I don't come out of hiding often, but I thought I'd give my two cents.
I'm a heathen in rl
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Once, the local Baptist church tried to frighten me into converting. So I wasn't particularly thrilled with the concept of 'converting the heathens' first.
Then I started thinking it through a bit more. I guess my interpretation is that they are faithless in a more literal sense, that they have had some great misfortune and have forsaken all gods, spirits and other deities. The totems are not religious necessarily, more of a symbol of the smaller clans within the tribe, a sign of ownership.
And these little guys are failing miserably at surviving.(Weeping Master Farmer gets to me more than he should)My first thought? Oh man, did I curse these guys? Is this my divine vengeance, did I make the ground barren, put a hex on the ailing healer?
But again, I stopped and thought a little bit more...Our tribes die instantly without my Godhand guiding their every move. There have been tribes I have to babysit on the *hour* to keep them from dying off. And these heathens, they have no guidance only their wits. Our villagers have always been sorely lacking in that department
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So the heathens, they are badly in need of help, help I can't give them until they have some faith in me again. My villagers have to be my hands and words for me.
Another thought I had, maybe the masks aren't "real". Because they have no faith in God-me, maybe I can't see the heathens as they are. All I can observe is their behavior and basic personality.
And lastly....Swarm of beeees 8D HAHAHA YEESSSSS