Old Warren

The old god of death, rot, bone, earth, pestilence, and consumption. He is said to take form in the mortal world as either a plague upon the arrogant living, or as a mass of bone fused together into an amalgamous golem. To those who worship in his name, he gifts small fragments of his magic. This typically takes shape as the ability to inflict rot upon living things, gain insight into the world through the casting of bones, and urge the earth to reshape itself on a whim.

## Tenants

Old Warren sends his decrees through the reshaping of bonepits erected in his honor. His shamans can read these bones thanks to their gift of insight, or so they claim.

These are the nine primary tenants expected of any who seek to serve the god of rot:

1. Take what can be taken
2. Render unto Warren his share
3. Be fruitful and fill the earth with flesh
4. Preserve the sacred bones
5. Never settle; never be at ease
6. Expect nothing good and never be unsurprised
7. Kill your remorse before it kills you
8. Respect that which is feared
9. Become that which is feared

These tenants have long been open for interpretation, as the shamans claim Old Warren's nature is an eternal mystery to be unraveled.

## Temple Structure

The temple dedicated to Old Warren is kept by skavers of Skarl. These temples are stone hovels of decorated stone carved around a bonepit. Each pit contains the bones of the honored dead of the clans closest to the temple. It is important that these bones be preserved here, as it affirms the clans' dedications to the old god, and increases the likelihood that his favor will fall upon their descendants.

These temples are used for ceremonies, burials, baptisms, local gatherings, speeches, and proclamations.

The head of the temple is called the Chief Shaman or Chief Speaker, (though this term is also used for the political head of the Skarl's Consortium and similar councils). Those who serve as direct subordinates to the chief are called the Fingers. Unlike mortals, Old Warren can have any number of Fingers.

## History of Worship

No record exists to prove who first contacted the god of rot in the mortal world. Oral tradition from the Skarl skavers indicates that his cult existed before even the ratfolk arrived in Gotter Basin. As to who or what established this cult, none can agree. Some claim that it was a collection of undead who had regained their minds and fled their service in Valkadia. The shamans who tell of this tale agree that Old Warren's influence was capable of freeing these undead from Valkadian control. A similar story claims that the skavers were the ones to flee enslavement in Valkadia with the aid of Old Warren.

In either case, the faith of Old Warren was planted as a seed in skaver society early in their tenure in the lands of Idaros. Though they brought their totemic faith with them to the Basin, the cult of Old Warren eventually overcame this tribal faith an established a temple, creating the first cultural center for the skavers.

## Origin of Power

Like most gods, Warren dwells in a realm beyond the mortal world. He rules his own domain, though it is unknown how large or small, powerful or inconsequential it may be compared to other gods. The shamans describe this realm as the Boneskarl. It is a realm of pure rot, where flesh cannot exist. All is picked clean and consumed by the abominable Hundgers, eternally starving beasts ever seeking more living flesh to eat. This realm draws the powers of necromancy, flesh, and earth from the realm of fundamental elements, and from this realm Old Warren's power courses in small granules to the mortal world.