The Old Gods

Gazar is home to several pantheons and belief systems, but the most ancient and primitive of them all is the worship of mortals' oldest foe: monsters. The first humans of Gazar deified and worshiped brutal gods devised around monsters they saw and fought. They viewed all monsters as aspects of the manifold god Baliel, who represented all chaos, fear, and death in their young and terrifying world.

## The Big Three

Of all the aspects of Baliel, three were held above the rest.

### Goshun, Lord of Pride and Glory

Based on one of Gazar's most fearsome predators, a tusked lion-like being of the same name, Goshun was the aspect of Baliel that represented being an apex predator, the greatest achievement of any being in a primordial free-for-all of an existence.

### Laka, Lord of Fear and Death

Possibly one of Gazar's scariest monsters, Laka was based on sightings of Kunnidegi, and later on the advent of the namesake disease in human populations. Laka is best known for these infected people who were either lost to the savage bestiality of the carrier or "cured" with special rituals, transforming once-weak and fragile humans into antlered demigods of savage power and brutal strength. Wherever the children of Laka go, death follows.

### Sorulaag, Lord of Forbiddence

Sorulaag was based on scarazas, magic-eating shadow beasts in the form of giant bats. This developed into his association with magic, knowledge, and secrets...especially forbidden magic, knowledge, and secrets.

## Other Noteworthy Old Gods

While not as highly revered as the big three, these aspects of Baliel were still renowned and powerful enough to get their names on the map.

### Tammuzez

Tamuzez was a bull-headed god of strength and mindless fury. He was based on early sighting of minotaurs, and his followers sometimes undergo rituals to transform themselves into the same monsters. His symbol is bronze bull horns.

### Khudlaa

Khudlaa was a centipede-like god associated with trickery, lies, and illusion, named after and inspired by the monster of the same name.

### Shar Shuuv

Shar Shuuv represented the north wind, ice, and winter, and was partially named for the shuvuu, a four-winged giant owl found in the north.

### Veth Koth

Veth Koth was one of the few old gods not still considered 100% evil. Manifesting as an owlbear, he represented rigid loyalty, steadfastness, an unyielding spirit, and the fury of protecting one's land.

### Kriiza

Kriiza was hailed as the god of the hunt, cunning, battle prowess, and poison. He manifested as a krii, reptilian mantis-like creatures of northwestern Bagheer.

### Azrbaal

Azrbaal symbolized death, decay, fungus, undeath, and the circle of life. He manifested as a azrika, leshy-like fungus monsters who have a habit of reanimating corpses with their scions.

### Shurikith the Lurker

Shurikith was a deep-dwelling ocean god of mystery, fear, and the fathomless void. Among some of the more powerful of the Old Gods, he tricked an entire family of dragons and cursed them to dwelling in the seas. Supposedly, the myth of Shurikith was based on ancient sighting of leviathans, since he was depicted as a colossal serpent with four eyes, but several relics and ruins referencing him have been found and dated to before the fall of Gal Bokel and the arrival of dragons in Gazar.

### Tsaraigi, the Faceless God

Tsaraigi was known to be one of the most powerful aspects of Baliel not included in the big three. He was depicted as a humanoid figure with gray skin, predictably and entirely lacking facial features, wearing nothing but his claws and the hideous gaping mouth in the center of his chest. Traditions of the Old Faith hold that legions of the faceless will poor from the deepest caves to end the world.

### Shono, Lady of Night

Shono was the wife of Tsaraigi, and was depicted as a faceless pale-skinned woman with long, straight, black hair. She was associated with the void and the birthing of monsters, and its worth note that there is no known monster in Gazar that resembles her.