Godbound: Guardian Demons of the Toban

The Toban people call 'demon' any supernaturally potent entity which is capable of bringing forth terrifying destruction. These range from horrible, twisted monstrosities which crawl out of the land of the Thousand Gods just as much as it mean some local, physically twisted once-human witch living in a cave. The most potent and fearsome of them, however, as the dreaded Guardian Demons. Some are worshiped as mighty warrior deities whose destruction is focused on the enemies of the Toban tribes; others are sleeping, living doomsday devices or more terrifying enough some Parasite God horsewhipped as a dark guardian of some Lamasery.

Monster by Yang Zhao.

Guardian Demon

Central to the beliefs of Toban are the dreaded Guardian Demons: beings which are accepted to be fearsome, dangerous forces yet one which the Toban can nonetheless call upon in time of need. The category is more one of purpose than origin as two Guardian Demons might not share the same origin, biology and purpose. They are among the most powerful beings which the Lamaseries can call upon to their aid in time of need.

One major type of Guardian Demon is what some sages call, in long-forgotten and forbidden texts a Ren Archon. These are beings made of a combination of magical energies and psychic gestalt infused into a vessel created from Theotechnical knowledge much like a Made God. These beings were designed as living vessel, interfaces and enforces of Ren social laws. With their programming having decayed they've become twisted, often amnesiac or insane beings centered around enforcement of laws and systems which no one, not even themselves, know how to properly enforce and comprehend. This make most, if not all Guardian Demons of this type seemingly insane and vengeful or oddly specific in their destruction or pettiness. Others are reclusive sages whose conflicting directives translate as a desire to remove themselves from earthly affairs, becoming divine hermits only called upon in time of great need.

D10	Type of Guardian Demon
1-6	Ren Archon: A being engineered by the Ren in ancient times to ensure the order and compliance of all to Ren laws. It likely has very little understanding of how Toban society truly function.
7	Ancestral Eidolon: A spirit based upon/integrating the thoughts and memories of honored ancestors. It could also be a gestalt of several ancestors at once and add more to itself with each generation.
8	Inhuman Immortal: One of the revered ancestors is a human who has transcended the limits of normal human lifespan with some form of theotechnical or theurgic knowledge. The monks may or may not be aware of its true nature.
9	Parasite God: This Parasite God control the Lamasery from within, either acting as it’s guardian openly or pretending to be it or some ancestral spirit. It is likely a threat to the Lamasery and its people in the long run.
10	Uncreated Manipulator: Some horrible yet very intelligent and charismatic Uncreated as usurped the Lamasery and made it its cult, where it pretend to be the tutelary deity and/or guardian demon. Roll on the Uncreated Nature table.

D12	Nature
1-3	A detached being of zen intellect and wisdom, with little of its actions or words having meaning to the non-enlightened.
4-6	Prone to long periods of isolation and hibernation. Functionally distant barring on special occasions.
7	Viciously destructive when unleashed, a being of glorious divine fury. Otherwise very reserved or flat out inactive.
8	Completely insane and erratic, likely left alone inside the Lamasery’s vault as to not bother it. Best left alone.
9	Obsessive about rule, regulations and divine rites. Will attempt to enforce incompatible Ren doctrine whenever active.
10	Demanding of worship whenever active. Needy and unstable, more a raving lunatic than a wise guardian.
11	Crippled by memories of mortal life that may or may not belong to it. Unconscious psychic nexus of the thoughts of all worshippers.
12	Never says anything that make sense, only reciting about protocol and rites. Must be spoken to in highly complex, flourishful speech or raw code.

D4	Uncreated Nature
1	Pretend to be impossibly wise and kind but exert secret, corrupting mental influence on worshippers to fulfill its needs and desires.
2	Demand increasingly debauched acts of worship. Only the inner circle of monks know how deep this degeneracy truly goes.
3	A mad zealot which constantly push the monks to proselytize and/or declare holy wars on rivals. Only limited by lack of manpower and ability to raise actual armies.
4	A corrupting schemer of impossible intellect whose plans are multi-layered and long-lasting. Will take centuries to undo Toban society.

Statting the Guardian Demon

Every type of entity operating as a Guardian Demon is a being of over 13 HD with at least one bound Word: Protection, Vengeance, Command or Passion are suitable choices for its Word. The exact nature of the stats vary depending on the type of being it truly is, with Uncreated having the usual abilities.

Godbound: The Toban People

Kindred to the people of Dulimbai, the Toban are plain-dwelling people split into two distinct groups which are not separated by ethnicity or politics but rather by a question of lifestyle: the plain-dwelling nomads are herders and horsemen while the sedentary monks live in seclusion to attend to the need of their faith and oversee their status as shrines and marketplaces. Various clans, bloodlines, sects and more claim these plains as their own and exist in a state varying from anything between harmony to war.

Hunter by Yang Zhao.

Toban Clans

The core of any plain-dwelling Toban society is the clan, which is a group of derived bloodlines and perhaps allies integrated into their own following a war. Each clan has a name, often a banner, unique traditions and most importantly a certain amount of land which they are technically allowed to roam. In practice, however, Toban territory is purely a matter of power and the reach of one's sword and bow. When riding into battle, the Toban clans have a mobility few other powers in Arcem can match on a mundane level and, even then, the Tobans have their own ways and own ancient powers and pacts to call upon in time of need.

D6	Values	Flaws
1	Warrior Ethos: The warrior roots of the Toban are exemplified by this clan, which cling to pre-Fall traditions and fighting styles. They are unmatched unless overwhelmed with superior numbers or power.	Bloodthirsty: A willingness to fight is hardly a flaw to Toban riders but this clan has a long tradition of not only seeking conflict but actively cultivating it for their own enjoyment, no matter the cost.
2	Peerless Craftsmanship: This Toban clan is famous for it’s crafters and artisans, be it for mundane items or weapons and armors. They are well respected at major trading hubs.	Cowardly: While they may not appear as such to outsiders, this clan has a long history of cowardice, most often in the form of refusing to join a battle with an ally to save their own skins.
3	Lawmakers: This clan is well versed in diplomacy and the matters of interpreting Toban ancestral law and, where it fail, drafting up new laws. Few Toban clans can claim to be this impartial and wise.	Rigid Hierarchy: This clan has a very strict social structure which place warriors of equal age and skill at different rank and positions purely on the basis of their blood and ancestry. All must know their place.
4	Horse Breeders: This Toban clan is well-known for their skill at breeding the best mounts and other clans praise them as such, assuming they aren’t outright buying mounts from them.	Greedy: This clan is obsessed with fancy baubles and symbols of status and prestige. They are prone to banditry and raiding far more than other clans.
5	Defenders Of The Faith: This clan has strong ties with a specific Lamaserie and/or specific sect and are well-known for their piety and willingness to protect the faithful and priesthood alike.	Foul Rites: The war rituals of this clan are considered foul and barbaric by the standards of other Toban and more superstitious clans will shun them.
6	Blessed Bloodline: This clan carries a very small but non-negligeable spiritual blessing or protection and/or theotechnical augmentation.	Cursed: Some horrible curse or spiritual blight has fallen upon this clan and they are actively shunned by many as such, due to fear of contagion.

Another option for Toban clans is to use the Quick Culture Generation from Spears of the Dawn: while that game is based on a locale that is very different from the main inspiration of the Toban, these tools are still quite worthwhile to use for the Toban.

Toban names use this table.

Forces of the Toban Tribes

Compared to the other cultures previously detailed, the Toban on the surface appear quite mundane: they are not led by a posthuman elite like the Oasian or the people of Ancalia nor are they ruled by cold, immortal synthetic nobles like Nezdovah. The strength of Toba lies almost entirely on the might of it's warriors, peerless archers and master horsemen. This is not to say that there aren't mystical defenses and weapons that the Toban can bring to bear, far from it, but on a basic level they are more likely to rely on Mortal Heroes.

Toban Heroes can use any of the Mortal Heroes stat block but generally it is expected they will be using skills or blessings which emulate the gifts of the Word of Bow Some of these are the result of years of training while others are from their ancestral or shamanic blessings as well as magically-empowered bows.

Monk in the mountains by Petro Kul

Lamaseries

If the people of Toba are the blood, then the massive Lamaseries are the organs which that blood flow through: each is a market, industry, holy site and magical defense at the same time even if that last part can be somewhat lost to the average Toban.  Most monks and nun living in these places are of fairly low rank, more artisan than spiritual leader. This is quite different from the higher ranks of monks found in these locales, which have been initiated in ancient crafts forgotten by the other people of Arcem. Many Toban Lamaseries act as mystical nexus of some type, one whose power is nearly entirely derived from the rites and beliefs of the people than any major mystical artifact. Inside specialized cloisters monks enact special rituals to canalize the energies and will of the ordinary Toban and their simple prayers, channeling this power obtained through orderly action and synchronized soul-nodes into miracles which protect the Toban plains from the Thousand Gods and their abominations.

D6	Robe Color	Sect Markings and Rites	Organization Rules
1	White	Shaved heads in order to signify distance from mortal vanity.	Men only, however female born to the monks nonetheless live around the lamaseries they simply aren’t monks themselves.
2	Blue	Men grow beards, women grow their hair to signify abundance and blessing.	Women only, however male  born to the monks nonetheless live around the lamaseries they simply aren’t monks themselves.
3	Yellow	Ritualistic scarring to signify the sacrifices of the ancestors are remembered.	Pure vows of celibacy, ranks are only replenished by willing convert.
4	Orange	Facial or cranial markings denote a strict hierarchy and one’s position in it.	One must either be a child of a monk or be an orphan handed over to the sect.
5	Green	Vow of silence.	Only members of a specific bloodline or with a specific gift are allowed to become full monks.
6	Purple	Vow of poverty.

D10	Guardians of the Lamaseries
1-2	Theurge Monks: The higher ranked monks and nuns of this Lamaseries are well versed into both Low Magic and the initial level of Theurgy and can mount powerful arcane defenses.
3-4	Mortal Hero: One or more powerful mortal hero, either a monk or nun. Alternatively, a local hero is well known to consider this Lamaseries under their protection and will rush to it’s aid as soon as possible.
5-6	Guardian Demon: A powerful monster of some kind, worshiped and/or feared as a demonic guardian by the Toban call this Lamaseries home and will defend it from supernatural foes.
7	Din Superweapon: Taken in ancient time from the Din people, a powerful artifact capable of great destruction (even if that is not its intended purpose) exist deep within the Lamaseries.
8	Powerful Curse: The secret arts of these monks is that they can call upon ancient Theurgic knowledge to enact a powerful, mind-breaking (or shackling) curse which even divine foes must save against.
9	Mechanical Guardian: Ancient theurgic automatons sleep within the Lamaseries. In time of great need the monks will chant the sutra of awakening. There is no guarantee the machines will obey the monks: they only know how to activate them.
10	God Machine: A statue or altar of some kind within the Lamaseries hold the control module to a Godwalker which can be reactivated in time of need by a courageous monk to protect the temple.