Azaret

### Domains

Glory (Legend), Liberation (Self-Realization), Magic (Rites), Repose (Psychopomp)

## (Affiliations)

### Associated Entities

Pharasma

Azaret, the Gather of Legends, is a powerful Psychopomp Usher and demigod who serves Pharasma. Unlike many of his brethren, Azaret is glad to see mortals fighting against death and he focuses his attention on eventually collecting the souls of those who have defied and cheated death past their appointed time.

The operating phrase is "eventually". Azaret believes in the ultimate inevitability of death that none can escape, even if they manage to push it back for centuries or millennia. He cheers every bit of defiance and every fate escaped, watching with joy as mortal souls struggle and blaze ever brighter in their futile attempts to escape his final death.

Azaret loves mortals. He respects every triumph and passion, enthusiastically discusses every plan to extend life, and never hurries to collect a soul faster when it still has things it's trying to do. After all, they'll pass through his hands in the end, so why get impatient about it?

### The Judging of Souls

Somewhat unusually, the souls Azaret collects do not lose their memories immediately, even if judged and with no chance for resurrection. Instead, they get to experience the afterlife largely as themselves, working to usher souls under Azaret's command. These souls are almost always powerful heroes and others who cheated death themselves, so they are quite cunning and capable among outsiders. However, they also have the opportunity to lay their burden down whenever they want and continue their passage as a soul, to eventually be born anew in the world. This is the final end that Azaret guides souls to: the willing embrace of what they fought so long to prevent.

## Centers of Worship and Followers

Azaret has few followers on any mortal plane, though a number of psychopomps work under him. Most of them have long since lost interest in the specific behaviors of mortal souls and have none of Azaret's passion for the plans of mortals, but dutifully perform their collections as assigned. The relatively low number of mortals who know of Azaret often see his personal appearances with a kind of tired resignation, and understanding that if he's there to collect them, it really is the end and there's no escaping death's grasp any longer.

He is followed by a small number of scholars and historians, who wish to understand exactly how certain legendary figures escaped death for so long. Azaret reveals some information to memorialize these individuals, but never quite enough to let others follow in their footsteps too easily. Escaping death is a challenge to be respected, not anything that any casual student can do.

## Appearance

Azaret takes on many appearances, often subtle and unassuming, when out collecting souls. He views himself as a gentle gatherer instead of a hunter of souls, and he sees no reason to take on fearsome guises when observing those whose ultimate time is near.

However, he occasionally takes on a far more massive warrior form while escorting particularly powerful souls to the afterlife. Such souls are highly desired by night hags, fiends of various stripes, and other monsters that lurk along the river of souls. Azaret takes on his riding form as both warning and weapon, bringing his full might to bear against any creature that seeks to steal and consume a soul that has burned so brightly. However, should there be any plan to try and rescue that soul and return it to life, he often fights just hard enough to make it a challenge while secretly cheering for its success with all his considerable might. Mortals have to earn it, but if they do, he is more than content to keep waiting and return to them later.

## A Priest's Role

Azaret has few priests and even fewer temples, so his followers mostly work in temples of Pharasma. Here, they collect information and stories about great heroes and provide information to help stop spreads of undead. Azaret's followers are also expected to try and avoid death as long as they can, but without becoming undead - that's considered cheating. Those who successfully live past their appointed time gain additional power and prestige as his followers in the Boneyard.

## Abilities

As both a psychopomp usher and a demigod in his own right, Azaret is a powerful force that few dare to stop on his journeys. Although not invincible, he is powerful enough to fight off nearly anything that seeks to snatch a soul, and anything that seriously challenges him risks drawing the ire of Pharasma for interference in something that's already taken too long.