Rhaedir

Once upon a time, the name Rhaedir symbolized many of the things people valued most in the world: heroism, courage, and the endurance to stand in the face of all evil. Now, however, the name is used only ever as a curse, and those who worship the hero-god are shunned from society, if not outright killed. Placing him here, as part of the pantheon, is technically incorrect, for Rhaedir is very much imagined to be dead. Killed during the War of Suns by the Warrior’s Dream, one of Waran’s manifestations, Rhaedir’s followers have slowly begun to lose all their powers and the voice of their god, which they once heard so clearly within their hearts, has fallen eerily silent. The death of a god is a tumultuous thing, and while the scars to the landscape earned after his implosion are certainly terrifying to behold, the metaphysical and emotional wounds are much more frightening indeed. What does it mean for the god of heroes to be dead? Does heroism and morality fall when its divine progenitor falls as well? Questions which, thus far, have had no answers.

### The Hopeborn

When Rhaedir was alive, he had only one active manifestation: the Hopeborn. This was an anomaly amongst the gods, who always chose to separate themselves amongst the axis of their portfolios. Many attribute this simplicity to an aspect of Rhaedir’s personality, for the god believed the things he was to be straightforward. The Hopeborn, or Rhaedir proper, was an enormous man dressed in cloth and metal, sporting a shield and a massive, glowing spear, a helmet constantly propped up onto his head. Those who saw him would say that as soon as their eyes met the entity’s gaze, all their worries seemed to evaporate in the face of such absolute confidence. For the downtrodden, the sorrowful, the alone, Rhaedir was the face of endurance.

### The Dead God

What does the clergy do when their god dies? This question rested heavily upon the shoulders of the Church of Rhaedir following the War of Suns. The Morinfrue and Free Cities chapters immediately disbanded, as a result of societal pressures, but the Ayisan and Dimorenan sects took longer, unconvinced as to the rumors that the god was truly dead. In time, however, there was no denying it, and the truth fell hard. Clerics abandoned their faith, committed themselves to other gods, or threw away their robes entirely. But there were some who still dared to hope. The Unforgiven, or so they called themselves, gathered on the edge of the Wastes following the war and swore to each other that, through good deeds and heroic actions, they would rekindle the world’s love for their god, and provide for him the burial he deserved: one showered in accolades. Some even hoped that by embodying the things which made Rhaedir, Rhaedir, they could bring the god entirely back to life.

Nowadays, the worship of Rhaedir is either strongly disregarded, or outright banned. In the Morinfrue Dominion and the Kingdom of Qabros, admissions of worship results in immediate incarceration or execution, which seems to be the only thing those two nations agree on. In the Free Cities, worship is not illegal, but it is strongly discouraged and those who openly support the dead god are shunned from their communities, and might even be the victims of violent crimes. Neither Dimorena nor Ayisa has much of an opinion on the subject, but the more open the world gets, the more these ideals might eventually spread. Neither the White Lands nor the Enad Archipelago are centralized enough to care about which god someone worships.

The death of a god is often spoken of in stories and myths, but it is not something that has ever occurred in known history. Aevilok once died, in a manner very much similar to Rhaedir himself: while within the body of a mortal man. It is said he returned from that death, eventually, though greatly changed. Was it his inherent connection to death which allowed the god to return, or do gods eventually regenerate even from death? There is nothing to indicate the legend is anything other than symbolism, and yet…It is true that the worshippers of Rhaedir have begun to lose their powers but some...some have not. Some have gotten much, much stronger. The Unforgiven, for all their humility, still display all manner of divine power and attunement and while their attempts to communicate with their deity have failed, it has become very clear that ‘something’ is listening. Communions have resulted in responses from some voiceless being. The calls for spells have been answered. Perhaps Rhaedir is not dead at all, simply slumbering, or perhaps some other thing has mantled the responsibility of the god of heroism. Another evidence that points to the fact that Rhaedir might still be around has to do with the seereus: those born of Rhaedir are still appearing every year, glimmering in the same light which once imbued the hero-god. Are the final embers of a dead parent, or the portent for his return?