Isarok

Decay is inevitable. All will return to bones and be met by the earth's cool grasp. Isarok, God of Bones, the One who Devours, Seer, Weaver. These are all names given to Isarok. He is a silent watcher, seen from the corner of the eye, vanishing as soon as he noticed. To many, he appears as a man, clothed in furs and beads, littered in necklaces of bones and teeth, more woven into his hair and clothing. He will not reveal his face. It remains hidden under various ceremonial masks, each made with the use of different kinds of skulls. The most common of which being a stag. When his arms can be seen, deep scars cover them, each one a massive bite, flesh thin and scarred as if large chunks of flesh had been ripped from him.

He does not speak to humans. Instead, he shows them visions through bones, casting them to the ground before their feet. Touching the bones will cause hallucination-like visions, sweating, nausea, and disorientation, and while within the vision, the mortal's mind will shriek in pain as information is forced into their skulls, reverberating and causing panic. His small collection of followers burn and boil herbs into hallucinatory brews that aid in receiving the visions with minimal psychosis symptoms once the visions have ended.

In the heart of Isarok's domain, subtle hints of his existence whisper through the dense canopy of the woods. Yet, amidst the silence, there exists an unmistakable marker of his passage: the Bearded Vultures, loyal disciples of his enigmatic presence, unfailingly trail his path. With a grace both eerie and mesmerizing, they glide overhead, drawn to the remnants he scatters in his wake. As wanderers dare to tread into his realm, the Bearded Vultures emerge as harbingers, their haunting calls echoing through the ancient trees. They guide the curious and the unwary alike, leading them deeper into the shadows of the forest. There, amidst the fallen leaves and moss-covered stones, lie the offerings of Isarok: the solemn remains of creatures once alive, now surrendered to the cycle of decay. With a peculiar sense of camaraderie, the vultures share this grim bounty, presenting to the newcomers the weathered skulls of the fallen. Yet, they retain the smaller bones for themselves, feeding on them while remaining in the company of those they led.

To summon Isarok's presence, one must place datura and Atropa belladonna inside an animal skull and set it all ablaze while uttering a summoning prayer until the fire puts itself out. Only then will Isarok grant them a vision. To see the vision they prayed for, they must touch the skull while it is still hot and mutter their prayer again and again until they fall into the hallucinatory trance.

Isarok was not always a god. He once was a man, a follower of Knox, the God of the Green; god of The Hunt, Feasting, Famine, Nature, Growth. A worshipper of all that lived within the forest, life and death. Knox eventually allowed Isarok, who'd become his most faithful follower, into his woods, teaching him the ways of the earth and plants. Teaching him of the animals and their natures. As time passed, Knox and Isarok became lovers, bound together by nature. Until one morning, X slaughtered Isarok. His bones would not break, protected by Knox, but the life within him was ripped away from his body. Each bone was left with deep scars from X's jaws, the remaining flesh tattered and broken.
Heartbroken, Knox pleaded for him to be brought back as a god, granting him a second life.

As Isarok arose, he parted from Knox, though remained in his woods. He collects the bones of fallen beasts, adorning trees and other animals with them, giving them a second life, a second purpose. As leader of the cult before his death, he continues to pray to Knox, granting visions to his own followers, bringing them closer to the earth so that in their death, they might feed him and his pets. At night, he wanders into human lands, chanting softly, bones clicking against one another with each step, bringing eerie music into the air around him.