Veles, the Serpentine Master of Death and Shadow
"He who holds dominion over that which is beneath the earth, the Sovereign of the roots and bones, the Seer within the mist."
To those who paid homage to Veles, he was seen as a god both fearsome and necessary—a keeper of the Cycle. Worshippers might have carved inscriptions beneath ancient stone altars, etching prayers that pleaded for Veles' protection against curses and ill omens. His image was often that of a serpent intertwined with a black tree, roots ensnaring skulls as leaves bled shadows into the ground.
Descriptions from the fragments of Veles' cult:
Veles the Formless, Born of the Mists: Fog was sacred and feared, known as "Veles' Veil." When it rolled through the valleys, it carried whispers of the fallen and the hungry spirits he kept in his court. Only those who carried talismans blessed by the Oyun shamans would dare tread the mists.
Written Prayers and Rituals:
Rituals to appease Veles were bloody affairs, with sacrifices made by moonlight and ashes cast into swampy waters.
"Oh Veles Olos, Warden of Secrets, grant us your mercy. Cover us with the shadows of your mighty wings, and spare our kin from the devouring abyss."
Cults devoted to Veles believed in the cyclical nature of existence. The teachings passed down in worn scrolls would claim that death was not an end, but a gateway through which Veles guarded the souls of the departed until the earth called them forth anew. But his was a conditional gift—one that could turn wrathful if neglected.
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