The Pantheon of Vathis: Evil Deities, Part 2
Serena
Chaos, Power, Intrigue, Tyranny, Poison, Conquest, Ambition, Status
Known primarily for their cunning and convoluted plots, Serena’s followers are some of the most infamous of all of the evil faiths in the world.
Her shrines are located throughout the world, in nearly every city, hidden in secret places only her faithful are made aware of. In the Evernight, however, the vae’rin that worship her build entire cities devoted to her reverence. Those on the surface that seek her patronage are typically those whose inner ambition pushes them to extremes unknown in other faiths. Her faithful are among all tiers of society, with hidden cabals existing among the weak and powerful alike, seeking forever to expand their influence in her name. Serena’s teachings drive her clergy to always seek to attain new heights in their lives, and to spread her impact to all the corners of the world. Deep within the bowels of the Evernight lie her greatest of sites devoted to her name, the Wyrm Vault, an obsidian stone dragon egg said to have been the birthplace of Serena during her time in our world. As a deity, Serena is the most hated being among all of the pantheons, as her actions against her fellow deities have decimated and destroyed their numbers. Her ability to exist as both a deity and a Vandiel simultaneously allows her to bridge the gap between these two ever-warring factions, and she utilizes it to great effect to sow discord among her enemies. She believes she is the one true entity in the multiverse, and all others are merely pretenders, facets of her power that were stolen away from her. She possesses next to no allies among either the deities or the Vandiels, though she can often find temporary allies when the needs arise. One thing is known however, she remains one of the most dangerous beings in the multiverse, and her insidious plots are an enigma to her enemies.
Zanon
Evil, Fear, Corruption, Hatred, Greed, Anger, Deception
Zanon, a vengeful and ruthless god, is the head of the divine evils. He revels in corrupting others and fostering hate in the hearts of mortals.
His portfolios include evil, fear, corruption, hatred, and anger. His church is led by three high priests known as the Elder Serpents, and underneath them are dozens of archbishops and bishops. His clergy breaks down into a standard hierarchy beneath his bishops. Most Zanor keep their devotion to Zanon a secret, but there are places in the world where he is worshipped openly and with fervor. Zanor pray to their god in the dark of night. They are compelled by the Corrupter, as he is known, to foster evil in another’s heart, and they are taught that hatred and greed are the true nature of one’s soul. Zanon’s dogma inspires his followers to strike fear into the hearts of the weak and keep one’s truest and darkest desires hidden. Zanon is responsible in at least some part for the creation of Kato, Keindrinas, Serena, Valshathe, and Uryll. He is considered the father of the evil deities, and he frequently forges alliances with Keindrinas and Kato. Zanon and Astea are in direct opposition, but as siblings and mirrors of one another, they are sometimes driven to work towards similar ends, especially where it concerns Serena. Bastion and Vangal are his sworn enemies, and Uryll and Serena have both betrayed Zanon, inspiring his wroth.
Uryll
Night, Darkness, Shadow, Secrets, Lust, Assassination, Seduction, Stealth, Stars
Hidden in the shadowed alleys, behind whispering lips, sly hand signals on the small of their backs, and knowing looks, is the place where the faith of Uryll resides.
Through most of the world her worshippers are spread across all escheleons of society, from the lowliest street urchin, to the leaders of some nations. Statues, edifices and houses of worship devoted to her lie in plain sight throughout the cities of the world, with only their true meaning known to the faithful. The Trisviet Union is the only nation where the worship of the Nightmother is not only done in plain sight, but is also the primary religion of the nation. The faith of Uryll seeks to learn the vast secrets of the world and the populace that resides within it, utilizing these secrets to slowly increase the power of the faith through clandestine manners. Their goal is to manipulate the people around them ways to increase their own personal favor, only utilizing brute force as a last resort. Her holiest of locations is the Motherland of Night statue in Uryllgrad, Tristan. Hundreds of thousands of her followers flock to the statue every year to pay their own reverence to the Nightmother.
Uryll, in her deific glory, is both an enemy of every deity, and their friend, depending on the circumstances. She is a master at manipulation, having played every side of every major divine conflict against one another. Her slipperyness is only offset by her followthrough, as nearly every agreement she has ever invested in has been fulfilled to the letter of her word, however often that falls short of what the other party believed she intended. Her primary enemy that she has never made a deal with at all is Serena, who she wishes to destroy utterly, by any means necessary. Her closest ally is her sister, Irilynshaee, whom she has saved from the torturing clutches of Keindrinas.