Hades

## Description

Of the Olympian gods, Hades is perhaps the most misrepresented. When he and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon overthrew their father Cronus in the great war against the titans, the three got together and decided how they would divide the realms. Zeus got the sky, Poseidon the sea and Hades the underworld. While each is the ruler of their individual realms, Zeus is the supreme ruler of all and much gets retold from his perspective. While Hades is as powerful as his brothers (the trio often referred to as the 'Big Three'), he must always remain in Hades and never gets to enjoy Olympus like the others. Since he never gets to visit Olympus, he is not considered a member of the main 12 Olympian gods and is the odd man out in his family.

He is known as both a god of death as well as one of wealth. Few people worship the death aspect of him, though they certainly make offerings during funerary rites. Most who lay people who worship him instead do so for the wealth aspect, making him popular among thieves, merchants and gamblers.

## Personality

Hades is a calm deity who is rarely angered. He is generally content to take care of his own matters in the underworld and rarely sees need to involve himself with things in Olympus or the mortal plane. Most who deal with him would say that he is cold and unfeeling. He has the power to grant death and wealth to the living as well as life to the dead, but never does he do either of his own volition. That said, he is deeply in love with his wife Persephone, and he has been known to make the occasional exception at her request.

## Avatar

On the rare occasion that Hades makes use of an avatar, it takes the form of a tall man with dark skin, black hair and long beard, as well as deep black eyes.

## Duties of the Priesthood

Priests of Hades typically take care of funerary rites in the local town they base themselves. Typical rites include the following three steps.

1. **Prothesis** - During this stage, the deceased is considered still 'alive' (as it is believed that the soul continues to inhabit the corpse) and must be prepared for death. The body's eyes and mouth are closed and then the body is washed. If available, sea water is typically used for this. Wounds are also washed and dressed, particularly for soldiers who died in battle. Finally, the body is dressed and laid on a bed with their feet facing a doorway. This process readies the spirit for its transition to the underworld.
2. **Ekphora** - This stage involves accepting offerings to Hades before transporting the body to where the spirit will ultimately be released. When the family is ready for this stage, they make an offering to the church to let the priests know that they are ready for the next stage. Typically, the body remains in the deceased's home until this point and is transferred using a horse drawn hearse. Family follows the hearse in procession with men (who usually march armed) walking at the front of the hearse while women follow from behind. Musicians are often hired to play music and get as much attention from locals as they pass.
3. **Deposition** - At this point the spirit is released from its body and the remains are disposed of. Burial and cremation are both practiced though certain areas may prefer one over the other. At this point, the spirit is considered to have left the body for the underworld and the body is nothing but a shell to get rid of. Priests may be called upon to carve grave markers or tombs for the dead so many are skilled stone masons as they prefer to do as much of the work as possible, granting them the biggest possible payment for the funeral.

Some local traditions may vary somewhat. A notable example is the island kingdom of Maut, which only buries the dead of those who can provide an extremely large offering to the church (which only the wealthy can afford). Those who cannot afford such services are instead animated through a special ritual known only to local priests. They then rise as zombies and are forced to serve as manual labor until their bodies wear away.

Priests of Hades readily perform spellcasting services for gold and are both encouraged and expected to accumulate wealth. Thus, their temples are often lavish, as are their homes. In smaller towns, they are often responsible for records of birth and death as well.

## New Spells

The following spells may be cast by priests of Hades:

Animate Beast

Animate Servant