[First Draft] Meephos, God of Gluttony and Passion

[The Huntsman]

Meephos The God of Gluttony and Passion Alias’ The Corruptor - Aelyria Prince of Lies – Silrosia Tulav - Kemite Hitax – Dwarven Vissul'lis –Saurid Dealbreaker -Cether Lord Desire - Cyraxian Alignment Evil Realm Velys, The Plane of Lies Abstract The world is filled with sin; countless types. When one goes against what is widely accepted be just or right, they are committing a sin. Throughout history, the existence of sin and sinful acts have been attributed to treacherous will of none other than, Meephos, The Corruptor. Originally created by the Lord of Chaos, Jorel, to spread emotional disorder and rage throughout all that was stable and pure, Meephos has since taken on a mantle of his own; his name synonymous with indecisiveness. With the spread of sin, indecisiveness, corruption and raging emotions, Meephos has grown in power and influence since his creation; going so far as to carve out his own realm, Velys, the Plane of Lies. Unlike, Jorel, who is bound to his own power; imprisoned by it in Aeternia, Meephos moves about the realms rather often. He enjoys manifesting in the Plane of Material, spreading corruption, enticing emotion and sin while conducting backhanded deals with both mortals and immortals alike. Meephos has a consort; Haya, Goddess of Lust and Pestilence. Their deceiving natures attracted them to one another and in a mockery of a wedding; attended by all manner of demon, they joined together. Neither trusts the other and they routinely attempt to deceive, cheat, and steal from each other; their relationship grounded in sin. The two have spawned many a demonic offspring, the first Succubus is said to be one of them. Another was effectively stillborn; entering existence already dead. The corrupting energies of the Plane of Lies flowed into the dead godling and restored a semblance of life. Thus was born the bloated, demi-god of lies, Turtus. It is this energy that has come to be known as, Necrotic Energy and is used by Meephos in devious, cursed deals made with mortals who wish immortality. Common Appearance To Meephos, it isn't as much about what he looks like as opposed to what he has. Often he appears as a plump, middle-aged man dressed in fine robes and carrying all manner of indulgence and pushing many types of sin. His appearance also depends on who he is appearing to. For elves, he sometimes appears as a tall, thin elf with greasy hair and dark eyes, dressed in velvet robes and brokering deals that seem too good to be true. To dwarves, Meephos is often seen as a overly obese dwarf with extravagantly braided hair and beard, dressed in the finest of cloths. In most cases with other humanoids, he appears as one of their own although usually obese and always wearing the finest of cloths. Meephos is not one for combat and thus is hardly ever seen or depicted as wearing armor or carrying weapons; trickery and manipulation are his weapons of choice. Organization of the Religion The worship of Meephos has existed as long as greed has caused mortals to exploit each other. The organization of the religion varies slightly among different races and societies. There isn't any organized church as Meephos' followers usually gather in small cults. One example of these cults has been known to exist in elven society as a snake-worshipping cult made up of corrupt merchants and power-brokers. This cult is often discovered and scattered yet over the eras it has experienced various levels of rebirth. In most societies, Cults of the Betrayer often operate behind the scenes, manipulating events and spreading corruption until discovered. Yet for every cult that is destroyed, two more seem to arise and replace it. Such cults often possess great resources and are involved in numerous underground organizations, black markets, slave trades, and various other unsavory ventures. It is not uncommon for some cults to be led by Etos who see their unliving existence not as much as a curse but more a gift from Meephos. However, still more serve out of compulsion; an element of their curse. A priest of Meephos normally leads His cults and communicates His will to other cult members. Members usually consist of corrupt merchants, politicians, drug dealers and others offering false promises who prey upon the selfish emotions of the populace. Warriors/Paladins of Meephos are rare though not unheard of. In fact, Meephos takes great pleasure in twisting the emotions of those pure of heart and mind and bringing about their downfall with false promises and broken deals. These warriors are often called, Serpents. The Plane of Lies The Umblat, the thick, slimy, blackened river of souls that flows through the Realm of Discord, contains a raging, violent, churning waterfall so horrific in power that it rends all souls caught in it. After a seemingly endless fall filled with horrors beyond imagining, the Umblat sends those caught in the fall to enter the Velys, the Plane of Lies. From here, the Umblat branches off in many directions that lead to various infernal realms. Its main current from here however leads into a large bay where demonic looking ships are docked and a twisted city looms. The city is named after the realm itself, Velys. The realm is a mockery of the Material Realm; filled with smaller cities and villages. These places are inhabited by demons and other powerful entities serving Meephos, Haya and their twisted court. Along with these terrible creatures are the slaves. Souls condemned to eternity in Velys are enslaved by the native inhabitants and are bought, traded and sold in an endless series of gambling and dealing. They serve their masters in all manner of twisted ways both in Velys as well as other realms, including that of the Material. Everything in Velys is a much darker, corrupted version of what is found in the Material Realm. Buildings are made of stone mined by slaves from the heart of Velys itself. Plants are often semi-sentient and carnivorous while the water is no better than disease incarnate. The realm is one of complete trickery where only the most malevolent and despised souls are condemned; corrupt, traitorous, selfish, insane, all are welcome in Velys. No comfort or reprieve may be found; only a series of neverending trials; challenges, perpetual pain and punishment and eternal slavery. Although the realm is ruled by Meephos; whose dark palace perches on a bluff overlooking the city of Velys, the city itself is ruled by Turtas. Turtas enslaves the entire city with an iron hand and commands respect from even the most powerful of demons. Etos, demons and slaves all make up the population of this cursed city whose numbers swell to almost countless proportions. The most important thing to remember about Velys is that nothing is what it appears to be and everything should be seen as a trick. The city of Velys itself is one of extreme beauty and splendor; hiding from the naked eye the horrors that take place. Turtas is often said to masquerade as a beautiful seductress surrounded by a harem of awe-inspring women offering newcomers a false vision of paradise. This facade soon fades and the truth; too horrible to describe, is revealed as she inflicts torturous nightmares upon her new slaves. Each newcomer to Velys experiences it in unique ways although one constant always remains, no one and no thing can be trusted. Meephos' Sacred Symbols The Serpent – The forked tongue, silent movement, piercing gaze, long fangs and lightning fast strikes depict Meephos best of all as a God who slithers silently around his prey, mesmerizing them with his wiles only to strike suddenly with a fatal bite; dooming his victims to a painful end. Fallen warriors often take this as their symbol; reminding them always of who their true master is while priests adopt the symbol as a sign of their faith in their God. Double-Sided Coin - Deals made by Meephos are always in his favor. The double-sided coin depicts this in that with every flip of the coin, there will only be one final outcome. Priests of Meephos often bare this symbol somewhere upon their person; some even going so far as to use a double-sided coin in various deal-making. The Chained Skull- A symbol representing Meephos' influence in the creation of the Etos, a skull wrapped in rusted chains symbolizes the eternity of slavery that most Etos find themselves trapped in, regardless of their power or apparent freedom. Some Etos who put their faith in Meephos use this symbol as a sign of their faith, others see it as a symbol of their greed for immortality. The Rusted Dagger -A symbol often taken on by corrupt merchants and thieves, the rusted dagger symbolizes Meephos' backstabbing deals. Such deals often come out of nowhere and if not immediately fatal, will eventually bring about ruin from their inherent corruption. Poison Tears - Seen sometimes in paintings depicting betrayal, corruption and manipulation, the poison tears are black or green in color and symbolize the poisoning of emotions that Meephos is also famous for. Using one's own feelings against them is a favored tactic of the God of Emotion. He twists and corrupts one's emotions, driving them to acts of sin an madness which if and when they realize what they have done, it is either too late or they are too consumed in their own emotional corruption to care. Rites, Oaths, and Rituals Due to the secretive nature of Meephos' worship, His cults bare only a handful of official rites, oaths and rituals. Though few in number, such practices are important to priests, paladins and worshipers all. There are few established churches ever having been known to exist as most cults meet secretly and in constantly changing locations. Invocation of Corruption - This ritual is performed by priests of Meephos on the last brightening of each month. The priest ritualistically reads off a list of all the people he or she has driven to ruin or corrupted in the name of Meephos over the course of the month. If Meephos is not pleased with the list, he may enact some form of punishment upon the priest. Such a punishment is usually a reminder of the priests true calling although in extreme cases it can mean the condemnation of the priest to an eternity in Velys. The Serpent's Bite -This ritual is used to induct new followers into the Cult of the Betrayer. It is usually performed by full priests on chosen individuals from the ranks of merchants, politicians and other manipulators. It involves three ceramic jars being placed before the would-be follower. One of the jars holds a poisonous snake of deadly renown. The priest then tries to trick the individual into reaching into the jar with the snake while the would-be follower hopefully avoids falling for it. If successful, the new follower is given a double-sided coin baring the visage of the serpent and is formally inducted as an acolyte. If unsuccessful, the person dies from a slow but painful poison. Rite of the Faithful – This rite is required by priests when one of their acolytes is found to be lacking in faith. To prove they are truly faithful to Meephos, the acolyte must bring about the ruin of someone closest to them. This may end up in the victim's death but the preferred method involves corruption and ruination with the acolyte revealing at the end their involvement before taking the life of the victim in the name of Meephos. This rite may also be required of acolytes in addition or even in place of The Serpent's Bite if the latter is seen as insufficient. Soul Contract - Full priests of Meephos often use contracts as a tool of corruption. Using their own blood as ink and their faith to bind it, they pen a contract and convince another to sign it. The contract may be a simple agreement between two parties, business related, or other but the other person signing it is then bound to the person who wrote the contract. Attempts at breaking the contract condemns the offenders soul to Velys upon their death; a death that the priest will most surely expedite. The Chanadar - This is a rite performed by high ranking individuals who practice the art of Necrotic Manipulation; an art passed on to mortals and Etos by Meephos. Though not always performed in the name of Meephos, His followers often have skill in Necrotic Manipulation with high ranking priests possessing great skill in it. This is a sacred rite and when performed in the name of Meephos it infuses the devoted with the 'blessings' of the God and allows them to manipulate the energy of corrupt emotion and death with great aptitude. Such followers are then known as Shades. (See Necrotic Manipulation for more details) Holidays and Holy Sites Serpents of Meephos have no real established holy days as their secretive nature does not allow it. The closest they have is the last brightening of each month where priests must recite a list of all whom they have corrupted and driven into ruin. Holy sites however, are found scattered everywhere. In fact, some cities are even revered as holy sites as are battlefields, burial grounds and anywhere baring great emotional energy. Necrotic Manipulators are capable of sensing such energy moreso than most yet all true followers of Meephos know when a place is ripe with the influence of their God. In cities, places of sin are the most common sites seen as being holy to a Serpent. Brothels, gaols, mortuaries all make for places where one may commune closer with Meephos than anywhere else in a city. Establishments ran by corrupt merchants, moneylenders and even tax-collectors can also serve as holy sites as these places commonly bring about the ruin of those who 'benefit' from their services. Minions and Relatives Jorel – The God of Chaos resides within and rules Aeternia. Although created by Jorel, Meephos holds no love for his "father" and the two have a tenuous relationship at best, neither trusting the other. Haya - Meephos' wife and Goddess of Lust and Pestilence, Haya is manipulative, seductive, and often involved any number of Meephos’ crazy schemes to gain power and increase his strength. Her involvement in such schemes however is as much a challenge to Meephos as an asset as she is always looking for a way to gain an upper-hand on her husband. Jalat – The God of Death and the God of Emotion have had an on-again-off-again relationship. Jalat judges souls that are sent to Valys for their transgressions. It is also said that it is Jalat whom Meephos stole secrets of death and unlife from although such claims have yet to be proven. Turtas– This bloated, unliving being was the still-born offspring of Meephos and Haya. She was granted unlife by the twisted powers of Valys and thus became the first true Etos. Demi-Goddess of Lies, Turtus rules the city of Valys in her father's name; inflicting unnamed horrors upon the enslaved souls trapped in the realm. Alithea – Another product of a union between Meephos and Haya, Alithea is the first succubus and mother to all who came after. She exemplifies everything one would think of in a succubus; beauty, lust, corruption and danger. Demi-Goddess of Corruption, Alithea wanders the Material Realm as well as others, inspiring corruption and aiding her own offspring in spreading ruination among all whom they encounter. Champions and Notables Malagust Von Treagan – The first mortal priest of Meephos. Malagust is said to have been a man of impeccable business sense as well as possessing a greed unparalleled even today. His actions attracted the attention of Meephos who chose to make a deal with Malagust. It is not known exactly what that deal was but it is said that Malagust was the only one ever to have come out ahead in a contract with the Betrayer. Couth T'linias – A high ranking priest masquerading as a trusted political adviser who moves from city to city inspiring corruption in politics. Murgan Bloodblade – Dwarven necrotic manipulator and Shade dealing in the forging and selling of cursed, corrupted items of necrotic origin. Bier – An Azulos, priest of Meephos, imprisoned somewhere in the Great Mountains. Mistress Jenavive – Succubus and head of a Serpent's Cult operating somewhere in the Lauryll Province. Dillan Faunt - One of Meephos' favored warriors; a fallen paladin of Aslan who gave into selfish passion and killed his wife in order to be with another woman. Of course there are other Serpents and followers of Meephos throughout the land although their locations and identities are hard to track as they are by nature, a secretive lot. Even those who are known to exist such as the notables above are difficult to identify, much less find due to their excellence in the art of deception and manipulation. Bases of Power The Serpents of Meephos do not claim any true base of power that anyone knows of as having such a place would be a threat to secretive nature of Meephos' servants. That said however, there have been reports of potential cults operating in the cities of Imperia, Aelyria Prime, Zinn'Sunn and Medonia. If any place were to be considered a true base of power, it would have to be the fabled, Throne of Lies; an ancient temple of an unknown God of Light, defiled by priests of Meephos and held as being the place where the Serpent's Chosen will someday be named. The Chosen is said to be the one who will lead the Serpents out of the darkness and bring about a new era of corruption to the world. Important Artifacts The Serpent's Coin - Although countless coins have been created baring similarities to this sacred coin, the true Serpent's Coin is said to have been originally given to Malagust Von Treagan by Meephos Himself. The double-sided coin is said to have the power to place a taint upon the soul of anyone who partakes in a contested flip of the coin with a Serpent who uses it. The person will of course always loose such a contest and will be cursed with bad luck that intensifies until it eventually brings about the death of the person. The taint on their soul then condemns them to eternity in Velys. Only one of these coins is known to exist. Throne of Lies - The Throne of Lies is said to be one of the most powerful artifacts tied to Meephos. It is forged from solid gold and encrusted with precious gems. The Serpents of Meephos believe that their Chosen will one day reveal themselves by taking a seat upon the throne and epitomize corruption, manipulation and deceit. The Chosen will gain dominion over such aspects and wield them as a warrior would a sword. Those unworthy of the position who seat themselves in the throne, are immediately twisted in mind and body; becoming insane horrors of broken flesh that die shortly after. Only one throne is known to exist. Shroud of Deceiver - This artifact initially appears to be little more than a simple square of black, tattered cloth. However, when held by a true follower of Meephos, its true nature becomes apparent. With a simple prayer to the Betrayer, the cloth animates as countless tiny threads extend out from the square and slither their way over the person's body until their entire body is encased. The shroud then takes on the visage of a completely different person; thus masking the follower's true appearance. The change in appearance is limited to the person's actual size and stature however other features completely change including hair, eye and skin color, racial features such as elongated ears, skin texture or hair length and can make the person look like any humanoid race of similiar proportions. These shrouds are often gifted to favored priests and followers. The Serpent's Coin (Lesser) - All who successfully become acolytes of the Serpent are give a double-sided coin, a lesser version of the true Serpent's Coin. It is sign of their success and faith in Meephos and when flipped upon waking each new brightening, no matter how the coin lands, the person will experience an added boost to their luck for the remainder of that brightening. This is of course so long as the person is in good favor with Meephos. If the God is not as pleased as He feels he should be, the person may experience no luck boost or even bad luck with the coin flip. The god's mood can never be relied upon.

[The Huntsman]

I figured I would try my hand at my own God write-up; this one one Meephos. It seems that Meephos is one who is referred to from time to time but never really given much depth. Hopefully this will help. Constructive comments and suggestions are more than welcome. I listed him as the God of Gluttony and Passion although he hold sway over so much; emotion, indecision, madness. I see him as a manipulator and corrupter who stays behind the scenes preying on the various emotions and sin of mortals; inciting indecision and driving them to madness.

[Atl Myrsa]

Its really good. My only comments. I would maybe include a section on Heya and Meephos. I always get the impression they work together a lot, I mean even more so then the like Diana and Ioannese. They might even have some joint churches. I know that I have an underground church to both of them in Diana. But I can see that possible being its own serpare write up.

I do like that you wrote him up, as he really is an under used god.

[Kaelon]

I love this. This is really well done. Meephos has traditionally been one of those under-used gods, as Atl mentions. In the past, we've represented him also as a the "God of Emotions" (which you capture beautifully with the "God of Passions" monicker). His cultural aspects feel so natural, it is as if this is how the god has always been represented.

One minor correction -- Turtas is a gigantic bloated androgenous demigod minion; I'm not sure if the Introduction to Planar Cosmology didn't really specify, but the couple of times that we referenced it, we suggested that s/he could go either way. Thoughts?

[Gossamer]

This looks really great. I have a couple of suggestions, but I think I will make them a bit later after others have commented. I'm really glad to see others working on these godwrite ups! I couldn't have done this god with anywhere close to this level of coolness.

Glad you took him on!

*claps*

[Amber Brightwing]

Paxia used to have a Meephos cult that was more geared towards the wealthy merchants in town and basically just a place of great decadence. It's now been destroyed though, so it could have just been one of a kind

[The Huntsman]

I am already in the process of doing a Haya write-up although I like the idea of putting a section in both write-ups that addresses the collaboration between Meephos and Haya. As they are both quite corrupt and selfish, I see them as competing against each other in many ways; a relationship of passion, lust and convenience more so than love. I kind of touched on that already but there of course would be various cults that worship both and probably even model their structure after their deity's unique relationship. Maybe operating out of dens of unimaginable decadence and sin; constantly manipulating not only outsiders but also their own fellows in order to gain greater favor in the eyes of both deities. Such dual-worship I think would involve greater betrayal among followers than worshiping one or the other.

Also, considering the largely unpredictable nature of Meephos, I would think his cults are not bound to any solid structure. Their main goal would most likely be the corruption and ruination of others. Since this could take so many forms, you could even have an entire guild within a city actually be a Meephos cult made up of wealthy merchants who gain their wealth by whatever means necessary. Meephos is an under-used God yet he has his hands in so much that I think that he could rival Jorel, perhaps not in overall power, but definitely in influence. Every sentient being in existence is going to have selfish thoughts, emotions, and so forth at some point in their lives. Even if these are ever so minor it would open the door to Meephos' touch.

As far as Turtus, I was actually having trouble deciding what gender to make it as there is mention of a female gender in there yet at first I thought of male. I can change that quite easily.

Thank you so much for all the comments thus far, I appreciate them.

[Atl Myrsa]

I agree. They are the lovers bound to each other by their passions. Ares and Aphrodity but with more of a corrupted twist, even thought their passion was that passion not love.

I look forward to the Heya write up.

The cult ideas I am using and have mad some hint to referance the Passion. Its still a little vague, but it general is in referance to the complete relase of emmotions. Removing that block that we have that keeps our passions in place. (among the followers, since together they cover all passions) So if you want to uses that kind of an idea for the join write up. Just some ideas.

[Eyvind Redbeard]

Wasn't Meephos the God of Hate and Vengence as well?

[Orbril]

Hmmm

I always got the impression that Haya the Seducer was more likely to be the manipulator and corrupter behind the scenes preying on the various emotions and sin of mortals. Afterall Gluttony and Passion are types of Lusts

To me Meephos was much more savagely direct embodiment of chaos (hate, vegeance, indecision, madness)- sort of like the Joker (of Batman fame)

[The Huntsman]

It is true that Meephos is also the God of Hate and Vengeance though there is so much else as well. Having to pick, I chose Gluttony and Passion although passion can also include hate and vengeance which are twisted, violent forms of passion. The way I am portraying him is a God who plays, deals and bargains with the emotions and selfishness of others all in an effort to corrupt. This could be hate or vengeance, greed or obsession, or just about any other similiar form of negative feeling or emotion. In essence, he is a corruptor of the pure; love, righteousness, justice and selflessness can all be turned into hate, vengeance, madness and selfishness. I don't see him as directly inspiring hatred or vengeance as much as twisting and corrupting a person until they are filled with hatred and/or vengeance.

As for Chaos and Entropy, that is Jorel, at least the way I understand him to be from what write-ups there are on him. He is unpredictable; one minute appearing as a distiguished, handsome, well-spoken stranger, the next he is a grotesque, raging, uncontrollable horror of chaos and destruction.

Now Haya I have as dominating Lust and Plague and although passion and gluttony could easily fit into lust, I see Haya's lust as being one grounded in sadism and cruel sexual desire focused on the deblitiation of others. It is a lust that is tainted by her other domains of plague, pestilence and infirtility; all meant to cripple, deface, defile and break health and vitality, love and purity.

As Meephos and Haya are closely bonded to one another, it is inevtiable that their domains will cross from time to time; this is another aspect I tried to address in their competition. Both will prey upon the emotions and sin of others and try to manipulate mortals through their emotions, it is the way they go about doing it that usually differs.

Unfortunately it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how one of these divine beings will be nor is it is possible to encompass all the ways they could be worshipped. Meephos may choose someone filled with intense hatred and a thirst for vengeance as a favored follower while at the same time accepting one who is sly, backstabbing, and selfish. Haya may favor the seducer who works to manipulate members of a city government while at the same time granting favors to a cruel dominatrix who thrives on mutilation and pain while spreading disease and draught. These Gods are all evil and there is no end to exactly what they may inspire and support though they do have their preferences