Ydersius (deity)
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| Ydersius | |
|---|---|
| |
| (Deity) | |
| Titles | The Headless King, Lord of Coiling Poison, the Father of Serpents, the Primal Coil, the Sundered God, the Slumbering Speaker Below, the Severed God |
| Home | Darklands |
| Alignment | Chaotic evil |
| Portfolio | Serpentfolk Immortality Poison |
| Worshipers | Serpentfolk, lizardfolk, troglodytes, boggards, nagas, sorcerers with the serpentine bloodline, human snake cults, assassins |
| Cleric Alignments | |
| Domains | [Animal]†, Chaos, Evil, Nobility, Scalykind, War |
| Subdomains | Demon, Leadership, Martyr, Saurian, Tactics |
| Favored Weapon | dagger |
- This is an article on the deity Ydersius. For information on the ancient serpentfolk empire of the same name see Ydersius (empire).
| This page is a stub. You can help us by expanding it. |
Contents |
History
The ancient demigod Ydersius (pronounced yeh-DER-see-us)[1] is the patron of the serpentfolk, a race of snake-men who battled the forces of ancient Azlant in the time before the Age of Darkness. He was driven underground during these wars and forced to hide in the Darklands realm of Sekamina. In one of the final battles of the Azlant-serpentfolk war, Ydersius became known as the Headless King when he was decapitated by Savith, a mighty Azlanti champion. Still believed to be living in two pieces, his mindless body is said to thrash in the lightless depths below, while his head has wasted away to a still-conscious skull.[2][3] It is rumored that his head is buried somewhere in the Mwangi Expanse, luring the serpentfolk to that region.[4] Whatever the exact truth may be, his clerics still receive his divine power, a sure sign that he has not followed Aroden into true death. A deity of unquenched passion and anger, the generally more cerebral serpentfolk used him as an example of all that was potent and primal in their psyche.[2] [3]
According to the ancient legends of the Mwangi, the Zenj folk hero Old-Mage Jatembe learned secrets from the severed head of Ydersius, before sewing its lips shut.[5]
Home
Savith decapitated the god and cast the head into a lake of fire and banished the body to the Darklands; to this day the god is still split in twain.[6]
Relationships
Since his fall, no gods have had relationships with Ydersius. Prior to his fall, the pantheon of Azlant stood together against the Father of Serpents, led by Abadar, Desna and Shelyn; it is extremely likely these three gods would re-engage their battle against a resurgent Ydersius.[7]
Another enemy of Ydersius was the demon lord Abraxus whose pantheon includes snakes initiating a clash of power over the serpentfolk population dear to Ydersius. Even today, some serpentfolk will worship Abraxus and such heresy is not tolerated by the cult of Ydersius.[7]
Appearance
Ydersius is now split into two after the Azlanti heroine, Savith, decapitated the god. His head is hidden and his thrashing body wanders the Darklands. Ydersius is famous for his threefold poison: fang venom, toxic blood and a cloud of poison exuded from his body.[6]
Ydersius' avatar appears as a huge snake-headed humanoid, with a massively long tail.[6]
Emissaries
All of the god's servants are ophidian.
Ydersius' herald is known as the Emperor of Scales.[8]
Three other servants are commonly known within the cult:[7]
- Azal-tash, a fiendish couatl
- Jitajaya, a spirit naga
- Lixiriltha, a marilith demon
Church
Ydersius is served by his still-active mortal kin, the serpentfolk, and an organization dedicated to bringing about his triumphant return, known as the Coils of Ydersius.[9]
Unholy Texts
Many unholy texts of Ydersius were lost as the serpentfolk empire fell, including the Alberos Analects.[10] Today, only the Sekamina Destinies are used by cults.[7]
Holiday
Once many holidays were celebrated by the faith of Ydersius, but today only one date has much significance: the Day of Sundering on 29th Rova.[10]
References
There is a major article about Ydersius in Sanctum of the Serpent God.
- ↑ Erik Mona et al. (2008). Campaign Setting, p. 247. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-112-1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sean K Reynolds. (2008). Gods and Magic, p. 52-53. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-139-8
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 James Jacobs & Greg A. Vaughan. (2008). Into the Darklands, p. 57. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-140-4
- ↑ Tim Hitchcock et al. (2010). Heart of the Jungle, p. 15. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-247-0
- ↑ Tim Hitchcock et al. (2010). Heart of the Jungle, p. 41. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-247-0
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Rob McCreary. (2011). Ydersius.Sanctum of the Serpent God, p. 67. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-307-1
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Rob McCreary. (2011). Ydersius.Sanctum of the Serpent God, p. 71. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-307-1
- ↑ Jesse Benner, Rob McCreary, and Neil Spicer. (2011). Bestiary.Sanctum of the Serpent God, p. 82. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-307-1
- ↑ Erik Mona et al. (2008). Campaign Setting, p. 198. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-112-1
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Rob McCreary. (2011). Ydersius.Sanctum of the Serpent God, p. 70. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-307-1
