Dekanas

Dekanas is the god of death and justice, he also represents the cycle of life, rebirth and afterlife. Dekanas is one of the oldest gods and it is said that he was born during the first cycle, alongside Andvarus.

Dekanas have many worshippers, primarily priests, and his temples can be found in all of the realms.

## God of the Underworld.

Due ot Dekanas representing death, afterlife, rebirth and his status as an elder god, he is by default the ruler of the Underworld. The palace where Dekanas resides and performs his duties as judge and ruler is locater in a separate realm within the Underworld. Access can be granted through specific doorways in both the Underworld and Overworld, but their locations are a tightly guarded secret. If a soul were to gain access to it, they are given an unique oportunity to join the court of Dekanas or to change their fate in some way. To this day, only a dozen souls have managed this, their deeds and names forever inscribed in history.

Although he rules the dead, Dekanas expresses nothing but contempt and hatred towards the undead and necromancers. Seeing the former as souls denied their right to rest or escaping their just punishment and the latter as thieves and abominations.

### The court of Dekanas.

A common misconception is that Dekanas performs all he represents on his own. While he could, that is false. The court of Dekanas exists to help speed up the process of the Underworld in order to make settling in of the new souls as painless as possible, or in some cases, as painfull as possible.

Dekanas himself takes the position of ruler of the dead and their judge. During it's creation, Dekanas had separated the Underworld into three separate realms for his subjects to reside in. Dekanas serves as the judge of the dead, so it is ultimately up to him where their souls would reside in. The Mihr valley, reserved for those who have devoted their lives to do good in their mortal time. The Deunor depths are for those who have devoted themselves to do evil. The coldest and most desolate parts of the depths are reserved for the necromancers, who seek to upset the natural balance of life and death. It is here as well, where the Dungeon of the Gods is located. Finally, the Fields of Madan is where the souls, who's deed have contributed equally both to good and evil reside. The Fields may not offer the same luxuries as the Valley, but they are spared the horror of the Depths. However, oportunities for a soul to transfer to either realm exist and happen more often than not in the Underworld. It is a way for Dekanas to provide oportunity for redemption and to see if the so-called saints deserve their place.

Tidea, the bride of Dekanas takes a more up and close administrative role in the dealings of the Underworld. Residing in the Palace, The Valley, The Depths and The Fields at the same time, she oversees the realms with her omnipresence. Depending on where one meets her, she would have a different personality. A warm, carryin and, motherly vision in Mihr. A melancholy old matriarch in Madan. A coldhearted, easily angered and spitefull woman in Deunor. Depending on which version appears in his palace, Dekanas can judge which part of his realm requires his attention.

Sibuna, The First one. Sibuna was the first mortal soul to reach the palace and for his heroic feat he was granted a seat in the Court. He was given godlike powers and along with them, a charge. To protect the underworld. Now he acts as it's guard dog. Watching over every entrance and intervening when the tensions between the realms flare up. Unfortunetly, he is not perfect in his duties and a few souls manage to escape every now and then. It is for this reason, the Paladins of Dekanas exist.

Ketori the tormentor is a curious creature, living within the Depths. It interacts with the souls there send to be punished. It usually has a friendly and cheerfull personality, but its appearance changes depending on what the tormented hated or feared most in life. Thus Ketori's true purpose is revealed. He is not there to ease the suffering. He is there to increase it.

A notable member of the Court is the Oni guide, Izanagi. His people were foreign to the Overworld and as such, their spirits could not be guided to the Underworld to rest. Knowing the danger that would pose, Dekanas chose Izanagi to be a guide for his people due to his high rank in life and status as a hero to them. The Oni surprised Dekanas however, when he insisted on taking on additional duties as a guide for the living, who wished to visit the realm of the dead.

## Cult, worship and rules

Dekanas is usually depicted as an older man in the twilight years of his life. His clothes usually worn and grayed. His face neutral. Showing neither a positive or negative emotion. Sightings of such a figure are reportet near large battlefields, graveyards and court houses. Usually they are taken as a bad omen, because it means that the souls might be restless or that a great injustice has been commited. The sighting is usually followed by a paladin of Dekanas, charged with solving any and all problems they can. Be it calming the dead souls, hunting defilers or acting as judge, jury and executioner. Dekanas doesnt have a special animal or symbol. The constant presence of death and justice being done serve as reminders of his existance.

The temples to Dekanas are constructed outside of cities as they serve as grounds for graveyards. The temple grounds are surrounded in a mist. It is harmless to the living, but if there were any attempts for the corpses to be raised, the mist begins to disolve them. The range of this aura depends on how much land has been given to the temple and on the priests within it. The temples themselves serve as places where the living can have their dead loved ones prepared for their journey to the afterlife, speak to them, function as dorways to the Underworld in some cases and act as emergency court houses should the need arise.

The priests of Dekanas are instructed to follow a few but important rules.

1. The dead under your care are to be protected.
2. The undead and necromancers are abominations and are to be destroyed
3. You must always be impartial when dealing with matters related to law and justice. If you cannot separate your feelings and biases from a case, then you must seek another priest to do it.
4. The punishment must always fit the crime.
5. Absolute neutrality must be maintained in matters of politics, war and others matters. Only exeption comes when dealing with necromancy and the undead.

The punishment for breaking any of these rules heavily depends on context, motives and as such is reserved for Dekanas himself to make the final decision.

The paladins also abide by these rules as well as their own set of rules for their order.