The Patriarch

## Ѳcк'Їтн'Бїа

**The Patriarch** is a demon of an unknown class most likely a **Personification Demon** also known as a Tulpa, that appears to be clearly familiar with the arcane forces and events of the World who works behind the scenes of the world for shadowy clients not of the World. He is capable of creating Hollow Men and is willing to work with the **Hollow Men** of other Demons when it would further his own ends. **The Patriarch** is obscenely powerful socially, religiously and magically.

## Biography

**The Patriarch** has existed as long as beings have had the corrupting influence of religion.

He has been a driving force in the more wicked dealings of religion.

* He sent dreams of Coram Agh Tera to the merchant **Ambrosio** as well as his eight other cultist giving the cult its start.
* He was the mysterious figure who started the Eternal Fire religion by appearing in one of the palaces of the at the time abandoned city where he sat near a great bowl of fire. Being asked about his personality, he answered: *I guard the Eternal Fire; as long as it will flame in this place, so long this city and your kin will endure* - and then he disappeared thus starting the religion, he later returned from time to time during the time of Hemmelfart he acted as his most trusted advisor and ally.

## Relationships

#### Friends

**The Patriarch** has no true friends amongst the humans and to some extent even amongst demons: only parishioners, clients, enemies, and allies.

#### Allies

##### The Coram Agh Tera Cult

* TBA

##### The Church Eternal Fire

* Cyrus Engelkind Hemmelfart (Received power and influence from his interactions with **The Patriarch**.

#### 'Clients'

##### Gaunter O'Dimm

The Patriarch makes sure that his religious organizations kept out of Gaunter O'Dimm's dealings.

#### Known Enemies

##### Follower of Freya

Due to their genuine connection to the Great Mother, they could sense the ugly, wicked nature of his soul so he avoids their temples as not to be discovered.

##### Followers of Kreve

Their Clerics can sense his wickedness as such he would avoid situations that would put him around them or their church.

##### Followers of the Prophet Lebioda

Cause their good nature disgusts him, he could be around them for short periods of time but found them to be insufferable, foolish and weak.

##### Mages

Disguised as the superior of the high clergy, Mages are one of the few that serve as a danger to The Patriarch's plans.

##### The Paladins of Ritarin

The Paladins can sense his wickedness and his intentions through the power of their connection with their god.

## Abilities

### Racial Abilities

* **Demon Physiology**:
	+ **Enhanced Strength**: **The Patriarch** is inhumanly strong with superior physical strength much more superior to a humans; easily capable of physically overpowering them.
	+ **Charming Demeanor**: **The Patriarch** is able to use his natural charm, and charisma to easily influence or persuade others to do anything he wishes thanks to his natural charm.
	+ **Human Disguise**: **The Patriarch** is capable of Polymorphing into other human forms but rarely does so as he favors his regional form, especially his one for the Continent. He is capable of appearing as different people (mostly human) to multiple people.

### Magic Abilities

* **Magic**: **The Patriarch** is capable of certain magic spells and rituals.
	+ **Absolute Contract**: **The Patriarch** as a demon is able to make an absolute contract/pact with anything, including himself. A deal is a formal agreement, usually one made between a human and a supernatural entity such as **The Patriarch**. This requires consent from both parties. And there are no restrictions on who can make a deal; even children are capable of making a deal with **The Patriarch**. The reasons for making a deal vary. For example, a deal may allow a human to gain or achieve something not possible by natural means, or it may permit the person to save someone. To complete a deal, something significant must be exchanged. Though the price can be vague and turn out to be something significant. The devil is in the details.
		- **Contract Bestowal**: **The Patriarch** is capable of giving a power, objects or changing an event through an agreement usually under the pretense of a blessing or miracle.
	+ **Concept Embodiment**: **The** **Patriarch** is an embodiment of an abstract concept (Religion) given form.
		- **Religion Embodiment** (Evil): **The Patriarch** is the living embodiment of the evils of religion, a set of variously organized beliefs about the relationship between natural and supernatural aspects of reality. **The Patriarch** can become stronger with religious beliefs or use religious attack pertaining to their faith.
			* **Dark Miracle**: **The Patriarch** can perform dark miracles or unnatural feats and cause certain but limited events to happen which are considered truly wrong to human understanding. He can make a terrible interruption of the natural laws, change things in a malefic way or simply cause horrible and unnatural occurrences and phenomena. **The Patriarch** is unnatural and corrupt always causing catastrophic events to his own benefit, those unlike its counterpart they are not as true or powerful as miracles from the divine forces. Dark Miracles work in various but tainted scales and have limited effects like causing disasters to bring great harm to good people, healing the sick and dying only to leave them cursed and empty inside, resurrecting the dead but leaving them tainted and corrupt, any dark miracle can and will have a terrible cause and will tend to bring great harm to others, even if it looks beneficial.
	+ **Corruption Empowerment**: **The Patriarch** gains strength from religious corruption or evil deeds done in the name of religion.
		- **Morality Manipulation**: **The Patriarch** can manipulate the concept of morality, making people ethically good or immorally evil by psychically kindling the targets’ minds so that they succumb to the voice of truth or to the urge of sin. The victim may feel the calling of the Almighty or some other cosmic force of good or succumb to all their inner sins. The effect may expire, but that may be years after the evocations.
	+ **Enslavement Branding**: **The Patriarch** has the ability to enslave those who accept his offer for repentance and accept a token of his choosing. Making them lose their minds and wills, becoming what **The Patriarch** calls 'The Blessed.'
		- **Mind Control**: Using his token **The Patriarch** is able to control the minds of other beings who accept his offer for repentance and his token.
	+ **Hollow Men Ritual**: **The Patriarch** is capable of creating **Hollow Men** out of human corpses, but there are certain restrictions to their making.
	+ **Human Disguise**: **The Patriarch** is capable of Polymorphing into other human forms he has a different form for each religion he is in. He is capable of appearing as different people (mostly human) to multiple people and even having his alter egos talk to each other to avoid suspicion
	+ **Lucifuge (Marking)**- **The Patriarch** is capable of marking those he deals with. With his Lucifuge, or Demon's mark he can use this to track someone wherever they go on a plane but can lose sight of them if they leave the plane via a portal or interplanar teleportation.
	+ **Teleportation**: **The Patriarch** is capable of teleporting himself around the world, via his minions and followers.

### Learned or Trained Skill

* **Knowledge of Chaos**: **The Patriarch** is capable of recognizing wards and abilities of the magically inclined, and he respects them, but he does not fear them.
* **Knowledge of the Dark Arts**: **The Patriarch** knows of Necromancy and Goetia, capable of performing the former, his Hollow Men are created with a kind of demonic necromancy actually.

## Weaknesses

### Boundaries

Leylines, as well as running water such as streams and rivers are capable of barring **The Patriarch's** path though he is capable of fording across streams and shallow rivers as long as he doesn't touch the water.

### Places of Power

Places of Power sicken **The Patriarch** through the purified chaos that radiates off them and he usually goes out of his way to avoid them and those who guard them.

### **True Name**

Demons can be summoned via their True Name being chanted five times aloud during a Summoning Ritual. By Ritual of Naming one can discover **The Patriarch** True name is օȶɦɨȶɦɮɨǟ or as it is pronounced in the tongue of man 'Ѳcк'Їтн'Бїа'.

### Wards

Proper magic wards can keep him and those under his control out of warded areas. They cannot see if they manage to get inside a ward or an illusion is presented to them if they cross the threshold of a warded area. Witches and Wisewomen know this knowledge, Mages do not, and as for Witchers some do, and some don't as it is not in most school's teachings but something they can learn from others.

### **Goetic Items**

#### Bloodstone Dagger

A specifically crafted magical dagger used for Goetia rituals and for the making of a Goat Skin Mantle.

#### Goat Skin Mantle

A properly made goat skin mantle made via the Goat Skin Mantle ritual when used to summon **The Patriarch** renders him unable to harm you or anyone associated with you when you summon him.

#### Unknown distraction object

Each demon type has an item that when presented to them at their summoning makes it easier to bind, distract or deal with them, **The Patriarch** does have such an item fascination but it is unknown what it is at present time.

#### Wand of Banishment

Like other demons, **The Patriarch** can be temporarily banished back to his own realm for 24 hours by use of a wand of this make, though if he's placed his Lucifuge on his target this is only a temporary measure of escape.

#### Ѳcк'Їтн'Бїа's True Staff of Binding

Though none have tried to bind him, theoretically one could use a True Staff of Binding to bind **The Patriarch**. Though the dangers far outweigh the rewards, it is thought that he would offer his service as a priest and the influence of his vast socio-religious empire to his master's service.

## Trivia

* The **Patriarch** is the Demonic Personification of Network of False Religions that makes its way across the world, he goes around joining religions that become corrupt being high ranking in the clergy, then he manipulates events regarding them in the shadows to his own benefit and the benefit of other dark forces that exist in the shadows of the world. He has vast religious power.
* Personification Demons are loosely based on the Tulpa of Theosophy as they are beings created by a combined thought such as the Caravan network or religious conversion and unification.
* The **Patriarch** pretends to be religious, using the cover of a holy man as a way to explain away any supernatural feats that occur surrounding him.
* The **Patriarch** is the source of the subclass of Priests, the Warlocks' power, at least in the case of a concept or untrue deity or concept, such as the Eternal Fire or The Great Sun.

## Notes

* **The Patriarch** is a pure fanon creation as such there is no official proof of his existence in the Witcher works outside the fanon community.
* You are free to include **The Patriarch** in any stories you wish, I only ask that you honor his established lore.