Groetus
| Groetus | |
|---|---|
| |
| (Deity) | |
| Titles | The God of the End Times; the God of the End of the World; the Harbinger of Last Days |
| Adjective | Groetan |
| Home | Boneyard |
| Alignment | Chaotic neutral |
| Portfolio | Empty places Ruins Oblivion |
| Worshipers | Madmen |
| Cleric Alignments | |
| Domains | Chaos, Darkness, Destruction, Madness, Void |
| Subdomains | Catastrophe, Insanity, Loss, Night, Protean, Stars |
| Favored Weapon | Heavy flail |
| New information exists on this topic which has not yet been included in this article. |
| Refer to the discussion page for details. |
Overlooking all of Pharasma's Boneyard is another, lesser god. This is Groetus (pronounced GRO-tus)[1], the god of the End Times, a sentient and cruel moonlet that looks down upon the Boneyard and waits for the last living soul to die. When Pharasma judges the last soul after the last living body dies on the Material Plane, Groetus descends to the Boneyard to do something to it and Pharasma before he moves on to the Material Plane to "clean up" and pack the dust away for another reality. No one really knows what Groetus is going to do once the last soul is judged, but it is generally accepted that it will not be pleasant.[2]
Groetus hangs in the form of a bloated moon above Pharasma's Boneyard in the Outer Sphere, silently watching. Only the other gods know whether the moon itself is the god, or merely his dwelling place, and they have proven reluctant to discuss the matter. Adventurous folk who have braved the surface of this place are either never heard from again, or are discovered soon after as the newest of the god's insane faithful.[3] It is unknown what role Groetus will play in the End Times.[4]
Contents |
Dooms of Groetus
Cultists of Groetus have many theories about how their god will manifest in the End Time and what his ultimate role will be. These theories or interpretations are known as dooms; and the proponents of each particular doom may be seen as members of a splinter cult of the faith. The most well known dooms of Groetus are:[5]
- Mouth of Apocalypse
- Followed by the Teeth of Oblivion cultists
- Portal of Incarnation
- Followed by the Heralds of the Incarnate Moon cultists
- Sign of the Destroyer
- Pursued by the Followers of the Gray Sign cultists
Appearance and emissaries
It is a rare occurrence indeed for Groetus to manifest in humanoid form, but records from Azlant describe him as a tall, slender man wearing a long gray robe that hangs heavily to the floor. His complexion is ashen, with hollow eyes and long, smooth hands. He has a slight bent at the neck (as though bearing some great weight) and his bare feet are black from soot and ash (as though he has been walking through an old fire). His voice is described as a whisper, like old paper, and he speaks with an archaic or foreign inflection.[6]
Servants
Groetus has few allies or followers, making no effort to acquire either. However, beings who travel to his moon-home often succumb to his power (and accompanying madness) and serve him after a fashion.[citation needed]
- End's Voice
- The herald of Groetus, End's Voice serves as his personal hand. Draped in a long crimson robe, End's Voice floats above the ground on footless legs, faceless, and speaking (rarely) with a hollow, distorted voice.[7]
- Geg Noam Gyeg
- An insane and paranoid barbed devil. It adorns its spikes in the eyes of its victims and prefers to be paid for its services in silver mirrors and magical items that utilise divination magic.[8]
- Yles
- An especially insane grey naunet protean, Yles is an avid collector of magical writing and spellbooks. It continuously babbles narration of its own activities.[8]
Relations with other religions
Groetus is rather isolated from other deities and they seldom make any effort to contact him. On those rare occasions, other gods and goddesses proceed with extreme caution, knowing full well that their followers (whether mortal, undead or outsider) often fall to insanity should they scry or otherwise make contact Groetus.[9]
It is believed that Groetus has some connection to Rovagug, another deity associated with the end of the world. However, there does not appear to be any basis for this theory.[8]
Pharasma has slightly more interaction with Groetus, although such contact is done more to keep the ominous moon at a comfortable distance than friendly communication. She has been known to 'feed' Groetus (in some unspecified manner) the souls of atheists. This has the curious effect of repelling the moon from the Boneyard. Even so, the moon lingers near, apparently attracted to the souls of faithful mortals.[8]
Church of Groetus
Groetus has no formal religion or church, with many of his faithful being made up of lone madmen prophesying the end of everything. Some believe that he may not even know or care that he has any followers, knowing that if his goals are achieved, they will be destroyed along with everything else.[3]
Formal clothing is observed, more often than not, by his followers. Gray robes with blue accents is traditional but his priests rarely take much interest in their attire, meaning most of his followers wear shabby and stained raiments.[10]
Temples & Shrines
Priests of Groetus have little interest in creating lasting monuments to their master. After all, all things will fade and crumble when the end comes. It is not uncommon however, for followers to congregate in the ruined temple of another faith.[11]
Holy Texts
Being a cult of madmen, there is no single codified list of Groetus's teachings. Information is typically gleamed from scribblings by the mad, often upon asylum walls or in the blood of a murdered victim. Much of this data is vague and contradictory. The more rational members of the faith keep a collection of lore known as the Book of the Last Moon.[8]
Holidays
The worshipers of Groetus celebrate few holidays, seeing such frivolity as pointless and meaningless in the greater plans of their deity. The only time his followers unite is the Final Day where his worshipers observe an hour of silent contemplation, hopeful of some guidance from their enigmatic master.[11]
References
A major article about Groetus and his church is published in Beyond the Doomsday Door, p68ff.
- ↑ Erik Mona et al. (2008). Campaign Setting, p. 246. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-112-1
- ↑ James Jacobs. (January 6, 2008). More Info on Deities?, Paizo Blog.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Erik Mona et al. (2008). Campaign Setting, p. 170-171. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-112-1
- ↑ Todd Stewart. (2009). The Great Beyond: A Guide to the Multiverse, p. 33. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-167-1
- ↑ Sean K Reynolds. (2012). Groetus. Beyond the Doomsday Door, p. 70f. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-474-0
- ↑ Sean K Reynolds. (2012). Groetus. Beyond the Doomsday Door, p. 69. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-474-0
- ↑ James Jacobs, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, and Jerome Virnich. (2012). Bestiary. Beyond the Doomsday Door, p. 84. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-474-0
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Sean K Reynolds. (2012). Groetus. Beyond the Doomsday Door, p. 73. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-474-0
- ↑ Sean K Reynolds. (2012). Groetus. Beyond the Doomsday Door, p. 70. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-474-0
- ↑ Todd Stewart. (2009). The Great Beyond: A Guide to the Multiverse, p. 69. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-167-1
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Sean K Reynolds. (2012). Groetus. Beyond the Doomsday Door, p. 72. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-474-0
- Pages that need to be updated
- Articles in need of citations
- Groetus
- Minor deities
- Chaotic neutral deities
- Chaos domain deities
- Destruction domain deities
- Darkness domain deities
- Madness domain deities
- Void domain deities
- Catastrophe subdomain deities
- Insanity subdomain deities
- Loss subdomain deities
- Night subdomain deities
- Protean subdomain deities
- Stars subdomain deities
- Boneyard/Inhabitants
