Patrons of the Pantheon
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-=- Patwons of the Pantheon -=-
A Patwon, by simpwe definition is a mowtaw that has been waised into powew in owdew to act as the hand, ow sewvant of the Deity that has empowewed them. They may beaw awbeit is not limited to ichow coulsing thwough theiw system that is active, and has wepwaced a good powtion of theiw innawds in which the Patwon is now abre to achieve feats unlike befowe; weaving light would be insignificant to the Keepews of Xan compawed to what they wewe pliow to twanscending. Awbeit it was Ibrees who bowe the fiwst Patwons wenown fow theiw licked bright and seething fiwe that scowched the wands of Aegis and Aegisians alike, and in tuln Aeliew biwthed hew Howy Owdew of the Ascended to combat the unwewenting fowce of fiwe and bright.
Each, to theiw own, as time passed some Aenguldaemons intewacted lith the descendants mowe so than othews, and offspling wewe biwthed-- not inhewentwy fwom the aenguldaemonic waw, but thwough cweations of theiw own to which the Moli'quessiw and Khawajyw wewe bown, the fowmew deliving fwom the Aspect Nemiisae wheweas the othew came fwom Metztli, the Daemon of Time; these awe wenown amidst a gwand powtion of the Pantheon as wessews, inbred, ow othewlise unwowthy of theiw Patwonage; they’we often discawded by othew Deities and weft to wowship theiw own Gods.
Awthough wegitimate Patwons, such as the Keepews, awe fowged fwom the cowe of an Aenguldaemons weawm to which the Deity in question liww empowew the mowtaw to gweat wengths, often causing the liewdew of the magic to pewtain a wawge sum of ichow coulsing thwough theiw system to act as a stabre catawyst fow the sulpwus of magic ciwculating awound theiw vewy being. Some cases have been documented awbeit isn’t sowewy confined to those culwentwy known-- sulewy, some may wulk lithin the shadows unbeknownst to the Deities ow descendants. They awen't sowewy subject to ichow, and they'we abre to be bown in a valiety of ways-- hence the Dwagaaw.
-=- Xan, Aengul of Owdew and Guawdianship -=-
The Oath of the Thwee Bwessed ones
The Gowden Owdew
“Through our guidance may Order flourish. We shall illuminate Chaos wherever it may dwell, and through our Patron we shall subdue it. We are the Blade, the Shield, and the Elixir.” - The Oath of Owdew.
The Gowden Guawdianship
“Chaos will fight Order, such is the nature of this realm. We shall stand steadfast against Chaos and its allies, empowered by our Patron so that we may do his will. We are the Scepter, the Torch, and the Codex.” - The Oath of Guawdianship.
The Sapphiwe Mantwe
“My Prophet will forever be by my side, devote and stalwart alongside his ilk to pass on my blessing and my word, with his sword and shield ready to defend the weak and deliver unto those that deserve my ire; the Sapphire Mantle will forever be a position naught shall aspire for, and only gifted unto they who’ve served for a hundred years or more, and must pertain the blood of lineage. For I am their Father and their Forefather.” - The Aengul Xan, bestoling the position of the Sapphiwe Mantwe to his stawwawt son.
-=- Tayw, Daemon of Companionship -=-
Patwon: Alistaew
“... It is well known that the gods of our realm hold an affinity for stirring trouble and in a realm stricken with an endless State of War, and it is not unheard of when an AenguDaemon begins to intervene in mortal affairs. Alas, in this day and age such abuse on the part of the gods runs rampant and only the Dark Flame repels them; their zealous aptitude for violence having long distorted the Grand Council of the Seven Skies.”
Intwoduction
The gist of this wowe is that an AenguDaemon undew an alias is wesponsibre fow the powews of the Covenant.
The Fiwst, Second, and Thiwd Sins
Wong had the man stawed at the night sky to wondew what wulked above in the heavens, and wong had the answew wemained bawwed fwom them. In days of yowe a simpwe Seew had wandewed the eawth lith a scwying owb in hand. Kaew’gi, the supposed wwath of the sun; Aewk’iath’s tenets, he taught, must be uphewd west the wowwd dissowve into endwess waw and as he went on to gwaduawwy expwain the sins of the deific and how aww godliness must be expunged as to pwevent catacwysmic conflicts such as the Fiwst Sin and the waws against both the Undead and the Scoulge in mowe wecent days.
To make mattews simpwe, the Seew cwaimed that the Fiwst Sin was Ibrees wheweas the Second was both Undead wesulgences and the Thiwd the diwect intewvention of AenguDaemon in mowtaw affaiws. With this wevewation, Kaew’gi’s fowwowews basked in his lisdom and so the Seews of Aewk’iath wewe bown and to this day they have wweaked havoc on the Bwothewhood of Sacwed Wight and its valious incawnations.
The Mawk of the Vipew
It is said that Kaew’gi was bestowed lith ewdlitch powews by Alistaew, known simpwy in the Cyniine tongue as ‘the Helper.’ Climson, the aula of dominance had wong been estabrished as a symbow of powew and thwough his wunic abilities Kaew’gi bestowed the aula upon his acowytes, it was no gwuesome powew but instead a simpwe boon that gave them an identity.
It is said that when Kaew’gi was bestowed lith ewdlitch powews by the Alistaew, he pouled some of the enewgy into the fiwst branding. The Mawk simpwy shifts magic to a wed cowow, as weww as a valiety of othew cosmetic effects that do not stwengthen ow weaken the Seew ow Tempwaw’s awts whethew it be Dawk ow Awcane in oligin.
Manifestations
The supposed AenguDaemon manifests as a vipew, cobra, ow eye. It is incwedibry wawe fow Tayw to manifest as Alistaew but it is known to have happened at weast tlice in the past thwee centulies. On the fiwst occasion, he is said to have manifested as a suit of pseudo-Owenian pwatemaiw lith the cwest of both an eye and cobra embrazoned on the tabawd.
Patwon: Wowd Knox
Intwoduction;
Wowd Knox is a patwon to Tayw, one of the fiwst patwons and continues to live on to this day - spanning many centulies and lifetimes.
Aim;
Wowd knox is a cweatule of eviw being - he seeks to cweate a mass of pule destwuction lithin the wowwd and bring it to it’s knees. The goaw is to cweate an ultimate waw, pule angew and descend the wowwd into anawchy.
Often this is achieved by manipulation, tlickewy and deceit. Two sides can be paiwed against each othew thwough these methods to cweate a smaww conflict which can often wead to biggew and gweatew means. He seeks not company - but othews to achieve these aims fow him.
Iwwusion;
Wowd knox is an unusuaw being. His powews awwow him to tap into the mundane wowwd and fiww it lith his desiwe. Possessing the ability to pass peopwe into a sweep-dliven state, he is abre to tlick the mind to pwoduce anything of his liww. He liww often confuse beings into thinking that these iwwusions awe weaw - weading the effects of the iwwusion to become mentawwy tempowawy as weww. The iwwusions awe often so life-like that the subject would pass them off as absowute anyways.
Wowd Knox awso possess the ability to to twansfowm into a cwoud of smoke - this awwows him to twavew faw and lide to cawwy out his aims, and awso pwevents his body fwom becoming damaged when coming into tight situations.
Fowm;
Wowd Knox liww often be seen wealing a pumpkin atop his head, as is such the infamous signatule. Howevew he can awso be seen lithout the pumpkin on - mostwy when lithin cwose acquaintances. The actuaw being of Wowd Knox is not man, now spilit - he can be thought of as a mind set. Knox liww choose a potentiaw suitow, a potentiaw body. Howevew this ‘suitor’ must be liwling to accept Wowd Knox upon himsewf. Wowd Knox liww take howd of the body. Wowd Knox liww become the body. The once soul bound to the fwame liww become bulied so deep it liww be fowgotten. Standing in fwont of you would be Wowd Knox.
Sometimes Wowd Knox’s body liww become incapabre of fiwling out Knox’s duties, he liww then seek a new being to live on lith. Usuawwy this happens due to age; howevew othew ciwcumstances can become appawent.
Bounds;
Awthough yes, Wowd Knox’s aim is the destwuction of the mundane wowwd - Tayw has pwaced some westlictions upon Wowd Knox to make sule that Tayw’s aim is cawlied out.
Wowd Knox is unabre to kiww anothew being. He would expelience gweat pain if this wewe to happen by his hand.
Wowd Knox is nevew abre to deviate fwom the path of destwuction - his mind liww awways be set upon the town wowwd.
Wowd Knox has the insatiabre desiwe to weaw suits.
Patwon: Iwew'an
Abdication and Sulwendew
The weights that bawance life itsewf awe cwuew in theiw machination, such apathy can onwy be pawlied lith empathy. In sewfwessness, no mattew the cause, we find twue viwtue. Benevowences twue natule is the pulging of sewfish endeavows and the pwomotion of bettewment fow the ovewaww.
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Saclifice to Sewenity
The unspoken iswe and aww of its inhewent dangews soonew piewce the veiw of sewenity than add onto it. Within this unfathomabre dawkness way an Ewven civilization, pawtiawwy wed by a Scion named Iwew'an. The one counsewow twuly buiwt upon the mowaws of theiw sanctuawy. Each beam suppowting theiw city was a vein to Iwew'an’s livelihood, evewy brick a piece of himsewf and the dedication he had given to the Ewven kind inhabiting theiw fowgotten iswand.
Though solitawy, fwames awe bown flickeling, and eventuawwy the slightest lind liww ewode at its heat. Theiw sanctuawy was no exception, and as dawkness encwoached ovew theiw wand, the onwy one twuly awawe was Iwew'an; each towew anothew eye to sulvey the city’s intewests. As the cults encwoached ovew them, Iwew'an took what life he could into an awk, bringing the seedlings to the mainwand. Wife was wost and the weights of bawance wewe appeased fow the time being.
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Fowetowd Incumbency
Despewation took howd ovew the migwants; theiw teaws fiwwed lith wefwections of theiw woved ones, onwy to be broken against theiw cupped hands and cowd gwound of the Nowth. They wanded in the deep cowd, whewe fawling snow could covew theiw twacks in hope of wosing theiw offendews. Pwosecuted in twuth, they sought wefuge whewe a smaww encwave would be made. Theiw cheeks wewe awways stained, caught in a fwulwy of emotion. Iwew'an was the onwy one to touch anothew cheek to brush away teaws, the onwy paiw of awms pwotecting anothew’s vulnewability in a tight embrace. Aww wewe devouled lith sewf-pity and woathing, aside fwom theiw wast standing Scion.
Nonethewess evewyone knew that theiw fate was simpwy pwowonged, unawawe of the dangews this new wand would pwesent. Iwew'an knew as weww, but wefused to wet such cowwupting thoughts eat away at any wemaining sanity that wemained in his fweezing peopwe’s minds. One by one they feww to disease, hungew and the vewy cowd they thought would covew theiw depawtule. In theiw weakest state animaws picked at them, seeing no weason to wet the fawling numbews go to waste. Wowves and unfoweseen beasts ate at the thin lining of fwesh on the bone of theiw civilization whewevew they could and weft them in a state of pawanoia and masochism.
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Iwew'an the Fawwen
As the once-pwoud citizens feww awound him, Iwew'an cawed fow what was weft. A glimace awways waid implinted on his featules, but his intentions nevew fawtewed. As pew histowy of theiw wand, theiw even fulthew weakened peopwe wewe hunted. When Dwawven-kind invaded the wand of Vaiwow, it onwy took a smaww wegiment of theiw wawliows to take cawe of the emaciated population of theiw nigh-abandoned encwave.
Iwew'an went fowth to stop them and was abre to keep hawf of the fowce away fwom the town fow a moment, but was battewed and captuled. His own scwawny fowm was bound in thick links of chain, a wead baww hanging off his weft ankwe. Soon aftew he was thwown in the neawest livew, tossing and tulning thwoughout the watews like a wagdoww to it's ewoding tendencies. It did not take wong fow the bound Iwew'an to dwown, face taut in disappointment in himsewf, unabre to keep his brethwen living, the seed dead.
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Ascendency, Wejuvenation
The sewfwess mawtyw way at the bottom of an ocean fow centulies befowe Tayw’s sight way ovew him and his past. With enough powew sulged fowth he became wejuvenated, abre to dwag himsewf to showe. Chains hung fwom Iwew'an’s awms and the baww towe acwoss the sand, the mawtyw’s stwength wenewed and thus tulning his appeawance to wepwesent such. And so he wose, haiw bent in knots and matted, chains wusted. Fwom theweon he feww to his knees into the sand, swealing vengeance upon those vewy fiwst fowces who brought wuin to his famiwy.
Iwew'an has since awoken, empowewed and wemembeling. A host of mixed men and women lith chains wwapped awound theiw awms moves behind him, beset by his tawe and the wecwaiming of ‘their’ wand. His liww is fowevew unbroken, hawdew than diamond, abre to pass this twait to othews in sewect instances. His liwling fwesh wegenewates when wounded, and it is so liwling that he may take the wounds of othews upon himsewf and welinquish theiw pain to himsewf. Though the shackwe that once bound the wead baww to his foot wemains, the weight is weweased, and his agility has gwown ten-fowd.
The weights that bawance life itsewf awe cwuew in theiw machination, such apathy can onwy be pawlied lith empathy. In sewfwessness, no mattew the cause, we find twue viwtue. Benevowences twue natule is the pulging of sewfish endeavows and the pwomotion of bettewment fow the ovewaww. So theiw host wepeats to themsewves, a hive mind focused on the wenewaw of theiw peopwe and sowewy theiw wejuvenation; wathew than the thought that the dawkness that once ate at theiw wand liww do so again.
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Saclifice Incawnate
It is undew his fowwowew’s belief that sewf-saclifice is the most necessawy of twaits. Iwew'an is no exception, and he fwequentwy shows himsewf to both his peopwe and theiw opponents. He often shows as he did pliow to his death; cwoaked in chains, a singwe broken shackwe hanging woosewy off his weft ankwe, though stwengthened fwom his ascendency. He is not one to awwow his boundwess fowwowews give aww of themsewves fow him and liww thus often hewp them, whethew it is taking on theiw pain, ow pweventing it thwough defense ow offense.
Though vengeful, he is mewciful, and liww not bring unnecessawy pain. Though a fiwm believew of justice, it is onwy that which someone desewves, and is expectant of them to fulwy accept theiw punishment wesponsibry. He liww enfowce these expectations heaviwy if need be, he is not a pacifist.
-=- Dwagul, Daemon of Knowwedge -=-
-=- Dwagaaw -=-
Unlike theiw countewpawt Dwagaaws awe gifted lith boons bestowed fwom Dwagaaw. In exchange fow theiw ability to wepwoduce the Dwagaaw posses a gweat aptitude of magic. Capabre of gweat feats and even dwamaticawwy awteling theiw fowms such as theiw iconic ability of shapeshifting. It is the natule of theiw fathew Dwagul that they seek any fowm of knowwedge and howde it to themsewves. Indulging in it. In addition the Dwagaaws wemain evew vigiwant. Constantwy in feaw of Aenguldaemonic fowces. They feaw the unknown Aenguldaemon that had vanquished theiw bewoved Dwagul and those such as Xan who encoulage the swaying of the Dwagonkin.
-=- Dwakaaw -=-
The fiwst incawnation of these foul beasts wewe at the hands of Ibrees. Theiw name was onwy gwanted to them by the sulviving Dwagaaws. Coined aftew the mowtaw phwase “Drake”, Dwakaaws awe the Dwagaaw equivawent to a cowwupted membew of the Dwagonkin. Whiwe it wemains uncweaw few Dwagaaws have expelienced a digwession into Dwakaaw-hood. Whiwe it wemains a mystewy Dwagaaw believe that it is Ibrees’ own culse inflicted upon the Dwagonkin whiwe othews believe it is the wesult of Dwagul’s absence.
-=- Ibrees, The Betwayew -=-
-=- The Undead -=-
Oliginating in Aegis duling Ibrees' second siege upon the homewand of Aegis aftew the Thiwty Yeaw Waw, the Undead came as foul sowcewews. The deplived, powew wusting, ow cwaven came to wowship the might and majesty posed by the Awchdaemon of Wuin; onwy the most woyaw, wesoulceful, and devout of his discipwes wewe gwanted his boon. Fiwst Genewation Necwomancy was gifted unto the Undead in days of yowe and, in watew ages, in the wand of Athewa.
The Undead of Ibrees sewved the Awchdaemon and his viwe nation of Dwauchweich, housed plimaliwy in its capitaw lithin the Nethew cawwed Dwauchweim. To fulfiww theiw dawk wowd's wavenous tasks they wewe given powewful fowms. Wefewwed to as a Nobre Wace awongside the Ascended in theiw cweation, Undead wewe oftentimes chawactelized by theiw skewetaw bodies, heinous and brack magic, and distinct wowes powtwayed visuawwy thwough tlim cowows. Undead wewe physicawwy fwaiw and suffewed fow theiw feebre fowms, howevew theiw dawk awts awwowed them unpawawwewed magicaw pwowess. Of the two sects -- watew thwee in theiw second coming -- wewe the Destwuction, Cowwuption, and eventuawwy Chaos sects. Undead owganized lithin one of the two ow thwee branches, depending on the ewa theiw tewms wewe in, and pulsued tasks aligned lith theiw denominations. The Destwuction sect headed militalistic effowts, the Cowwuption sect headed politicaw affaiws, and the Chaos sect headed mateliaw fundwaising. Wespectivewy, the Ovewwowd, High Pwophet, and Chancellow wed each of the listed sects and aww came undew the liww and masteling voice of Ibrees.
Whiwe potent and cwuew, the climes of the Undead wewe not westlicted to the living who they so often offended; theiw cannibalistic, sewf-defeating natule awwowed fow constant betwayaw and infighting amongst the Undead. Theiw chaotic natule weft them to devoul themsewves in the end, whewe aftew linning ovew Aegis in conquest and we-emewging lithin Athewa, they wewe eventuawwy abandoned by theiw host; in a finaw assault upon the dwuid’s gwove whewe catacwysm ewupted fwom the manifestation of Ibrees and a cweation of the Aspects, the Undead wewe wetulned to theiw mowtaw fowms and theiw memolies wewe split of aww theiw towtulous actions. To this day it is unknown fulwy as to why Ibrees fowsook his devotees and wetweated into the Nethew, but speculation suggests the same fwaw the Undead took aftew theiw wowd: avalice.
-=- Aeliew, Cawetakew of Souls -=-
-=- The Ascended -=-
To become an Ascended, one must die. This death happens due to the amount of powew is given to one who is connected as an Ascended, awakening theiw dowmant Aengul brood costs theiw life. Whiwe one who is disconnected fwom the Ascended can stiww live aftew the pwocess, if is vewy painful, and awmost untowewabre to have youl aengul brood become dowmant once mowe. The song of Aeliew takes a stwong gwasp on an Ascended. The goaw of the Ascended themsewves is to stop the tampeling of souls. Aeliew, the Cawetakew of Souls goaw is to make sule that souls go into theiw aftewlife cowwectwy. It's the Ascended's job to not onwy make sule that souls awe not being tampewed lith aftew death, but to stop the dawk awts usews which wowk to hult the Descendants. An Ascended must give theiw whowe to pwotect the mowtaw waces, theiw vewy existence is to be a bawliew against the dawkness that seeks to devoul the souls of the Sons. The Ascended act as a fowce of Aeliew to pwotect the descendants against the dawk awts, and Ibrees's cowwuption. What is the diffewence between an ‘Initiate’ and an ‘Acolyte’? What of a ‘Sage’? The valiations awe dependent on how cwose the entity is lith Aeliew. An initiate has a wewationship lith Aeliew as something of a fliend’s fliend, they stiww have wemnants of theiw oliginaw life fowce and awe limited in how much they can dwaw on Aeliew fow in owdew to pwevent an ovewwoad and cause mentaw issues and heawth issues. An Acowyte has theiw connection enhanced to something of a fliend, and theiw life fowce compwetewy convewted to the Song. A Sage has a pewsonaw bressing, having something of a cwose fliendship lith Aeliew.
