Epakohta, also known as the Lord of Madness, is the god of deserts, dreams, illusions, mirages, and madness. He is worshipped mainly by the Ashjarumi, whom he rescued from the slavery of Tirosina long ago, but some derkusi and somaki also worship him. He has never shown any great interest in increasing his power or the number of his worshippers.
Origins: There is every possibility that Epakohta, like the rest of the gods, was dreamt into being, but there is no way of being truly sure. Records do not mention him until his freeing of the Ashjarumi, more than twenty thousand years after the world began. There are some who think he was active in the new Barren Desert a good deal earlier, but there is no evidence to prove this.
Major Myths: As mentioned above, the Ashjarumi praise Epakohta to this day for freeing them from Tirosina, and also for protecting them from other hunters and enemies. He is said to keep watch over the hills where they dwell and prevent others from approaching too closely.
Epakohta is a private, inward-looking god, hardly inappropriate in a god concerned with dreams and illusions. He often goes to dance alone in the middle of the desert, to wild music that plays from an unseen source. He may dance so for hours or for days. Those who see him dancing have gone mad, have converted to his worship, have become great illusionists, or have died on the spot. There is really no way to tell what will happen.
Epakohta does not seem to make any move to increase the size of his realm, but neither does he tolerate encroachments upon it. It has often been noted that all efforts to reclaim desert land in Arcadia fail. This is often put down to Epakohta's divine guardianship.
Physical Details: Epakohta appears most often as an Ashjarum, with the lion body and elongated fox head of the breed. His golden eyes blaze with a force and life that no one could mistake for anything but divine, however.
In the dance, Epakohta flickers from avatar to avatar so fast that it is impossible to keep track of him. He may appear as an Elwen, a whirlwind of sand, a camel, a scrub bush, or almost anything else. He is the only god who does not seem to have a marked preference for one of a few avatars.
When he does not appear directly, Epakohta often acts indirectly through desert creatures, such as elf owls, who may lead a traveler to safety. When he is angry, then giant sandstorms rise, and travelers mysteriously find all oases in the area dried up.
Tenets of Worship: Followers of Epakohta are required to love the desert, and not make any effort to "replant" or "reclaim" the land. Indeed, if a natural desert develops through overgrazing or other means, they fight actively to keep it that way, and do not allow other peoples to plant crops on the dunes.
Some races, notably the desert Elwens, follow the custom of the dance, and regularly ride into the wild desert to hold dances of their own. In such cases, Epakohta is invoked and invited to join, though no one knows what may happen when this call goes out. The movements are often frenzied, and the music sourceless. Dancers have been known to perform feats during these dances that they are incapable of at any other time.
Illusionists sometimes worship Epakohta, and ask for his aid in their art, which is not very much studied by other mages since it is not specific to any one race. Epakohta sometimes responds to such a call with inspiration for a specific illusion, or by briefly giving an illusionist's image the appearance of life to frighten away an enemy.
Epakohta also acts through dreams, and so his followers reguarly record their dreams and seek out the images that others may have received.
Formal rituals are rare, but when they occur, followers tend to wear nothing except perhaps holy symbols. Naked dancing on the dunes is the most common way of worshipping the Lord of Madness.
Major Centers of Worship: The desert Elwen and sapphire Elwen cities in the southern Barren Desert are unquestionably strongholds of Epakohta's worship, as are the Ashjarum Hills to the north. Otherwise, Epakohta's worship is small and scattered.
Illusionists are often lay followers of Epakohta, but seldom clerics, being more preoccupied with their art than with prayers. Eriadi and xanmarai will also sometimes pray to him, though for the most part they seem to deal with the dream world on their own, without the god's mediation.
Some of Epakohta's followers believe that anyone who goes mad is under the god's protection, and may speak holy wisdom in between random bits of nonsense.
Other Names: Lord of the Desert, Lord of the Golden Eyes, the Mad Dancer, Illusion-Maker, the Gifter.
Major Symbols: A golden Ashjarum eye, a lion's claw, a curved sword, a broken chain (Ashjarumi only), a tilting hourglass (reference unknown, though widespread).
Relations with Other Powers: As mentioned, Epakohta is a very private god, and would only approach another power if that power seemed to be treading on his territory (such as trying to reclaim desert land).
