The Destroyer
God of the sea, storms, and travel
Allies: /
Enemies: The Guide
Temples: Fisheries, ships
Worshippers: Fishermen, sailors, travelers
Sacred animal: Eel
Sacred colors: Blue and yellow
Holy symbol: Three waves streaked by a lightning bolt
[DnD 5e] Domains: Tempest, Trickery
The Siarvaldan people did not discover ships until the year 1330. The first ship they sent out to the Ocean never came back, destroyed by a powerful storm. The people began to wonder if the destruction of that ship was not orchestrated by a powerful and dark entity. Eventually, that entity was known to be a god: and they called him the Destroyer. While the Betrayer remains the foremost antagonist of the Siarvaldan pantheon, the Destroyer often plays a role whenever the Guide is involved, or whenever there is travel to be done across the sea. He is known to be a wrathful god, who obeys only his whims, and said whims often involve wanton destruction of ships and the slaughter of those who dared board them. Typically, the Destroyer is involved in stories as a foil to the Guide. It is well known that the tides of the Yawning Ocean were once influenced by the Moon, but the Destroyer eventually stopped this influence, and the Ocean now obeys him and him only. He is sometimes represented as helping the Betrayer in his schemes, but not out of planned malice; moreso as a way to obey his fancy. Perhaps ironically, there exists at least one parabole where the Betrayer is betrayed by the Destroyer, a being too chaotic to stay in a deal for too long. The Destroyer is associated with travel only in a strained way. His link to sea travel is obvious, as angering the god of the sea before a voyage is likely to end in disaster; yet people also associate misfortune during land travel with the Destroyer, especially if it would not be the work of the Betrayer; therefore, being attacked by monsters in the middle of the night would be the Betrayer's work, but a landslide killing your horse is more likely to be the Destroyer's. Still, prayers to the Destroyer to alleviate those problems is very rare on land. While the worship of the Destroyer is not illegal in the Kingdom of Vah'kan, only worshipping him in his aspect of the god of the sea is allowed. This means that there are very few priests linked to him - and even rarer are those that can claim to have visited a vision from him. Records show that the Destroyer has only ever appeared as roiling waves amidst a storm, shaping themselves into a vaguely gigantic, humanoid form.
Allies: /
Enemies: The Guide
Temples: Fisheries, ships
Worshippers: Fishermen, sailors, travelers
Sacred animal: Eel
Sacred colors: Blue and yellow
Holy symbol: Three waves streaked by a lightning bolt
[DnD 5e] Domains: Tempest, Trickery
The Siarvaldan people did not discover ships until the year 1330. The first ship they sent out to the Ocean never came back, destroyed by a powerful storm. The people began to wonder if the destruction of that ship was not orchestrated by a powerful and dark entity. Eventually, that entity was known to be a god: and they called him the Destroyer. While the Betrayer remains the foremost antagonist of the Siarvaldan pantheon, the Destroyer often plays a role whenever the Guide is involved, or whenever there is travel to be done across the sea. He is known to be a wrathful god, who obeys only his whims, and said whims often involve wanton destruction of ships and the slaughter of those who dared board them. Typically, the Destroyer is involved in stories as a foil to the Guide. It is well known that the tides of the Yawning Ocean were once influenced by the Moon, but the Destroyer eventually stopped this influence, and the Ocean now obeys him and him only. He is sometimes represented as helping the Betrayer in his schemes, but not out of planned malice; moreso as a way to obey his fancy. Perhaps ironically, there exists at least one parabole where the Betrayer is betrayed by the Destroyer, a being too chaotic to stay in a deal for too long. The Destroyer is associated with travel only in a strained way. His link to sea travel is obvious, as angering the god of the sea before a voyage is likely to end in disaster; yet people also associate misfortune during land travel with the Destroyer, especially if it would not be the work of the Betrayer; therefore, being attacked by monsters in the middle of the night would be the Betrayer's work, but a landslide killing your horse is more likely to be the Destroyer's. Still, prayers to the Destroyer to alleviate those problems is very rare on land. While the worship of the Destroyer is not illegal in the Kingdom of Vah'kan, only worshipping him in his aspect of the god of the sea is allowed. This means that there are very few priests linked to him - and even rarer are those that can claim to have visited a vision from him. Records show that the Destroyer has only ever appeared as roiling waves amidst a storm, shaping themselves into a vaguely gigantic, humanoid form.
Holidays
The 47th of Monsoon is associated with the Destroyer, as legends say that is when he reclaimed the Ocean's tides from the Guide. This holiday is strange, as it mostly involves throwing food into the ocean in order to quell his wrath.Common rituals and gestures
The most common rituals are undertaken before going out to sea, and during sea travel. Before any ship goes out to sea, the captain often hires a priest of the Destroyer in order to bless the ship with a special mix of oils and herbs, thought to be so repugnant to the Destroyer that he will simply choose to ignore the ship. During sea travel, sailors are encouraged to throw food into the sea in order to appease the Destroyer's wrath. Said food must not be fish; after all, there are plenty of fish in the Ocean, so the Destroyer would not want to eat them.Divine Intercessions
The blessings of the Destroyer are not well known, as he is exceptionally stingy with them. Some believe they would cause fish to flock to one's nets and ensure a safe voyage. His curses are more well known, however; as those who attract his wrath find their nets empty, storms appearing out of nowhere to wreck their ships, and lightning striking precisely their ship and nothing else.Aphorisms
The aphorisms associated with the Destroyer are often uttered in fear and respect of his power. May the Destroyer be calm today: A blessing given before someone travels out to sea, to wish them a safe voyage. To appease the Destroyer's wrath: This expression has a double meaning. Originally, it signaled the throwing of food overboard. In common parlance, it means "to undertake an action that you are not sure will work".
Children
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