Sendall
Krosban Description
I had the honor to be welcomed into a lizard clan during my travels throughout the world. We were led into a temple to be met by their matron queen, but events that day kept the queen from greeting us immediately. Upon the walls of the temple was a dedication to a god I was unfamiliar with. In fact, none of us that seen anything like it before.
Etched upon the walls was the depiction a wolf on its hind quarters. It was drawn in short lines with a glow emanating from it, unlike the bold black that one sees in dedications to Balphurus. Around the wolf were figures of dancing beings, lizards and men, elves and gnolls, all in the same place. They were coexisting in worship, not pitched in battle. Surrounding the image was a circle or carved humanoid figures. At the top the figure appeared to be a man, but at the bottom it had transformed into a wolf, only to return back to its humanoid form back at the top.
We never noticed when the queen entered the room, until she chose to speak.
“Biy thos, Sendall. Gichan Iecorik”
As I would soon learn, the language was Sendalese, the words of the god of Beasts. This is Beloved Sendall, Lord and King of the Beasts.”
Portfolio
A beast roars in the deep woods of the north; a tiger stalks in tall grasses. A crystalline night sees man turn beast, bristling with fur, howling to the moon. The keeper of Beasts may no longer be worshipped by the mainstream society, but his presence in Saratta is still felt far and wide. The lord of Beasts oversees the animal and subtly shelters or provides aid to creatures in need.
Sendall’s power extends well beyond the animal kingdom. He is better known as the god of Lycanthropes, Lizardfolk, and gnolls. He is the one who first made lycanthropy possible, though the original incarnation had not truly bad side effects. To the lizards and gnolls, Sendall is their patron god of choice because the other humanoid races do not follow the lost god. He hears them, and grants his blessings their way.
Followers
During the Age of Creation, Priests of Sendall sought to be more like the Beast god, and dedicated themselves fully to caring for the natural kingdom. As time continued, the priests began to question what happened to the spirits of the animals when they died. Several druids took it upon themselves to contact the spirits and discover the answer. To their horror, they learned that the spirits simply became trapped until they had a chance to reincarnate. The final gateway guarded by Surdem was not open to them.
The druids and priests made a decision to house the spirits within their own bodies so that when their own spirits departed, the other souls would be joined together and all would pass through the gates. Sendall, so pleased by their efforts at finding a way around the rules of the Surdem, granted his followers the ability to take the form of the spirits they housed. The more spirits a person houses, the harder it is to remain a part of the “civilized” world. Those who choose this route do not consider this a bad thing, as they ascend to an evolved understanding of the world.
All lycanthropes speak the language of their god, Senalese.
Appearance
Sendall appears takes the form of a giant silver wolf that stands on its hind quarters. His ancient eyes glimmer with the wisdom of ages and understanding of one who has seen suffering. He is swift to act when taking the weak and dying, giving them a quick end to their pain. His actions are like that of an animal, but he leads his packs as the one true alpha.
Burial Rites
The body returns to the earth of its own accord through decay or the scavenging of animals. The body of a lycanthrope is to be placed beneath the timbers of dead trees and covered gently in fallen leaves. Moonlight must be able to touch the place where the burial was done to better guide the spirits. If this cannot be done the spirits will seek out another shelter to house them (the humanoid spirit included).
Lineage
Sendall is the second son of Surdem and Pasquirn. He does not hold any qualms with his brother Brashq though there is conflict with the rest of the family. Surdem barred the gates from his sons after Brashq’s betrayal, and as Pasquirn became poisoned she created a curse upon some of the lycanthropes. They became contagious, spreading the beast plague. Sendall has been hard pressed since then to remove the blight. Brashq takes an active part in secretly aiding his brother in breaking the curse.