The Darkness
| Continent / Island | Colonies | ||||||||
| Capital Temple | Irdalni | ||||||||
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| Gods | |||||||||
| Founding Prophet | Idaho Gildre | ||||||||
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| Realms of the Faithful |
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Contents
The Dweller in the Gulf
The tribesmen dwelling in the jungles and along the coasts of Irdalni are responsible for the cultivation of a strange fruit, the rajabuah, with many strange properties. They refine this fruit into a concoction known as the Elixir, which gives a man impressive strength, and sends him into state of frenzy. When asked about how they came about the secrets of this Elixir, the tribal elders grow quiet, and gesture towards the sea and make vague references to a great dweller within the gulf. The tribes of Irdalni have offered sacrifices to this entity since ancient times, and have managed to keep its hunger sated. However, recent reports of destroyed ships and fishing vessels have caused concern, and few survivors have been found, their eyes extracted. The survivors describe a being with a humped, enormous carapace vaguely reminiscent of the armor of a giant insect, shining white gold. Its eyeless head is perched upon an obscenely arched neck, and the beast possesses a dozen legs, ending in fins. The beast also possesses a pair of proboscides with yard long, cupped ends.
Following these happenings, the tribesmen of Irdalni have begun to exhibit... Erratic behavior. They have been rising up against foreign invaders, killing in a mad frenzy, but have also begun to claim a disturbing amount of live prisoners. Deep in the jungle, it is rumored a statue of white gold exists, in the shape of this blind eidolon. Outside of invasion however, the tribesmen have grown more reclusive, only appearing to deliver shipments of the Elixir to the Harbinger's officials... In greater and greater amounts. However, reports have begun to surface of more and more tribesmen missing eyes, and moving from the jungles to dwell closer to the coast.
Lothos
Lothos, the Unending Blackness, God of Death, the Sunstealer. Lothos appears as an infinite gulf of utter darkness, and nothing escapes his pull, not light or even human souls. Lothos is content to feed, served by his children Yrasil and Xitrix, who ensure the Sunstealer's hunger is ever sated. Prayers to Lothos go unanswered, as humanity is far too insignificant for the immense being that is Lothos to take note of. This is likely for the best, however, as that which gains the attention of Lothos is inevitably consumed by his eternal hunger. Entire worlds have fallen to his mammoth appetite, and it is suspected the lost continents of Atamara and the Far East were consumed after having attracted the attention of the Unending Blackness.
Yrasil
Yrasil is a trickster God who is responsible for leading men to their deaths through seemingly unfortunate accidents, unlucky events, or deceit. He is known to lure sailors with the call of distressed women on the sea, travelers to become forever lost in woods which suddenly reveal a shortcut to their destination, or to remove the locking pin of a stores laden wagon to result in an unfortunate accident. He appears frequently to men, promising them the desires which lay deep in their heart, yet delivering a skewed and wretched version of that desire. He will often appear to men as a trusted relative or friend, or a friendly stranger who can be trusted.
Xitrix
Xitrix, Skull Goddess, stirs bloodlust within the hearts of men to thrust themselves into battle. She scours the battlefields to collect the warriors who have died in her battles to lead them to Lothos and his dark deep. She pushes man to do battle, to kill and shed blood, and has the power to grant wonderful treasures upon the mongers of war. She always rewards those who bring death through battle to the Colonies. She supervises her battlefields from the sky, on midnight black wings, beautiful and deadly to behold. Black armor adorns her body, and her blood crimson cloak flows with a certain liquidity. She is never seen without her skull helm.
Ninesdamus The Trifold Goddess
Lady of the Thrice Sacred Brothel. Our Lady who mounts the world. Our Lady who eats the world. Our Lady who ends the world.
Kishargu
The Devouring Mother. Lover of Xitrix in eternal destruction. She feasts on the flesh of infants at the bosom, and drinks the blood of warriors from the womb of the earth. She consumes ones enemies and sacrifices so that they may be reborn as resources and wealth for the worshipper.
Ulala
Goddess of Orgies and Unrestrained Passion. She calls all beings to join in unholy union, Inciting lust and unquenchable desires. Through this union she forges a new people, born again in spirit and flesh, and united in the darkness for all eternity.
Sulummar
Goddess of contempt. She accuses and banishes any who fail to embrace the darkness. She shames and humiliates her enemies. She weeds out decency from darkness to maintain the pure black strength of her people.
The Beginning
Epochs ago, when the world was still young, the gods languished in peace and tranquility. Human beings settled the regions of the Colonies, living in peace and mutual respect. However, this beautiful garden was not appealing to all. Namely, Yrasil and Xitrix. The two lounged in boredom, not allowed by the other gods to meddle in the affairs of peaceful mankind. Eventually, they became hateful of the other gods, and rued them for this segregation. The two hatched a plot, and planted a seed in the hearts of men. Yrasil and Xitrix lead the people to worship, and planted in their hearts knowledge of rituals. These rituals seemed harmless on the surface, but were designed to draw the attention of Lothos. The pit of unending hunger descended on the colonies, consuming the gods of the Trinity. The other gods were angered by the destruction of their eden, and they sought to reclaim it and destroy Lothos. However, Yrasil and Xitrix had already conspired against the other gods. While Xitrix spurred the gods into a vengeful fury, Yrasil lured Lothos away, hiding him in the sky. Xitrix convinced the gods to attack the celestial lair where Lothos lay waiting. In a fury, the gods attacked, charging deeper and deeper into the darkness, until they reached the very bottom, a realm of pure black, and were condemned to feed Lothos for eternity.
With the other gods trapped, Yrasil collected Lothos from the sky, and found the God of Death had destroyed half the light in the sky, leading to his nickname “SunStealer”. As the world revolved, it would pass over this portion of the sky which the SunStealer had destroyed, plunging the Colonies into night until it reached the lightside again. The Skull Goddess and the Trickster God returned Lothos to his dark home and turned to the world which was now their playground. Xitrix introduced mankind to war, and in doing so, guaranteed an everlasting flow of souls to her master.
