Chohar
Lion God of justice, loyalty, and work
Alternate: duty, toil, vigil, zeal
Chohar is one of the three Old Sun Gods of Mzali, the Lion God of justice, loyalty, and work. He is commonly depicted as a golden lion with a sun for a mane. Worship of Chohar and his fellow Sun Gods was systematically erased by the regime of Walkena, with any remnants of their old teachings revised to suit the Child God's history. As both Walkena and Chohar identify themselves as gods of justice, Walkena's priests claim that the ruler of Mzali is a direct descendant of Chohar, in spite of the former's cruel and vindictive interpretation of the concept.1
History
Even before Walkena retook the throne of Mzali, worship of the Old Sun Gods had been in steady decline as many of their teachings had been ingrained into the daily practices of the people. After the Child-God's rise, Walkena's priests scoured the city of any temples and idols dedicated to other deities, revising history to suit Walkena's tastes and destroying what could not be appropriated to his regime. Along with Tlehar and Luhar, Chohar's name was forgotten from public memory. The only remaining traces of their teachings survived within hidden chambers that were spared from Walkena's purge.2
Recently, knowledge of the Old Sun Gods have been returned to the people of Mzali due to the efforts of the Bright Lions, a revolutionary group that seeks to subvert Walkena's iron-fisted rule of Mzali. It is the hope of the leader of the freedom fighters, Sihar, that worship of the Sun Gods spreads to other lands so that, even if the Bright Lions are ultimately destroyed in their struggle against the Child-God, the memory of these deities would live on.1
Relationships
While the Old Sun Gods are considered equal in importance, Chohar attracts the largest following of worshippers among the three.2
Although Walkena and Chohar both call themselves gods of justice, Chohar abhors the Child-God's merciless sense of the concept. However, the Sun God holds much greater goals in mind than dealing with what he considers a mere pretender god, as just defeating the tyrant would not undo the generations of misfortune that Walkena has caused.2
Church
No official place of worship currently exists for Chohar. Almost all trace of the Lion God was erased by Walkena's priests, leaving only forgotten ruins below Mzali to contain any remnants of Chohar's teachings. Word of the Old Sun Gods is spread by members of the Bright Lions as they wage war against the tyrannical Child God. Lion agents infiltrating Walkena's clergy have found great success in emulating the faith of the Child God, with some suggesting that this is only made possible with the cooperation of the Lion God.3
References
For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alexander Augunas et al. (2020). Legends, p. 99–100. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-64078-254-9
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Laura-Shay Adams et al. (2021). "Religion". The Mwangi Expanse, p. 135. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-64078-340-9
- ↑ Laura-Shay Adams et al. (2021). "Mzali". The Mwangi Expanse, p. 228. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-64078-340-9