Those of you who have dabbled in Dungeons & Dragons may have heard of the Kuo Toa. They are the fish-people (essentially what one would get if they stitched together the unused halves whilst making a mermaid) who are generally evil. They pop up on page 199 of the Monster Manual (2014).
Kuo Toa from the Monster Manual, by Zoltan Boros - image found on Pinterest
As monsters they are not colossally concerning - they are a low-CR horde creature with a few interesting combat abilities (like stealing weapons and seeing invisibility) and are generally best thrown at low-level parties if you want to use them exclusively for their statblocks. However, it is their other ability which is key to their potential as more than just foes:
Kuo-Toa are possessed of an ability very similar to the Orks of Warhammer 40,000 - namely that if enough of them believe something, that something can come true. Their main role in the world tends to be as villains, as if enough Kuo-Toa believe in one, then they can make a God manifest in the world.
One potential storyline I have seen wandering about the internet over the last few years is that the party encounter Kuo-Toa on the coastline beside a fishing town, who are constantly ranting about their one-eyed god, and how their one-eyed god will strike them down. This theme persists as the party escapes their caves, and they return to the town feeling triumphant - until someone comes running into the tavern shouting that the Lighthouse just got up and started moving - a bright light now glares through the tavern window, and the DM brings out the gothic music!
But how does this power of belief help forge a narrative for a warlock (Asked no-one ever)?
Well, this is where you build a backstory which contains someone that nobody - not even your character - knows. That somebody is a bard, who has been captured by the Kuo-Toa. The bard, fearing for their life, starts doing what bards do best (no, the other thing) - Talking!
They start to tell the Kuo-Toa stories, in the hope of staving off the inevitable, and they find the Kuo-Toa like them. They lap up every word, and after a while, the entire clan turns out every night as the bard tells more tales. But, one day, the Bard realises that they are running out of tales; so they start making up new ones. And the main character in these tales just so happens to be you.
Yep, somewhere in the depths of the world, a captured bard is telling a clan of Kuo-Toa all about you, and all the amazing things that you can do. And the Kuo-Toa believe. They believe so much, they hang on the events of this hero so tightly, that somewhere out in the world, you start to develop powers. The Bard speaks of how you can walk on water, and you learn the spell to do so overnight. The bard speaks of you riding to battle on a noble steed, and the next morning you can summon a steed at will! The Kuo-Toa believe that you are fearless, and that you wield a blade of sunlight, and inexplicably, you become braver, and your weapon flashes with radiant light!
The Fish-Folk Fan Club is a homebrew Warlock Patron from Duckslayer Games. Find it on Drivethru RPG (click the button above!)