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Adept Greytalker
Joined: May 14, 2003
Posts: 349
From: the Free City of Dyvers (Kansas City, MO)
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Fri May 29, 2009 7:53 pm
Blues, the psionic goblins
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I was discussing silver with a friend of mine, and the condition argyria which causes blue skin coloration. He noted the blue - the psionic goblins - and proposed a possible connection. Its an interesting bit of fluff; any thoughts? _________________ Greyhawk is dead; long live Greyahwk! It is not heresy; I will not recant!
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Apprentice Greytalker
Joined: Nov 22, 2008
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Sat May 30, 2009 4:27 pm
Blues, the psionic goblins
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Various types of silver compounds/preparations are used as remedies for a wide variety of diseases and in folklore were used as an antidote to various maladies.
The parents of goblin young who showed signs of psionic ability or in their eyes abnormal and unnatural behaviour may have applied liberal and highly excessive doses of silver poultices/medications as medication on a regular and continuous basis. This could trigger argyria in a young psionic goblin. Perhaps psionic goblins not suffering from argyria may have deliberately overdosed to imitate earlier psionics who they see as heroes and to make a statement that they are special.
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Grandmaster Greytalker
Joined: Nov 07, 2004
Posts: 1847
From: Mt. Smolderac
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Wed Jun 03, 2009 3:32 pm
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That's a pretty brilliant idea. There are also blue bugbears in the Land of Black Ice.
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Adept Greytalker
Joined: May 14, 2003
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From: the Free City of Dyvers (Kansas City, MO)
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Thu Jun 04, 2009 5:29 am
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Anything special about the blue bugbears? Or are they just blue? _________________ Greyhawk is dead; long live Greyahwk! It is not heresy; I will not recant!
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Grandmaster Greytalker
Joined: Nov 07, 2004
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From: Mt. Smolderac
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Thu Jun 04, 2009 3:21 pm
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gargoyle wrote: |
Anything special about the blue bugbears? Or are they just blue? |
Nothing I'm aware of. The only ref I know of for them is in the encounter tables in the World of GH set (The '83, not the '80). If I remember right it just says something like "Bugbears, Blue." It cracked me up the first time I saw it.
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Adept Greytalker
Joined: May 14, 2003
Posts: 349
From: the Free City of Dyvers (Kansas City, MO)
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Fri Jun 05, 2009 5:11 am
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I guess blue bugbears could always be retconned to be psionic bugbears, much like their smaller goblin cousins. Psionic bugbears... >>shudder<<  _________________ Greyhawk is dead; long live Greyahwk! It is not heresy; I will not recant!
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Grandmaster Greytalker
Joined: Nov 07, 2004
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From: Mt. Smolderac
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Fri Jun 05, 2009 8:56 am
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Given their stealthy abilities (moreso when they blend in with the black ice) psionic bugbears could be pretty awesome.
This all makes me wonder if there could be some connection between silver and the Black Ice. Could the presence of silver and some tarnishing chemical be what makes Black Ice black? Maybe the presence of the silver in the LoBI's bugbears diet gives them their coloration, although I don't think silver changes your hair color, but this IS fantasy. Anyway, it doesn't make bubears psionic but at some point it was discovered that goblins, possibly used as slaves by bugbears in the LoBI, did get those abilities when they absorbed enough black ice through their diet. Black ice water could be the source of a Blue's abilities, so it's a valuable commodity among goblin tribes.
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Apprentice Greytalker
Joined: Nov 22, 2008
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Fri Jun 05, 2009 3:29 pm
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I do like the idea of camouflaged psionic bugbears that's pretty cool and quite worrying too. So little is known about "Black Ice" and its properties that anything is possible.
I tried to think about more mundane reasons as to why these bugbears are blue and other than "maybe they're blue because they're so damn cold" I could only come up with two questionable suggestions both linked to tribal or caste markings.
The first is that they're all "woaded" up - and I mean ALL "woaded up" i.e from head to toe.
The second is that they're coastal dwellers with a diet consisting either partially or wholly of arctic squid or octopi. They're diet in itself wouldn't cause a change in coloration but a side product of their diet would be a copious surplus of Cephalopod ink. If you add to this a high dependency on such a limited diet and a priestly caste with too much time on their hands you could end up with a Cephalopod worshipping tribe who identify themselves by literally wearing the colours of their God.
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Adept Greytalker
Joined: May 14, 2003
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From: the Free City of Dyvers (Kansas City, MO)
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Fri Jun 05, 2009 6:18 pm
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Ink=tattoo=psionic tattoo! All hail the blue bugbears, the psionic masters of the Land of Black Ice!  _________________ Greyhawk is dead; long live Greyahwk! It is not heresy; I will not recant!
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Grandmaster Greytalker
Joined: Nov 07, 2004
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From: Mt. Smolderac
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Fri Jun 05, 2009 7:53 pm
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This thread is insane. I love it!
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Apprentice Greytalker
Joined: Nov 22, 2008
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Sat Jun 06, 2009 4:16 pm
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You could take things a little bit further with this.
IF these blue/tattooed/woaded/inky bugbears did display psionic abilities and yes I know its a big IF - then what type of psionic abilities?
IF they were coastal dwellers/hunters of this arctic type realm then "Body Equilibrium" would fit perfectly - this would allow them to adjust the weight of their bodies to cross ice floes and similarly hazardous terrain with ease. And if you combine this with a limited form of "Animal Empathy" then you've got a tattooed/woaded/black ice mutated bugbear tribe whose psionic abililities allow them to thrive in one of the harshest and most mysterious regions of Oerth.
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