whatnot and they make the ratonga the perpetrator, with no representatives to the gathering. I did a /flirt to the rat (he was cute! at least as ratongas go..) and waved bye bye to brell <img src="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/images/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" width="15" height="15" /></p><p>Now, my ratongas worship bristlebane (except my main due to practical reasons), and hail him as the creator of the ratonga spirit with brell as the creator of the ratonga body.</p><p>In the end tho, with the lack of concrete lore, its pretty much down to each player of this bestest of the races on how they view their place in the world. But dont forget the words from the books: Run combs of ivory and bone through your fur often and you will live long.</p><p>*goes off for a preening and a nibble of cheese*</p>