Olim; The Traveler

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“It was a lullaby I heard at first, one bidding me comfort as life began to slip from me. The hooded man before me did hum, a smile upon his lips as he approached, a gentle hand reaching for mine. But he did whisper ‘It is not your time, my child,’ and I felt sadness that I could not go with him into the warmth of another life.”

— Priestess Gredila Norvin

About

To stare into the eyes of The Traveler is to know the true scope of life and death.   Fear and respect swirl about the one known as Olim the Traveler. A once insignificant man whose sole kindness and sacrifice shook the very foundations of death itself. He is a father and a judge, a friend and a foe, a companion and an inevitable reminder of mortality.   Many try to flee him. Others embrace his welcome hand. But none truly escape the God of Death.  

Description

A fatherly smile and a ragged hood; these two descriptors are the only thing left in official record. The very features of the God of Death have been forgotten. Replaced with the imagery of a weary traveler or the looming reaper, Olim is seen as a combination of familiarity and fear.   Depictions upon the temples and shrines vary depending on the acceptance of Olim’s role in the local society. From the open arms of a father welcoming the orphans and children throughout the world to the pitiless gaze of the mortal death he promises, both are seen as the true visage of The Traveler.  

Origin Story

Born on the outskirts of the ever-expanding cities of humankind, Olim scratched out a simple life. An insignificant but faithful man, he soon found himself responsible for the life of an orphaned babe that was left at his doorstep.   Accepting the child as a calling from The Keeper, Olim would devote his life to raising his daughter and seeing to her every need. Years would pass and though he spared no expense, the sickness that had plagued her as a babe would take her from this life early on in her childhood.   Distraught yet trusting in the mercy and existence of The Keeper, he would carry the burden of her body across the land from shore to shore to bring her to the steps of The Keeper’s Temple. Ragged and weary, the man was met with distain as he wept at the doorstep of temple, turned away by the priests that would not allow him in.   Approached by another believer, Olim was asked what he wished of the God of Balance. Olim, knowing well the importance of life and death, stated that he wished to offer his years in exchange for that of his daughters. Touched by the unconditional love and willingness to carry out balance even in the face of death, The Keeper revealed himself to Olim and raised his daughter from the dead. Grateful and willing to hold up his end of the bargain, Olim was told instead to take his daughter home and return in fifty years to the temple.   By the grace of The Keeper, Olim was allowed to watch his daughter grow and to meet his grandchildren. Those fifty years would pass and even though his age had begun to show, he would make the pilgrimage back to the temple. It was here that the Keeper would ask him to take up the mantle of a shepherd for the dead. A burden that he accepted and would carry until the end of all time.  

Relationships

Reverence for life and the acceptance of death. A constant traveler from realm to realm, Olim lingers by the side of mortals and the divine alike. Though never one to openly reveal himself to those upon the road, many have said to have encountered his visage and kindness throughout the ages. Young children often speak of hooded man who led them to safety through danger, showing the God of Death’s continued devotion to the protection of such innocence.   When it comes to his relationship with the divine, he is said to be close to the Goddess Veini who has been seen standing next to him by those who have survived near death experiences. Along with his unification under the Pantheon of Balance, Olim spends time with his adopted daughter who was ascended after her death to join him in divinity. The Divine who are not within his close circle tend to fear and respect him due to the amount of sway he has over the souls of mortals, knowing that he too will reap them in the end.  

Religion

Dogma

"Those who travel by your side are worth the time to care for on the journey."
"Do not let a man, woman or child suffer to die alone."
"Every child should be given chance to earn their place with the gods."
 

Clergy

Those who wear the robes of The Traveler wander the globe offering aid and comfort to those in need. Trained in the rites and rituals of death or the dying in various cultures, the clergy of the God of Death are ever present in every corner of Tenegrim.   Though their callings vary from destroyers of the undead to the keepers of orphanages, each man or woman that serves The Reaper is charged with restoring the delicate balance of life and death. It is also known that all those who are blessed by their God Olim have been found to live through disasters, plagues, and other natural disasters long enough to carry out their duty as stewards of the dead.  

Temples

Though shrines and temples pepper the land, they are made to be functional. The shrines found on crossroads or in small villages hold small cubbies of items to offer a weary traveler. While the larger temples hold enough room and staff to take in wayward or orphaned children along with housing weary travelers for a short time.   Many inns have a dedicated shrine to The Traveler within their establishment to offer blessings and good luck to any that pass through. In nearly every cemetery or burial ground a small functional temple is upkept with services offered to any and all to see to the rites of their dead.  

Worship

Reverence for life and the acceptance of death, these two principles drive the tenants of those who worship Olim. Offering prayers to The Traveler or singing the hymns of the road are the most often employed ways of a believer.   Others who are more devout to his cause will hold fast the ideals of caring for the lost souls of young ones and the abolishment of those who have broken from the cycle of life and death. They offer guidance, goods, and kindness to a stranger on the road. They leave offerings of supplies or hold the hand of someone in their last moments.   Even those who do not wear the cloth of Olim keep the rites of the dead in their heart and may offer them in the absence of a priest. A constant fixture in all mortals lives, the God of Death finds its way into worship and respect from nearly everyone in the end.