Annarr, God of the Dead and Glory

Ivigren Calls

Before Annarr came into existence, the valkyries of Valniet were forced to judge whether the souls of the dead were to be sent to the Darkest Hell of Dimas or the Crimson Pastures. Dimas was where the damned and most evil of people went, and the Pastures were for everyone else. The Divines had been living in their own realm at the time, and they called it Ivigren. It was at the tip of the Lawful Tree, and it was a joyous place filled with constant revelry and celebration. However, on one fateful day, a battle occurred between two tribes in Iterron, and it was both large and brutal. The tribe that was defending their homeland as a last stand ultimately failed, but they were fighting for a good cause. The soul of the tribe's chieftain began crossing the line between realms, along with his soldiers. The chieftain, however, had ascended into a higher form, one that would later become Annarr. He rejected the valkyries and led the souls of the fallen warriors into Ivigren.   Upon arriving at the Lawful Tree, he had fully transformed into Annarr. Upon entering Ivigren, he began carving out and making a new home for the souls he brought along. The only reason that the gods didn't gang up on him then and there is because they knew he was some sort of deity. He then explained to them that it was time for the gods to part ways, as Ivigren was to become part of the humans' afterlife. The Divines were furious, as he was suggesting giving up their home for a mortal species. He elaborated further by saying that only those who died a truly glorious death on the field of battle would go to Ivigren, as not very many humans are soldiers. They would also be able to serve as a celestial army, if needed. The rest would go to the Pastures or Dimas, as always.   The Calmkin sided with him, as they could sense that he was one of their kind. The Primordials were still enraged, but they couldn't really argue against his statement. They were mostly upset because they wouldn't be able to spend time in Ivigren anymore. Annarr kept to his promise and went off to live in the Pastures rather than in Ivigren, and the Golden Halls of Ivigren became the home of the fallen warriors.  

A Glorious Death

  If you couldn't tell already, Ivigren is very similar to Valhalla or Sovngarde. Ashlians believe that if you were serving a righteous cause and died on the field of battle (or if you were just a mighty warrior and died of something else), then your soul will go to Ivigren. Once there, you will do nothing but feast, drink, and go into battle with other souls. Ashtree has some rather religious soldiers, which in turn leads to them not being afraid of death if they believe their cause is righteous, hence why some may call them "berserkers." This leads to Annarr being prayed to quite often before battles of any sort, along with Paragon. With the help of the valkyries, Annarr guides souls to their destination every day. He keeps everything orderly and organized within the Crimson Pastures.   His most devoted followers are rather rare to find, and they are mostly comprised of overly nihilistic or suicidal warriors as well as people who regularly deal with death. Many priests who follow him hold elaborate ceremonies for the dead and help people cope with loss and grief. Not only is he the key to a good afterlife, but also the key to being emotionally stable after the loss of a loved one. His messenger angels take the form of songbirds and eagles, and his holy symbol is a dead tree with golden leaves on the ground. A less elaborate symbol is usually just a tulip, a perennial flower meant to symbolize rebirth.