Jorgel Rykuh

Jorgel Rykuh, the Blood Cultist, was a 22 year old half Dwarf, half Celestial Elf who dwelled in Port Solanaria, Bardonia in Rathnir. He was the founder of Beetriaty, which was a cult-like religion around beetroots and cannibalism.
== Appearance ==
Jorgel's most notable features were his vibrant red coloured dragon-like eyes and pointed elven ears. He had pale skin and short black hair and stood at 5'9/1.75 metres tall even with his dwarven heritage, likely due to his unusually tall dwarf father and his mother's celestial elf genes. He typically wore pale red robes and a darker red shirt and pants with a dark red cloak over his shoulders and covering his lower face. Jorgel's obsession with the colour red allegedly stemmed from his love of the taste of beetroots. 
== Family ==
Jorgel's only known family was his biological father, Hipps Rykuh who raised Jorgel and lived with him until his death at age 83. His mother was unknown to both him and his father but was a celestial elf from Aurlûnor Velande named Nalithra Faelisar who stayed elsewhere in Port Solanaria. They were also unaware of Jorgel's half-brother Althorin Faelisar who lived in Aurlûnor until moving to the town after Jorgel's death.
== Biography ==
=== Death of Jorgel's father ===
Jorgel was raised by his father Hipps, a faithful Tuberist and Elder Potato, for most of his younger years. Hipps taught Jorgel about the holiness of the potato and how the beetroot was cursed and not to be worshipped or consumed under any circumstances. During one of Hipps' teachings Jorgel was taken to the city well which they descended down and entered Port Solanaria's catacombs. But whilst swimming down a strange wind blew out the light in the tunnels below and in the confusion Hipps and Jorgel were seperated. Jorgel explored the catacombs unsure of how his father had disappeared behind him, when he stumbled into a room containing a cauldron.
A red mixture bubbled inside and Jorgel dipped his fingers in, licking them. The taste and smell of the mixture were unfamiliar to him, but were quite pleasant. Nobody seemed to be in the room as Jorgel looked around, before he was startled by a fresh severed head against the wall. When Jorgel turned back to the cauldron, questioning if he had just tasted human remains, a face floated to the top of the mixture. But the face didn't belong to another severed head, instead a winged humanoid figure crawled out from the mixture as Jorgel fell backwards in shock. He quickly scrambled to his feet and ran from the room, screaming out for his father.
He managed to swim back up the well and escape, but a day later, Hipps was found dead in the catacombs.
A funeral was held for Hipps, with a small viking ship being pushed out to sea and set alight with his body on. The locals watched from the shore mourning but Jorgel, enraged, plotted to return to the catacombs to slay the creature that he believed had murdered his father in an act of revenge. Though Jorgel was unaware that Hipps had actually died from a fall after running down wet steps trying to find Jorgel when he heard his scream.
=== Founding of Beetriaty ===
==== Returning to the catacombs ====
Nonetheless Jorgel descended into the catacombs again the next night with his kukri knife and shield and made his way to the cauldron room. There he cautiously approached the cauldron, still bubbling, before he quickly thrusted his knife into the mixture trying to stab whatever was inside. But his knife didn't seem to hit anything, and so in his heightened anger, he grabbed the cauldron to tip it over and be sure the creature was not inside. But the cauldron was heavy and he lost footing as tried to tip it, instead falling and causing the cauldron to splash the mixture all over him. He writhed in pain as the hot mixture burned him and ran into his eyes and mouth. He yelled out, but his cries seemed to be echoed by other screams in his head. Images began to flicker in his eyes of some kind of slaughter which had happened in Solanaria, women and children screaming as they were cut down by the city guards. Eventually the pain died down and Jorgel was left contemplating the strange visions he had just had.
Before he got up, a loud raspy voice seemed to whisper in his ear, "Through beetroot and blood, they can all be saved." Jorgel quickly turned expecting to see the creature beside him, but the room was empty.
==== Witnessing the deity Bthoro ====
The visions had distracted Jorgel from his quest for revenge and he spent many nights contemplating them. Jorgel figured that the mixture was likely a beetroot soup because of what the voice had told him, but the association with beetroot made him uncomfortable. He remembered what his father had taught him about the cursed vegetable.
He went out again one night to look at the burnt remains of his father's ship, which were still partly afloat. He reflected on what he had been told about beetroots, but a guilt lingered in him after seeing the visions of people killed by the city guard. A small part of him asked if Hipps was wrong about the beetroot, but he could not decide what was right to do. It was then a great rumbling could be heard, becoming louder and louder. A huge horned deity crashed through the ocean until it stood waist deep in the water. The giant had a skull-like head, bright red skin, two huge wings and an open chest, with a beating beetroot shaped heart behind its exposed ribs. Jorgel stood froze as the titan frowned down at him. He dropped to the ground and bowed to the creature. It submerged back into the water as fast as it had risen. And after the calming of the waters, Jorgel could no longer see Hipps' wrecked ship.
Jorgel named the deity Bthoro, and out of both fear and admiration, he devoted himself to serving it. He grew beetroots in secret, in the basement of an abandoned house because he knew the population of the holy city of Solanaria were all followers of Tuberism and would condemn Jorgel's practices. The punishment for beetroot consumption and worship was always death, so he had to remain hidden.
==== Sons of the cauldron and suspicion of heresy ====
Jorgel returned to the Cauldron room again, now seeking the creature for guidance instead of revenge. This time the creature, who introduced itself as Cauldrax, appeared to him. It told him about the history of the Tuberists in Solanaria and their genocides against the non-religious and beetroot worshippers. It told Jorgel that he must rid the world this evil religion which oppressed the holy beetroot by converting, or conquering the holy city.
Jorgel spread word about the deities and visions he had to a few trusted individuals and formed a small cult, the Sons of the Cauldron. This would be the first branch in the religion of Beetriaty until some of cult's beliefs were spread to the cities of Virothen and Yuzhen after Jorgel's death. These beliefs would be adopted as part of Annunor Bay's existing dominant religion and form Beetroot Aethochronism, the second branch of Beetriaty.
The cult planned to convert the city by poisoning the vodka supply with a concentrated mixture of beetroots which would enlighten the population as the soup had done for Jorgel and the others. They took time trying to brew a strong enough mixture that could not be detected in the vodka by the locals. But this would require chemicals and other ingredients that the cult didn't have. The plan would be delayed as they searched for the necessary ingredients.
Eventually the beetroot farm under the abandoned building was found by authorities. The stash was burnt and suspicion grew about who was responsible for it, word of a heretical beetroot cult operating in Solanaria started spreading. Jorgel believed nothing could tie him to the beetroot cult, but was disturbed after receiving mail threatening him and demanding he be gone from the city. Though the mail did not accuse him of involvement with the beetroot incidents there was still the possibility that the writer knew about this. The letter was signed "The Sols" and came with a package. Jorgel opened the lid of the package but was suddenly blasted backwards by an explosion. The pipe bomb inside detonated and flung Jorgel to the cobbles, but he luckily survived, though majorly injured.
=== Seiz and Sol attempt to kill Jorgel ===
After recovering from hospital Jorgel would decide against leaving to continue fulfilling his god's wishes. He ventured out one day to find chemicals for the beetroot mixture, but when exiting the city he was approached by Mayor Erian Seiz. Erian commented on how he heard about the bomb and asked if Jorgel knew who was responsible. Jorgel would discuss how he received a letter from "The Sols" but did not know who they were, and Erian recognised the name, leading Jorgel to a building in the city. A sign on the building read "Sol's farming Initiate Loan Company Ltd".
They entered looking for any evidence that these were the people responsible for the bomb. After searching for a few moments, Erian suddenly threatened Jorgel to enter the basement. In the basement Erian explained that he was friends with the Sol family before saying that Bracken Sol would be with Jorgel shortly and returning up the steps. Bracken descended the steps straight after, fully armoured and armed with a netherite axe. Jorgel begged not to be killed and that he would leave the city, but Bracken explained how this was Erian's plan. Seiz wanted to eradicate all his political opponents, including the son of the late Hipps, who was an Elder Potato for Tuberism and loved builder and tavernkeeper in the town. Bracken was Erian's hitman who was being paid to eliminate anyone who could pose a threat in the next mayoral election.
Bracken would charge at Jorgel, but after a missing with his first attack, he allowed Jorgel to escape the basement. He chased after Jorgel, who was slow and still recovering from the explosion, and was catching up. But Jorgel burst out of the building into the alleyway district's river. Bracken dived in to swim after him but could not stay afloat in his heavy armour. As Jorgel ran back home and locked his doors, Bracken drowned in the river.
=== Erian Seiz's takeover of Solanaria ===
==== City lockdown and Jorgel's capture ====
Some time later, while Jorgel was still hiding in his home, a city-wide lockdown was initiated by mayor Erian. With the death of Erian's hitman, his plan had to be altered, and he decided to use the city guard to capture all of his opponents. Erian accused his rivals of heresy and being responsible for the beetroot incidents. Lnedible, Blue Salmon, Laythe (three of the five elder potatoes), Ian Ninjarian (a popular mayoral candidate) and Jorgel Rykuh were to be captured and executed on the 4th June 2022.
Jorgel's house was stormed by the city guard on the 2nd of June and he remained captive along with Lnedible, who was also captured, until their scheduled execution. Many others who opposed Erian's takeover as the start of a tyrant regime were also labelled as heretics and imprisoned to be later executed.
==== Battle at the Elder Shrine ====
Jorgel, Lnedible and the prisoners were gathered at the Elder Potato Shrine in the city. However the uncaptured rivals of Erian would attempt to prevent the executions from going through. A group of mercenaries led by Ian Ninjarian arrived at the square and began attacking the city guard. Blue arrived and stopped the beheading of Lnedible, but could not help Jorgel as he was cut at the neck. The cut was not fatal but Jorgel collapsed and was bleeding heavily. However, Laythe's bomb provided a distraction for the prisoners to escape and Jorgel was be rushed to a secret safehouse in the slums.
He awoke bandaged at the neck, now much later in the night. The others, Laythe, Blue, Ian and Lnedible were recovering from the chaos and the injuries they had received in the battle. Apps, the owner of the safehouse, entered and gave them each drinks. They toasted to potatoes giving strength, a common practice in Tuberism. But as Jorgel looked at the faces of the Tuberists that had saved him, and recalled the teachings of his father, he came to a realisation. He quickly left after drinking the vodka and made his way to the sea.
=== Jorgel's Suicide ===
He remembered what the deity told him about how evil the Tuberists were. But the events of the battle seemed to contradict this, they had put themselves in great danger to save him. A wave of guilt came over him in the safehouse as he realised how willing he was to abandon everything his father had taught him because of the deity's lies.
He reached the sea wall and turned to look at the city behind him. Faced with the air of a silent grief Jorgel wondered how the city could deserve to be put through Erian's tyranny. He pictured Hipps' face. His father's voice warned him about the danger of heresy, and the curse that the beetroot brings. Young Jorgel promised his father then that he would never worship the beet.
"I'm so sorry."
He stepped forwards off the wall and plummeted into the sea, his cloak fluttering wildly as he descended to his death.
Category:Characters
Category:Lore
Category:Traveler's Era