Mythology Monday: Decarin, God of Illusion
Note: I’ve made a few changes to the layout to be more streamlined to read. I am getting a better feel as I go on with these. I’ll have to update the originals soon.
Decarin, God of Illusion
Other Titles: The Shadowed One, The Face of Spite, Dark King
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Weapon: Morning Star (Nightbringer)
Major Domains: Darkness, Illusion
Minor Domains: Shadows, Power through Magic, Dread, Resolve
Totem Animal: Bat
Holy Symbol: Three equal sized black pearls on a strand of silver. Referred to as “The Dark Kings Eyes” by those outside of the clergy, these three pearls symbolize the priests or followers dedication to the three mantras of Decarin: Darkness, Shadows, and Power
Favored Appearances: Decarin is a wicked person who loves inflicting torment on others, and his forms belie that as well. His favored male form is that of a young man, perhaps early twenties, who dresses in black and brown leather armor. His arms are unnaturally long to the eye, but when measured reach no further than they should. He is decked out with spell pouches and bags of oozing components. his face is smiling and happy, though, jovial to the unsuspecting, with twinkling black eyes and dark, short cropped black hair. He can swing in wild moods, though, where his eyes darken and his mood grows foul, granting him a sneering scowl.
His female form is much more pleasing, that of a voluptuous woman with long, dark hair, a smiling face, and dark, smooth skin. She, too, wears black and brown leathers, and smiles seductively at those who pass her by. She’s perfectly proportioned and beautiful in nearly every way.
Warform: Decarins warform is that of a great earthen bat, impossibly flying through the air on granite wings, with blackened eyes, fangs and claws. His screech is, unlike most bats, able to be heard by other living beings, though many who hear it are ultimately destroyed.
Personality: Among the gods, there are few more reviled than Decarin, and his wife and Consort Ariannas. He is dark, he is scheming, and he is completely obsessed with taking down the Accursed. He deceives without thought, he cloaks himself, his deeds and his allies in darkness, but he is also a great leader of war. Thankfully, all of his genius and time is spend to that end, and not against his fellow paltonarchs, as that would inevitably end in bloody power struggles, underhanded schemes, and a great conflict. His hatred of the Accursed stems from the loss of not only his twin sons, Galeeba and Frelmis The respective gods of Terror and Rage, but also his only daughter, Kashua, Goddess of Dying. To this end he has been known to take the fight to the Accursed the hardest, wasting soldiers, resources and seasons to capture on hill, a small fort or even just a strip of ground. There, he will hold until his reinforcements or relief comes. While he can, and has, taken the enemy on in a pitched battle, he prefers to win through either overwhelming force or, no surprise, clever, powerful and deceitful tactics.
Teachings: The teachings of Decarin are extremely simple: The world is your to take from it what you can. You must be strong, you must not fear, and you must not be seen. Above all, others will seek to take power away from you, or, if you are seen gaining power, you will be struck down. Instead, take the power first, hold it tightly, but let others take the fall for you. There are simply to many pawns in this world for the kings and queens to worry about.
Abode: Deep under the earth of the Iron Marches is a great cavern, the immense fortress of Decarin, Resonatus. Here, the marble is black and brown, the colors more muted, and the world more of Decarins style. His fortress lies on a great underground lake of mercury, into which a river flows from the Accursed lands of the Marches. His spires reach completely to the ceiling of the 100′ tall cavern, with great, flickering shadow bridges leading between the 18 seperate towers are all sorts of angles. It is from here that he has, seven times, halted invasion fleets and landings of thousands of the Demon Queen and Accursed armies.
Clergy: Clerics of Decarin are a generally secretive lot, though they are not ones to hide themselves. They do, however, practice Illusion, and this has lead to some believing the cult is much larger than it actually is. They teach the populace how to not fear the darkness, how to embrace the knowledge of transiency, and how to overcome what fears and dreads you may already have. The clergy care for cowards and deserters, ensuring them that they are not the terrible person they think that they are, and that at least one god, perhaps Decarin, will forgive them and take them back.
Knightly Orders: While many orders devoted to gods or goddesses are out to form a name for themselves or their god, some do not. Those few devoted enough to Decarin to learn both the Illusory arts and basic combat can join the Cabal of Those who Seem to be Others.
Or the Seemers. This devoted group is dedicated to the spread of Darkness, Shadows, and Magical Power, reaping a great and terrible toll on civilization. Though many seem them as assassins, the Seemers may not be purchased but instead find those they deem worthy of death, and hunt them down, many times under the face of those that the hunted once loved.
Clerical Attire/colors:
Clerics wear simple, black tunics and shirts, with a single brown-and gray stripe down the left side of their body. Many of them wear leather armor underneath their clothes and seem to be rarely with out their signature Black Iron Morningstars. There is no grooming or structure of any sort to their outward appearance, though, as they should be seeking to enhances themselves, not be associated with a single Church.
The Seemers wear simple brown robes with a silver collar embroidered with three equidistant black eyes. They tend to carry both morning stars and staves, with neither tending to take preference over the other. Though they have a fairly consistent face that they deal with the outside world with, they are masters of illusion, and can wear anything and appear as anyone.
Followers: Decarin attracts followers from every walk of life and every race. He embraces both the dread of the world and the resolve to overcome it, but he also has his much darker side. He condones killing, violence when needed and power through power, but he prefers to do it in the dark, away from prying eyes like his.
