HISTORY AND CULTURE

Much of what we know of present-day Goa'uld and their history stems from the mythology of
Earth's past. Ancient stories and traditions which once seemed fanciful and without basis; actually
constitute the first written record of the Goa'uld, dating back some 10,000 years ago. What we do not
know of the Goa'uld directly can be inferred by their current culture, their history over the past 10,000
years, information from the Asgard and similar species, and records that exist from that age.

THE FIRST ONES

As discussed in the previous section, the Unas most likely served as the original hosts to the Goa'uld,
allowing them to use the Stargate and leave their world. They presumably spread to new worlds and
possessed new and more technologically advanced hosts. Soon, they had mastered interstellar travel and
other forms of advanced science. Over the course of time (and without proper means of record keeping),
they lost track of their original planet, and with it any fresh stocks of Unas hosts. Instead, they began
searching for a new species to meet their needs, using their rapidly-expanding resources to search across
the galaxy.

THE TAURI
The Goa'uld's discovery of Earth marked a sea change in both their development and humanity's.
Originally found by Ra, Earth was rich in minerals and natural resources, although it unfortunately
lacked any traces of naquadah. But its population more than made up for it: a thriving primitive bipedal
society that the symbiotes could possess with exceptional ease.
The Tauri (humans) were almost perfect Goa'uld hosts. They possessed highly advanced neural
pathways and their bodies were capable of a great many functions. While their lifespans were not
entirely satisfactory, Goa'uld technology could remedy that. Best of all, their bodies were resilient and
easily repaired and the species could multiply at a prolific rate. This quickly made the Tauri the
predominate Goa'uld host of choice and a prime source of slaves and warriors.
The people were also primitive, mistaking the Goa'uld for gods, and accepting the symbiotes into
their culture as beings of divine power. The Goa'uld easily exploited this masquerade, so well in fact
that it became an integral part of the parasites' culture for the next several thousand years.
Using their technology, the Goa'uld located the Stargate of the Earth and began the transportation of
the humans across the galaxy. Goa'uld "System Lords" vied for the best breeding stock among the
humans; every major Goa'uld visited the Earth at some point to select their own. The humans were soon
seeded across hundreds of worlds by their newly- arrived "gods" and used as slave labor in naquadah
mines or interstellar shipyards. Many generations passed and the seeded humans would forget from
where they came. Local mythologies eventually took root about the creation of all life from their "god"
who transported them across the heavens. A precious few remembered the name of the world from
whence they came and whispered it in the night, but their numbers were small indeed.
Back on Earth, the native populace was far less complacent. Eventually, the people of the Tauri
began to question the divinity of their gods, challenging those who presumed to rule them. They finally
recognize the Goa'uld for what they were: parasites that needed the humans more than the humans
needed them. A great revolt took place, overthrowing the System Lords on Earth and sending them
fleeing to the stars. The Stargate was buried, ensuring that the Goa'uld could not return through it to
wreak vengeance. By this time the species had been seeded across the galaxy and the Goa'uld already
had entire planets used for breeding purposes. The loss of Earth, while a personal affront to Ra, was not
that great a blow to the System Lords.
In time, the Tauri would return.
THE JAFFA
In an effort to extend their power, the System Lords sought ways to improve their human hosts. The
first of these involved a way to implant a Goa'uld larva successfully after birth, increasing the Goa'uld
population and minimizing the number of larval deaths. After several generations the Goa'uld refined
their genetic code several times to blend with the humans, but even then a successful blending was not
always guaranteed. Then the concept of using tile humans as incubators to protect the larval young arose
and so began the development of the Jaffa.
Similar to a human, the Jaffa differs from the standard model in the creation of a symbiotic pouch in
the abdominal region. This pouch exists for the express purpose of holding a Goa'uld larva as it grows to
maturity. In this pouch the Goa'uld receives nourishment and protection from the elements; in exchange,
it grants the Jaffa increased strength and healing abilities. This arrangement proved most satisfactory.
However, fearing a repeat of the events that transpired on Earth, the System Lords took steps to ensure
the Jaffa's dependency upon their gods. After implantation the Goa'uld symbiote replaced the immune
system of the Jaffa; without the symbiote the Jaffa would die. After the larva grew to maturity, a worthy
Jaffa could then be implanted with another Goa'uld larva to care for or left to die as the System Lords
saw fit.
This arrangement further underscored the Goa'uld position as gods in the minds of the Jaffa. Most
Goa'uld worlds soon outlawed reading and writing, fearing a new uprising. The Jaffa was then trained as
the System Lord's own loyal shock troops. There currently exist a great number of Jaffa breeding
worlds; every System Lord possesses their own for the creation of their private armies. (One .such
planet is Chulak, home to the Jaffa armies of Ra and then later Apophis.)

GODS & MYTHOS

A significant amount of the Goa'uld's history took new form in the early mythology of the people of
the Earth. The Tauri recorded many of the events which the System Lords taught to them, passing the
knowledge down from generation to generation. Naturally, some details have been lost or manipulated
by the course of time, taking on a new life of their own.
The ancient Egyptians, who had the closest contact with the Goa'uld, held that world began as a
formless dark ocean known as Nun - the disk of the night. One night a great serpent, Apep, appeared in
the Nun and threatened to destroy the world but was held back by Atum and Ra - the original gods that
sprang forth from Nun.
In actuality Ra was a Goa'uld who descended from the heavens - Nun - in his great pyramid ship,
landing on Earth. His first underlord, Atum, came to the primitive people who worshipped the pair as
gods. Weak and near death, he helped transfer the symbiote from Ra's host to a human. Atum, later
known as Apep, was the first chronicler of the Goa'uld in ancient Earth history. This moniker would
serve as a lasting tribute to the original Goa'uld ruler, Apep.
Renewed, Ra installed himself as ruler of all the people. After reclaiming the Stargate, he then
summoned forth the other Goa'uld to the planet. As the System Lords emerged from the Stargate, Ra
gave "birth" to them in the annals of mythology. Bastet and Nut were among the first, then Thoth. Nut
became the first Queen of the Pharaohs and subsequently gave birth to Osiris, Heru-ur, Seth, Isis, and
Nephthys. These Goa'uld then took hosts and established themselves as the original Egyptian pantheon.
Eventually the planet of the Tauri would host all number of the System Lords; the planet became a
neutral meeting place in which the "gods" would discuss their plans. Even their internecine politics
became the chronicles of legend. An early tale records the goddess Isis, who schemed against Ra,
seeking to know his True Name. She fashioned a snake from the earth that attacked Ra, filling him with
poison and immobilizing him. Isis offered to cure his wound in exchange for his true name.
In actuality Isis sought to usurp Ra's rulership over the Earth and plotted to kill him by poisoning
him slowly with the blood of a symbiote, which would be toxic to his host. Her plan nearly worked, but
she was caught and confessed her crimes. For her actions, she was sentenced to eternal imprisonment.
Such internal plots and battles are the common fodder for human myths. Passed down by Jaffa priests,
they have become a part of cultures across the galaxy, their foundations born from reality.

NAQUADAH
At some point along the Goa'uld development they discovered naquadah, a rare quartz-like mineral used
in the construction of the Stargates. The ability for naquadah to interact with neutrinos and generate
energy makes it prized as a clean power source, and when properly refined, it can make a variety of
constructs and weapons.
While the Goa'uld clearly did not build the Stargates, at some point they learned the secrets of these
ancient devices as few had before. For several thousands of years they mapped out the Stargate network
and visited a host of different worlds until they discovered one rich with naquadah, which would
become part of their genetic makeup and the foundation for all of their technology (See later sections for
more details).

THE FIRST GOA'ULD DYNASTY

The first dynasty of the ruling Goa'uld -which rose and fell long before the discovery of Earth - was
presided over by the m.ost powerful of their number, Apep. Apep commanded the vast collected fleets
and armies of the Goa'uld, disbursing them among his loyal underlords, Ra, Bastet, Nut, and Thoth. The
Goa'uld conquered with reckless abandon during this period, finding none that could match their might.
As more and more worlds fell beneath their yoke these powerful Goa'uld began to realize that their only
equals were themselves. They soon fell to petty squabbling, each one turning against his brother or
sister.
Several other Goa'uld rose and fell from power in this time, including Anubis. Anubis elevated
himself quickly through the ranks, selected by Apep as the one Goa'uld who showed no desire for
conquest over his own people. Apep entrusted Anubis with all of his knowledge and deepest secrets -
only to see that trust betrayed. When the time was right, Anubis struck down his master, declaring
himself ruler of all Goa'uld, and Emperor of the known universe. In this brief Dark Age Anubis carried
out many heinous acts that no Goa'uld will speak of to this day.
The remaining Goa'uld eventually collected their forces to fight Anubis, removing him from power
at a terrible cost. Entire worlds were lost, gates destroyed, and countless larval Goa'uld consumed in
flames. For his crimes Anubis was banished for all eternity, and Ra seized control of his empire,
determined to unite the Goa'uld.

THE SECOND GOA'ULD DYNASTY

With the eventual fall of the First Dynasty, the Second Dynasty rose from the ashes to assume
control. Among the prominent rulers were Ra, Yu, Osiris, Isis, and Tiamat, who ushered in a new era of
order and growth -a "Golden Age" if you will. Ra claimed the bulk of the power, taking command of the
forces of Apep unto himself as was his right.
Ra was dissatisfied with the petty bickering of the Goa'uld and formed the establishment of the
System Lords - supreme Goa'uld that would serve as rulers over their species and bring order out of the
chaos. While many objected, few had the might to argue with Ra and the most powerful of the Goa'uld
embraced the chance to rule along-side Ra. They became the original System Lords.
Many of the precepts of modern Goa'uld society were created during this dynasty, which lasted for
several thousand years. In that time the Tauri were discovered and a new host was born, better than the
Unas and others before them. The Goa'uld flourished and expanded across the galaxy unlike ever before.
With new worlds to conquer and new worshippers at their command, the System Lords became even
more powerful than before - and more dangerous.
The Second Dynasty also saw the return of Anubis who rose to the rank of System Lord for a time.
No one had forgotten his betrayal of Apep, however. Ra launched a bitter war against the upstart System
Lord, offering no quarter to the one who would betray the Great Father. In the end Ra swayed the other
System Lords to his side and Anubis' attack was crushed. The symbiote was removed from its host and
cast into space, never to return.
With Anubis gone, internal squabbling rose again, this time taking cataclysmic form. Where in the
past small pockets of Goa'uld would battle amongst each other, the System Lords had new technologies
and means of destruction to launch against each other. Entire star systems would be destroyed over
differences in opinion: whole armies of Jaffa went to the slaughter in order to prove who had the most
loyal subjects. The results were the same as the First Dynasty but the stakes had become much higher.
Only the power of Ra kept the other System Lords in relative check, but even then his forces could not
be everywhere at once. New System Lords rose and fell from power, or were outright destroyed by their
peers. The Queen Egeria betrayed her people, creating the Tok'ra, who then began their own war against
the Goa'uld (see page 99 for more information). After a number of centuries even the Tauri rose against
them, reclaiming their planet and burying their Stargate. Finally, Ra adopted ruthless measures to restore
order, this time crushing all those that stood in his way.
The Second Dynasty drew to a close.

THE THIRD GOA'ULD DYNASTY

The beginnings of the Third Dynasty took several millennia to develop; internal strife weighed
heavily on the System Lords. Finally a central group emerged in control of Goa'uld space: Apophis, Ba
'al, Bastet, Kali, Morrigan, Olukun, and Svarog - only Ra and Yu survived the transition. Their numbers
would fluctuate but this new core of System Lords also retains the expansionist principles of their
ancestors. They began an aggressive war against the Asgard and the Tok'ra which diverted their
attentions from one another. However, they made little progress against these new foes, and soon
enough began to squabble among themselves once more. New System Lords rose into the ranks -
Cronus, Heru-ur, and Nirrti -providing the largest base of power that the Goa'uld had ever seen. Rich
deposits of naquadah helped them flourish but the new policies instituted by Ra held them back. With
the System Lords fighting against each other, such unchecked growth could result in the destruction of
the species. Ra instigated new restrictions on army size, new technology and the creation of new larvae.
With the availability of new Goa'uld restricted, the growth of the species slowed dramatically, Some
System Lords plotted to have their own queens once the time was right but none wished to face the
wrath of Ra or foe potential for another Tok'ra uprising.
Then something happened which shook Goa'uld society to its core. Ra was suddenly destroyed, in
what at the time was believed to be a freak accident. (The Goa'uld later learned that it was the actions of
the Tauri, who had uncovered their Stargate and learned to use it for their own purposes). The act
created a massive power vacuum, which no one had expected or anticipated. The remaining System
"Lords tripped over each other to collect the scraps. The forces of Cronus struck out against the worlds
of Yu only to be driven back with lightning speed. Ra's rival Apophis seized control of a large number
of worlds, attacking Heru-ur, who obliterated two of Apophis' systems in retaliation. Ba'al and Kali
sparred over a great number of worlds while Nirrti caused strife from within by planting falsehoods and
innuendoes amongst her fellow System Lords. It was a time of great opportunity for those ruthless
enough to seize it.

THE PRESENT
The strife following Ra's destruction continues today, but the balance of power within the System
Lords has shifted yet again. Anubis, the dread foe who caused so much damage, has returned and been
reinstated as a System Lord. Along with his return,
Anubis has brought strange new technology with him, perhaps recovered from the Ancients. This
technology has greatly enhanced his forces, and also gives him a sizable tactical advantage against the
other System Lords. Indeed, a number of System Lords have pledged their alliance to Anubis in hopes
of currying favor. An equal number, silently, stand ready to oppose him.
As if that weren't enough, the Tauri have become a considerable thorn in the side of the System
Lords. Now able to use the Stargate, they have traveled to numerous worlds - some held by System
Lords - and caused no small amount of damage. Indeed, their actions are responsible for the death of
several System Lords and numerous key losses, The Asgard have placed the Tauri under their
protection, making the humans safe from direct retaliation, but in time the Goa'uld intend to make them
pay for their actions, one way or another.
These threats, coupled with the continuing strife cause by the loss of Ra, promise to occupy the
Goa'uld for some time to come.

PRESENTING THE GOA’ULD

This section gives you an idea of how to present the Goa'uld as we've seen them on Stargate SG-1:
scheming, grandiose villains with plans for universal domination.
When playing a Goa'uld -or more specifically, a god - it's all about presence. Goa'uld are powerful
and strong with an equally powerful personality. They have lived for thousands of years and literally
cheated death. They fear nothing. Of course, like all classic villains their arrogance is their undoing.
The Goa'uld are accustomed to being worshiped; they do not react kindly to those that do not grovel
at their feet or see them for what they truly are. The Goa'uld know deep inside that they are helpless
parasites, weak and easily slain. So they’ve made themselves as gods, eager to hide that inescapable
truth. This is the infamous Goa'uld ego: divinity as the ultimate form of denial. Anyone who challenges
that facade attacks the core of their being.
Enraging a Goa'uld is not difficult. Foiling their schemes is. A Goa'uld defies death and is difficult to
kill. They function best as larger-than-life challenges, and like all great villains, they may be defeated,
but rarely destroyed - they always manage to escape, lick their wounds, and reappear in the future ready
to destroy the players again.
The Goa'uld can carry a grudge as few others, but it is usually beneath them to act on it unless it
suits their needs. To seek revenge against a group of humans (like the player characters) is... well, petty.
From their perspective, it would be like plotting an elaborate and intricate revenge against the wasp who
just stung you. It's much easier to just annihilate the party's world from orbit, rather than go through the
pain of orchestrating a personal attack. In most cases, the players will stumble over some evil plan of a
Goa'uld and into his hands, not become a direct target of his wrath.
In the end remember to play it up: You're the god!