The Avenger
Lesser God of Shevarash
(The Adversary, The Seraph of Death, The God of Revenge
Aliases: Dol Puriel, Puriel, Pyriel, Mitra, Zarus
Portfolio: Divine Right, Light, Retribution, Purity, Purification, Subterfuge
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Superior: None
Allies: None
Enemies: The Rajahs
Domains: Charm, Healing, Law, Nobility, War, Sun
Favored Weapon: Great Sword
Worshiper's Alignment: LG, LN, N, LE, NE
The Avenger is a charismatic deity that has managed to bounce back several times from utter defeat and damnation to become prominent once more. He is an ascended Radiant Idol and most of the remaining Radiant Idols that do not belong to the Order of Damarius are actually former followers of his. The Avenger is an intolerant and warlike god but he is generous to his followers in ways that few can resist after the Last War. Pyriel offers them unquestioned feelings of compassion, love, and purpose that are routinely accompanied by material aid that is badly needed in a dark time.
Pyriel is a breathtakingly beautiful being in his true form with bright wings of Fire. A Solar Deva, or Seraph, Pyriel's ascension to true godhood makes his appearance even more beautiful than most divine avatars. He causes most mortals to fall down weeping at his glory and is able to manifest where other deities do not. His other forms are white haired men that are often stunningly handsome but vaguely sinister in their appearance. He tends to vary between human, half-elf, and Umbargen in his avatars but always acts as a smooth sophisticate.
History and Relationships: Pyriel's religion has gone through numerous ups and downs. It was especially prominent during the Daelkyr War where many Goblins turned to the Fallen Angel for his promises of victory and the perfection of their children. When the Hobgoblins fell, he made numerous pacts with Galifar nobility and became a fairly substantive mystery cult of the Sovereign Host as he attempted to destroy whatever Lords of Dust opposed him. Pyriel managed to achieve a small amount of success, briefly wielding the Sword of Eberron that almost allowed him to take over the kingdom. Ultimately, he was defeated while attempting to seize the divinity of the Keeper's avatar in The Demon Wastes.
The Radiant Idol eventually merged with Cassius Du'Shadowfast and dominated him for the better part of a year. He spent this time building up cult in many places across Khorvaire and Xen'drik and now has a substantial, if still comparatively small to the Sovereign Host, following across the world. In the end, he stole numerous holy artifacts of Siberys and merged with them to become a divinity that promptly sacrificed his life to save Sarlona from destruction. Most believed this to be the end of Pyriel.
Unfortunately, life is rarely so fair and it seems that his sacrifice resulted in his transformation into a true deity or something very much akin to it. Pyriel now styles himself "The Avenger" and is viewed as a member of the Sovereign Host or the Dark Seven whether or not one wishes to be derogitory towards his faith. He claims that as long as a need for retribution and control then he will never be able to be destroyed.
The Watchmen have a decidedly anti-pathetic relationship towards the deity and refuse to believe he's genuinely a god despite appearances to the contrary. The fact that he is able to manifest an avatar in the physical world and takes a direct hand in the affairs of man seems to be something that almost undercuts him in his claims. However, given that the Rajahs are deities and it is widely believed that the Keeper has an avatar in his vault, it may not be so utterly far fetched as the Watchmen maintain.
Pyriel's faithful are hostile to nearly every other religion in Eberron. They give no quarter towards the Cults of the Dragon Below as a general rule. However, they attempt to convert other religion's worshipers to Pyriel as a general rule rather than actively smiting then. This even applies to the undead worshiping Blood of Vol.
Dogma: The Avenger desires for the destruction of the evil doer and a life of strict goodness to be followed. The innocent are to protected and brought to heel through strict application of the law. Those who commit crimes should be punished and those around them educated in order to prevent them from making further mistakes. Knowledge is to be vigorously pursued along with perfection in order for the superior beings to rule over the masses. One should always maintain a pragmatic pursuit of the greatest good and not be afraid to bend the rules in order to bring it about.
