Shaarizad

Shaarizad (aka "Lord of Madness" or "the Eye") is the most powerful of all of the Earth Mother's children - and the most evil. Originally, he was Rahlis, the first of the Earth Mother's offspring and the one chosen to lead her children against the Gods of the Outer Dark. During the War of the Elders, Rahlis was seriously wounded by an Outer God. He was healed after the victory of the Divine Host, but unbeknown to anyone, a small piece of the Outer God that had wounded him had broken off and lay buried within his deific essence, becoming a corrupting infection over the years. This led Rahlis to conspire against his brethren; he planned on destroying the other divinities to absorb their powers and rule over all creation. He was able to convince a number of other gods to join him, tricking them to think that they would rule the world together. With their help, many of the Divine Host were destroyed in a conflict known as the Divinity War. However, his scheme was undone when Jhadara learned the truth and revealed it to the other deities. The evil gods aiding Rahlis, now calling himself Shaarizad, turned on him lest they be destroyed as well. They were unable to kill Shaarizad, so they cast him into the divine prison that bound the Outer Gods.

Though imprisoned, Shaarizad is far from helpless. His confinement has driven him mad (though contact with the Outer Gods may be responsible for this), and now he seeks nothing less than the unmaking of existence. His power is such that it still touches the world and there are those who follow him, either aware of his goals or ignorant of his ultimate desire and thinking they can gain power and favor by helping secure his freedom. Those who serve Shaarizad invariably succumb to insanity.

Symbols and Associations: Serpents; the color black; blackthorn incense; hawthorn, black lotus, monkshood; lead, obsidian

Holy Days: The holiest times of the year for Shaarizad's faithful are the annual nights of the thirteenth new moon, a time they call the Nights of the Obsidian Moon. On those evenings, the followers of the Destroyer revel in orgies of death and evil. They sacrifice as many victims to Shaarizad as they possibly can, engaging in raids and massacres in their desire to appease their god. In return, the evil deity grants them a special lucidity that prevents their insanity from completely overwhelming them and making them useless to the Lord of Madness.

The Autumnal Equinox (Autumncrest 16th) is also a holy day for the religion. On this day Shaarizad's worshipers celebrate the end of summer and the onset of darker days and longer nights.

Essence of the Faith: Sacrifices to the Lord of Madness will give him the power he needs to break free from his prison. From Chaos did the world emerge, and to Chaos shall it return. Order equates to weakness - promote strength through Chaos. Madness is not a curse to be feared but a blessing to be embraced. Recover and restore that which is holy to the Destroyer.