Pyrtechon

[hellspawn]

•Aliases: The Destroyer, The Raging One
•Race: Dragon
•Worshippers: Worshippers of Pyrtechon are primarily human, with a few elves or dwarves. Pyrtechon also has a significant following among the monstrous races.
•Governs: Destruction, Chaos
•Mantras: Arrogant, Belligerent, Chaotic, Destructive

Consign Layonara and all of its attendant races to oblivion. Do not preserve; preservation is not the way of Pyrtechon. Only in the purity of absolute destruction can the world be cleansed. The fires of The Destroyer will purge this place, life plays no part beyond its brief dance in the flames. Glory in destruction, and do not cease until all life is extinguished.

[hellspawn]

Clerics of Pyrtechon show no particular favor toward one weapon type, seeing all as tools to achieve the ends of their dark god. Weapons are made to kill and are all considered to be worthy of use. Indeed, many Clerics of Pyrtechon are skilled in the use of a range of weapons, far beyond the followers of most other deities. Weapons are often enchanted with fire to emulate Pyrtechon's breath. Clerics are normally heavily armored for better protection in combat, which they often see. Flame-red plate mail and splint mail are highly favored as both are considered representative of the scaled hide of Pyrtechon. Clerics often wear a necklace of basalt (always chipped from the statue of Pyrtechon held in the central worship hall) carved into the representation of a talon wreathed in flames of gem dust. The more powerful the cleric, the more valuable the gem dust of the wreath; with ruby considered to be at the pinnacle. Beyond ornamental purposes, these charms are used by Pyrtechonites to evaluate each other's abilities; challenges are not uncommon for those considered to be exaggerating their powers.

[hellspawn]

There is no structured Church of Pyrtechon. The Raging One's desires and designs are far too chaotic for that kind of organization. However, small cells of followers, usually led by a charismatic and powerful individual, work fairly well—until they don't. Given the extreme nature of followers of Pyrtechon, power is seized, not worked toward, and held until it cannot be held anymore. This leads to a very short and very skinny clergy tree. On top is the Blood Lord, the High Priest of the Crimson Cathedral. He or she who has the power to command the entirety of what exists of church structure. Beyond that, are the leaders of the strongest groups that exist in Pyrtechon's name, and populating the bottom are the small but steady trickle that willingly follow them. Clerics of Pyrtechon are a motivated lot that cling to their numbers to aid their goal. The clergy's desire for the destruction of all life unifies them with a common purpose; however, though most of the faithful look upon their brethren with a kindred mindset, each still maintains that in the end even allies must die. Followers of Pyrtechon tend to be solitary individuals in the public world and they make great efforts to hide their faith from the rest of the community.

Elections and Organizations

•Blood Lord, High Priest of the Crimson Cathedral
The strongest. The meanest. The most powerful. There is no additional qualifier other than approval from Pyrtechon himself. Whomever can hold the power of the church may do so only as long as they can fight off their competitors. A Blood Lord takes power and changes church structure to suit themselves; all the while keeping a watch for intrigue and backstabbing until finally their vigilance fails for even a second and a new Blood Lord climbs to the top of the heap over their bleeding corpse. The longest a Blood Lord reigned was twelve years in the case of Omuh Kensentay some 300 years ago; this was also a low point in Pyrtechon membership. The Day of Lords in 1317 set a record for shortest time in power with six Blood Lords in a row between sunrise and sunset. It is not uncommon for a new Blood Lord to be replaced within a week. The Blood Lord is also Pyrtechon's most powerful cleric. All things related to the cathedral are their responsibility. Making notes on every individual to take a piece of the statue, making sure that damage to the cathedral is repaired and the proper ritual suicide/sacrifice done afterwards, and overseeing the rites— all fall under their domain. The current Blood Lord, Calvin Bruckermin, has held power for 3 years thus far.

Calvin Bruckermin is a human cleric. He is middle-aged and seems mild-mannered and almost meek when met outside the Crimson Cathedral. Inside, he's a focus of calm and quiet evil in a shrieking charnel house of blood and pain. It is his measured ways combined with his clever use of his trustworthy, quiet appearance that has kept him in power for so long (as Blood Lords go) since he is easy to underestimate by the ambitious and has not yet shown the true extent of his power. He does only as much as is needed to remove a problem—keeping his cards tight to his chest. According to Rofirein records, Calvin is known to have been born in Krandor. His parents died presumably natural deaths some years ago, and he was an only child. He spent eight years as a clerk in Spellguard then disappeared from the public eye. He resurfaced a decade and a half later as a clerk to the previous Blood Lord, Barna Gravehand, and seized power the year after that. He has put his soft, brown eyes; gentle, tenor voice; and tonsured head to good use in bringing young, tender sacrifices to the Destroyer's altar.

[hellspawn]

As noted, most sects devoted to Pyrtechon exist as small cells, doing what damage they can and retreating, or as individuals worshipping secretly. A few groups make a bolder mark however.



The Daughters of Rage
The Daughters of Rage are a hushed secret around Corsain and the coast of Alindor. Striking at remote villages, they focus on destruction rather than death; the exception being men. While their activities would seem to be destined to attract law enforcement, the truth is much less black and white. Most of the members are woman--almost all of whom have suffered humiliation or emotional and physical abuse at the hands of family and society. The Daughters have slowly built under the leadership of Betsy Inglewood, and while there are a few men in the group, the predominant gender makeup coupled with a strong feeling of guilt in the communities seems to be preventing a full-scale extermination of this Pyrtechon sect, at least for now. Their numbers are unknown but estimated at about fifty.
Betsy Inglewood is a spinster in her 40's. Rejected most of her life, her rage built slowly as she was passed over by prettier sisters, cousins, friends, and classmates for just about everything. After thirty-one years of rejection, she was approached by a follower of Pyrtechon and, for the first time, saw a place for her anger. In true church form, she slew the one who introduced her and took over his secreted temple space. Since then, she has slowly built a following of mainly spurned, angry, or insane women. A great deal of these women have no idea what they are really signing up for; thus, she enjoys occasionally letting a weak one get caught to absorb the blame for their massacres. She is squat and plump with a flat face and a square jaw, bristly hair, and bulging eyes that gleam with hatred.

Suffering's End
Born a merchant's son in 1393, Ager Yystern appeared to be a normal child. One deeply concerned with the well-being of those around him, but this was not a problem. He would take in strays, care for local children, put bugs outside rather than squash them; to all eyes he was a caring, loving soul. A few years into his teens, someone noticed how many of the strays he took in were later found dead. The year after this observation, a woman kicked from her home was found poisoned hours after he had offered her food. Although, the townsfolk of Blackwind refused to believe this kind boy could have been responsible. It was not until Ager was found next to the cooling body of his ill sister, holding a red jar of poison, that the horror of his actions became evident.

He fled his hometown, vowing at the top of his lungs that those who suffered would find peace at his hand. From that time until 1417, he disappeared into the wilds of Dregar. Some say he wandered, though his brown eyes, brown hair, average height, and average weight made picking him out in a crowd difficult. A trail of poisonings from Heather's Glade to Hurm suggest that he was not inactive however. Ager's reintroduction was spectacular if gruesome. He appeared at a leper colony in Liwich, resplendent in red leathers, and this time he brought friends. At the hands of over a dozen men, the lepers were force-fed poisoned wine. One was able to flee, getting as far as Redfern, and was able to tell the dwarves there what had happened. By the time help arrived, all that remained of the colony were flyblown corpses. Ager next appeared on a battlefield after a giant ambush on a small farming community. The wounded farmers, trying to regroup before the giants could return, saw the red-clad man approach with several handfuls of red-robed men and praised Prunilla for sending help. That is the story from the woman who was listening from where she had hid from the giants. She broke down into gibbering sobs after that, but the poisoned remains of her kin tell her story for her. Left etched into the chest of one very large, very dead farmer was the symbol of a flaming house. Since that attack, Ager has been difficult to find. Some think he's hiding in caves around Hurm, others think he lurks in the Sinister Forest. But his twisted mission to relieve all who suffer of their life in the name of Pyrtechon remains as strong as ever.

Vuurkerekk
Across Belinara, small, violent clans and individuals have been contacted by a half-giant named Mag'ruk. Charismatic for giant kin, Mag'ruk has built a rag-tag smattering of angry giants into a clan of respectable size, calling them Vuurkerekk in anticipation of Pyrtechon's plans for Layonara. The clan follows Mag'ruk fanatically as he has dangled in front of them visions of the world empty of other races except for giants, cleansed of the taint of elves, humans, dwarves, and the like. The clan has few rules: might is right, take what you will, and leave nothing behind that can be used to rebuild or re-grow. This includes bodies. Members of Vuurkerekk are cannibals.

What the clan does not know is that Mag'ruk takes his orders from another. On Mag'ruk's person at all times, is a flat, black stone roughly ten inches in diameter that allows him to communicate, whenever needed, with Son of Earth Ignist Caveborn of Rikart. Ignist is financing and leading the clan secretly from his position as Son of Earth in the Kerekk of Grannoch.

Mag'ruk is a half-giant of unknown origin. He was first spotted as a young adult, scavenging to survive. Rejected by human society for his horrible smell and frightening appearance. He turned to brute force against homesteads and small clans of any race around Belinara to get what he needed to survive. He became adept at unarmed fighting, using his unusual agility and speed to tip a fight in his favor. After a very long winter of near starvation, he found a clan of giants dead from a battle with a rival clan and tried cannibalism to fill his screamingly empty stomach. He liked the taste and is said to prefer young giant now to any other meat. How he came under Ignist's sway is again unknown; but with Ignist's council, Mag'ruk leads Vuurkerekk at this time. He is tall for a half-giant, over ten feet, but leanly built. He has a particular odor that has only gotten worse as he shifted his diet more and more to his own kind. He seems very intelligent for a half-giant and commands respect from his clan with his mastery of unarmed fighting and lightning-fast movements.

Ignist Caveborn presents himself as a warm and friendly follower of Grannoch. He tends to the sick and speaks endlessly of Grannoch's plans for her people. What is not known, except to a select few, is that Ignist actually worships Pyrtechon. He sends his orders through Mag'ruk and has been using Vuurkerekk to aid other governments in exchange for large sums of gold and other payment.

Miakosha Takashi
Recently around Mistone and coastal areas on Alindor, a new threat has appeared; a solitary threat, sidling into vulnerable villages and small towns and sneaking out again leaving only bloated, gray-green bodies behind. She seems to have rogue training or powerful illusionist training as she has been undetected and only recognized by one individual. Her agenda is yet unknown, but a good deal is known of this woman's past and why she is capable of the acts she commits.

Miakosha Takashi is from a peasant family on Corsain. Information gathered by the Church of Rofirein has this to say about her: Her father was a hard-working and basically decent man. Her mother was, by all accounts, a kind and loving woman. Miakosha had a younger sister as well. But her close family and tight-knit community in Taim could not overcome Miakosha's actions. As a baby, she bit her mother's nipple until it bled then laughed as she suckled it. As a toddler, she deliberately broke every rule without concern. She tortured animals as a girl, and by the time she was an adolescent, her parent's marriage had broken apart from the strain of caring for her and her sister running away. When three small children went missing in the village and she was the last person seen with them, she was driven from the island.

The years she spent away are unaccounted for; however, when she surfaced again, she was leaving a very visible trail of corpses and magic-burned land in her wake. She has considerable power as a spellcaster. Where or from whom she learned spellcasting is not known. Miakosha is petite, barely 5 feet tall, and slender. She has a reputation as being without even a hint of a soul. It is said that she sacrificed both her children to Pyrtechon directly from her womb to increase her spellcasting power and enjoys bathing in the blood of lovers when she is done with them.

[hellspawn]

Given the dogma of the church, creation of standing edifices in veneration goes against the grain. However, it was acknowledged 400 years ago that some focal point of devotion needed to exist. As a result, the pinpoint of Pyrtechon worship is in the Crimson Cathedral on Firesteep Volcano. Being the only official structure dedicated to the Raging One, the first impression one gets is that it's not as large as expected; this only lasts until one gets inside—for the true size of the building is hidden in the basalt. Building the original cathedral (since modified and expanded) took 7 years and 1,612 workers. A good portion of those workers expired from being worked to death. Those that did not die while building the cathedral were sacrificed in the Sanctuary; that has since become custom for Pyrtechonites. If anything lasting must be created, following the construction, the creator must sacrifice either the craftspersons responsible or if the item in question is not for his use, commit ritual suicide in atonement.
From Rofirein notes on Pyrtechon, one eyewitness account does exist of the Sanctuary, taken from a halfling who by some miracle survived his trip there. Found in a pile of bodies left near Silgar, Peldon Wheathresher was part of a group of farmers abducted for sacrifice from Easthome while on a trading trip.

His account is classified due to the extreme nature of his ordeal. From what is known, the inside of the Sanctuary is a dullish red-brown from the blood of previous sacrifices never cleaned and shards of bone puncture bare feet. The heat and smell of death are nearly unbearable; open flames are everywhere. A single stone block is the only alter and is surrounded by a moat of fire. The witness noted roughly half a dozen bodies, some charred, which were his travel mates. Further information regarding his description is restricted to church officials.

His survival was apparently due to a medical condition he has where his heart beats very slowly when stressed, and he must have been assumed dead at some point during his torture. Mr. Wheathresher was healed at a local temple and returned home after his discovery and interview. Later, he tragically committed suicide.

[hellspawn]

Prayers
Prayers vary widely by race of worshipper. But in the Crimson Cathedral, there is only one prayer, entitled Rotation of Fire:
"As I embrace this flame, let the Raging One feel my body ignite. I hold myself to the fire in devotion to him. Let my blood evaporate in his heat. Let my flesh burn and nourish nothing. I am willing to die as surely as my prey as no life is sacred, not even my own. I destroy all that breathes and all that throbs with the pulse of the world. And when he asks, I will turn to ashes to please him."

Holy Days
Holy days for Pyretechon are the final days of Junar, Jular, and Augra. These represent the beginning, middle, and end of summer-- both the hottest times of the year and the longest days in which to commit acts of wanton destruction. These days are not adhered to strictly, they are merely a guideline for when tribute is expected and sacrifices should be made. There are no holy days in winter because most folks are bundled up inside and therefore harder to kidnap. Plus, the rain and snow makes sustained combustion of buildings difficult.

[hellspawn]

•Allied:

◦Baraeon Ca'Duz
◦Corath
◦Grand

•Friendly:

◦Branderback
◦Mist
◦Shadon
◦Vierdri'ira
•Neutral:
◦Aragen

•Unfriendly:

◦Goran
◦Ilsare
◦Shindaleria
◦Sulterio

•Enemy:

◦Aeridin
◦Az'atta
◦Beryl
◦Deliar
◦Dorand
◦Folian S'pae
◦Grannoch
◦Katia
◦Kithairien
◦Lucinda
◦Prunilla
◦Rofirein
◦Toran
◦Vorax
◦Xeen

[hellspawn]

•Alignment:
◦Chaotic Evil



•Cleric Alignments:
◦Chaotic Evil
◦Chaotic Neutral
◦Neutral Evil



•Domains:
◦Strength
◦War
◦Destruction
◦Evil