Dark Gods

## Beings of Evil Incarnate

They exist beyond the Mortal Realms and they want nothing less then to bring corruption and ruin to the world. The counter-force to The Light. Though they are beings of immeasurable power there are few laws that bind even them:

* A gods perception and awareness is limited to what his followers see and learn.
* The gods knowledge is also not endless. It usually is great and grows with every soul that joins them, but might hold some crucial gaps.
* It appears that most of their power is bound in their struggles against each other.
* Gods can hurt and very well kill each other, if they wanted to. According to news from the Underworld, Azzathra killed and **ate** one of his long standing rivals, Mordrul the Devourer, not too long ago (talk about irony). The late God's priesthood didn't last long afterwards.
* Gods have to follow the rules of space and time at least to some degree. Actual time travel is unheard of and successfully killed Gods stay dead. It is also a constant topic of debate whether they can see the future or not.
* Finally, just like The Light, The Dark Gods can only assert their power onto the the material world trough proxies. But unlike The Light their methods are far more chaotic.

## The Chosen of the Dark Gods

Cruel magical beasts, evil cults without number, champions who have sacrificed the very things which made them mortal (and, most of the time, that includes the people closest to them) are all among the number. But all those many servants are merely tools to the Dark Gods to further their own agendas.

To announce their will to the world, they have to rely on mortal servants and devout priests praying at their temples. In The Underworld, the cults and priesthood of the various Dark Gods have a lot of influence. In some places they are the dominant institution, forming actual theocracies. Over the course of centuries and millenia, they have shaped society to their liking and attempted to erase all traces of what is nice and good.

Using the power reserved only for beings of divine origin, The Dark Gods granted the Spark of Life to beings by their own design. These fearsome creatures are known as Demonic Beasts. But Demons are a chaotic lot who have a mind of their own. Only the weakest ones, like imps, are directly bound to their creator's will. Horned Reapers have much more leeway in their actions.

But above even their Demons come their (once) mortal champions. Their capacity for cruelty is without limit and the threat they pose is global. The whole world knows of them. They are - Dungeon Keepers.

## Their Temples and Priests

Willing servants and vassals of the Dark Gods these people use Dark Magic to preform services and pursue agendas in the name of their chosen Evil deity. These Dark Priests pursue power and immortality with mad fervor, climbing up the bloody ladder at the expense of any who stand in their way.

The servants of The Light are their foes, the servants of other Dark Gods are their rivals and the other priests of their deity - their competition.

### Dark Temple Organization

Each Dark God's temple has a unique structure to it, from the simple look and feel, down to the Traditions and dogma. As such their is no single correct way of classifying and ranking Dark Priests. The ranks of priests, by ascending order, which are known to be used are:

1. Temple Aid, Cultist
2. Acolyte
3. Dark Priest
4. High Priest, Death Priest (unique to Crowned Death)
5. Black Cardinal (only one Black Cardinal exists for a church at a time, they are considered their Dark Gods favored priest)

## Dark Realms

Only few people have visited the home of the Dark Gods and returned. And even less are willing to tell about this experience. Those who do describe a dark and empty place without directions, no up or down or even solid ground. There the Dark Gods are the only solid things drifting in eternal darkness accompanied only by the tormented souls of their late followers.

## Known Gods

### **Azzathra**, The Mighty Tyrant

One of "The Big 5".

Azzathra is the dark deity of tyrants and conquerors. With powers over domains such as "War" and "Domination" his worshipers tend to be those who seek power by force of arms. To truly follow Azzathra is to strive for more authority and power every waking moment of your life, only to be satisfied when all is laid at your feet.

He has a very large and diverse following, with even his warlock followers tend to posses some level of tactical acumen as the Mighty Tyrant despises those who are "overly reliant on Magic" and views them as weaklings to to subjugated.

### **Mordrul the Devourer**, God of Gluttony.

Defeated and, ironically enough, eaten by Azzathra - Mordul **was** the Lord of Gluttony and the patron God to all Bile Demons.

### **Isubiar**, God of Ruinous Flames and Destruction

One of "The Big 5".

Isubiar is the dark deity of those who revel in ruin in its purist form. He is the Dark God of passion and desires taken to their most extreme and he prefers followers that are never sated. To them, the only true way to claim something is to destroy it - only then does what they seek truly become theirs forever.

Isubiar's priests wield some of the most destructive Magic in the known World, they are granted a measure of power over the deity's authorities over "Flame" and "Destruction". Many warriors and warlocks subjugate themselves to Isubiar in return for boons and power.

### **The Unraveller of Secrets**, Dark God of All Knowledge

One of "The Big 5".

The Unraveller is a sinister deity, always creating plots and schemes to further his own insatiable thirst for knowledge. Those who follow the Unraveller are those who believe that no price, even their own Mind, is ever too great for the pursuit of dark secrets. Servants of the Dark God of Knowledge come off as unemotional and calculating at best - and cold-hearted and machine-like at worst. The boons the Unralveller prefers to grant slowly strip away emotion form his followers, leaving them as obedient and efficient servants for his goals (this is most noticeable when it comes to Demons of the Unraveller such as **Gazers** and with Keepers that have been in his service for a long period). The Unraveller has authority over the domains of "Invention" and "Knowledge" but he, and his worshipers, always use their power in Evil pursuits.

The Unraveller's power has grown and waned over the years but he has once again claimed his place among the strongest currently active Dark Gods. This Dark God was involved in, and was a key figure in, the creation of Dungeon Hearts.

### **The Vermin Lord,** God of Those Who Despoil

One of "The Big 5".

To the Vermin Lord there is no joy greater then to warp what is wrong into a twisted visage of what once was. He, or rather "It", is a deity with authority over the domains of "Vermin" and "Pestilence", with a control over "Corruption" (something all Dark Gods have some measure of power over) that exceeds many of his peers.

His servants are never alone, as all who worship the Vermin Lord are connected by his power. While not possessing many direct ways of harming others, Giant Vermin (and Demonic Beasts that are created from them) heed and obey those who are granted power of their patron. So long as they are fed (with many a tale existing of how hungry vermin have devoured their own masters) they shall spread destruction, corruption, poison and pestilence at the behest of their controller.

Before all else, the followers of of the Vermin Lord prioritize their own survival. So long as the head of the swarm remains alive they will always be able to make a comeback.

### **Crowned Death**,The God of All Things Undead

One of "The Big 5".

Crowned Death is a very old and powerful Dark God. Much like the Unraveler his power has risen and waned for the past two millennia but, at the moment, he is an undisputed juggernaut among the Dark deities. He posses authorities over the domains "Death" and "Unlife".

Crowned Death is far more liberal with his boons of immortality then the other Dark Gods. While his rivals keep immortality as a lofty goal that their servants must strive and reach for Crowned Death sometimes even demands that his powerful servants give themselves to the him by becoming Undead. To follow Crowned Death is to anchor ones existence to this World, to be granted unlife everlasting and to (ideally) forever split oneself from the cycle of death and rebirth which "binds" the Mortal Races.

Crowned Death's highest servants are his Undead Dungeon Keepers and his mighty, and zealously loyal, Death Priests. let it be known however that all things come at a cost. Becoming a High Undead frees one from many things that plagued them in life but in return you are forever bound to Crowned Death and his power.

### **The Lady of Fear**,Goddess of Terror

Formerly a great and infamous Dark God, The Lady of Fear's chosen champions were defeated and she declined in power. Her only remaining Dark Temple is located on the isle of Avalon.