Zarth, the Dead

Happy Halloween! In celebration we are providing an early post, featuring the god of death: Zarth.

Zarth, the Dead

“Zarth is dead, but what is death to a god? For even dead gods can still dream.”

 - A priest of Zarth, preaching to villagers

Alternate Names: Cwalu (elf), Hal (dwarf), Maer (gnome), Tab (halfling), Ukh (orc)

Expanded Domains: Curse, Death, Evil, Fire, Law, Nightmare, Trickery

Portfolio: curses, the dead, dreams, fire, judgment, nightmares, pacts, rot, undead

Recommended Music: Old Tristram | Cathedral of Tristram

Knowledge (Religion) DC 10:

It is widely known that Zarth is not only the god of death, but is dead himself. More than that, his corpse serves as a resting place for the souls of the dead before they go to their final destination.

     In art, Zarth is most frequently depicted as a rotting corpse with what remains of his skin smoldering and occasional tongues of flame dancing across his body.

     Sometimes, some of Zarth’s blood also flows into other planes where it crystallizes into onyx. Scorpions are seen as sacred by the church of Zarth, and their likeness abounds in filigree around holy writings.

Knowledge (Religion) DC 15:

The Scripture of Laz, the oldest complete holy book dedicated to Zarth, speaks of the suffering that comes with life. How life is nothing but misery upon misery. But there is a respite: undeath. The goal of undeath is to be equally dead and alive, too close to life and you feel the pains associated with it such as hunger, too close to death and you are unable to affect the world.

     In the writings of Poros, the first gnome high priest nearly seven hundred years ago, it is said that some part of Zarth can still hear prayers. What remains of his mind reaches out, trying to listen. Whenever he tries to grant these prayers, the result is always twisted. One who prays for wealth may find their beloved grandfather dead, leaving their grandchild their vast fortune. One who prays for love will find themselves the target of an obsessed stalker. This has given rise to the expression, “Zarth’s grace upon you.”

     According to the church of Zarth, before he was the god of death, Zarth was the god of fire. According to some, so long as fire exists so too does Zarth’s essence.

     When one reaches Zarth after they have died, it is believed that one must make their way through the dead god’s body before their final destination is determined. A person’s actions in life determines their target destination while how they died determines where in Zarth’s body they begin their journey. The longer a soul takes to reach their destination, the harder it is to leave. Souls that take too long are captured by the former servants of Zarth, fire elementals, and converted into such entities themselves. Most priests of Zarth simply wait for the fire elementals to find them. Followers of other gods that have pleased their patron may find one of said god’s servants waiting for them when they arrive at Zarth’s body.

     All of Zarth’s priests are taught how to understand and write contracts, and most view trying to find ways to break the spirit of such contracts while obeying the letter as almost a sport.

Knowledge (Religion) DC 20:

In scripture, Zarth is known as the youngest child of Aelma and Erb, and the first thing to die. He attempted a coup against his father, seeking to steal his father’s power. Zarth’s coup failed, and the young god was struck down. Though his life was snuffed out, it had nowhere to go.

     Upon seeing what he had wrought, Erb placed Zarth’s body in the River of Dreams, the cosmic river that links all the planes of existence together, and linked it to all other planes. This way, whenever something dies it has a place to go before its final destination.

     Erb believed that to be the end of it, but though Zarth was dead the god still dreams. His dreams flow through the River of Dreams, and some enter the planes of existence like driftwood on a sandbar. These dreams find sleeping minds, and thus nightmares are born.

     Some priests of Zarth say that nightmares are not Zarth’s dreams, but are the result of a dead god trying to continue his work after death. These priests claim that before he died Zarth created the River of Dreams to fill the minds of sleeping mortals with visions of wonder and awe.

Knowledge (Religion) DC 25:

In the Book of Zorthos, an ancient, partially translated and incomplete holy book, mentions are made to a deity called Keeper of Crypts. It is believed that this deity is an early view of Zarth, but some descriptions within do not make sense. Such as a passage where praise is given to a hero hunting down a group of blood drinking undead. The passage paints the individual as a hero specifically for hunting undead which does not follow with even the oldest Zarth doctrine.

Organization: Attoros

“From a cursory reading of the Founding Charter of the Silver Spear Mercenary Company, according to Section 4, Subsection 7a, Page 2, Column 1, Paragraph 3, Sentence 4, I’m free to leave.”

 - Attoros Agent Myrna to Silver Spear Mercenary Captain

The Attoros was founded by a priest of Zarth nearly six hundred years ago, and to this day it continues to provide the exact same services as when it was created. These services include, but are not limited to, proofreading of contracts, charters, marriage vows, trade agreements, law proposals, or other such legally binding documents (hereafter referred to as DOCUMENT) as well as examining current such documents at the behest of and providing council to their employers (hereafter referred to as EMPLOYER).

     Members of the Attoros (hereafter referred to as AGENTS) travel all over the Green Coast and into Sylvanor providing legal council to any employer that they are directed to by their superiors (hereafter referred to as OFFICIAL). Most agents are fluent in all common Green Coast languages, and are fully capable of resolving matters when language barriers would otherwise render dialog impossible.

     For an added fee, agents are fully capable of wording documents such that the employer is the advantageous benefactor in spite of previously worded verbal agreements. Such verbal agreements are not considered to be legally binding by any standing government in the Green Coast or Sylvanor that partakes in the Attoros’ services.

Code of Conduct: Paladins of Zarth

“Be careful of charity and kindness, lest you do more harm with open hands than a clenched fist.”

 - Kreia, “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords”

This code of conduct applies to those who would call themselves paladins of the faith, not just any follower of Zarth.

• Show the dead at least as much respect as you would the living. This applies to the undead as well.
• Learn from Zarth’s blessings: even the most well meaning of intentions can have disastrous consequences. Only act if you have considered all that your actions may bring or if given no other choice.
• Your word is your bond. Only say you will do something if you intend to do it. This does not mean that you cannot lie, so long as your exact words do not contain falsehood.

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