Gogunta
| Gogunta | |
|---|---|
| |
| (Deity) | |
| Titles | Song of the Swamp; Goddess of the Boggards; Mother of Swamps; Frog Mother |
| Adjective | Goguntan |
| Realm | Mephizim, the Abyss |
| Alignment | Chaotic evil |
| Areas of Concern | Amphibians Boggards Swamps |
| Worshipers | Boggards, chuuls |
| Edicts | Sacrifice others through drowning, sing in the swamps, aid amphibians |
| Anathema | Spare boggards who worship other gods |
| Cleric Alignments (1E) | |
| Domains (1E) | Chaos, Death, Evil, Water† |
| Subdomains (1E) | Demon, Murder, Oceans, Undead |
| Cleric Alignments (2E) | |
| Domains (2E) | Indulgence, might, tyranny, water |
| Favored Weapon | Whip |
| Symbol | Twig fetish of a boggard |
| Sacred Animal | Frog |
| Sacred Colors | Blue, green |
| Images of Gogunta | |
Source: Book of the Damned, pg(s). 55 (1E) Gods & Magic, pg(s). 77, 124-125 (2E) | |
Gogunta (pronounced go-GUN-tuh)[1] is a demon lord of foetid swamps and serves as the sole goddess of the swamp-dwelling boggards.
History
According to boggard legends, Gogunta arose in the Age of Creation and seeded Golarion with her eggs, which hatched into the first mobogos. She then went to sleep for millennia, and woke up to see other gods seeding the world with their own creations, which might burn away and drain off the swamps if unchecked. She then spawned a second clutch of eggs, which hatched into the first boggards, who were capable of rapidly reproducing like the other gods' creations. Seeing that only the swamps were available for the boggards, Gogunta placed them there, confident that they could raise wonders from there.[2][3][4]
Some sources claim Gogunta was born a mobogo and became a demon lord by killing the right creatures and eating just the right parts of their bodies; while more scholarly references claim she was a hezrou of Dagon, who raised her to the status of demon lord.[5][2][4]
Appearance
Gogunta is perceived as a frog with many heads and a plethora of eyes, fanged maws, and acidic tongues capable of unleashing a piercing croak, known as the song of the swamp, that can be heard from miles and pierce planar boundaries. Those that hear this 'song' become increasingly obsessed with seeking out Gogunta to offer themselves up as meals or something unspeakable. Gogunta's prey are put into stasis within one of her many stomachs until being belched up ages later as her twisted batrachian minions.[6]
Boggards portray Gogunta as a huge queen of their kind that moves deceptively quickly for her size. She wields a barbed whip made from an immense frog's tongue which strangles its foes and can fight on its own without being physically wielded by Gogunta. In this form, her song of the swamp turns those who hear it into her agents.[6][5]
Home
Gogunta's realm in the Abyss is Mephizim, an immense saltmarsh island. It is unique in that it is wholly surrounded and subsumed by Dagon's realm, the endless Abyssal sea of Ishiar. This accommodation is rare among demon lords, who tend to see each other as threats to their dominance.[7][8]
Relationships
Gogunta has an accommodation with the powerful demon lord Dagon. Her realm of Mephizim lies fully within his realm, where Dagon allows her free rein. Their cultists work together, even interbreeding on the Material Plane. Some references cite her as starting her career as a hezrou servant of Dagon.[5]
Cult and worshipers
Gogunta's most numerous worshipers are boggards, who view her not as a demon but as a goddess. The priest-kings of these tribes of frogmen are trained from birth to speak with their goddess, and over time develop magical powers as a result of their connection to her. Every week, they sacrifice an intelligent humanoid to her, but always take the opportunity to do so more frequently to curry her favour. The closer they become to Gogunta, the more like giant frogs the priest-kings become.[9][4] Favouring hezrou as guards and even as lovers, Gogunta might even send a hezrou to lead a boggard tribe of the Material Plane.[2] The rare boggards who worship other deities are seen as great threats by devout Goguntans, who cut no corners in exterminating these 'heretics', and the few captives only survive by repenting and praising Gogunta.[6]
Other than boggards, Gogunta is also worshipped by fearful swamp-dwelling humans who hang fetishes and charms outside their shacks to show their 'piety' to the queen of the swamps. Some witches meld her worship with that of Mestama, even though the two have little interest in cooperation.[6]
On Golarion
On Golarion, her worship is strong amongst the boggards of Varisia's Mushfens, the River Kingdoms, and the Sodden Lands.[2] The Frog Mother is also worshiped by hezrou who live in the Frostmire Fen of the Worldwound.[10]
References
For additional resources, see the Meta page.
- ↑ Erik Mona et al. (2008). Campaign Setting, p. 246. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-112-1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 James Jacobs et al. (2011). The Inner Sea World Guide, p. 232. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-269-2
- ↑ James Jacobs. (June 9, 2008). All Hail Mobogo!, Paizo Blog.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Amber Stewart. (2010). Ecology of the Boggard. Blood for Blood, p. 62. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-251-7
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 James Jacobs. (2010). Lords of Chaos, p. 16. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-250-0
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 John Compton, Adam Daigle, Amanda Hamon Kunz, et al. (2017). Book of the Damned, p. 55. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-60125-970-7
- ↑ James Jacobs. (2009). Demon Lords of Golarion. Descent into Midnight, p. 58. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-131-2
- ↑ James Jacobs. (2010). Lords of Chaos, p. 16, 40. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-250-0
- ↑ Jason Bulmahn, James Jacobs, Richard Pett, & F. Wesley Schneider. (2007). Bestiary. The Skinsaw Murders, p. 84. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-037-7
- ↑ James Jacobs, Jonathan H. Keith, Jason Nelson, Amber Stewart, and Tanith Tyrr. (2013). The Worldwound, p. 6. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-532-7
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