The Scarlet Covenant

Primary Energy Draw: Pleasure - the unleashing of passion and lascivious desires
Rulings:
Knowledge/Awareness :: as power and the wisdom that comes from it
Moderation/Balance :: of the long-term kind that comes from foresight and the holistic consideration of consequences following an action or lack thereof.
Ritual/Control :: meaningfully putting all things into their rightful place.

Claim to Godhood:
A Ze’zhunath, Xor’Athalos has had greater opportunity to accumulate knowledge than most. Part of this knowledge has allowed him to extend his life seemingly indefinitely, and it is through this longevity that he has been able to gain reputation, gather wealth, and put his knowledge into practice in occult ways. Within the boundaries of his Temple his divinity is undeniable. It has been built upon ley lines, custom designed as a nexus linking the worship, rituals, and blood magic of The Scarlet Covenant to his own power as a fire elemental, meaning the horned wolf is most powerful on his own territory and has no trouble proving this when necessary.

Reasons for Worship:
Dominants and submissives, leaders and followers, the subjugation of others and the liberation of self are all themes of worship for the God of Unity and Duality. Everything has a place, and anyone celebrating that fact or still seeking their purpose in life or meaning in death can find blessings from Xor’Athalos. He even offers an avenue to immortality for those who uphold his doctrine most loyally, as well as a chance for someone normal to become a lesser deity themselves if they have the appropriate qualities and apply the right knowledge.

Xor’Athalos is a powerful figure at the head of The Scarlet Covenant. He promotes the idea that we all have a feral aspect to our nature, that primal desires are meant to be satisfied and morals are no barrier to pleasure. At the same time he represents an ascension to civilization, and control of the primitive nature if it achieves a greater goal. His worshippers are those who wish to be like him, or want to be associated with his power. Among his following are those who are willing to part with coin (or more) to experience the most lascivious and deleterious desires, those who are searching for the secrets of extended life, those searching for a place to belong where they can be their true selves away from a judgmental world.

Boons and Blessings:
Xor’Athalos has a positive and negative to every blessing.

Freedom to Subdue
This is a boon for those who want to experience things they normally would not have access to for whatever reason. Perhaps they are a slave who wants to dominate a master. Perhaps they wish to know what it feels like to take a life. If it is something extreme that they could not accomplish on their own that has consequences that would be feared, it’s possible Xor’Athalos can grant it to them without ramifications. This is a very rare and dangerous boon to request since the price, as would be expected, is high.
* You receive your darkest wishes free of consequence, save one:
* If you cannot pay the requested price, you become someone else’s victim.
(Some victims are actually volunteers seeking atonement for perceived sins.)

Charisms
For those who wish to forge their own path, they can request a charism. This is something that Xor gives to a worshiper freely, with the only expectation being that the gift is used to further his word outside of the Temple. Charisms can be physical adjustments, such as greater physique or beauty, mental enhancement such as gaining fluency in another language or improved focus for study, or it can be a blessed item such as loaded dice or a protection charm.
* The gift is freely bestowed to those most likely to forward Xor’s cause.
* At times, those with a charism may be called upon to perform a small task. It’s heavily rumored that turning down a request can result in an unfortunate accident that removes the charism, and worse.

Physical Bounty
This blessing is a business transaction that gives one the means and ability to succeed in a venture of their choosing.
* You gain lands and a grant to produce items from that land.
* If you cannot meet tribute you will forfeit the lands given and all the lands that belonged to your family at the time the contract was signed.

Discernment of the Natural Order
This blessing grants the insight to know your place in the world and understand where others are in relation to one’s self, whether they be weaker and therefore able to be taken advantage of, or more powerful at which point you can have a choice to be diplomatic and self-preserving or to attempt to take a risk and attempt to overthrow them from their position.
* You can gain valuable insight on how to advance your personal position.
* You can lose the position you have and forfeit your soul to Xor after death.

Arcane Knowledge
This blessing imparts esoteric wisdom and ancient secrets to the supplicant.
* Great wisdom and knowledge is gained.
* If your mind cannot handle this, it is likely to result in madness or death. For this reason, many who wish to receive this blessing may choose to dedicate many years of service in Xor’s Great Libraries to fortify the mind before accepting.

Primary Energy Draw: Dominance - cruel manipulation of all things under one's control
Rulings:
Denial :: teasing that promises much but denies fulfillment
Malice :: the desire to harm another and cause another to harm
Ruination :: complete and often pointless destruction

Claim to Goddesshood:
Azebet’s connection to Xor’Athalos is that of his spiritual daughter, but she was instituted as a goddess due to her own merits and not because of their relationship. She is Ze’zhunath, an immortal spiritual entity occupying a physical host body gifted with innate magical power. Even if the host body were to be killed or wear out, that which is Azebet can be moved to a new body and continue in her duties as a goddess. She is more than capable of harnessing the power generated through worship at the Temple, using it to maintain the physical form she finds most pleasing and keep herself in good health, and she is also able to channel it for the purposes of fire elemental manipulation, although more often than not she is simply basking in the power like a typical feline.

Reasons for Worship:
Azebet is the representation of the aspects of Anguish and Indulgence in the Pantheon of The Scarlet Covenant. The religion of Xor’Athalos encourages active promotion of self; Azebet is the goddess for the perpetrators and champions, while survivors and victims of their schemes and enterprises are more likely to turn to the Goddess of Protection. She advances the idea that pleasure and success are to be pursued without apology, and that it’s possible to rise up even from a position of weakness and misfortune if you have the moxie.

As the Goddess of Anguish, Azebet is the deity to turn to when someone wants justification for vengeful or cruel actions against another, or if they seek alleviation from guilt from such actions in their past. As the Goddess of Indulgence, she is often invoked during victory celebrations or while claiming a hard-won prize. Both of these make her an ideal deity for those who work hard but are required to mistreat others to reach their goals. Examples of her following are arena combatants, soldiers, slave owners and traders, debt collectors, business owners with shady dealings, assassins, thieves, and bounty hunters.

Boons and Blessings:
Favour for Perpetrators
Azebet grants favourable outcomes for ventures and actions that benefit an individual or organization, especially the kind that leaves in its wake a high victim count whether they be casualties or the oppressed. The weak are for exploiting, while the strong are to be encouraged.

Certainty of Cause
Invoking Azebet through prayer and worship can provide alleviation of useless guilt as well as justification for acts of cruelty, subjugation, and manipulation in the context of seeking pleasure or reaching a goal.

Uninhibited Celebration
Want to use slaves for sex at your victory party? Perhaps your lascivious desires are darker and deadlier. However you want to celebrate, Azebet is the goddess that provides the flesh! This goddess literally breeds prey and victims specifically for such use, and she is more than generous with these to her more devout worshipers. Gifts of fresh blood towards her breeding stock or direct donations towards her pool of victims are welcomed offerings for this reason.

Destruction of Evidence
When all is said and done, it’s nice to indulge in hard-won earnings without worrying about potential backlash. Azebet’s acolytes can be sent to clean up after events by taking and burning evidence and removing bodies. There are many large hounds and carnivores at the temple that need feeding, after all.

Primary Energy Draw: Life - vitality and fertility, the celebration of new life
Rulings:
Abstinence :: the avoidance of sex without meaning or purpose
Protection :: provision of sanctuary to all who seek safety
Dominion :: proper respect given in recognition of those in authority.

Primary Energy Draw: Purity - a continual striving towards moral correctness
Rulings:
Discipline :: performing daily ritual as a method of gaining strength
Truth :: honesty in all situations regardless of consequence
Order :: the stability that comes from all things in their rightful place

Primary Energy Draw: Death - energies associated with death and dying
Rulings:
Death :: the extinguishing of any further potential
Retribution :: exacting of suitable punishment for wrongdoings
Suffering :: the torment that leads to one begging for the end

De’arn
Selim
Fo’eve
Anara
Armes
Element: Light
Representation: Feral Hound