Difference between revisions of "Lielqan"

Revision as of 09:07, 28 September 2017

History in Avendar

For the earliest of ethron, the Sea of Lidreau represented many things: a source of food and salt, the home of the westerly breeze. It also formed an absolute boundary; nothing that went too far from the shore ever returned, except the sun, which would sink into the depths only to return in the east every day. They named the sun Lielqan, and venerated Her for this. Their mythologies have little agreement as to her origins; in some stories she is Kyana's sister, in others her daughter. Some call her Elar's mother, others simply the oldest of her ethron children. At times even a single telling of the same myth will put forth varying contradictory notions. There are precisely two consistencies about Her personally: one, that she is old, possibly the oldest living thing in the world, and two, that *She*, rather than the dragon Ashur is at the heart of their attempts to grapple with the notion of death.

The oldest stories speak of Her coming for the dead and dying, giving Her a dread and fearful place in ethron society. There is never malice ascribed to Her motives, but Hers is still the hand that takes loved ones away; She is not loved as Elar or Nariel are. Despite this grim reputation, She is also known for two major intercessions on behalf of the ethron people.

To the first, when rampant human imperialism from both Gogoth and Caal threatened ethron homelands, she extended a gift to all ethron people: the ability to flee the land, and dwell in her domain beneath the sea. Not all took her up on it, for Elar was displeased at this 'adjustment' to Her children, and many did not wish to leave their homes, but some did, and that door has always remained open to them. More fled beneath the Sea of Lidreau as the War of Fire threatened Qilarn, and those dwelling in the Lithling Valley entirely relocated to the very bottom of Lake Lithling. Human residents of the valley told many stories of 'mermaid' sightings in the years that followed, but the presence of ethron was never confirmed until the nigh-legendary Truna was rescued by one of the lake ethrons, whom he later married.

The second was not revealed until deep in the War of Night. Though the Eqiril ethron superbly fought back against the shuddeni who dared enter Qilarn, Var Bandorian humans who had fled the city and were taken in noticed something particularly strange: the ethron saw barely any losses at all. This was not because they suffered no casualties but because Lielqan's priests would seek out the souls of the fallen before the Dragon's hold took, and beg the goddess to intercede. Not always, but more often than not, She would, forming a new body out of the life of the world.

When the war ended, the ethron were beset by people seeking this heretofore unknown power. Unsure of what to do with what had once been their great secret, Lielqan's priests sought Her guidance. After a time, She made clear her mandate: She would extend this protection, standing between souls and the Dragon for any sapient being, so long as Her faithful asked. She would not be able to do so for those whose time had truly come, nor for those whose souls were so battle-frayed that the memory of form could not be created, but she made no further requirements than that. This came as a point of some distress to early delegations who would come to beg that none intercede for this enemy or that. Lielqan's verdict was clear: it did not matter who it was, what they had done, or might go on to do, so long as the Dragon was being thwarted in that particular moment.

The knowledge of how to beg this intercession since remained solidly with Lielqani priests; while they willingly teach those of other faiths, the means of imparting this ability has remained solidly with the Lielqani. This has proven a great boon for the continuing sovereignty of the various ethron peoples, possessing as they do a knowledge critical to so many people that cannot be taken away from them or forced to ill purpose.

Goals and Methods

Lielqan stands at boundaries great and small: the Sea of Lidreau is Hers, being the great western border to the continent, and sailors and fishers both make offerings to Her before putting out to sea. Those who do not return from overboard are said to have not appeased Her, and those whom she spits back up are favored by Her; it is said She particularly smiles upon the victims of shipwrecks. Similarly, She holds at the place between life and death, where a soul has been liberated from the body but before the Dragon claims it. She, more than any other deity, stands in absolute direct opposition to Ashur, snatching life from the literal jaws of death. Only when she is no longer willing or able to intercede any longer does the Dragon get its due.

Because of this, Her compassion is boundless, but it is cold, tempered by the millions of lives that have passed through Her fingers. She looks at all beings as individuals, rather than as parts of systems, and makes no judgement at all as to their worth as a person. For all of these reasons She is little loved despite everything; it seems not to matter, for She shows no signs of stopping.

Lielqan deviates in only one way from Her absolute neutrality, making a single requirement of those she cares for: She does not intercede for the undead, even those who still retain their minds. This, She holds, is an utter violation of life itself, and She absolutely turns Her back on anyone who undertakes such an enterprise. Otherwise, She is not a jealous god; water magi who recall the memory of a spirit into the body or bind a soul back into its place trouble Her not at all, and She intercedes for both the kindest ch'taren and cruelest shuddeni without hesitation.

Organizations and Followings

While Lielqan personally absents Herself from any mortal dispute, She does not make such requirements of Her followers\; they may be of any alignment so long as there is a neutral component, and so long as they stand for Her values. Some of Her largest sects are:

The Sisterhood of Aanqa

"Lielqan does not judge. I do."

A closely-knit coalition exclusively made up of women, the Sisterhood of Aanqa have taken it upon themselves to lighten Lielqan's load to some extent. Historically they are a group of infiltrators and assassins, who seek out and eliminate targets who are likely to cause more deaths as a result of being where they are. Lielqan will still intercede for the souls who ask, but at times all that is needed is to remove someone for only that long. The earliest ethron Sisters crafted deadly poisons using bounty from both land and sea, and used to brutal effect. An individual Sister's methodology is given a great deal of leeway: she is free to focus on whomever she personally feels to be the most deadly to the largest number of people. The modern Sister might come from any walk of life or schooling, making them all the more deadly.

The Boundary-Keepers

"When the end comes, I will be here with you."

Someone must always watch the borders. This is the place of the Boundary-Keepers, who witness the fates of the dead and dying. Many will take written records of the events they see, while others will compose songs for the memories of the fallen. They tend to take little part in conflicts, but their tendencies to seek out the greatest tragedies and most dangerous situations often force them to take action, either by external forces or their own consciences. They often find themselves working with Chadraln's faithful in both preserving records or looking for fortuitous events to observe, but their morbid nature is just as likely to force them to work alone. In particular, the Vaialan Zseania Saxeitu find them philosophically distasteful, for they concern themselves so little with the hearts of the living left behind. Bards are the most common Keepers, and often sing the old myths as well as the new tragedies.

The Intercessors

"One life or a thousand, it's all the same!"

Some stand for life, in all its forms. The Intercessors follow in Lielqan's footsteps, trying most directly to save lives. Some will do this at great personal risk\; many a water-mage has had her powers stricken from her because she felt the perpetrators of some dark deeds were in need of healing. Those who do so under Lielqan's aegis have some measure of protection, so long as they are not irredemably corrupted by any such associations. Nor do the Intercessors only aid the wicked: they stand for the weak and the righteous as well, if there is need. What matters is that life be preserved, that the Dragon be denied another victory on this day. Water scholars and templars are the most common to seek the Intercessors, but so too do swordmasters and others who are willing and able to place their life on the line for others.

Individual Followers

Lielqan's followers are seen everywhere throughout modern society\; they tend altars and keep records, heal the sick, and perform funerals for the truly dead. Few are eager to see one of Lielqan's chosen\; many consider it a sign of bad luck or impending doom, but they are rarely the cause of any ill fate themselves. Her chosen are frequently both diplomats and high advisors in the various ethron clans, and are known as a source of sound, if generally unpleasant advice. Many elderly ethron, particularly women, will find themselves seeking out the Inevitable's favour late in life, and it is known that She smiles more gently on the old than the young. Her younger followers are known for some daring feats-- a small cult has formed up of those who hunt the largest and most dangerous of predators\; whales and sharks both are frequent targets for seabound ethron, and lions for those on land. Her followers have a reputation for being grim, with dark senses of gallows-humour, but this is at least a little bit undeserved.

Her direct worship is most common among ethron clans rather than in the great cities, but any who keeps an altar of resurrection will know Lielqani rites. Adventurers come from all walks of life and most races, with no particular need to hold themselves apart from conflict. The Champions think poorly of Lielqan's insistence on resurrecting anyone regardless of their moral character and refuse Lielqani applicants, and Lielqan herself would brook no follower of Hers attempting to join the Shunned, patronized by the Dragon Itself as that dread House is. More casual associations are wholly permissible on all sides. Bards, assassins, water scholars and templars are common among her followers, and she has an unusual care for ethron students of Void, who stand so close to the brink themselves. All followers, regardless of alignment, are expected to stand firm against the corruption of the undead.

Relationships

Lielqan has few true allies. Her relationships with the other ethron deities are strained\; Elar does not appreciate Her meddling with the ethron, and Nariel resents that Lielqan once thwarted a bold plan to steal death itself from the jaws of the Dragon. Despite this, they are frequently depicted together, and countless mythologies are sung in ethron clanhouses across the world. Otherwise, most gods appreciate that She allows their followers a chance to persist, and are willing to deal with the fact that She does the same for their enemies. Rveyelhi thinks very little of Her willingness to raise the chaotic, and hardly thinks it worth the gain, but even He reaps the benefits. Jolinn at least tacitly approves of Lielqan's thumb to the eye of the dragon\; surely He could stop her if he so chose, and His priestess Falcia was one of the very first non-Lielqani to learn the rites. If she has a direct ally at all, she is often directly linked with Chadraln, who has similar scholarly interests. Those faithful to the aelin deities are often known to appreciate Her, finding Her tragedies deeply aesthetically appealing.

She has a particular distaste for Sitheus, architect of necromancy, and charges Her followers to strike out against His works at every opportunity. The Forsaken one seems little concerned by this\; She is not a particular source of His ire, for the moment at least. Enirra is likely Her greatest direct enemy: the Herald of Reversal considers Lielqan's refusal to consider greater implications to Her intercessions to be an absolute perversion of the balance. Lielqan, predictably, does not care. Above all other gods, Lielqan despises Ashur, the cause of all death. What It thinks of Her is unknowable, but not even She can keep the Dragon from getting its due in the end. All she can do is stave off the inevitable.

Shrines, Sigils, and Mobs

Rooms

Somewhere (vnum x)

Sigils

Tier 1 - Something (vnum x)

• AC 0/0/0/0

Mobs

Someone (vnum x) -

God Mark

You notice... something.

Notes, Logs, and Other Documents

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