Phlogiston

A male figure wreathed head to foot in roaring flames, Phlogiston brings destruction wherever he walks, and revels in it. The one thing rivalling - or perhaps surpassing - the deity’s love of wanton destruction is his peculiar and nigh-obsessive love for the mortal art of cooking. When Phlogiston first appeared before mortals, the destruction he wrought was unparalleled, but it was stopped short when a chef berated him for interrupting their work, either unperturbed by, or oblivious to, the nature of the being they were chastising. At this, Phlogiston simply disappeared in a billow of smoke, not to appear again for over a decade - it was only his occasional summoning of high-profile mortal chefs that indicated he had not simply ceased to exist.

## Worshippers

Explicit worship of Phlogiston is rather rare, but it is not uncommon for small shrines to be kept in professional kitchens, with tending to the shrine doled out as punishment for apprentices due to the tendency to heat themselves enough to scald, regardless of the material from which the shrine is constructed. The few temples to Phlogiston that exist typically take a form reminiscent of a chef’s guild or academy, but tend to attract eccentric culinary experimentalists rather than actual students. Common practice in these temples is to invent novel dishes and leave them by a shrine to Phlogiston as an offering, which usually disappears overnight. Sometimes, the dish may be received strongly enough to prompt a response; A favourable verdict typically leads to an Imp or other fiendish servant delivering a boon such as a rare spice, while if the dish is received poorly, misfortune often follows, such as the pantry spontaneously combusting or silverware becoming scorching hot to the touch.

Phlogiston’s whims, beyond his obsession with the culinary arts, are constantly in flux. A flavour or ingredient that pleased him one day may send him into a rage the next, or he may simply begin demanding copious amounts of a particular food from his Clerics even when it is entirely unreasonable, only to dish out punishment for failing to deliver to his satisfaction. On occasion, he becomes displeased enough to venture out of his divine realm and wreak havoc upon some unsuspecting locale, either raging at everything in the area and turning it to ash, or partaking in ‘banquets’ that, while relatively calm, are no less destructive, with the unwilling participants forced to drink copious amounts of flaming beverages and red-hot food produced by the deity himself, all in an environment akin to a sauna, as the deity does them the ‘favour’ of reducing his usual calidity to ‘only’ a painful heat, rather than the deadly inferno it typically takes the form of.

Due to his unpredictable, near-violent behaviour and attitude, Phlogiston is an unpopular deity with those sound of mind, typically being paid respect and occasionally tribute, though mostly out of fear. His worshippers, instead, are either eccentric or insane, typically either those with an equally-obsessive love of the culinary arts, or those who find kinship in his love of destruction and fire, such as arsonists.

## Holy Text

The closest thing to a holy text Phlogistonic religion holds is the Phlogistonic Cookbook, a text written by each believer detailing recipes for everything from ludicrously-spicy meringues to actual explosives, interspersed with tidbits of wisdom about how to live one’s life. While there are a few common recipes and commandments among each copy, with particularly-famous concoctions or sayings of the deity himself typically being inscribed first and foremost before the new inductee begins their own path, each copy is further filled with the scribe’s own creations or those shared with them by fellow enthusiasts.

## Edicts & Anathema

Phlogiston's Edicts are, in no particular order:

* Revel and have fun in whatever ways you please, and burn your candle at both ends; you never know when your life will end.
* Experiment and don't be afraid of change. Never let your life become stale.
* Live free or die; destroy anything that displeases you or would impose order upon you.

Phlogiston's Anathema are, in no particular order:

* Impose order upon another person. Everybody's life is theirs to live how they wish.
* Serve bland food and drink.
* Allow that which you detest to exist.