Brashq
Contents
Description
The case of Brashq is a rather curious one. He is the child who seeks to know what they will be when they grow up, and as the grow up they find themselves still asking the question again and again. Perhaps as a God, Brashq is the most in touch with the rest of us. The ones who don’t quite fit in and won’t accept what others tell them as absolute.
Brashq has been many things through the ages. He name reviled in the ancient texts, damned in the Golden Age and, beyond all expectation, embraced by a few small circles here and there in the present. It would honestly fail to surprise me if he became something else entirely in the future, wholesome or otherwise. Yet, after a good deal of research on the subject, I believe that the God of Vengeance, Undeath, and now Guide of the People stands for something more profound. Veracity perhaps or more a paradoxical conundrum; Mortality.
- - Esh’Rial the Glimmering Scale
Portfolio
Once in command of the realm of Undeath, Brashq has taken up the mantle of Vengeance, Questions, and ‘The Path’. Where he walks people will be stirred into action, taking up arms against those who have done them wrong and demanding answers. He drives others to seek resolution.
Brashq represents the various paths of life that humanoid kind can take. He serves as a guide for both mistakes and victories.
Followers
Brashq no longer seeks out followers in the way he once did. His followers are now few and far between. They are wanderers who have lost their way, or those who have dedicated themselves to helping others find a path; good or evil. They are always intelligent humanoids. There are still those who worship Brashq as the god of Undeath, but their devotions are delivered to Surdem instead.
Appearance
Brashq appears as a figure in tattered black robes. A wind appears to push the robes toward those who look at him, and the fringes seem to beckon the viewer to step closer. He holds a great Scythe at the end of which hangs a bright white lantern. The lantern does not illuminate the face beneath the robes.
Peering into the robes will reveal the face of Brashq. His visage is thin and angular, almost gaunt. His eyes are the most striking, a piercing yellow that strips away one’s senses, like gazing too long into a fire. His mouth and chin are almost skeletal when he speaks, and his lips are tight and thin. There is a shadow of facial hair peppering his features as well. Brashq speaks in a soft tenor, often asking questions that seem more like he is the one seeking rather than providing. He often has a task or quest that he wants the vision receiver to partake in, but he leaves the vision open ended as to whether or not the task must be completed. The individual is often left feeling that they had a conversation with an old friend who they may one day see again.
Burial Rites
Brashq makes no demands of his followers when it comes to the burial of the dead.
Lineage
Brashq is the son of Surdem and Zamikeye. His brother is Sendall. It was believed by many that Pasquirn was the mother of the brothers but during the Tribes of Four conflict, Zamikeye revealed the truth, further dividing the Pantheon.
During Saratta's “Golden Age”, Brashq overthrew his father as the god of Death and took the Crown of Thorns from him. Brashq would later loose the crown to Marisse in a bet, and commit the Artifact to the mortal realm. He rose a throne of bones upon the Stream of Souls where he awaits those who would seek his blessing.
Brashq is said to be responsible for starting the Tribes of Four conflict when he used his godly power to reach into Saratta and destroy on of his own places of power when a group of mortals drew the attention of Balphurus and Telraedye, each who were seeking a foothold within the god's domain. Such displays of power are forbidden among the gods, and required an act of penance. Brashq has been attempting to gather Artifacts to be returned to their rightful places since the event, leading many gods to stake claims on Artifacts that may or may not be their own.
Previous Aspects
God of Undeath(Lawful Evil)
Upon taking the Crown of Thorns from Surdem, Brashq began to skew his aspects, mixing vengeance with command over the dead. The result was granting mortals undeath in forms that were ultimately self serving for those who were granted the “gift”. Greater undead threats rose to prominence; Vampires, vengeful Spirits, and other creatures with a hunger and hate for the living.
Brashq began taking up residence alongside the stream of souls, once the place of only Estridae. He tempted and lured those who had a fear of death, or cursed others who tried to stand in his way. Yet for all his patience, he found no joy in the effort of converting or subverting others to his will. It caused him to grow angry and discontent, to the point that he failed to notice when a group of mortals breached the realm of the gods and freed Surdem from his confines upon the Last Gate.
Brashq was cast down by Surdem who retook the Crown of Thorns and assumed command over the realms and legions of both the dead and unliving. Bereft of his position, Brashq departed from the Pantheon to seek his brother Surdem. He was accompanied by the Goddess Marisse.
During his travels (which took an eternity for Brashq, but less than a century for mortals) the god discarded the Blade of Endless Blood, taking up Hajinn once more and assuming the aspect of Vengeance. He determined that his Aspect has been determined and shaped by Mortals and that the Gods were derived of their Will. To learn from them and in turn guide them would be his new mission. He would spur those who needed it and take vengeance upon Mysorra for all of Saratta.
God of Vengeance (Chaotic Evil)
Before Brashq took on the title of Lord of the Undead, he was the aspect of Vengeance. He was revered as Ulriiutu by the Elves and was often depicted in statuettes as a tall trim elven male with jet black hair. He dawned crimson robes and bore a crooked longsword that the elves named Hajinn the Culling Blade.
His name, and references to his ancient aspect are still contained inside forgotten reliquaries, etched permanently into stone. In these aged halls there once existed great assassins guilds (The Fang of Septra, Gauntstone, and the Pale Claw to name a few). It is said that these guilds could hear the call of their master from anywhere in the world and could bring act out ones desires with but a thought. The guilds fell apart when Brashq seemed to stop speaking to them.
Brashq appears to have been most pleased when an individual seeking revenge acted out on their own. He became the god of the disenfranchised, the trampled and shamed, empowering them to fulfill their vengeful desires. Little ritual was required to commune with his aspect beyond a bloodletting and a heart filled with a desire for revenge. The power did not come without a price however, for revenge is an unending circle and continues to feed itself. The price and punishment is never described in full within the texts beyond revealing that it was always tailored to the individual.
According to Legend, Brashq brought the full force of his vengeance upon his father Surdem after learning that his twin brother Sendall had been cast out of the Pantheon. Brashq bound his father to the Last Gate, transforming Hajinn into an unbreakable chain (a mimic of the Chain of Fate that Surdem favored as a weapon), reforged by restless souls who felt betrayed by the god of Death. Brashq took the Crown of Thorns from his father and assumed the mantle of god of Undeath, rising to infamy.
Artifacts
Xirsz Phsygn, “Cradle of Souls”
Created during the runic era, the Xirsz Phsygn was designed to collect the souls of the dead and transfer their power to the wielder. The Cradle may have been dedicated to the God Surdem, but records no longer remain to confirm or deny the claim. Based upon its more recent written information (pulled from the archives of Lord Savant Arden Krueler) the artifact is associated with Brashq. It is said to have been physically returned to him in 983 LD. The artifact is now considered Lost.