Editing Acrozatarim/Appendix 2 (section)

==The Heavenly Host of Younger Gods==

In most regions of the world, the Younger Gods are worshipped as a group - that is to say, people pray to all of them or individual deities depending on their needs.  Some may hold a particular god in higher reverence due to their role in life, or due to personal experience, but it is mostly only clergy and priests who devote themselves to only a single divinity.  Even here, there are many temples, shrines and priests of the Heavenly Host as a whole, or of several gods who share a particular interest or are believed to be allied.

In the Drakkath region, the Younger Gods most commonly known of, worshipped and venerated are as follows.


===Aasor===

''The Silver Warder, Lord of Chains, The Prisoner in Silver, The Armourer, The Scribe''<br>
'''Rules Over''':  Warding, prisons, chains, armour, duty, oaths, contracts<br>
'''Icons''':  A silver dragon's head, a silver dragon rampant, chains<br>

Aasor is the only known Younger God that is claimed to have been a servitor in life - specifically a dragon, a mighty war-beast of silver and howling plasma.  Aasor is widely worshipped as a warding and protective god, as well as an enforcer of laws and oaths that are broken.  The primary centres of his faith are Pharam Sung and Huron.  Aasorian priests are often also actual scribes and seek to hold positions that give them authority to oversee and authorise contracts and other legally binding agreements.  Several ancient and terrible entities and catastrophies are buried and held in check by Aasorian rites, maintained by esoteric orders of Warder-worshippers.<br>


===Churaphrat===

''The Lady of Death, the River of Crimson, the Hungering Jackal, the Final Measure, the Kind Sword, Lantern of the Ancestors''<br>
'''Rules Over''': Death, transitions, truth, murder, mercy, memory; also rarely light and illumination<br>
'''Icons''':  A candle, a lantern, a silver sword, a female mask, an elephant (usually made from ivory or bone)<br>

Churaphrat is generally seen as a feminine aspected god of death, endings and the mind bereft of passions.  While not widely loved, she is held in respect during times of death and loss; as well, her patronage over death is seen as symbolically stripping away all falsehoods and leaving only truth.  Elephants are held as sacred to her, and a rare few cult centres hold elephants whose tusks are carved during their lifetime with the names of the dead in minute inscriptions.  Churaphrat is also worshipped in a war-aspect that memorialises her contributions to the defence of Sukumvarang during the Dawn War, namely as the River of Crimson who used her own blood to wash away the enemy.  The gnolls worship Churaphrat as a male aspect spirit, the Hungering Jackal.  High Kyros had a Younger God near-identical to Churaphrat in their pantheon and have assumed the Drakkath name for their god, but the Kyrosi Churaphrat is described with different origins and in a more benevolent light.<br>


===Dharummut===

''The Great Wolf, the Ashen Hunter, the Flame of Hunger, Ivory Claw, Indigo Mouth, The Thief of Light, Den Mother, War-Father''<br>
'''Rules Over''':  Fire, ice, blood, battle, beasts, wilderness, wolves, passions wrought in colour, artistic extremes of emotion<br>
'''Icons''': A wolf, a flame, an indigo fang<br>

The Great Wolf is a spirit-god of fierce flame and chill, of blood on the earth and on the snow.   It is the Den Mother of the blood-tied, the War-Father of those who fight for their kin and clan.  In the Dawn War it was chained by the Elder Gods when it turned on them, and the massive gouges in Ascaria's landscape are where its claws tore the earth.  It stole half the spectrum of visible light and drooled raw indigo on the ground when it hid in the Indigo Marches.  It cannot be tamed; it is hungry and demanding.  Ascaria is where it is most fervently worshipped.<br>


===Grumand===

''The Stone Father, the Old Sage, Strong-Back, Father of the Avalanche, Meteor-Grip, the Old Maso''n<br>
'''Rules Over''':  Stone, earth, farming, mountains, determination, clear thought, masonry<br>
'''Icons''':  A square of marble or polished stone, a series of spheres held aloft, a mountain<br>

Grumand is an ancient spirit of earth, heralded as one of the firstborn spirits of the Great Elementals.  Grumand is a powerful old being, and its aid of the rebellious mortals in the Dawn War was one of the major turning-points in the conflict against the Elder God Hashrukk.  Grumand also supposedly tore the Great Rift in the far west to stop the advance of Shauku's horrors during the War, but in Ascaria this same act is attributed to the Stonebreaker, supposedly an ascended mortal Younger God who is not worshipped elsewhere.<br>


===Immar===

''The Traveller, the Revelation, the Lover, Sky-Walker, the Bronze Alchemist''<br>
'''Rules Over''':  Travel, change, fortitude, alchemy, the stars, the winds, roads, messages<br>
'''Icons''':  A stylised wind, a crucible, an alignment of stars<br>

The Younger God of journeys and change, Immar's faith largely lacks an overall hierarchy - the cult is widespread and made up of an itinerant priesthood.  That said, there are more permanent structures in certain regions like Adhur, especially those sects of the faith concerned with alchemy and transformations.  Immar is commonly seen as one of the instigators of the Dawn War, a figure who travelled far and wide to bring together the disparate peoples who would war against the Elder Gods.  He is also often seen as Ishrak's mortal lover.<br>


===Ishrak===

''The Storm Lady, the Storm Hawk, Sea-Serpent, the Thunderous Voice, Mountain-Wrack''<br>
'''Rules Over''':  Storms, wind, air, seas, lightning<br>
'''Icons''':  A lightning bolt, a hawk or eagle, a crested wave, a furious female visage<br>

The Storm Lady is both terrifying and beloved, a goddess who warred ferociously during the Dawn War.  It is unclear whether she was a mortal woman or a storm spirit originally, and this is the cause of a significant schism within her church.  Worship of Ishrak is particularly prominent in High Kyros and the city-states of the White Bay.  There are some very different versions of storm deities beyond the Drakkath, but Ishrak is often present even in far-flung pantheons as at least a sea deity.  There is a heretical splinter of belief that asserts that Ishrak is actually one part of a dual being; that a sinister, corrupted mirror of her is at work over the Desolation, a hateful living storm that the goddess spat free from herself to purify her being when she excarnated.<br>


===Ishurtar===

''The Lady of Dust and Ashes, She Who Waits, The Price of Time, The Inevitable, End-Of-Wars''<br>
'''Rules Over''': Corrosion, dust, entropy, erosion, the weathering hand of time, struggle against overwhelming odds, luck<br>
'''Icons''':  The hourglass, a weeping sword, a pyramid, a tattered banner<br>

Ishurtar is said to be the child of Grumand and Ishrak, although it isn't clear whether she is a true Younger God or some sort of lesser aspect of Ishrak, Grumand or Churaphrat (or possibly all three).  She was supposedly born late in the Dawn War, excarnating in the first decades of the Zenith Age - the last deity to ascend to the Host by a clearance of many years.  In the Drakkath, she is largely only worshipped in the western regions.  Some argue that Ishurtar is in fact the queen of the Host and its ruler, born as the natural result of the death and destruction that the Dawn War caused and symbolising the entire struggle against the Elder Gods for the fate of the world.<br>


===Lliras===

''The Thorn, Black Blood of the Earth, the Carcass-Lady, Lady of Fallen Leaves, the Old Harvestman, the Midwife''<br>
'''Rules Over''':  Plants, animals, earth, blood, life and death, birth, rage<br>
'''Icons''':  A red thorn, a black droplet, a curling autumn leaf, a scythe<br>

Lliras is another potent old spirit from the Dawn Age, an ancient being of water and soil.  She is associated with the wilds and all aspects of life, from birth to death; she is associated with the bloody feast-cycle of predators and prey, with the harvesting of fields' bounty, and the red-hot anger that spills blood on earth.  The Thorn Circle hold her in very high regard, but she is widely revered across the entire Drakkath - and, indeed, beyond, because Lliras is unusual in having depictions that are remarkably constant across many continents.<br>


===Kevayek===

''The Overseer, the Weal-Raising Whip, Keeper of Agonies, the Weeping Eye, Lord of the Flies, Rot-Painter, Scribe of Viridian Fates''<br>
'''Rules Over''': Plague, disease, rot, decay, the sea, deprivation, endurance, destiny<br>
'''Icons''':<br>

The Overseer of Disease is offered widespread supplication in hope that he will reign in the pestilences under his control, for Kevayek is the Keeper of Agonies who rules over disease and decay.  He has a somewhat sinister reputation, since as a spirit he first aided and supported the Elder Gods before becoming a turncoat half-way through the Dawn War - still, he cannot be denied respect, and some call upon him for the strength and will to endure even the terrible tests that he sets upon mankind.  Kevayeki doctrine holds that the Overseer seeks to improve and perfect mankind with these tribulations - that his plagues are, in fact, benevolent in intent.  Strangely, at least in the Drakkath, Kevayek has gained a role specifically as a patron of bloodshed and deprivation at sea.  Some sects also claim that he has a great tome in which every man's fate is written, detailing if they will die by one of the Overseer's diseases.<br>


===Naskha===

''The Great Sorcerer, the Laughing One, Azure Magus, Sigil-Bearer, Golden Dragon''<br>
'''Rules Over''':  Magic, sorcery, change, madness, creativity<br>
'''Icons''':  A golden dragon head, a blue mask, an indigo book or leaf<br>

The patron deity of Naseria was once a mortal sorcerer of immense power, with a flock of followers forming something of a priesthood even before he ascended.  Shown respect by many practitioners of magic, Naskha is considered to have a mischievous side that is rarely shown in the proud portrayals of the Naserians.  Weirdly, Naskha appears to have been an actually blue person, and there are indications in his scriptures that the Great Sorcerer came to the world from somewhere else, called here during the Dawn War to aid in battle against the Elder Gods - some tales indicate he is the main source of arcane teachings in the world, and that before him, magi were few and had little understanding of their power.  It is also said that he sometimes appeared in the guise of a great dragon-servitor of gold and other precious metals; this may be an aspect or a confusion with an unknown Younger God.<br>


===Pethio===

''The Mask of Masks, He and She and It and They, The Storyteller, Herald of War and Woe, the Divine Comedian, the Quill of Truth and Lies, the Calling Voice, the Repository, the Library of Lore''<br>
'''Rules Over''':  Theatre, stories, songs and singers, acting, lies, truth, deception, masks<br>
'''Icons''':  A series of masks around a central point, a feather, a horn<br>

Pethio is not widely venerated in the Drakkath; in fact, he's barely known at all.  Patron of the arts, of music, of stories, Pethio is also considered the Herald of War and Woe, a companion to Immar who delivered tidings of war and loss during the Dawn War.  Some say that Pethio is the repository of all tales and stories in the world; that as soon as a story is told, it is recorded in Pethio's heavenly library.  Some believe Pethio is the library, and that he originated as a spirit of knowledge in the Dawn Age; the stories that pitch his origin as a mortal seem more likely.  Actors, storytellers and musicians are the most likely to know of and venerate Pethio, and his legacy is felt in certain common traditions amongst the artistic community; storytellers or actors wishing to work under a pseudonym tend to call themselves Pethio, and Pethian Verse is a particular form of poetic structure believed to have a sacred aspect, having been given to mankind by Pethio when he excarnated.<br>


===Phrenesia===

''The Ember-Smith, the Breath and the Flame, Sword-Matriarch''<br>
'''Rules Over''':  Breath and internal energy, metal, embers, artifice<br>
'''Icons''':  A forge-flame, an anvil, a clutch of swords<br>

Phrenesia is a powerful matriarch of the Host of Heavens, at least in those western lands where she is revered.  There are strong indications that she is an aspect of Solanthaar, or vice-versa.  In the Drakkath, she is only really worshipped in Carthagia and Naseria, and barely known east of those lands.  Her temples are often renowned for their libraries of hanging parchments on which the techniques of forge and foundry are written in finger-painted ash, recounting all manner of strange ores and minerals that exist and how they should be processed.  Some sects believe Phrenesia was the first mortal to make a sword, and the forging and creation of swords remains an important and symbolic element of Phrenesic religious rites.<br>


===Qinjao===

''The Admiral of All Waters, the Sail-Ripper, Salt-Drinker''<br>
'''Rules Over''':  The sea, waves, naval combat, fishing<br>
'''Icons''':<br>

Qinjao is a patron of those who make their living on the sea; once a great mortal admiral during the Dawn War, he reputedly excarnated while held captive aboard an Elder Chariot in such a way that his physical body, the Chariot and the Elder God aboard it were all turned to salt, and that this is why the oceans are salty (despite there being clear indications they were salty before the reputed event ever happened).  Qinjao was a Drakkath man in life, and his worship is largely restricted to the White Bay region; he is likely an aspect of the powerful naval god Tshunyak of far Vekath, who is considered the spouse of Ishrak in that land.  Qinjao is sometimes held to be Ishrak's brother or possibly son.<br>


===Solanthaar===

''Lady of the Sun, the Purifying Flame, the Flame of Truth, the Silver and Gold Judge, the Forge-Mother''<br>
'''Rules Over''': Fire, the sun, war, metal, smithing, purity, truth; sometimes also invention and innovation<br>
'''Icons''':<br>

Solanthaar is a harsh, unrelenting goddess whose centre of worship is in Adhur, where the people revere her as a Younger God who was a mortal war-leader in the Dawn War.  Outside of Adhur, however, the Silver and Gold Judge is generally viewed as the spirit of the sun itself.  In this guise, she is often considered as the firstborn of the Great Elemental of Fire.  Following an upsurge in the social status and importance of alchemists and scientists in Adhur, she has also increasingly become seen as a patron of the sciences, innovation and technological innovation.  It is claimed that the design of the armaments used by her Adhuri templars was a divinely-inspired vision that an artificer of Adhur experienced.  Some minor cults also worship her as the Flame of Truth, an aspect largely separate from the rest of her portfolio.<br>


===Temeshwun===

''The Pattern of Blades, Mask of Dance and Murder, The Crimson Dancer, Walker of the Void''<br>
'''Rules Over''':  Dance, murder, patterns, cold, oblivion, seduction and passion, regicide<br>
'''Icons''':  A mask over crossed blades, a geometric pattern in black and red, a black diamond<br>

Temeshwun, Younger God of dance, murder and patterns, is said to have been a man from the culture that would become the Masked Kateni.  During the Dawn War, Temeshwun slew many loyal-mad-kings who sided with the Elder Gods in the Dawn War, with his enticing dance and void-edged knives.  There is some argument that he may be an aspect of Churaphrat, but the Lord of Dance and Murder is commonly worshipped as an equal figure, either lover or brother to the Lady of Death and Mercy.  His worship has been imported from the Masked Kateni city-states into Naseria and the Western Reaches of the Drakkath, and in some areas his followers appear to have been systematically usurping what little influence the Pethians have; it is possible that his agenda will change to fold in wider symbols of culture and art than just dance and patterns.<br>


===The Eye===

''The Great Prophet, the Shadow, the Void-Child, Old Seer''<br>
'''Rules Over''':  Shadows, darkness, knowledge, secrets, order, law, hidden justice, judgement, foresight<br>
'''Icons''': An eye within a triangle within a circle, an eye, a triangle within a circle, a quincunx<br>

A strange god, rarely petitioned, the Eye is a deity of knowledge, secrets and darkness who reputedly sees all and accounts all things in its library of truth.  There are very, very few cults of the Eye and they tend to be highly secretive, befitting the deity; even most depictions of the Host do not show the Eye, or little more than a brief, near-hidden symbol of it.  Some believe the Eye is not, in fact, a Younger God at all, though theories on what it is vary.  Nonetheless, it is sometimes venerated amongst vigilantes, enforcers of law, executioners, mages and those who seek concealed truths.<br>


===The Stonebreaker===

''Tusk-Shatter, She Who Ate The Whole, The Loyal Hunter''<br>
'''Rules Over''': Strength, survival, stone, sieges, battle, loyalty, hounds, hunting, hunger and feasts<br>
'''Icons''':  A tusk, crossed tusks, a hound's head, a shattered wall<br>

The exact gender of the Stonebreaker depends on the teller, but he or she is a boisterous, legendary figure in Ascaria, sometimes worshipped further afield as well.  The Stonebreaker has two main aspects - one is of a life-embracing figure, a hunter at the head of loyal hounds, a feaster and a lover.  The other is as a figure of immense strength, one who could shatter mountains and who broke the walls of the greatest Elder fortifications that faced the Younger Gods.  The Stonebreaker is commonly invoked by siege engineers and soldiers during assaults on fortifications; he or she is also invoked by those taking on the kinds of absurd feasting challenges that involve eating to prove one's immense appetite.<br>


===Toran===

''The Dark Saviour, the Steel Prince, the Great Warrior, Walker Across The Sands, Crushing Fist''<br>
'''Rules Over''':  War, duels and personal struggles, order, blood, strength, survival, endurance<br>
'''Icons''':  A black dragon's head, crossed axes<br>

The Dark Saviour is the patron of Carthagia and strongly associated with a certain type of dragon-servitor as well; it is believed that Toran defeated and dominated a brood of black-armoured dragons during the Dawn War, and sent them back against the Elders who had created them.  Beyond Carthagia, Toran receives worship from soldiers and warriors seeking the blessings of the Great Warrior.  Having led his countrymen across the Myrmec desert and its terrible tribulations, it is said that the very throne Toran sat upon when he excarnated is the same throne that the Carthagian kings sit on today.<br>


===Urazel===

''The Preacher to Dragons, Divine Horseman, the Fire That Rode As The Wind, Eternal Flame''<br>
'''Rules Over''':  War, strategy, horses, fire, light, conquest<br>
'''Icons''':<br>

The Preacher to Dragons is the patron of Huron and, like Toran, was probably directly involved in the collapse of the Drakkath Empire.  Urazel was an inspirational war-leader during the Dawn War, and is renowned for his successful conversion of a great flight of dragons to the cause of the Younger Gods.  By dint of the extensive Huronese priesthood, the Urazeli faith is a powerful political force, and Urazel receives supplication by many of those who undertake matters of war, who tend to horses and similar livestock and to those seeking protection against evil magic or darkness.<br>