The goblin god of slavery and oppression, Khurgorbaeyag is lawful evil aligned. His titles include: Lord of the Goblins and The Overseer.
His favored weapon is the whip.
Khurgorbaeyag appears as a large (9 feet tall) muscular goblin with flame-red skin, speckled with orange and yellow scales. He wears scale mail and carries a whip
Khurgorbaeyag is the deity of goblins as a race, and he represents those traits the race embodies: their penchant for slavery and oppression. However, he by no means the patron of every facet of goblin life; Maglubiyet is worshiped by those interested in war or leadership, while Bargrivyek is revered by those who seek cooperation and order.
Even though Maglubiyet and Bargrivyek compete with Khurgorbaeyag for potential goblin worshipers, the three are usually on reasonably good terms and at worst grudgingly get along. Maglubiyet trusts the Lord of the Goblins more than he does his other lieutenant, Nomog-Geaya, though their relationship is strained at times. Khurgorbaeyag and the Great Trucemaker have a similar relationship simply because the former believes that Bargrivyek is too weak to be a threat. Khurgorbaeyag and Nomog-Geaya bluntly do not get along, being rivals for the attention of Maglubiyet. Moreover, the Lord of the Goblins believes that Nomog-Geaya's hobgoblins too often lord over his chosen race, treating them as inferiors. Until that very unlikely day that hobgoblins treat their smaller cousins as equals, there will be no peace between Khurgorbaeyag and Nomog-Geaya, or between their followers.
Outside his own pantheon, the Lord of the Goblins has an erstwhile ally in Hruggek, the leader of the Bugbear Pantheon, who supports the goblin deity simply because of some ancient slight done to him by Nomog-Geaya.
Khurgorbaeyag's realm is called Clangor, located on the Avalas layer of the Infernal Battlefield of Acheron. He lives in the mightiest goblin city Shetring, a fortification with five bridges spanning the River Lorfang.
Khurgorbaeyag is a member of the Goblin Pantheon.
Khurgorbaeyag is served by baatezu, imps, maelephants, rust dragons, rust monsters, and yugoloths. He shows his pleasure through the sound of a whip cracking, glowing bars of light, or by the discovery of bloodstones, carnelians, fire opals, garnets, red tears, and rubies. He shows his displeasure by the inability to crack a whip, or by sudden bouts of depression.
Khurgorbaeyag (Lord of the Goblins) Lesser Power of Acheron, LE
Portfolio: Goblins, slavery, oppression, social order, thieves Aliases: Kuro (the Batiri goblins of Chult) Domain Name: Avalas/Clangor Superior: Maglubiyet Allies: Maglubiyet, Bargrivyek, Hruggek, Loviatar Foes: Ilmater, Nomog-Geaya, Meriadar, Panzuriel, Thard Harr, Ubtao, the orc pantheon, all human and demihuman powers (but especially the Morndinsamman, the Seldarine, and the gnome pantheon) Symbol: A red and yellow striped whip Wor. Align.: LN, LE, NE
Khurgorbaeyag (Khur-gor-BAY-yag) is the deity of the goblins as a race, and he represents those traits the race embodies: their penchant for slavery and oppression. However, he by no means the patron of every facet of goblin life; Maglubiyet is worshiped by those interested in war or leadership, while Bargrivyek is revered by those who seek cooperation and order (as well as by many other of the common goblin folk). Even though Bargrivyek has recently been expanding the breadth of his portfolios, Khurgorbaeyag remains the patron of goblin thieves, not only because goblins are by nature a sneaky race, but also somewhat by default as the law-abiding Bargrivyek refuses to take the portfolio. Despite the fact that these other members of his pantheon to some extent infringe upon his natural constituency, Khurgorbaeyag remains a powerful deity, as virtually every goblin at least pays lip service to him and considers him the epitome of the goblin race. Even though Maglubiyet and Bargrivyek compete with Khurgorbaeyag for potential goblin worshipers, the three are usually on reasonably good terms and at worst grudgingly get along. Maglubiyet trusts the Lord of the Goblins more than he does his other lieutenant, Nomog-Geaya (although this is damning with faint praise), though their relationship is strained at times. Khurgorbaeyag and the Great Trucemaker have a similar relationship (somewhere between neutral and friendly) simply because the former believes (wrongly) that Bargrivyek is too weak to be a threat. Khurgorbaeyag and Nomog-Geaya bluntly do not get along, being rivals for the attention of Maglubiyet. Moreover, the Lord of the Goblins believes that Nomog-Geaya's hobgoblins too often lord over his chosen race, treating them as inferiors. Not only does this infuriate the goblins involved, but not unnaturally their patron as well. Until that (very unlikely) day that hobgoblins treat their smaller cousins as equals, there will be no peace between Khurgorbaeyag and Nomog-Geaya, or between their followers (and quite possibly not even then). Outside his own pantheon, the Lord of the Goblins has an erstwhile ally in Hruggek, the leader of the bugbear pantheon, who supports the goblin deity simply because of some ancient slight done to him by Nomog-Geaya. Loviatar maintains somewhat friendly relations as well because of their common enjoyment in inflicting pain. Beyond these two, however, Khurgorbaeyag has little in the way of godly allies. His enemies are those of his pantheon: Meriadar, the orc powers, the elven and dwarven pantheon, and the gods of the gnomes and humans. Although Panzuriel has incited the wrath of the goblin pantheon through his conversion of many koalinths to his worship, Khurgorbaeyag is less incensed by this than his fellow deities simply because he is little concerned with hobgoblins, either land-dwelling or maritime (unless they are of a thievish bent). Finally, as patron of the Batiri goblins of Chult, Kuro (as they call him) has gained the enmity of other deities concerned with the area, Thard Harr of the jungle dwarves and Ubtao of the Tabaxi (Eshowdow is basically indifferent towards Kuro, focusing his wrath on Ubtao).
==Khurgorbaeyag's Avatar== (Fighter 30, Thief 25, Cleric 20)
Khurgorbaeyag appears as a huge goblin, with flame-red skin and
glowing red eyes. His skin is speckled with orange and yellow scales, and his hair is a shock of flame. He always wields his cruelly barbed whip and wears red scale mail. He has access to spells from all priest schools, though in combat he uses reversed forms of spells when possible.
AC -6; MV 12; HP 216; THAC0 -10; # ATT 5/2 Dmg: 2d6+16 (whip +3, +11 Str, + 2 specialization) MR 35%; SZ L (9 feet tall) STR 23, DEX 23, CON 21, INT 19, WIS 18, CHA 21 Spells P: 11/11/10/9/7/5/2 Saves: PPDM: 2, RSW: 4, PP: 4, BW: 4, Sp: 5
Special Att./Def.: In combat, Khurgorbaeyag wields Slavedriver, his wickedly barbed whip +3. At will, Slavedriver can fly up to 30 feet and wrap up opponents as a rope of entanglement. Moreover, any successful hit by the weapon acts as a symbol of hopelessness, the effect lasting for a number of days equal to 20, minus the wisdom of the creature struck, unless the target makes a saving throw versus spell at -4. He also carries a small copper cube which, when thrown at a target, can expand into a 10' X 10' X 10' forcecage around the target; those inside must save versus spells or be affected as by a symbol of hopelessness. He can also cast domination and mass charm each once per day. Finally, Khurgorbaeyag is immune to domination, charm, symbol of hopelessness, and other such spells. The Lord of the Goblins sends his avatar to Toril only infrequently; he is usually to busy with the internecine war between the orcs and goblins on his home plane of Acheron to spare the time. When he does come to the Prime Material, however, it usually to oversee and congratulate his followers after taking a particularly large haul of human and demihuman slaves. He also periodically dispatches an avatar during times of important decisions for the goblin leadership, although Maglubiyet tends to frown upon this, believing that leadership is solely his domain.
Other Manifestations[]
Since he is often busy on Acheron, more often than not Khurgorbaeyag will manifest by way of omens rather than send his avatar. On occasion, he has been known to show his pleasure through glowing bars of light (in imitation of his forcecage), but more often he manifests by the sound of a whip cracking. Sometimes, this sound is also accompanied by appropriate marks appearing on those who have particularly pleased or displeased him; those in disgrace suffer as if hit by the avatar's whip, while those in his favor are filled with ecstacy and may even temporarily receive either the ability to cast domination, mass charm, or symbol of hopelessness once, or to have his ceremonial whip act as a rope of entanglement. Khurgorbaeyag is served by baatezu, imps, maelephants, rust dragons, rust monsters, and yugoloths. He shows his pleasure through the methods listed above (whip cracks, etc.) and by the discovery of bloodstones, carnelians, fire opals, garnets, red tears, and rubies. He shows his displeasure by the inability to crack a whip, or by sudden bouts of depression.
The Church[]
Clergy: Clerics, shamans, and specialty priests Clergy's Align: LE, NE Turn Undead: Cl: No, Sha: No, SP: No Cmnd. Undead: Cl: Yes, Sha: No, SP, No
All clerics, shamans, and specialty priests of Khurgorbaeyag receive religion (goblin and hobgoblin) as a bonus non-weapon proficiency. The clergy of the Khurgorbaeyag are almost ubiquitous in goblin society, as the Lord of the Goblins has, not surprisingly, a large following amongst his chosen race. They are strict maintainers of the rigid goblin social order, and are not above using their ceremonial whips to punish those they believe to be getting above themselves, those they think have done wrong, or just randomly to inspire fear and obedience (much to the dismay of the followers of Bargrivyek, who believe in some semblance of the rule of law - though such goblin laws are by most standards harsh and draconian). Even though their deity is the patron of goblin thieves, they reserve some of their harshest punishments to those who get caught stealing; there is no better way to weed out the incompetent and inspire others not to get caught than to cruelly discipline those who are apprehended in the act. Finally, the duty they most relish is the capture, training, and disciplining of the many slaves in goblin society. During battle, they exhort others not to kill but to instead capture and enslave. These prisoners they herd together and barbarically "train" them until such time as their wills are broken and they become quiet, docile servants, unwilling and unable to disobey or resist. Needless to say, the barbed ceremonial whips are frequently used during this training, and it is by no means rare for an unfortunate prisoner to be scourged to death simply because he or she showed to much spirit, or simply as an exemplary lesson to the others. Needless to say, every member of clergy of Khurgorbaeyag desires to be surrounded by a virtual army of slaves, who docilely obey their master's every whim (often, the number of slaves a member of a clergy owns is indicative of his rank). They sneer at other priesthoods who only have mindless undead to serve them; living, breathing slaves, they believe, are ever so much more efficient (and much more fun to torment). Like the society they are a part of, the clergy of the Lord of the Goblins is highly regimented, and the hierarchy is eagerly enforced at whip-point. Titles in the clergy are somewhat widespread, although goblin groups isolated from each other often have variant titles. Novices tend to be known as Slaves (both because of their low status and the number of lashings they receive). Full members of the clergy are usually known as Overseers. Titles for higher ranking members of the hierarchy include Enforcer, Whipmaster, and Slavedriver. The highest-ranking priest in a village or clan is known as the High Slavemaster. Specialty priests of Khurgorbaeyag are known as banyaerak, a goblin term meaning "they who demand obedience". The clergy of Khurgorbaeyag are almost evenly divided between clerics, specialty priests, and shamans (30%, 30%, and 40% respectively); the Lord of the Goblins has a higher percentage of shamans than most goblin deities simply because he is worshiped to the near-exclusion of the other members of his pantheon by isolated goblin tribes. Relations between the various groups are fairly good, with the rigid hierarchy enforced (as usual), by the crack of the whip, although there is often conflict between just-met members of the faith until such time as their relative rank in the hierarchy is determined. The clergy is exclusively (100%) male, and almost exclusively goblin (98%), with the remaining 2% made up almost completely by norkers. There is a tiny handful of hobgoblin clergy, who were considered too weak to enter Nomog-Geaya's priesthood. These are openly sneered at by both the clergies of Khurgorybaeyag and the Lord of the Hobgoblins.
Dogma[]
The goblins are the superior race, and they will thrive through a strict social hierarchy, enforced by the followers of Khurgorbaeyag. Take prisoners instead of killing the enemy, for properly trained, they can make admirable slaves. Teach discipline, for both slaves and others, at the crack of a whip.
Day-to-Day Activities[]
As stated above, the main duties of the clergy of Khurgorbaeyag are to enforce the goblin social order and to train and discipline slaves. They deal little with the day-to- day running of goblin life (which is the purview of Bargrivyek) or with warfare or goblin leadership (which is Maglubiyet's portfolio). Instead, they mainly act as the equivalent of a goblin police force by maintaining order in goblin villages and tribes. In villages where hobgoblins and goblins live together, they often have to work under the orders (much to their chagrin) of the followers of Nomog-Geaya, whose hobgoblins lord over the weaker goblins. In these cases, the goblins are much more brutal in their discipline due both to decreased opportunities to punish as they see fit and to relieve the stress and anger built up while subject to hobgoblin control. The one area in which they undisputedly are in control is the training and disciplining of slaves; they are such masters in this that not even hobgoblins feel the need to interfere. From the time of capture to their nearly inevitable pitiful deaths, the slaves of the goblins are subject to the loving care of the clergy of Khurgorbaeyag. Various members of the priesthood pride themselves on the ability to break proud captives in the fastest time possible. When a exceptionally stubborn captive is placed under the care of a particularly brutal and effective breaker, it is certainly not unheard of for wagering pools to be set up with bets being placed on how quickly the captive will be broken. The most experienced clergy of Khurgorbaeyag rarely kill any potential slaves (they only make examples of the weakest so as not to lose any that would have any future usefulness, although it has been known for stubborn dwarves and gnomes to be handed over to the clergy of Maglubiyet for sacrifice), for, after years of perfecting their art, even the strongest-willed captives eventually succumb to their procedures.
Holy Days/ Important Ceremonies[]
Although the followers of the Lord of the Goblins rarely celebrate a particular calendar date, they do have an important ritual after every battle the participate in: the Taking. After rounding up and healing prisoners, earmarking them for eventual slavery, they take one (or more) - usually a dwarf or gnome - and offer him or her up to Khurgorbaeyag in a bloody sacrifice (this is known as "giving Khurgorbaeyag his share" of slaves). This is followed by celebration and further ritual, where those who took the most prisoners are honored and their status raised in the eyes of their peers.
Major Centers of Worship[]
In the center of the Goblin Marches, at the epicenter of centuries of internecine warfare between innumerable goblin tribes, the Slavemaster's Hall has grown rich on the lucrative slave trade. High Slavemaster Hurogoyag has the uncanny knack (given to him by Khurgorbaeyag himself it is rumored) of being on the winning side of the unending battles in the Marches, resulting in he and his followers gaining innumerable prisoners. Long ago, they exceeded the maximum capacity needed for their own everyday needs, so Hurogoyag, after contacting one of the Zhentish caravans moving through the area, began trading the excess to the Zhentarim for substantial profits. The trade benefits both sides; the Zhentarim gain an inexhaustible source of slaves and Hurogoyag has become immensely wealthy and powerful (not to mention gaining some very useful allies).
Affiliated Orders[]
The Whips of Khurgorbaeyag, a mixed group of goblin priests, fighters, and thieves have been of late been terrorizing villages around the Kuldin Peaks, taking hundreds of prisoners over the last decade or so. The kings of Erlkazar and, more recently, Tethyr have routinely sent patrols to flush the group out, but with little success due to the extremely rugged nature of the terrain. What the Whips do with all their captives is unknown, but since it woudl be impossible to even feed them in the rocky Kuldins, they are presumably sold to one or another Underdark race, most likely the hobgoblins of Halorarar or the drow of Ultoksamrin.
Priestly Vestments: During important ceremonies, the faithful of Khurgorbaeyag wear blood-red scale mail and wield cruelly-barbed whips.
Adventuring Garb[]
While retaining the scale mail, the clergy of Khurgorbaeyag aren't so foolish as to think that their ceremonial whips are going to be particularly useful to them in actual combat. Since they want to capture as many prisoners alive as possible, they wield blunt weapons into combat since these are more likely to stun or knock unconscious than kill or maim outright. They still do carry whips (though usually not their ceremonial ones), however, if a prisoner or soldier seems to need added incentive to obey commands...
Specialty Priests (Banyaerak)
Requirements: Strength 11, Wisdom 9 Prime Req.: Strength, Wisdom Alignment: LE, NE Weapons: Any bludgeoning (wholly type "B") weapons, whip, scourge Armor: Any, but scale mail preferred Major Spheres: All, charm, combat, healing (reversed), law, protection, war Minor Spheres: Healing, elemental (fire), necromantic (reversed), travelers, sun (reversed) Magical Items: Same as clerics Required Prof: Whip Bonus Prof: Rope use
- Banyaerak must be male goblins
- Banyaerak may not multi-class
- Banyaerak receive a +1 to hit with whips. They are also able to
entangle their opponents in the whip if they exceed in their necessary to hit role by more than two. Entangled opponents have a 40% chance to have each arm entangled as well (roll for each arm), but can break free on a successful strength check.
- Banyaerak have a 5% cumulative chance per level of knocking an opponent
unconscious upon a successful hit with a blunt weapon.
- Banyaerak can cast cause fear once per day
- At 3rd level, banyaerak can cast hold person once per day
- At 5th level, banyaerak receive a +2 to saving throws versus
domination, charm, or fear effects
- At 7th level, banyaerak may cast cloak of fear (the reverse of cloak of
bravery) or fear (as the 4th level wizard spell) once per day
- At 10th level, the targets of a banyaerak's domination, charm, or fear
spell receive a -2 penalty to their saving throw.
- At 13th level, banyaerak may cast domination or mass suggestion once
per day