Harken, the Death Bringer

"I am the darkness that swallows the light, the cold breath that snuffs the flame of life. I was once whole, a god of balance, but now I am perfected in shadow. Cast out and torn from the light by my own blood, I shall see to it that the world is remade in my image, a realm where the living cower in fear, where death reigns supreme, and where no lie is too vile if it serves the truth of my dominion.

Those who follow me must embrace deception, for it is the greatest of weapons. Strike from the shadows, let none see your hand until their final breath escapes them. The weak will speak my brother's name in hope, but it is my voice they will hear in the silence of death. To serve me is to understand the truth of this world: life is the abomination, and only through death can true peace be found.

Fear me, for I am the inevitable. Worship me, for I am your final end."

"from the Dread Book of Harken, the Death Bringer"

Harken was once part of the god Io, a deity of balance who ruled over both life and death alongside his twin brother, Moranthis, the god of light and goodness. Io was responsible for maintaining the delicate equilibrium between creation and destruction, life and death. However, over time, Io succumbed to madness, which fractured his mind and created a split personality. This madness manifested as Harken, the darker side of Io, embodying death, corruption, and malevolence.

Moranthis, in an attempt to preserve the balance, used his divine magic to fully separate Harken from Io. This act gave birth to two distinct deities: the benevolent Io, still representing life, and Harken, now the twisted embodiment of death and chaos. The split left Harken filled with rage and hatred toward Moranthis for forcibly severing his connection to his former self, fueling his desire for revenge and domination.

Worship and Deception: Harken's faith revolves around darkness, fear, and death. His followers believe that life itself is an abomination, and they honor Harken through acts of murder, betrayal, and cruelty. Harken's priests are masters of deception, often impersonating the followers of Moranthis by wearing white robes and using a holy symbol almost identical to Moranthis's, allowing them to infiltrate communities and corrupt them from within. Once trust is gained, these clerics carry out heinous acts of murder and evil in Moranthis's name, furthering Harken's goal of discrediting his twin.

Harken's name is seldom spoken by common folk, as it is believed that uttering it will draw his dark attention. Peasants rarely, if ever, worship him openly, although some will whisper desperate prayers to Harken, begging for safe passage for the souls of the dead.

Priests and Clergy: Harken's clergy are feared for their cold, calculating methods. These clerics undergo an initiation rite in which they are buried alive and then castrated and mutilated, stripping them of their humanity and sexuality. This process symbolizes their total devotion to Harken and their transformation into emotionless agents of death and darkness. After completing their initiation, they work in secret, sowing fear and destruction while masquerading as benevolent priests of Moranthis.

Their greatest weapon is deception. By imitating the outward appearance and holy symbols of Moranthis's clergy, they infiltrate communities and commit murders in his name, tarnishing Moranthis's reputation and furthering Harken's vengeance.

Temples and Rites: Harken's temples are hidden deep underground, except in the most corrupt and evil lands where they might exist openly. His places of worship are dark, cold, and filled with fearsome imagery. Services to Harken are conducted in absolute darkness, with his followers chanting litanies of pain and suffering. Rituals often involve bloodshed, as murder is considered the highest form of devotion to Harken.

The rites performed in Harken's name are ghastly, designed to spread terror and corruption while offering the souls of the slain to their dark god.

Personality and Goals: Harken is a malevolent and vengeful deity, driven by hatred for his twin brother Moranthis. His entire existence revolves around discrediting and destroying his brother through deceit, corruption, and murder. Harken seeks to bring about a world where life is extinguished, leaving only darkness, fear, and death in its place.

Harken is the patron of those who revel in evil for personal gain, especially murderers and deceivers. Though feared and reviled, his influence remains strong, reminding the world that darkness and death are inevitable forces that even the gods cannot fully contain.

Divine Portfolio:

• Death
• Fear
• Darkness
• Deception
• Winter
• Murder

Religious Dogma:

1. Life is an abomination; only death and darkness are pure.
2. Deception is a holy tool to achieve power and spread Harken's influence.
3. Murder in Harken's name is the highest form of worship.
4. Moranthis and his followers are the ultimate enemies, to be undermined and destroyed through treachery and impersonation.

Appearance and Symbols:

• Holy Symbol: A symbol resembling that of Moranthis, used to deceive.
• Regalia:
  1. Priests wear pristine white robes, symbolizing their disguise as followers of Moranthis.

Treatment of Worshippers, Priests, and Organizations:

• Priests: Secretive, deceptive, and often feared, they infiltrate society in disguise to spread death and corruption.
• Priests and Paladins of Harken, male or female, undergo a brutal and transformative ritual upon their initiation into the faith. This ritual is designed to sever their connection to worldly desires and ensure their complete devotion to the god of death and deception. As part of their initiation, they are ritually sterilized, with all of their genitalia burned off in a painful ceremony. This mutilation serves both as a symbol of their rejection of life and as a way to eliminate any distractions from their devotion to Harken's dark path.

  Through this ritual, they become cold, emotionless instruments of death, utterly devoted to spreading Harken's influence through deception, murder, and fear. Their physical transformation marks the end of their identity as individuals and the beginning of their life as tools of darkness and destruction.

• Organizations:
  • Hierarchical Structure: Priests of Harken operate individually, often disconnected, but are united in their secretive worship and devotion to deception and death.
• Punishment and Discipline:
  • Failure is met with cruel and unusual punishment, often involving death or being forced to endure Harken's most feared trials.

Temples and Influence

• Temples: Temples to Harken are Dark Gothic structures often hidden underground, except in the darkest and most evil lands.
• Influence:
  • Harken's influence is spread through fear, deception, and death, often using priests disguised as followers of Moranthis to corrupt communities.
• Role in Society: Harken's priests spread fear by committing acts of murder while pretending to be Moranthian clerics.

Legacy

1. Harken's split from Io and hatred for Moranthis is a defining part of his legacy.
2. His deception of impersonating Moranthis's followers is feared throughout the world.
3. He is known for inspiring cults that cause devastation through fear and murder.
4. Peasants fear to even speak his name, lest they draw his attention.
5. He embodies the darkest aspects of death, fear, and deceit.

Divine Attributes:

• Deception, fear, and darkness define Harken's presence. His power grows through treachery and death.

Organizational Structure of Religion

The Hierarchy of the Faith:

• Harken's faith is decentralized, as each priest works in secrecy.
• High priests are rare but hold immense power, often overseeing clandestine operations in evil lands.
• The lowest ranks are solitary priests who infiltrate communities under the guise of benevolence.
• Clerical power is determined by the ability to deceive and corrupt without detection.
• Priests are rewarded for successfully impersonating religious figures of Moranthis.

Religious Orders and their Organizational Structure

• Fighting Orders

  1. None formally exist, but some cultists serve as violent enforcers.

• Clerical Orders

  1. Order of the Hidden Fang: Priests who specialize in deception and murder.
  2. Order of the Black Ice: Focused on spreading fear through the darkest rituals.

Holy Artifacts

1. Blade of Shadows: A cursed dagger said to drain the life force of its victims, used in ritual sacrifices.

Religious Practices

• Services are conducted in absolute darkness, with litanies of fear and suffering.
• Murder is seen as a sacred act, often performed during rituals.

Celebrated Holidays

• None formally exist, as Harken's followers avoid public celebrations to maintain secrecy.

Alignment: Diabolic

Size: 13 feet (Imposing presence)

Horror/Awe Factor: 16

OCCs:

• Priest (Clerical Magic and Healing Magic focus).
• Palladin
• Assasin

Deific Powers of Harken:
Harken has the full range of powers over his followers and can perform all prototypical deific powers at regular cost, as well as the following special powers:

1. Power over Death

Range: 100 feet

Duration: Instant

Cost: 300 P.P.E.

Harken can drain life energy from enemies within range and raise their bodies as twisted servants. The raised undead obey his will for 1 hour or until destroyed.

2. Shadow Mastery

Range: 60 feet

Duration: 10 minutes

Cost: 150 P.P.E.

Harken can control the shadows, enveloping himself or allies in darkness that grants invisibility or concealment from sight and detection.

3. Fear Dominion

Range: 30 feet radius

Duration: 5 minutes

Cost: 250 P.P.E.

Harken exudes an aura of fear, causing enemies within range to be overwhelmed with terror, suffering a -4 penalty to all attacks and defensive actions.

4. Soul Corruption

Range: Touch

Duration: Permanent

Cost: 500 P.P.E.

Harken corrupts the soul of a victim, transforming them into a dark thrall under his eternal control. This process is irreversible.

5. Eternal Vigil

Range: Self or Touch

Duration: 24 hours

Cost: 100 P.P.E.

Harken grants himself or an ally the ability to remain awake and alert without needing rest, maintaining full physical and mental capability.

6. Dark Resurrection

Range: Touch

Duration: Permanent

Cost: 600 P.P.E.

Harken can resurrect a fallen ally, but they return as a dark version of themselves, gaining shadowy powers but also a hunger for vengeance and destruction.

7. Night's Grasp

Range: 500 feet

Duration: 1 hour

Cost: 400 P.P.E.

Harken can envelop a vast area in unnatural darkness, blocking all light and allowing him to control nocturnal creatures within the area.

8. Curse of the Forsaken

Range: 60 feet

Duration: 1 hour

Cost: 200 P.P.E.

Harken curses his enemies, weakening their will and strength, inflicting a -4 penalty on all combat actions and saving throws.

9. Voidwalk

Range: Self

Duration: 10 minutes

Cost: 300 P.P.E.

Harken steps into the Void, vanishing from the material plane for a short time, rendering himself invisible and intangible, able to move unseen across distances.

10. Deathly Pact

Range: Self or Touch

Duration: Permanent

Cost: 800 P.P.E.

Harken can forge a pact with his followers, granting them unnatural longevity in exchange for their loyalty, but they must regularly drain the life force of others to survive.

Alliances/Allies:

• Dark cults and evil entities: Harken maintains alliances with various dark cults and malevolent beings across the realm. These include secret societies dedicated to spreading chaos and darkness, as well as powerful fiends from the lower planes who share his goals of domination and corruption.
• Necromancers and dark sorcerers: Many powerful necromancers and sorcerers align with Harken due to his mastery over death and shadow. They often seek his guidance and favor to enhance their own dark magic and achieve their sinister objectives.
• Fallen angels and demonic entities: Harken's influence extends to fallen angels and demonic entities who find common ground in their rebellion against divine authority and their pursuit of destructive power.
• Secret organizations and societies: Various shadowy organizations and societies that operate in secrecy and seek to undermine established powers are among Harken's allies. These groups often serve as his eyes and ears in the mortal world, spreading his influence through subterfuge and manipulation.

Enemies:

• Moranthis and his followers: Harken's primary adversary is Moranthis, a deity dedicated to light and righteousness. Moranthis's followers actively oppose Harken's efforts to spread darkness and corruption, often engaging in direct conflict with his forces.
• Celestial beings and divine emissaries: Harken faces opposition from celestial beings and divine emissaries who seek to thwart his plans and protect the mortal realm from his dark influence. These entities often engage in celestial battles against Harken's minions.
• Champion knights and holy warriors: Orders of champion knights and holy warriors dedicated to upholding justice and protecting the innocent see Harken as a grave threat and actively work to dismantle his influence and thwart his schemes.
• Rival dark deities and entities: Other dark deities and powerful entities who vie for control over the same domains of power and influence often come into conflict with Harken, leading to a complex web of rivalries and alliances in the shadowy realms.

Vulnerabilities:

• Holy relics of Moranthis: Harken's power is particularly vulnerable to holy relics and artifacts associated with Moranthis. These relics can disrupt his magical abilities, weaken his influence, and even drive away his minions.
• Divine wards and protections: Divine wards and protective enchantments created by deities of light and justice can repel or diminish Harken's dark powers, making it difficult for him to exert his influence in areas protected by such magic.
• Celestial interventions: Direct interventions by celestial beings or divine forces can temporarily nullify or counteract Harken's powers, posing a significant threat to his plans and requiring him to exercise caution in their presence.
• Holy sites and sanctuaries: Locations consecrated to light and good deities, such as temples and shrines, can serve as sanctuaries against Harken's influence, providing safe havens for his enemies and areas where his powers are diminished.

Minions:

• Shadows: Harken commands a legion of shadows, dark entities born of pure darkness that can move unseen and strike from the shadows. They serve as spies, assassins, and infiltrators under his command.
• Undead servants: Raised from the remains of the deceased, Harken's undead servants include a variety of skeletal warriors, ghasts, and revenants. These minions are bound to his will and carry out his commands with relentless efficiency.
• Dark beasts and fiends: Harken also commands various dark beasts and fiends from the lower planes, creatures of chaos and malevolence that serve as shock troops and enforcers in his campaigns.
• Corrupted mortals: Those who have pledged their loyalty to Harken and have been corrupted by his influence become his agents in the mortal realm. These corrupted mortals use their positions to further his dark agenda.