Pharazia Write-up

[KingCorn]

Other locations of Pharazia:
-The House of Writers: Something that Pharazia has always prided itself on has been its education, with narry a one illiterate in their beautiful land (the nomads don't count), yet in spite of this the press is very controlled. While any man may write prose as he wishes, only the official calligraphers may write religious texts and distribute the true word of Diambel. Working in the House of Writers, a beautiful white building just astride the palace, they work day and night to capture the beauty and wisdom of Diambel into both form and word. While proud of their esteemed status, they will often abuse their position to ruin up and coming artists and writers in lower society who might capture Diambel's interest and favor away from them. Between crushing rivals, they also work to create a true holy book for their divine leader, in hopes of enlightening the barbaric peoples of the core.
---Dread Possibility: The Bewitching Words: In order to further secure their own power and gather hearts and minds to the word of Diambel, some calligraphers of the House of Writers have enchanted their works, though never those presented to Diambel himself. With powerful enchantments, they slowly subvert the will and mind. While intended to help spread the holy word, some have taken it to implant hidden instructions to further there own petty interests, be it for power or revenge or simple greed.

-Coffee Houses: One of the most popular exports of Pharazia has been its coffee, grown on the banks of its twin rivers alongside wheat and rye. Yet for all that the foreigners love it, the locals of Pharaz love it more. Coffee houses are the taverns of these people who have been forbidden from the vice of drink (when the law-givers are watching), and are popular hang outs for the growing middle class and upper class within the city, a place to relax, talk business, or in some cases, conspire. One popular house, which to this day has no name, is owned by a fat and aged nomad convert. While not grand, its nearness to the bazaar, Hazlani trade embassy, and several store houses makes it patron to a variety of guests both among all classes and lands. Many patrons of the place claim to hold secret control of the establishment and give it a nickname (nearly all who do this are lying).

-The Leviathan: In the southern sands, just near the lower eastern oasis which feeds one of the twin tributaries of pharazia, buried beneath a mountain of sand and rock, great bones jut out of the ground like ivory monoliths. This is the rest of the leviathan, a gargantuan creature of pharazian legend, which is said to have flourished during a great flood which nearly destroyed the world. The spot is also though to be cursed, as people often go missing around the creature, leaving only mad whispers from nowhere and warped mirages. As such, archerologists from the core are kept away.
---The possibility: The Unliving Gate: The Leviathan is in fact the echo of a dead Etheral Dragon, whose died horribly after being trapped in the near etheral of the demiplane. Its death manifested upon the plane as the bones for a grave marking. Its rotting body in the near astral has caused it to become frayed and befouled. The mirages are infact gates into the near etheral caused by this rot, with the disapperances and whispers being people who wandered into the gates by accident, and are now left with only each other and a rotting dragon for company. (I wanted to use an astral dreadnaught for this, but apparently they can't leave the Astral Plane. Etheral Dragon was all I could find.)

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

Divid finished up Belenus' portrait (https://www.deviantart.com/dividlibro/a ... -844514418) and here are his new stats...

Belenus (lv 5 Cleric, Lawful Good)
Str: 14
Dex: 11
Con: 15
Int: 12
Wis: 15
Cha: 12
Skills: Religion, Insight
-Leather Armor (AC 12), Quarterstaff, Priest Pack, Holy Symbol
-Divine Domain (Light), Channel Divinity, Destroy Undead (1/2 cr), Warding Flare, Raidence of Dawn
-Cantrips known 4, Spell slots 4/3/2

Appearance: At first glance, one might wonder if this twenty-three-year-old-man is a bit old to be an innocent, but spending a little time with him one can see the love and joy he shows to his god and everyone around him. Almost as if an invisible aura of light and hope hugged his entire body.

Unlike the rest of the people of Pharazia, Belenus is fair skinned, freckled, with cinnamon-colored hair (that has a silver streak in it) that is starting to grow out a bit. His blue eyes are covered with a white blindfold after blinding himself by Diamabel's command. Otherwise he dresses no differently than the rest of the clerics.

Background: The word monster was the most common word associated to Jonathan Brook ever since his mother was burned as a witch in Tepest. He knew she wasn’t innocent, because his grandparents had already filled his head with stories of how his mother would make dark pacts with the Shadow Fey and the horrible curses that she inflicted upon the town. To make sure he never forgot, his grandparents and the rest of the villagers kept a strict watch on this “demon child” to make sure no signs of Fey heritage would emerge.

Lonely and ridden with guilt, Jonathan entered the priesthood of Belenus in hopes of proving that he was nothing like his mother. While he was a good and devoted follower, rumors travel like wildfire and his sordid past was eventually discovered by his fellow clerics. Right as the high clerics were about discuss weather hanging or burning would be the better punishment, Jonathan decided to join up with a group of adventurers who happened to be passing by.

Things started to pick up for Jonathan though he was still rather painfully shy around the rest of the party in fear if they wouldn’t like him if he revealed too much. So he often put his own feelings and happiness behind that of others in hopes that they would still like him even if he did screw up or they found out. It was that very selflessness that won him the heart of Annya, a Halfling ranger, when he threw himself in the path of a werefox that wanted to infect her.

Due to their opposing races, Annya had kept her feelings for Jonathan a secret until their party came across and recruited a fellow cleric of Belenus named Charlotte. Charlotte’s beauty and charm easily broke through Jonathan’s barriers, creating a beautiful relationship and stirring a lot of jealousy in Annya’s heart. Believing Charlotte to be a monster, Annya followed the cleric around until Charlotte eventually let her guard down, revealing herself to be the werefox that tried to attack their party. With this information in hand, Annya set a trap for their new recruit.

Throwing a lycanthropy inducing potion on her, Charlotte’s plans were destroyed at a terrible cost. Annya had underestimated Jonathan’s fragile state, driving him to throw himself over the party’s private ship and into the cold waters.

Out of some strange miracle, Jonathan was eventually found washed up on a sandbank in Pharazia. Battered from the waves and unable to remember his own name, the Pharazian who found him took pity on the outsider. Since he had no memory, Jonathan would be unable corrupt the natives.

Renamed Belenus for the strange necklace he wore with his deity’s name on it, the former cleric became an eager and devout follower of Diamabel. This became the perfect propaganda for the darkord to keep his followers devoted, for if a sinful outsider could become a pure and godly servant, then Diamabel’s power was truly unquestionable. Only problem was that as Belenus’ faith and purity grew, a change had come over him, transforming him into the epitome of good-an innocent. Blinded by his regained innocence, Belenus has once again become a pawn and object of jealousy for the forces of darkness.

Current Status: As Diamabel’s desire to build a religion around himself grows, Belenus has become something of a mascot. To make sure that he never found out about the darklord’s demonic half, Diamabel demanded that he blinded himself as test of faith. Despite all this, he despises the young man for his purity and would do away with him if his little propaganda machine didn’t work so well.

Old fragments of his past still haunt Belenus to this day, creating an inner sadness that occasionally whispers into his head that his life is all a lie. Deep inside he knows the voices are right, but prefers to drown them out with his new found faith and peace the he has finally found. On the outside Belenus is a cheerful and saintly creature whose personality draws people to him. Co-dependent and eager to please everyone around him, he is able to withstand even the cruelest of abuses and still forgive his tormentor.

Combat: Due to his blindness and newly gained innocent nature, Belenus tries to avoid fighting and will summon Diamabel’s clerics or law-givers to fight for him while aiding them with his magic. If cornered, he will try to talk the attackers out of it or start blindly swinging his staff, hoping to hit something.

Dread Possibility: Annya (lv 6 Halfling Ranger) hasn't forgiven herself for her hand in Belenus' breakdown and has been searching all of Ravenloft for him. Having read Hans' latest book, she is considering going to the Amber Wastes.

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

Allahn el Rashaan (Level 12 Fighter, Neutral)
Str: 18, Dex: 16, Con: 16, Int: 12, Wis: 14 Cha: 14
PB: +4, HP: 100, AC: 14
Number of Attacks: 2
-Fighting Style (Dueling and Archery), Second Wind (1), Improved Critical, Remarkable Athlete, Student of War, Know Your Enemy, Improved Combat Superiority
-Scimitar +3, leather armor, crossbow +3

Diamabel (Lv 12 Fighter, Chaotic Evil)
Str: 21, Dex: 18, Con: 17, Int: 15, Wis: 13, Cha: 19 (3 in night form)
PB: +4, HP: 100, AC: 13
Number of Attacks: 2
-Fighting Style (Great Weapon Fighting), Second Wind, Action Surge (1), Improved Critical, Remarkable Athlete, Student of War, Improved Combat Superiority, Know your Enemy
-Spiritburner (+3 flame tongue), fear, wing buffet
-Regenerate 2hp per round, need +2 or higher weapons to hit

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

I just wanted to share the second to last comissioned pic of Fatiha: https://www.deviantart.com/dividlibro/a ... -845053251

I'll be working on Hans' stats tomorrow.

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

Hans Dhamerhousen (Neutral)
Str: 10, Dex: 12, Con: 14, Int: 17, Wis: 15, Cha: 14
PB: +3, HP: 38, AC: 12
Skills: Perception, Psychology
-Pistol, Scmitar
*Dark Devotion

*His faith to Diamabel has granted him advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

Here's the final pic of Hans: https://www.deviantart.com/dividlibro/a ... -845342554