The Badb

The Badb is a goddess of fate and violence; it is she, along with her sisters Macha and Nemain, who determines the casualties of war. She is a warrior, a seer, and a carrion-eater. She is also, in an odd way, Arthur, or at least she will be.

The Badb is a composite being, an amalgam of many, many creatures, sentient and otherwise. They have all been absorbed into her purpose and her power; and since birth, Arthur has been slated to be so absorbed himself.

Arthur is at first unaware of this fate, but it is revealed to him as the game progresses. Whether he embraces it or flees from it is up to him.

However, once he realizes what and who he is, or will be, he also grows into certain powers and capabilities. He can talk with and control all corvids, familiars of Badb, and on entering a body of water, he can instantly re-emerge at other point in it, provided he moves with the tides or current. Further, he is given a small taste of the Badb's true nature: in battle, his hands are death, and simply a touch and his will can remove the life from any opponent.

But all these things come at a price, namely, Arthur's individuality. The more he takes from the Badb without, the more the Badb seeps within. If he wants any chance to fight the inevitable, he must use these gifts with the utmost stringency.

In-game effects:

• Arthur may "talk" with any corvids (i.e., birds of the family "corvus", such as crows, ravens, and magpies). This communication is telepathic and takes no time. Corvids are among the most intelligent of birds and know more about what is going on around them than one might expect; they can be valuable sources of information.
• Arthur may control corvids as well as talk with them. If used in combat, the bird tries to confuse or blind its opponents by attacking his face and eyes. If used outside of combat, the bird can execute certain controlled, plot-determined commands.
• Water is almost universally representative of both birth and death, and it is no surprise that the Badb is associated with it. Arthur may step in any flowing body of water, and instantly be transported downstream to a place of his liking. Alternately, he may step in an ocean or lake, and be similarly transported anywhere the tides could take him.
• The Badb is the creature of casualties, and Arthur commands death at his fingertips. If Arthur can strike any opponent in combat with his bare hands, he may appeal to the Badb, who will strike his opponent down dead before he hits the ground. This is Arthur's greatest power, and the one which binds him most closely with the Badb.

The picture, badb.jpeg, above, is an illustration by Gustave Doré taken from Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven. So far as I am aware, it is in the Public Domain.

This site hosted by