Arawn Farchognos

Elven God of Death, Justice and the Hunt

King of Annwn; King of the Dead; The Rider in the Night; The Provider; The Virtuous; The Guardian of Lost Souls; Lord of the Shade Host (a.k.a. Aarun Nightrider)

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Beautifully handsome yet utterly imposing, Arawn is the Ellynreiced (Elven) God of Death, Justice and the Hunt. He garners the greatest fear and awe from Elves after Gwynrhi himself.
Arawn is fair and just, despite his intimidating appearance, and honours his promises. He punishes roguery and betrayal with a heavy hand and severely dislikes individuals that are disloyal or deceptive. He is associated with and represents aspects of loyalty, hunting, guidance, war, justice, revenge, terror and death, and is known as the Provider, the Virtuous, and the Guardian of the Lost Souls. He operated as part of the Wild Hunt before their disbanding, seeking evil spirits and terrorising wrongdoers along with his hounds, the Cwn Annwn. Additionally, he is the Lord of the Shade Host, the last of the Wild Hunt that operates on Deadhallows.
Many Elven tales speak of Arawn as being a terrifying but honourable presence, and one who is willing to assist his fellow Gods where necessary. He frequently features as an ally in stories from the temples of Gwynrhi, Aerona and Gwynn (the only one of the Elven Gods to serve him), and he is always spoken about with reverence and respect. For Elves, to "swear on your immortal soul that will one day belong to Arawn" is a form of unbreakable vow, as invoking Arawn's name is said to call the God's attention and tie you to your promise.
It is said that the first Elven soul that Arawn collected was that of his own son, the last of his confirmed family and the last of his line.

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Divine Domains

• Death
• Grave
• Justice

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Holy Associations

Holy Symbol: A white raven with its wings outstretched on a black background.
Favoured Mineral: Obsidian
Favoured Animals: Ravens; Horses
Favoured Colours: Black; Grey; Red
Shows Preference to: Those who hunt injustice

Known Avatars

• Aarun Nightrider - Arawn can temporarily manifest in a Mortal appearance, though he still cannot make direct skin contact with living beings. This avatar is of a pale-skinned, male Elf with black hair and silver-black eyes, and while it is significantly less powerful than his true form, it is still powerful enough to be ranked amongst the strongest Mortals. He generally uses this form to covertly guide individuals he has taken an interest in, but does not like inhabiting it for too long.
• Shadow Raven - Arawn's "eyes" on the Material Plane, the presence of a single Shadow Raven is said to be a warning that the God is watching the area or a person, as Shadow Ravens always travel in flocks. Arawn uses a single Shadow Raven to guide or watch individuals he has an interest in without having to interact with them directly.

Common Manifestations and Omens

Arawn does not tend to manifest outside of his Avatars, preferring to remain in the shadows. His most common omen, a warning of impending death, is the sound of ghostly hooves approaching.

Tenets of Faith

Tenets

• Death is not an end, merely a part in a neverending circle.
• Guide the living so that they may live loyal and true.
• Respect your dead and send them onward without delay.
• Honour your promises.
• Seek out and punish the disloyal and betrayers.

Common Prayers

"Hir yw'r dydd a hir yw'r nos, a hir yw aros Arawn."
"Long is the day and long is the night, and long is the waiting of Arawn."

Holidays

Ysbrydnos; 30th Ryelay

A day shared with Sychar's Feast of Remembrance and the Common festival of Deadhallows (the Festival of the Dead), Ysbrydnos (Spirit Night) is celebrated by followers of Arawn as a way to honour the dead and show reverence to the God. It is the night when Arawn's power is said to be at its strongest, and he rides with the last remnant of the Wild Hunt, the Shade Host, to chase down fugitive souls and spirits on behalf of the other Gods of Death. Offerings of handcrafted arrows, dark red wines and hunting trophies are traditionally placed upon altars draped in black fabrics, and prayers are then offered to Arawn. Bonfires are lit once the sun goes down, and celebrants dressed in blacks and greys will gather around these to share a quiet communal meal, usually consisting of gamey stews and red wine. It is a quiet celebration of reflection, compared to Deadhallows, and is meant to honour the burden that was placed upon Arawn when he took on the mantle of the God of Death.

Divine Goals & Aspirations

• To protect the Elven souls from corruption and decay.
• To seek out the lost and return them to their rightful place.
• To hunt down all that would threaten the circle of life.

Physical Description

Identifying Characteristics

Arawn appears as an impressive male Elf standing at seven and a half feet tall with a slender but athletic physique. He has ivory pale skin that seems to softly glow in darkness, jet-black hair kept short, and smouldering silver-black eyes. He has an elegant and noble face with an intricate tattoo of Elven knotwork, coloured like glittering obsidian, across his left eye. There is a black marking across his bottom lip to the middle of his chin, and the tips of his ears and fingers (when visible) gradient to black.

Special abilities

Arawn has two abilities that strike fear into the hearts of Mortals of all kinds. The first is the Touch of Death, whereby any living being that makes contact with Arawn’s skin withers away before dying. Arawn hates this ability, as it has no known countermeasure and operates indiscriminately, meaning that he could potentially weaken other Gods with only his touch. It is also known to be excruciatingly painful, so Arawn tends to only use it as punishment for the most heinous crimes.
The second is the Kiss of the Soul, or the Kiss of False Death, which has the ability to pull the Soul out of a living creature and cast it away, but leave the Soul Cord intact, meaning that the creature does not actually die. Arawn often uses this to call his faithful to the Ethereal Plane in order to speak with them privately or as a trial of their faith. He has on occasion used it as a punishment for those who were not deserving of death, but had committed serious crimes. It does not harm the individual Kissed physically, unless an outside force intervenes, but it can be a disconcerting experience. Some forms of unintentional Astral Projection and out-of-body experiences are therefore colloquially known as Arawn’s Kisses.

Apparel & Accessories

Arawn is always entirely clad in black leathers, including gloves, which are trimmed in silver threads and grey fur. He is often described as wearing a dark grey cloak with furred shoulders and an antlered skull crown decorated with raven feathers.

Specialized Equipment

Arawn is often seen carrying a longsword and hunting bow, which are both coloured black, as well as a leather quiver of arrows.
The hunting bow is known as Medelwr (Reaper), and is Arawn's most famous weapon. It's curved shape is decorated with Elven knotwork and talon-like protrusions, and it is said to be carved from magical wood and bone, infused with the power of Annwn itself. Legend states that a single strike from Arawn's Saethddu (Black Arrow) using Medelwr can rip a soul from a body, while his Saethwen (White Arrow) will cause a target to immediately fall asleep. His usual arrows are carved from bone and fletched using raven feathers that glimmer red, blue and green.
The longsword is known as Adainddu (Blackwing), and was a gift from Gwynrhi. Arawn carries it as a symbol of his devotion to Gwynrhi, and as a reminder of his status as a deliverer of justice. Aside from the fact that it is completely black in colour, the sword is relatively simple, with no decoration save for a piece of obsidian embedded in the hilt. Despite its simplicity, Adainddu is sharp enough to cleave rocks in two with a single swing, and is said to be able to inflict internal wounds without leaving an external physical mark.

Social

Contacts & Relations

The Ty y Firain

Arawn generally operates independently, and while he is cordial to the others of the Pantheon, he rarely attends celebrations or meetings, unless he is specifically requested. His closest associate amongst the Pantheon is Gwyn ap Nudd, his Master of Hounds and only serving God. Arawn respects and trusts Gwyn, even allowing the Minor Deity to speak on his behalf at meetings, but neither would consider themselves close. He occasionally assists Aerona during her more esoteric hunts, and is wholly loyal to Gwynrhi. This loyalty may stem from family ties, as Arawn’s father is believed to be Ethrys, the brother of Caradog. Arawn has never confirmed nor denied this fact, and has never requested that his lineage be acknowledged. Because of this supposed family tie, Gwynrhi bestowed Arawn with the monikers of "King of Annwn" and "King of the Dead".
Arawn hates Thywyll because of her betrayal of her brother, and despises her even more for attempting to tempt him to her side. Other than Eirian, he dislikes the entirety of the Cylch Tywyll because of their actions, and has no time for them. He and Anarawd Afagddu (the Elven God of Undead, Necromancy and Vengeance) regularly clash as Anarawd tries to undermine Arawn's protection of Elven souls, but Anarawd's standing as a Lesser Deity often sees him driven off by the superior strength of the Major Deity.

Other Pantheons

Amongst other Pantheons, Arawn has strong alliances with Sychar (A’arden), Oberon (Sylvan), Herne (Sylvan), Donn (Tuatha de Danann) and The Raven Queen (Cearcall Sgàile), but again does not consider any of them close. He has a deep respect for Sychar, and was previously a member of the Wild Hunt with Oberon and Herne. Since the disbanding of the Hunt, Arawn has been more distant with most of his associates, though nobody is truly sure why.
Arawn is known to despise the Unholy Pantheon because of their corruption of souls for Necromancy. He additionally dislikes Roisin Dubh for the same reason, but as their paths rarely cross he tends to ignore her existence. His relations with Medea of the A'arden Pantheon are tense due to her Portfolio of Betrayal.

Known Servants

Arawn's only serving Deity amongst the Elven Pantheon is Gwyn ap Nudd, who follows Arawn's orders with unwavering devotion. It is believed that Gwyn's dedication to Arawn stretches back to the first battles in Cymru, where Arawn saved his life and helped him in his fight against the Fiends that were attacking his Father's lands. Gwyn frequently acts as Arawn's stand-in at meetings of the Pantheon, and is possibly the only one that Arawn truly trusts with the management of Annwn in his absence. As the Lord of the Tylwyth Teg, Gwyn holds Arawn's servants in particular to an incredibly high standard.
Arawn is served in Annwn by three types of Tylwyth Teg; Ellyllon, Gwragedd Annwn and Gwyllion. He is also served by spectral warriors called the Dialgarwr (Revenants), which take the form of skeletal beings shrouded in inky black mist and blue flame.

Family Ties

Gwynrhi Chrewyrellynhil ap Caradog

Cousin; unconfirmed

Thywyll ferch Caradog

Cousin; unconfirmed

Eirian ferch Gwynrhi

2nd Cousin; unconfirmed

Drastywyll ap Thywyll

2nd Cousin; unconfirmed

Children

Arawn is known to have had two children before the Fall of Cymru, one of which, an unnamed daughter, who is said to have been lost with Cymru. The other, a son described as frail, survived into the Material Plane and was given a new body. However, despite Gwynrhi's efforts with Cerridwen and Nudd, the son's body was weak, a reflection of the soul, and he sadly died without leaving a lineage. The tragedy of Arawn's son, who was the first soul the Death God ever had to collect, is a significant story within the Clergy of Arawn's temples, and his name is kept a closely guarded secret.

Hobbies & Pets

Arawn has a massive, antlered Mortifer steed that he personally blessed. It is believed that the steed's name is Gysgodion, which means "shadow" or "reflection", though Arawn himself has been known to simply refer to him as "fy nghyfaill", which is a slightly more obscure Elven way of saying "my friend".

There is nowhere to hide from the Master of the Shade Host. Amongst the Riders of the Wild Hunt, the one guaranteed to never lose his prey is the Rider in the Night...

Divine Classification

Deity (Collaborative)

Honorary & Occupational Titles

King of Annwn

A title given to him by Gwynrhi as part of his role as the God of the Dead.

King of the Dead

A title given to him by Gwynrhi as part of his role as the God of the Dead.

The Rider in the Night

An epiteph bestowed upon him by early Elves. This is one of his favoured titles/epitephs, and he uses it as the basis for his chosen surname, "Farchognos" (Night Rider). It also forms the basis of the surname used by His Avatar, Aarun Nightrider.

The Provider

Arawn is known to be generous to his followers in times of need, and is seen as something of a guiding presence, much in the same way as Eirian.

The Virtuous

Despite his links to terror, darkness, revenge and death, Arawn shunned Thywyll's attempts to lure him to her side and remained loyal to Gwynrhi. For this, he was known as "the Virtuous Blood".

The Guardian of Lost Souls

Arawn is said to protect Souls that have lost their way, gently nudging and guiding them as part of his duty as the Lord of the Shade Host.

Lord of the Shade Host

Arawn became Lord of the Shade Host upon its founding. After the destruction of the Green Knights and the death of the Green Lord, which resulted in the disbanding of the Wild Hunt, shadows and shades were running rampant with no Hunt to seek them out. Mortal Chosen of Arawn did their best to keep the wayward spirits under control, but it was clear that something of greater influence was needed. The Wild Elf Nosddu, a Chosen of Arawn, petitioned the former Hunt to allow Arawn's bindings to be released so that he could embark upon a Hunt once more, offering his own soul as collateral. The former Hunt agreed, but Arawn would only be allowed to embark upon a Hunt on his Holy Night, Ysbrydnos/Deadhallows, when his power was at its strongest, and the boundaries between the living and the dead were weakest. Arawn became Lord of the Shade Host, while Nosddu became Huntmaster of them.

Family

The Tylwyth of Caradog

Pronouns

He/They

Sex

Male

Gender

Male

Presentation

Masculine

Eyes

Silver-Black

Hair

Black

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Ivory-Pale

Height

7ft 6ins

Pantheon	Ty y Firain (Elven)
Association	Cylch Cannaid (The Shining Circle)
Rank	Major Deity
Serves	Gwynrhi