The Shaitan

The Shaitan

The Overlord of the Sands; The Sun That Never Sleeps

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  From the molten dunes of Kashiran to the black bazaars of Zagraza, one name is spoken with reverence, fear, and awe: The Shaitan.   Called the Overlord of the Sands, the Shaitan is the sole deity worshipped across the breadth of Vessos, a being of flame, judgment, and unending vision. His name is older than any empire, and his presence is said to linger in every grain of the desert, every whisper of the wind, and every flicker of the torchlight beneath a starless sky.   While the castes of Castillia brand him a false god and his devotees blasphemers, to the Vessese he is nothing less than the true flame that illuminates all paths.  

Communion Through Ambrosia

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  The holy men of Vessos - the Imams of Kashiran - speak of a sacred rite: communion with the Shaitan through the use of ambrosia, a golden, jelly-like sacrament produced by exotic livestock bred in the secretive pens of Kashiran’s inner desert.   It is said that:  

• A single dab of ambrosia upon the tongue opens the Veil of Fire.
• Those who partake are drawn into the Flame Realm, where the Shaitan speaks through vision, voice, and memory.
• No two communions are alike, and each soul is given only the wisdom they are worthy of receiving.

  These visions guide the Imams, direct the Kashirani war-priests, and even influence the policies of kings. Unlike the silent gods of Castillia, the Shaitan is present—and his judgment burns as brightly as his mercy.  

Castillian Condemnation

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  In the lands of the Orthodoxy, Shaitan-worship is punishable by death.   The Prognosticii, inquisitors of the Castillian creed, regard the Shaitan as a demonic force; an ancient deceiver cloaked in flame. Believers are labeled heretics and subjected to the flames of purification, often burned at the stake to the chanting of the Seven Icons.   Yet the Shaitan’s faithful endure.  

Faith That Cannot Be Broken

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  What Castillians fail to understand is that the faith of the Vessese is not born of doctrine alone; it is experiential. The Kashirani child does not simply learn of the Shaitan; they see his signs, feel his presence, and often witness his miracles firsthand within the great palace-mosques of Vessos.   Even in exile - be it in the back alleys of Redcastle or the ghettos of Rhysii - Kashirani immigrants carry their flame within. They may be forced to hide it, to wear false Icons and speak false prayers, but in secret, beneath sand-dyed cloth and whispered rites, the old flame is kindled still.   For as the Imams say:   “The Shaitan never sleeps. Nor shall his faithful.”