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Chapter 9: GODS & DEMIGODS
Gods
Only a small sampling of the resurgent gods are listed
here; many, many others once touched this world, and
might reach out to Shadazim again. All it may take is the will
of fervent people and the knowledge of an ancient name or
the discovery of a long-buried temple, relic, or prayer book.
Gods of any stripe or manifestation are amazingly
powerful. That said, many of the resurgent gods exist
at far lower power levels and abilities than they did in
times long past. Unless a god has sufficient followers
and powerful clergy, they may be considered demigods
or even beings less than a Daragkark . . . though this is a
secret most Shadazim and gods keep very, very hidden.
Alyut, the Split Serpent
Alyut is a god of deception and trickery, of survival at
the expense of other creatures, of success in the face of
difficult odds. The Split Serpent is depicted as a snake
whose thick trunk is divided halfway to create two necks
for two distinct heads. The right head represents the
purity of the wilderness, survivability, and toughness.
The left head represents cunning and speed.
A treacherous lover allegedly split Alyut down the middle
using a magical knife. The Split Serpent learned from that
experience to become what it is now. The god prefers the
night, skulking here and there to seek weakness in enemies and rivals, then acting quickly and without mercy.
Tales say Alyut once surrounded an entire army in a box
canyon, driving its beasts wild with fear while crushing
its generals to death in its mighty tail. Followers attribute
most riverbeds, dry or not, to the passing of the mighty
Split Serpent. Wherever its tongue has licked, the salts are
sweet and the poisons extracted especially potent.
Clergy of Alyut
Alyut’s followers shave their bodies to affect visual
kinship with serpents. They conduct rites against the
ground, emphasizing the importance of keeping one’s
belly against the earth (bared or otherwise). Crawling is
encouraged, as is the raising of the head from a prone
position to look about.
Alyut’s clergy travel in pairs, often joined at the waist
or legs by straps or even sutures if they are truly devoted and gifted, all to emulate their master’s strange
form. Often their unions are such that one choses not to
live without the other. They preach superiority through
deception and merciless treachery, so others are understandably wary of them. Followers are taught to keep
their beliefs secret; any rites or meetings are rare and
Reviving a God
Any god who manifests power upon the world today
does so because a Shadazim has rekindled its worship
in some way. Secret or otherwise, a gathering has been
established. A temple has been raised. Prayers old or
new have revived an entity within the local universe.
Where there is no worship, there are no gods. Individually and as a group, the gods are a re-emergent force in
the world, represented upon the world solely by their
clergy. No true god has manifested a physical form
upon Khitus since the Classic Age, but the first to do
so (especially in any overt manner) may use that prominence to build and rule a new pantheon.
The gods themselves are magical embodiments of
pure emotion. Not surprisingly, they can display the
highest virtues, but more often sink into petty differences and jealousies. As a rule, they hate each other
passionately where influence and power overlap, otherwise tolerating each other as necessary evils. They
have no wish to work together. They have no interest,
ultimately, in the affairs of mortals, unless they directly
benefit them with additional clergy and worshipers.
Khitan gods are self-serving entities that are often perceived as righteous and helpful, but without priests to
constantly justify and position their petty acts as miracles they would be immediately exposed as indifferent
and aloof.
Reviving a Pantheon
Each god rising again from obscurity requires adequate worship specific to it. However, some Shadazim learned early on that reviving a collective
pantheon of gods aids all of its gods equally through
their interconnected worship. Thus, some Shadazim act as speakers for more than one god, depending on the structural hierarchy of the pantheon they
both revive and revere.
Each god’s or each pantheon’s clergy exists within a
strange dichotomy. On one hand, they need to present a united message to the world; peoples’ needs are
many and varied, and so must a pantheon of gods be to
appeal to them. The various clergy must accept each
other on that basis as necessary. On the other hand,
though, priests can be as jealous as their respective
gods, even more so. Their tactics against each other
can be cutthroat, veiled and secretive but deadly. In
all, though, reinforcing belief in a whole pantheon
strengthens each member god in turn, so the clergies
endure the challenges for their powers.
clandestine, temples are hidden away and often moved
from place to place. Harmonious magic is preferably
achieved through mock hissing and the slapping of
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