Darnus

Some say that there were seven gods, but the nascent Darnus devoured them before they were born. Whatever the situation, Darnus quickly left the other members of the pantheon aside, choosing to associate with the children of Darengan instead.

When Akatu was killed, Darnus got blamed for helping to set up the conspiracy, which he denied. Nonetheless, he proceeded to plot to consume another source of power - the Adamant. Darnus watched the Adamant reign in the sky and wished he could have its strength. As he swam the oceans of Altus, he decided that it would be his. So he made a deal with Axxaasto who was formed from the eye of Darengan. Axxaasto would push the Adamant from the sky into the ocean, where Darnus would eat it.

Axxaasto was stopped by Feyus, however. As Feyus fell from the sky, defeated, he turned himself into the sun to prevent Darnus from eating his body and gaining his strength. Zarodossa and Zastillifar chased Darnus, and cornered him in a shallow bay. Darnus was dragged from the water by Zastillifar, and forced to stand judgement by Zarodossa. She imprisoned him in a cage of magical ice at the bottom of the ocean, where he would be kept for ten million days. A number which many clerics believe has almost expired.

In the prison, Darnus is restless. When he crashes against the bars of his cell, earthquakes devastate the land. When he grows angry, volcanoes erupt. When he roars, storms brew.

## Teachings:

Those who are weaker than you deserve slaughter. The Titans themselves fought for power, and mortals are but pawns in the great war of the gods and demons. To rise requires ruthlessness, cruelty, and remorselessness.

In the quest for strength, banding together only results in opportunities for betrayal and sabotage. If you are intelligent enough to manipulate others to this end, do so, but beware that they may be deceiving you with feigned ignorance to your plots. If an enemy is too powerful to topple, uniting together for short periods is acceptable – but once the enemy is gone, be prepared to turn on each other.

Rulers and clerics who spread charity and mutual prosperity are selfish and greedy, only encouraging others to suck at the tit of content lives.

True selflessness involves always striving to be better and forcing others to improve as well. Those who do not seek the height of potential or who are incompetent should be snuffed out at once.

Distractions such as art, imagination, and love are but weapons used by foolish gods to distract the followers of other gods and thus perpetuate their own power. Darnus may have been captured, but only because his strength was feared by the other gods.

Destroy the followers of other gods so that when he returns, Darnus will take over the world and bring his loyal followers to a new home in the Cosmos.

## Worship

### Prayers:

**Thanks:** “Watch your back.”

**I need blessings:** “Darnus, give me fury.”

**Before Battle:** “The storm of my weapons will destroy my foes, for I am Darnus incarnate, his avatar, his tool, and the source of his retribution.”

### Rituals:

**Marriage:** When a male follower of Darnus finds a bride, he may fight her father for her. If the father refuses to part with her, he should be slain. If the female is already taken, her owner should be murdered so that she passes to her owner's killer. To kill in such a way is considered socially acceptable.

**Raiding:** To take wealth from others is acceptable. This means that you are stronger, and that Darnus does not favour them as much as yourself. Raiding during Darken is considered an honour.

**The Winter:** To mourn and remember the day that Darnus was imprisoned on the 39th of Darken, this festival sees his followers ritually burn to death infidels who follow other religions.

**Avengers of the Storm:** This group of holy warriors travel the land creating chaos, sacking towns, and toppling civilizations. They exist now as disjoint, weakened bands that Darnus seeks to re-form.

### Behaviour:

**Monotheism:** Followers of Darnus are discouraged from worshiping other gods. The humans of Yakug and Iridia examples of this.

**Ocean Travel:** Those who seek to cross oceans should consider making offerings to Darnus so that he does not sink their ships.

**Demons:** Demons are spawned from Darengan, just like the gods were. They are acceptable allies, and their magic is a useful substitute for the arcane.

**The Adamant:** The adamant is a source of great power. Basking in its nighttime glow will give you strength, and to take a shard of it is a sign of your faith.

 When Darnus thrashes within his tomb, storms brew on the surface. As he hits the bars of his cell, lightning flashes. As he roars, thunder rumbles.