Rise (War Witch Book 1) (94 page)

The depictions of Warrot show him as a ghoulish creature wrapped in chains as if they were bandages. From these chains hang the souls of those he has claimed, screaming in eternal torment.

His symbol is the manacle and chain. His priests use it daily, and have even constructed some mystical chains they claim will counter the effects of the Blessed's Divine Gift.

The Dark Gift bestowed upon Dark Blessed of Warrot is
Binding Chains
. One of the most disturbing Dark Gifts to see in action, this grants the Dark Blessed the ability to summon forth semi-sentient chains. These barbed and spiked chains, formed of pure Corruption, sprout from the Dark Blessed's body and can be used as extra limbs. The most powerful of Warrot's Blessed are frightening to behold and nearly impossible to stop.

His Dark Mark is Chains.

Ibius

The God of anarchy.

Like his brother, Vorger, Ibius has a deep seated hatred of order. However, he works more carefully to tear it down, poisoning the minds of men against their leaders, and the minds of the leaders against their servants. He revels in turning brother against brother, of starting wars, and ruining empires. He laughs at the bloodshed in the name of freedom as people slaughter their own kind, destroying their own leaders and protectors.

Ibius is often depicted as a twisted old man in a black cloak. Why this depiction, no one is certain, but all who have looked upon the image have felt the pull of its power and it’s suspected that those who craft the images of Ibius weave powerful magic into them, making their appearance meaningless.

His symbol and his Dark Mark are the broken scroll, representing the broken trust he fosters and the tearing down of order. His priests often wear vestments with this symbol upon them.

The Dark Gift bestowed upon Dark Blessed of Ibius is
Anarchy
. By activating this terrible Gift, all who are near the Dark Blessed find themselves filled with anger, resentment, and hate. They are overwhelmed by the desire to punish anyone near them for even the most imagined of slights. Ibius' Dark Blessed are known to walk through villages, and leave death and mayhem in their wake.

Sephrim

Goddess of temptation. The Seductress.

Born with a beautiful form and a twisted soul, Sephrim seeks to make all in the World like her. Of all the Demon Gods, she is the least loyal to Ker Zet, seeking her own goals and aims. Enamored with beautiful things, she seeks to surround herself with only the most lovely, turning the stinking pit of her Low World realm into as beautiful a place as she can. Strangely, she seems to find great beauty in flesh sculptures and bloody fountains. Many claim that her sense of beauty is warped by her evil. In an effort to distract her mother and siblings from her own mysterious goals, she uses her considerable power to lure the weak to their death.

Depictions of Sephrim show her as beautiful indeed, but all around her is twisted, from the flowers to the statues, to the very stream she stand alongside. All is wrong, but only subtly, as if her presence alone makes it so.

Her symbol is a dead tree, meant to indicate her twisted nature, that which was once beautiful is no more, but has died and become rotten within. Her priests wear this symbol to show they understand what it is to appreciate the beauty in death and perversion.

The Dark Gift bestowed upon Dark Blessed of Sephrim is
Seduction
. One of the most hated of the Dark Gifts, this power allows the Dark Blessed to become a living embodiment of the legendary Sirens. Those who look upon her Dark Blessed while this Gift is active are overcome with desire for the Dark Blessed, regardless of gender or racial preferences or differences. They will do anything, cut down anyone in their path, to be near the Dark Blessed. Usually, they end up with a knife to the heart for their troubles.

Her Dark Mark is The Black Heart.

Xac Kol

God of vengeance. Father of hate.

The corrupter, as he is called by some, is perhaps the hardest of all Demon Gods to stand against, for he finds his way into the heart in but a moment. Once there, Xac Kol coils and waits, growing and burning, driving even the staunchest of Blessed to acts of hatred and bloodthirsty revenge. He twists the emotions of his victims, convinces them what they do is for the good of all, and drives them mad with the need to see it done. Then, he gathers their broken souls to him and feeds upon them, making himself ever stronger.

He is rarely depicted, but when he is, Xac Kol is shown as a severely disfigured man, twisted with hatred for those about him. It is suspected that his actual appearance is too horrible to be depicted, and as such, never has been.

His symbol is a red eye, representing the blind rage he drives his victims to. His priests wear this symbol as a talisman about their necks.

The Dark Gift bestowed upon Dark Blessed of Xac Kol is
Hateful Strike
. This vicious Dark Gift is perhaps one of the most deadly, for it allows the Dark Blessed to focus his very Corruption into a death-dealing blow. Worse than the pain inflicted by the wound, however, is that the Corruption leaks over into the victim, tainting them with Demon Essence.

His Dark Mark is The Lightning Bolt.

Derril

Goddess of terror and secrets. The eater of souls.

The First Born. The Princess of Evil. She of Many Names. The most foul, most corrupt, most insidious, and most deadly of the Demon Gods after Ker Zet herself. From her secret place in the Low World, she sends forth her invisible minions to stalk the World, searching out things better not known. Perhaps the most powerful Demon Sorceress, she uses her dark magics to influence and bend the weak, twisting them inside as she is twisted. Her name is terror, her ways secret, her appetite unspeakable. Even her own servants ponder what terrible things this most awful of Demon Gods plans next.

There is no depiction of Derril, or at least, none that show her face. A black figure against a red background is all that any have ever made effort to show of her, and many feel it is best that no depiction has ever been made.

Her symbol is the Black Hand, representing the terrible and unspeakable acts she commits, the secrets she holds, and the final thing all souls will one day see when her power waxes great enough to devour them all. Her priests often wear a single black glove to show their faithfulness.

The Dark Gift bestowed upon Dark Blessed of Derril is
The Netherspear
. This Dark Gift is a corrupted version of the Divine Gift of both Grannax and Isel, making the first born daughter of Ker Zet one of the most hated of the Demon Gods. Formed of pure evil, the spear measures four feet long and is double-edged, appearing in the Dark Blessed’s hand upon activation of the gift. The most lethal aspect of the Netherspear, however, is that it corrupts a Blessed's very faith in their God, turning their heart bitter towards their patron deity, and weakening their own power. If they do not cleanse the Corruption, they will lose their Divine Blessing, and fall to the Demon Gods, from so much as a scratch by the vile Netherspear.

Her Dark Mark is The Trident.

FEW IN NUMBER
, these Gods have fallen from favor with their fellows, and now seek their own path. Neither High Gods, nor Demon Gods, they are often what lies in between, or outside the influence of either Heaven or Hell.

Few Forgotten Gods give their devote, or their Blessed, any sort of Divine Mark, thinking it best to operate in secret, least those who serve them be punished for adhering to ways deemed blasphemous.

Zarak

The Black Wolf, The Fallen One, God of Nothing, The Empty Lord.

The tale of Zarak is a tragic one, for he was once a High God, and brother of Ramor. Known as the Noble God, it was Zarak who first set out the way in which the world was to be ruled, establishing noble family lines, and was well-known for his ability to choose a just and kind ruler. He was much revered and founded also the Five Orders of Knighthood, which still exist today. He’s often been called the First Knight.

A Sky God, he worked hand-in-hand with his brother to make the world a harmonious place for all who dwelled in it. But something changed within him. It’s unknown why Zarak chose to abandon his beliefs and family, but when Ker Zet came with her Demon Brood to storm the Palace of Heaven and take over creation, it was Zarak who threw wide the doors for her.

As the battle waged for the fate of creation, Zarak embraced even darker thirsts. Defeating his niece, Asdrid, he sought to sate his desires on her battered flesh, but was stopped by Morobon. The Beserker God slew Zarak for his betrayal, and the Black Wolf was seen no more.

He left behind a legacy, however. A secret order of Knights known as the Black Shield. A dark and twisted version of the Five Orders, these knights serve the cause of evil, and are recruited from within the Five Orders themselves. Knowledge of their existence is nigh on non-existent, and still subject more to speculation than fact.

Of late, rumors have begun to surface that Zarak isn’t truly dead, but still lives after some fashion. The truth is far more horrible. Zarak exists, but is no longer with any true form. Unseen and incorporeal, he still gathers his forces, and seeks revenge on Morobon.