what's it like to be a Broo?

We all love to hate the Broo. They are foul-smelling, foul-looking Things That Must Not Be, spreading across the world like horny goats.

At least that's how the humans look at them. But what do the broos think of themselves? what do they see their place in the world as? what is the source of their hatred? what do they eat and drink (for that matter, what can they eat?) If an adventuring party encounters Broos not engaged in raiding and plundering, what are they likely to be doing?
 
The world for Broo is split into three types of items:

Things to eat (almost everything)

Things to mate with (almost everything)

and rocks.
 
Lords of terror has some interesting stuff on Being a broo, but to do a bit of summing up.
Broo's don't see themselves or their society as evil, theirs is the rigth way to live and their Gods condone it. Other Human and Non-human soc are the abberation, but they aren't destroying them because of this, but because it is part of their world view, the strong take what they can from the weak because they can and it will make them stronger.

So broos when not raiding are arguing with each, other ploting against each other, fighting... you get the picture.

By the way they are clever enought to realise that another broo can still be useful to themselves alive, thereby making themselves stronger.
 
I mostly concur with homerjsinnott.

The vast majority of Broo are feral - born in the wild to some random mother that was impregnated by a passing Broo, who was also probably feral. They are kiley to be born near loose wild communities of other Broo, and band together. They have little in the way of a society because they have no tradition of nurturing and rearing because the mothers are always unwilling and often die during childbirth. They may learn some basic survivial skills and rudimentary magic from other Broo in the band they join.

Even in more organised groups, their society is very rudimentary, again due to the lack of a nurturing and educational phase in childhood, and the brutal nature of what passes for culture. The first act of any newborn broo is usualy to kill and devour it's mother as they eat their way out of his or her body, and I expect they are probably self-aware at that stage. I don't think the sources say as much, but I think many broo actualy remember this stage in their life into adulthood. For Broo, love is a unimaginable concept.

Broo are dominated by their sexual urges, which are much more powerful than those in the most randy humans, even ones with abnromal metabolisms. Even educated and clever Broo will find it difficult to put aside their rutting instincts for long, and frankly why should they? In their mythology, their mother goddes was raped and abused and denied justice by the gods who essentialy blamed her for the whole thing. They believe that the world is fundamentaly immoral and all the gods are corrupt and evil, only presenting a facade of respectability. The created world is doomed by Chaos, which is a weapon of vengeance against a cosmos that hates and fears them.


Simon Hibbs
 
Michael Hopcroft said:
But what do the broos think of themselves? what do they see their place in the world as? what is the source of their hatred? what do they eat and drink (for that matter, what can they eat?) If an adventuring party encounters Broos not engaged in raiding and plundering, what are they likely to be doing?

This is my observations from years of field studies:

How do they see themselves?
They are foul-smelling, foul-looking Things That Must Be, spreading across the world like horny goats.

What is the source of their hatred? Non-Broo... and everything else.

They eat and drink the usual things you would expect... what goats eat and drink: all kinds of things.

When not raiding and plundering they are either teaching the young how it is done by letting them play the female targets of raids, sleeping, or calling on their gods to give them power and send Illness spirits to help clense the world of non-Broo.

Hope this helps. ;)
 
Always remember ,just like humans every Broo is different. Most Broo are Pschopathic by human standers with might makes right. But its sometimes might be more fun to run some that are a little be different. For example one of the most Famous Broo in 3rd age Gorantha is the So called Wild Healer of the Rockwood a Chalana Arroy Priest who heals and helps anyone in need. I willing to bet most other Broo consider him a nutcase who head butted one boulder too many.
I always though it might be kind of fun to have my characters run into a Broo trying to repeat the quest of the cleanse one.( the cleansed one for those who dont know is a spirit of Zola Fel River, a former Broo who with the help of the river cleaned himself of the Taint of chaos) to see if they would help him remove the taint of chaos or just kill him outright.
 
TRose said:
For example one of the most Famous Broo in 3rd age Gorantha is the So called Wild Healer of the Rockwood a Chalana Arroy Priest who heals and helps anyone in need. I willing to bet most other Broo consider him a nutcase who head butted one boulder too many.

I was playing a Troll called Lurghurt in an adventuring group that encountered the Wild Healer once. Th other characters had to knock Lurghurt unconcious to stop him killing the filthy little thing out of hand. Their reasoning was that "he's a Chalana Arroy healer, he's nice. We shouldn't be prejudiced, etc..". My argument was that although it heals anyone in need, in practice the vast majority of the people/things it comes across in need of help will be other Broo, or worse. Therefore the net effect of the Wild Healer is to maintain the local Chaotic Monster population in better fighting condition than they would otherwise be. Which is bad.


I always though it might be kind of fun to have my characters run into a Broo trying to repeat the quest of the cleanse one.( the cleansed one for those who dont know is a spirit of Zola Fel River, a former Broo who with the help of the river cleaned himself of the Taint of chaos) to see if they would help him remove the taint of chaos or just kill him outright.

My guess is that the Cleansed One became Illuminated.


Simon Hibbs
 
Its possible they Both the Wild Healer and the Cleanse One are illuminated. but I think it its possible that they could be like a human thanatari worshipper. That is some one who goes totally against their own upbringing and choses to do something that their society considers perverse. In any society where you have intelligence and free will, Human or Broo, there always going to be a small number who are going rebel against society morals and rules.
 
TRose said:
Its possible they Both the Wild Healer and the Cleanse One are illuminated. but I think it its possible that they could be like a human thanatari worshipper. That is some one who goes totally against their own upbringing and choses to do something that their society considers perverse. In any society where you have intelligence and free will, Human or Broo, there always going to be a small number who are going rebel against society morals and rules.


COnsidering that one of the major dieties of the Broo is Malia, goddes of disease, the idea of a Broo becoming an Arroyin healer supports your idea. For some reason, this broo turned out to be a kind, caregiving, creature rather than your typical raping and murdering monster.

I'm sorta surprised that he doesn't get killed by one side or the other. Either the humans asa "Cahos infested" monster, or by the broo for being a healer. I'd think that even a fellow lightbringer might loose an arrow or two before realizing just which broo he sees walking towards him.
 
I'd tend to go along the cultural rebel path, where for whatever reason the Wild Healer and the Cleansed One aren't illuminated but are travelling their own paths.

I'd hope illumination is very rare.
 
Illumination is rare. Especially I'd guess in the second age. Wasn't that when it was 'discovered'?

Anyway an illuminated Broo wouldn't register as Chaotic using any of the detect Chaos skills/abilities/spells.
 
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