Sythrak
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Epithets | the Saurian Lord of the Swamp |
| Favored People | Srryn |
| Element(s) | Earth, Fire |
| Alignment | Neutral Evil |
| Iconography | a hearth, claw or bite marks, red scales |
| Values | Expedience, territoriality, the hearth, xenophobia, loyalty |
| Worshippers | Srryn of all sorts, evil naturalists, reptile worshippers |
A god of the srryn, Sythrak is famed for his violent racial supremacy.
Note: This page is sadly sparse and needs a rewrite.
History
Sythrak is one of the oldest of the gods of Avendar. The patron of the second-oldest of the sapient races, the deity that would be known as Sythrak came into being with the rise of the saurians. He would come, in time, to extend his influence over the swamps and wetlands in which His people laired. At the apex of his power his will roused the saurian hordes to battle in the War of Fire. His defeat in that epic struggle was one from which his power never fully recovered.
An old god, Sythrak has enmeshed himself intractably with the fabric of Avendar as one of the three gods of Nature. His worship is comparatively small when measured against the major deities of the pantheon. It is a deeply rooted following, however, with generation after generation of Srryn raised to respect and fear the Saurian Lord. Nothing short of the obliteration of the saurians will see his influence removed from the land.
Goals and Methods
Sythrak’s foremost goal is the primacy of the Srryn race, through whatever means available. Force of arms and subjugation is the most common method among the more barbaric of the Srryn and the most prone to failure, as seen in the War of Fire. While he would wish nothing more than to see the the warmblooded races wiped out beneath an unstoppable scaled horde, it has become clear to the Saurian Lord that such a tactic is doomed. For now Sythrak further entrenches himself and his following, determined never to be laid low again.
Organisations
Worship of the Lord of Mires has taken a number of forms. The nature of both the deity and the Srryn tend to make any organizations small, insular and violent.
The Saurian Sept
- "All the warmbloods shall be put to the sword! A foundation of corpses for the new empire of fang and scale!"
The oldest of the cults, the Saurian Sept believes in the primacy of the Srryn by force of arms. With fire, sword and fear they seek to slay all who would dominate them, even other Srryn. Because of the violent nature of their worship, septs often rise, destroy and are destroyed in turn with startling speed and ferocity. Non-srryn who submit to slave status are tolerated by the septs they serve as long as they remember their proper place below their saurian masters. The swamps of Sythtys are ruled by the saurian septs, the place a brutal and dangerous land for it.
The Swamplords of Decay
- "For you my Lord, I spread the foul rot that churns in your black heart."
Comprised of sinister naturalists and swamp-dwelling Srryn, the Swamplords worship Sythrak in his aspect as the Lord of Mires. With their magics and cunning they seek to widen their god’s influence by strengthening his portfolios of decay and swamplands. Less violent followers of this path tend and protect the swamplands. More ambitious followers seek to spread decay and befoul all wilds into fetid swamp. Such followers have been known to aid and protect the shura of Qilarn and bring threats and violence to other naturalists who do not follow their way.
The Reptile Shamans
- "Feast well, my thralls. Learn the sweet taste of human flesh, for the time will come soon.. soon.."
Considered a more contemplative following of Sythrak, the reptile shamans worship Sythrak by revering his creations- the scaled beasts of the realm. They protect, nurture and tame the cold-blooded creatures of Avendar, seeing them as sacred to their lord. Many of their number seek to turn the mightiest of these monsters - dragons, basilisks and great lizards - into living siege engines in the service of a new age of saurian rule.
Individual Followers
Sythrak seeks in his followers a deep-seated belief in the primacy of the Srryn race and a willingness to do whatever is within their power to make such a belief a stark reality for all warm-blooded peoples. Those who serve well are often changed bodily by the Saurian Lord, turning into stronger, more primal, forms. Those who fail are often crippled to match the weakness of spirit they have shown. Amongst the faithful of Sythrak, those so marked rarely survive long.
Relationships
Sythrak has an adversarial relationship with most all of the gods of the Pantheon. He holds a slight measure of respect for the other gods of nature, Girikha and Elar, but it is a respect tinged with envy, for he hungers to add their portfolios to his. The closest divine being to be counted as an ally to Sythrak is Bayyal. Even then, the Saurian Lord knows any alliance with Bayyal is a tenuous thing. The Lord of Destruction seeks to reduce Avendar to a glowing ember, which does not serve the ends of Sythrak in the least.
Followers of Sythrak range from distrustful and contemptuous to openly hostile in dealings with those who do not serve their lord. Septs will often form temporary alliances with other the cults of other evil deities when it serves their purposes. When not in power, the followers of Sythrak entrench as best they can. Those who fling themselves against impossible odds quickly remove themselves from their lords service at the points of enemy spears.
