Bethylak

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Bethylak is recognised as an extremely powerful being, possibly more fearsome then Notelexus himself, as the God of Time and Fate. Bethylak holds the strings of a person’s fate in his hand and governs the entry of ideas and invented things into the world. It is said that all Priests of Bethylak act as conduits for his knowledge; all things that they see and hear are shared with their God and nothing is hidden from him. His work as an artificer and his devotion to discipline has made him a patron to woodworkers, smiths, inventors and engineers alike and Bethylak is always making new things and planning new creations.

Bethylak is a meddler, it has long been noted that he cannot help but dabble in mortal affairs and although he is part of the Grey Pantheon it has to be said that he leans towards the side of light. His impressive list of enemies clearly indicate the actions that he has taken in the past which include directly battling the Yama Lords, assisting the Duke Jarmak against his arch foe the Daemon Lord Orbolom (although this was achieved through one of Bethylak’s followers, The Zemyok Imravin) and barring Kazosh’s ascendance to the heavens. He is generally speaking a kind and benevolent deity that cares deeply for his flock.

However his vengeance is a fearsome thing to behold, effectively he can erase the wisdom of a person’s mind or, by altering the web of fate, end someone’s time prematurely.

When visiting Vaklam The Lord of Time has appeared in many forms; sometimes he is a young and eager smith, scarred by the forge and bold of action and of word. On other occasions he manifests as a huge, glowing tome that hovers high in the air and grants advice and knowledge to his followers or to those that have offered him a prayer. Occasionally he appears as a stern and ancient schoolmaster peering out from behind half-moon glasses at his audience. Bethylaks Clergy is made up predominately of Professors, who have foresworn the use of arms over the power of faith, however a number of Doctors have learned the skill at arms and don armour to carry his word out into the land. Finally the Lore Keepers are the chosen of Bethylak and carry his blessings as well as his words across the lands.

Dogma

Knowledge is the most powerful thing that any person can own, knowledge is formed of ideas and ideas are dangerous. An idea can kill a man, though it has no edge, it can topple buildings though it has no weight, it has no mass but can sweep aside kingdoms and one idea can dominate an empire. Most important of all an idea cannot be seen though it can be heard and even if it is killed it can be rekindled and returned to life once more. Knowledge is the most powerful thing that any person can own but before anything can exist the idea must exist.

Knowledge must be applied, without its application knowledge is a redundant tool that becomes a hollow and unfulfilled object. The application of knowledge must be tempered by wisdom and forethought, careful planning and experimentation is a useful if not essential part of the application process. Creation, invention and new writings are the final products of the application of knowledge. These are things that must be carefully examined, archived and prepared before they are shared. The sharing of knowledge is the only way that others can learn and begin the process again for themselves.

“Time is not a static thing, but rather something liquid that stretches deep into the past, resides in the present and wanders into the distant future. Events in the past cause events in the present, which have consequences that last far beyond the lifetimes of their progenitors. There is no need to worry about the choices that one makes in life, for all actions are determined and your fate is set based upon those choices. Presentience is useful only as a moral balm to allow realisation and acceptance of one’s place in the stream of life.

The accumulation of knowledge is the purpose of existence. What cannot be learned from others can be learned from the perusal of books and when books fail the truly studious will turn to experimentation. A day of study is a day well spent. Allowing emotion to cloud your judgement risks danger. The ignorant and the inexperienced should be educated.”

From the Third Ink Stained and Dog Eared Notebook of Dazak North (The bit between Sarkithian Daemon entries regarding wingspan and a note about ham and radish omelettes) 

Archangels

Angels of Power

Servants

Bethylak is served by a number of Lesser Powers that can also be worshipped by Priests and Ley Followers, these powers have fallen under the remit of Wisdoms End over the years and given their power to increase the strength of The Wonder Smith.

The Demi Power The Ghul King

“Many things have been left in the world that should be kept out of the hands of the unlearned and the foolish. They were built for all sorts of purposes and only those of us that have dedicated their time, their lives even their unlives to their understanding should be handling them. Oh and Ghuls, Ghuls are ok, stop harassing them. Someone write an Opera about it!“

Too many guildsman wander into ancient tombs or laboratories that once belonged to irresponsible necromancers or unthinking Daemonologists or, if they are really unlucky, were the homes to beings like the Kaytaar or the Maltel Tekrom. Frequently these same guildsmen leave such locations with items of power that they believe will help them in their careers supporting their fellows. However, quite often, these items are in fact objects of great power that could, if used incorrectly, wipe out all life on a continent, cause an Ice Age or, worse, eradicate Opera from our plane of existence. During his long life the Ghul King spent much of his time collecting and collating such objects.

The Ghul King was one of the many thousands of Ghuls that populated the Royal Basin before they were made legal in 2010. He was a powerful Psionicist and ruled a huge colony of Ghuls below the Barrowbroke Hills to the South of Rhygahrea. An amiable fellow he spent much of his time enjoying and writing Opera whilst his Ghul Lords and their followers scoured the lands for objects of power that could cause harm to the general populace. For long years he spent his time guarding the knowledge that would be instrumental in the winning of the great Cataclysmic Wars. For his heroic action, not to mention his undoubted power he was granted a place among the powers of Bethylak and now the Ghuls, psionicists and guardians of power have a power to follow.

Effectively the Ghul King has only been in power since 2011ppw and as such has gathered only a small percentage of the faith of Bethylak to him. The Ghul population however have taken to him and his teachings quite rapidly and his rise to strength has been swift. He teaches that the powers of the land need to be carefully investigated, through Psionics for preference and with a report in opera form afterwards, before any action is taken regarding of them. That some information is best not revealed and the most dangerous of items be locked away in the confines of the Bethylakian Church lest a darkness befall those that utilise them.

The followers of The Ghul King wear the symbol of Opera Glasses.

The Demi Power Satirak

“There are many ways to understand the future and Bethylak provides that power to us through the art of divination. This divination often comes from signs and portents that it is our duty to interpret for the Church that they may show their flock the way forward. However to interpret these futures one must look to one’s past and the experiences that have led us this far along the path.”

There have been ages in which the power of prophecy was the only form of magic and diviners and soothsayers were the strength in the land, the religion that led us. There have been Gods and Spirits that have risen speaking the word of portents and futures to their people to guide them into a golden age. There have been folk that have risen to greater things and snatched power from the might using the power of Augury and there have equally been those that have been lain low by their lack of understanding of such matters to such an extent that now great civilisations lie in tatters. Satirak is said to have been one of Bethylaks mortal followers when he was a Mantacist. He is supposedly someone that Bethylak greatly relied upon to foresee the actions that would bring the truth of the future into his grasp. Prophecy or portent Satirak was able to interpret whatever powers were lain before him although some such knowledge took him many years to decipher. Satirak took his duties seriously realising that the power of his master and later his God hinged on his understanding of his future and how he would affect the future of those around him on all levels. When he arose to the power of the heavens it is believed that he left behind a selection of scrolls and power that would lead others to the same greatness that Bethylak now enjoys.

Followers of Satirak are expected to be experts in linguistics, enigmas and most importantly the interpretation of sign and runes. His priests work in conjunction with each other discussing at length the potential of the portents that they are finding. Their duties are taken very seriously as they direct the actions of the Church who in turn direct the followers of their faith who in turn… The touch of fate is found across the life lines of hundreds of folk and one slight change can destroy or create the fortunes of many. The followers of Satirak wear the symbol of a scroll covered in prophetic text.

The Demi Power Lorith

“Contemplation, meditation and the application of what has been learnt can there be any greater purpose to the following of knowledge. One minute of patience can bring ten years of peace whilst a little impatience spoils great plans. Through the teachings and philosophies of Bethylak you will find that everything you need will come to you at the perfect time.“ 

The Church of Bethylak is a place of learning, a place of knowledge and a place of lore and legend. All of the information that you will take with you from this place will, if mastered correctly enhance your understanding of the universe in which you live. Only through contemplation of that knowledge, through meditation, calm serenity and fundamental understanding of the application of that assembled wisdom will we reach our moments of serendipity. The teachings of Lorith and her calm will give you the wisdom to step beyond the mortal and transcend to reach the same divine conclusions as the Gods that you revere. In life Lorith was the senior scribe to Harrith of Darekar to whom were entrusted some of the most sacred scrolls of the wisdom of all the ancient clergies. Whilst the scrolls were filled with knowledge it took the skills of Lorith to unravel their actual mysteries and bring their enlightenment to those that cared for them. During the days of his ascension Bethylak travelled far to the mountain temple in which she dwelled and found her prepared and waiting for him to bring her to her own enlightenment in the heavens with him. Since then she has answered the prayers of those that can find the path to her through patience and serenity; the path to Serendipity. The priests of Lorith have little in the way of teachings and responsibilities. They tend to wander the land with the thoughts of enlightenment running through their heads. They are full of singular pearls of wisdom, guidance and understanding that seem designed to give the people of the land a deeper understanding of their own potential and the brilliance of their own futures.The followers of The Lorith wear the symbol of a triangle with a line through it.

The Demi Power Oltar

“The future, the undiscovered country, the path that we walk in eternity. It is a power that is always within your grasp: The path of the future is designated by the choices that you make but only with both understanding and foresight can that path be yours and not directed by the machinations of others who are better informed and therefore better armed.”

The future is your future. Destiny is your destiny. The path that leads you there is driven by the choices that you make. This is the basic mantra of the followers of Oltar. However there are greater things in this world than the destiny that you make yourself and often it is difficult to identify with this. Your destiny could have been carved onto the bedrock of Vaklam by a powerful being, your future decided by your or another’s God and they may have interfered with the web of fate to ensure it. It is the way of Oltar to identify with THAT future and manoeuvre the path of the individual that they may be presented with the choices that they may otherwise have missed.

Many believe that Oltar was formed of the power of Bethylak, that he or rather it, is a representation of the many choices that Bethylak himself made on his path from mortal to Divine being. His business is to observe the fate lines of the world, of all living beings, how they interact with each other and how one single choice in that web can change the dynamic of a thousand people’s futures. Oltar’s responsibilities within the Pantheon is to report this knowledge directly to Bethylak who is said to have a greater responsibility to ensure that the other deities also have enlightenment in these matters and can guide their followers. In a way Oltar is ultimately responsible for the fate of each faith and through that action the shepherding of all of the followers of each of the Gods.

The priests of Oltar are often called upon to the earliest parts of an individual’s life. Whilst they are certainly responsible for calling upon Bethylak to reveal the fates and destiny of an individual (often seen in the shape of an hourglass hanging over the head of a strongly fated individual) they are seen with great reverence by the majority of folk. They are called to births or to naming day ceremonies to prevail over the destinies and the futures of the children of the Royal Basin.

The followers of Oltar wear the symbol of a moon over the sun.

The Demi Power Kyranry

“All magic needs to be governed and controlled, it is the belief that the Colleges are equipped to represent the strength of Sourcerous powers upon the world but they are wrong. Governance comes from belief and that belief will give Sourcery and those that utilise it proper direction and order. I am that power, I am that strength I am the governor, the lord and the majesty.“

Sourcery is a form of magical power from which all others grew, it has dictated the state of play for the magics that we now use for many milliner and is likely to continue to hold a place of power there. However it is the power of Focus, the power of belief that all people hold in their hearts that is the true power of the land and of all that dwell in the Royal Basin and beyond. Sourcery is given rules and direction by the mortal folk of the world who have no right nor place to be in a position to dictate such a raw and universal potential. It is for the Divine who have been given the right to make such decisions by their followers to dictate such policies; powers like Kyranry.

Kyranry was the brother of Ithyarn, which are both now wings of Morrigun College, the oldest of the Colleges of Sourcery and with good reason. It is history that both Ithyarn and Kyranry were among the earliest of humanity to master the arts of the newly arrived Source comet. They and the legendary Kurt Nagerson. Kyranry vanished long after dispensing his teachings to the world and long after the death of his brother on a pilgrimage deep into the city of Maryat. He was recovered late in the year 2008ppw and returned to a semblance of life. In that time he had been badly damaged and bore an artefact limb in the shape of his right leg and a forearm and partially artificed head. His ideas regarding the running of the College, with him at the helm, were met with hostility by Quinn Shadowreaver and in desperation he sought an escape to the heavens where he was welcomed by Bethylak in the Tharinos of 2012. He has ruled the realms of Source Magic ever since.

The priests of Kyranry are still very few and far between, instead he is mainly worshipped by Sourcerers who consider him to be the true essence of their magic. Until such time as this changes his priests have little in the form of duty to provide. The followers of Kyranry wear the symbol of Kyranry.