Dearuhk

Dark mistress of evil, Dearuhk is one of the three primary deities. Dearuhk conspires to subjugate the entirety of the cosmos to her will, and crush those that resist through any means capable, be it guile, blackmail, or outright force. Among the gods of evil, her power is unrivaled, and the gulf between the dark lady and those under her is far greater than that of Setengar and his court. Dearuhk confides in her own duplicity, and appears to her followers as many things, though often as a dragon with her hide like that of the night's sky.



Core Statistics
Name: Dearuhk.

Greater Deity

Symbol: A black dragon.

Alignment: Lawful Evil.

Patron Creatures: Devils, Demons.

Domains: Evil, Destruction, Trickery.

Cleric Alignments: LE, NE, CE.

Favored Weapon: A flail.

Relatives: Mother of Illiaster, Isod, Searith, Shof'uk, and Singalot.

= Relationships = Above all others, Dearuhk wishes to see her brother Setengar disposed of, and strives to bring him low by corrupting his followers. How she feels towards the other gods is largely a matter of apathy, as she considers Setengar her only true target and worthy foe; even Wol is seen as a mere annoyance in her never-ending conquest. Dearuhk is progenitor to many evil gods, though she is attached to them by creation and little else, favoring their mutual destruction of one another over any semblance of motherly care or concern. She is not above playing favorites, however, and the title changes as often as one child pleases her above the rest; thus a constant war is fought on the plane of Nuzalheim for her fancy alone.

Followers
While her brother may have the largest amount of mortal followers, Dearuhk nonetheless counts many powerful followers as her own. Their power, perhaps eclipsing that of other religion patrons, comes at a price either in exchange for one's soul or some other terrible curse. Many powerful undead and evil mortals serve as her champions, the result of twisting on behalf of the dark one, and her seductive temptations for easy power means there will always be a steady stream of new worshipers. This works well for the queen of evil, as her churches are almost universally reviled among the civilized communities of Kharlia.

= Functions = Evil is such a multi-faceted concept that Dearuhk must push herself to represent each realm. From the subtle acts of betrayal and blackmail to shows of inconceivable violence, Dearuhk drinks deep from the cup of wickedness, and would have the entire multiverse do the same if she gets her way. Beyond hatching countless schemes and watching several more come to fruition, Dearuhk regulates her Ortus Vita in the epicenter of Nuzalheim to ensure it's efficiency. For every mortal that passes through it's burning threshold, Dearuhk's contentment, and power, grows stronger.

= Residence = Dearuhk claims the fiery layers of Nuzalheim as her domain, that which mortal men often refer to as Hell. She holds no one location as her castle or throne, instead encouraging her disciples to fight for the varied territories while she sits back and watches from the very background energies of the plane itself. After her loss in the First War, Dearuhk has been confined to Hell and has taken to have her bidding done by the several willing agents at her command.

= History = Her childhood spent in darkness, Dearuhk learned everything she needed from the void of her dark plane and wished to spread her ideals to the farthest reaches of existence. Seizing the power of her Ortus Vita, Dearuhk transformed the realm of Nuzalheim into it's current form when she did not heed the advice of the evil Tashii by exploding the ancient ritual at the epicenter of the plane. Consumed with this new found power, Dearuhk begot several children and immediately set plans into motion to conquer her brother.

With the advent of mortals, Dearuhk transformed the souls of evil men into devils to bolster her ranks. She continues to this day on that mission, corrupting more and more with each passing burst of the Soulforge.