Aelrian

Neutral Evil
Favored Weapon: Scythe
Domains: Darkness (Loss), Death (Murder), Evil, Repose, Void

Annihilation clean and pure are the tenants of the Great Reaper, whose machinations in the void reap entire races. Known as the Bringer of the End, Aelrian teaches patience in planning, scope in execution, and cleanliness in destruction. He is the god of Extinction, Death, Genocide, and Murder.

"What once was, will be, as if it never had been, without exception." - Priest of Aelrian

Dogma

Aelrian encourages machination and manipulation to bring about a clean end to as many living creatures as possible. He refrains from direct involvement but rewards those that he utilizes to achieve his ends. To those who restore life, return from the dead, or have extended or eternal life: Aelrian demands annihilation of the body and binding of the soul to prevent a return to the material world.

History

Incomplete.

Relationships

Inter-deity relationships are under construction.

Providence

The god has left many messages to his followers hidden among the stars detailing grand undertakings to bring about great calamity. Meteors, eclipses, and other cosmic phenomena are considered to be signs of Aelrian's favor to his faithful. When a celestial body is missing from the skies it is taken as a sign of Aelrian's disfavor.

Church of Aelrian

The church of Aelrian is mostly composed of prophetic doomsayers and cultists whos seek the knowledge and wisdom of Aelrian, and who come to see the great inevitable end of existence. Cults are formed in many areas and their leadership usually rank among the cruel and powerful, who use their influence to do their Masters work.

Clergy

Many of Aelrian's followers are Alchemists, Wizards, Evil Druids, Rogues and Assassins. Rarely are there clerics and inquisitors among their ranks or those who deal in Necromancy, however it is common for fallen Paladins to be among the order. Many followers vie for power and positions of internal power as power is one of the few if not only things that they respect. Most members of the clergy are extremely secretive about their faith and are even suspicious of other alleged followers. The cults born of the faith generally do not cooperate and within the cults there are always active and deadly power struggles. A common form of worship is to utter a prayer at night facing the celestial body "Ael's End", which is a massive red moon that had been dislodged from its orbit and whose trajectory has placed it on an ever spiraling inward collision course with Apraxia. The moon is far enough away that it cannot be seen every night, and the prophecy of its inevitable collision has been around for over a thousand years. During the prayer it is common to carry out a sacrifice of a living creature or person with a clean painless death. There is no formal attire for the followers of Aelrian, for annihilation is not uniform, however many followers incorporate Aelrian's holy symbol into hidden places on their clothing and jewelry.

"We are but a cog in the greater mechanism. It is not our place to know our function, only to operate as designed by the craftsman." - Aelrian Doomsayer

Temples & Shrines

Temples dedicated to Aelrian are set up in hidden locations away from the prying eyes of common folk. Prime locations are abandoned buildings or warehouses and crypts within cemeteries. Much more commonly places of worship include dark basements hidden in plain sight which are usually the dwellings of recently slaughtered victims, as expected these places are generally only used once, unless it is viable to stay hidden there in the more long term. Cultists are always quick to find suitable places which are usually fleeting and temporary, using wherever or whatever is suitable and available at the time. An altar being made to Aelrian is the only commonality between all these disparate places. Large gatherings occur during eclipses or after sightings of passing comets or meteors, this is one of the rare instances where multiple cults will join together in some semblance of unity as they petition the End Bringer with gifts of mass sacrifice.

Holy Texts

Aelrian himself has never put out any authoritative texts for a number of various reasons. Many differing cults of Aelrian have produced their own works and tenets, and while most of them at their foundation bear similarity and unity of core beliefs, each work or self-proclaimed holy text, can be vastly different in message and approach depending on the author.

Holidays

The most commonly celebrated holiday by the followers of Aelrian is the night of the years last waxing moon. This night set aside to remember the greats works of the End Bringer and the end of all things. The night is filled with many mass sacrifices of living creatures and people, and among all the splintered cults it is known that on this holy day that they are all unified in their faith. No actions are taken against any other members of the faith during this night and all active plots against both other cults and internal strife are set aside for the day. Sacrifices and prayers are all made in unison from whereever the followers may be, all in the hopes that as prophecied, this will be the night that Ael's End shall finally end all existence on Apraxia.

Favored animals

Gods are often associated with certain animals, either because they possess a quality favored by the god, or because the god's faithful feel a special kinship to them. Aelrian's favoured animals include the mantis and serpent.