Dartakk, Nature's Keeper

(a.k.a. Y'Qualanxue)

Dartakk is the serpentine god of the wilderness, hunting, and the night. Said to be one of the chief deities of a defective yuan-ti tribe, Dartakk (called “Y’Qualanxue” by ancient yuan-ti) considers himself the land’s will and word given form. Though stories about him vary, all begin with his birth from the Terran Egg, a relic that formed when the world was torn asunder by the ancient primordials. Though Dartakk willingly protects the mortals that walk the earth, it is merely a consequence of him valuing the peaceful order nature naturally follows. He treats most mortal lives with apathy and sees Aohiri as sitting upon one grand scale.
Depictions of him are never quite concrete, but two details that are constant throughout all his depictions are his snake-like appearance and multiple heads. Owing to yuan-ti culture, as a deity, Dartakk is entirely serpentine. His body, depending on how one interprets his ties to the earth, may be depicted as molten rock dripping with magma or fertile land littered with small trees and blossoming flowers. Because of the term “Mother Nature,” Dartakk is occasionally perceived as female, and it’s believed that the name “Y’Qualanxue” belonged to this interpretation before being adapted into the male perception. Currently, Dartakk is widely perceived as male.

Dartakk's Influence

When Dartakk ascended to intermediate deity status, he found worshippers in several druidic societies spanning Prostesa, including a spare few that sit outside of the continent. Dartakk wishes for nothing from his followers other than a vow to protect Aohiri’s natural beauty. Because of this, societies with Dartakk as a commonly-worshipped deity tend to not be as developed as much larger and more modern settlements, preferring a more minimalistic look and style of architecture that sits in harmony with wildlife. Societies such as Illwurn or Garvinel instead pay their respects to Dartakk by exterminating the Echoes that ravage the landscape and render it uninhabitable. Though Dartakk detests deforestation for the sake of neighborhoods, he understands the importance of shelter and bears no grudges; if there is a purpose in harming the land, Dartakk will bow his head.
Dartakk’s primary role among the pantheon is one of nature’s many guardians. It’s believed that hunting in excess brings misfortune upon the hunters, subjecting them to the unrelenting torment of venomous snakes. It is also considered a cardinal sin to harm a fangless snake; retribution is swift and absolute. His reach is said to be in all corners of life, with his voice projecting through the land itself and his will exuding from every being both strong and weak. Dartakk gives a voice to the voiceless, reminding sapient life that that which cannot scream still feels pain.

Worshipping Dartakk

Though his doctrine would suggest strict teachings on the importance of natural balance, general worship of Dartakk is lenient and favorable to worshippers. Churches dedicated to Dartakk focus on bringing awareness to the planet’s delicate nature, and followers are taught to value the life that they share Aohiri with. Followers that have died are buried at the base of trees, with entire cemeteries creating winding paths around roots and trunks. One week per month, followers undergo a brief rite of prohibition, and they give up the use or consumption of something that has become a major factor in their lives. This rite is intended to not only teach self-control but for followers to prove that they do not require possessions for strength and fortitude.

Myths of Dartakk

Dartakk’s legends represent both halves of nature: benevolent and harsh.

The Terran Egg. Show Spoiler

Dartakk was said to have come from an egg laced with the richest soil on the planet, an egg that was a quarter of Aohiri’s size and ten times as sturdy. During the War of Duality, primordials and gods were responsible for tormenting Aohiri with a plague of neverending disasters. Life was unsustainable, and the planet became nothing more than a battleground for deities and primordials to bicker and strife over petty issues. So came Dartakk, Nature’s Guardian, hatched from the Terran Egg with four vengeful heads that turned every which way and snapped at all others. Dartakk refused to pick sides and devoted himself to enrichening the earth and providing it with scraps of hope that were desperately needed. From this fertile soil came the first forests, providing shelter for the weak and injured to hide themselves in. Algrund, Hauler of Continents, spat a curse on Dartakk for encroaching on his domain. Algrund was the heritor of the earth itself! How dare this faux-deity trample upon his Father-Given (by Aevinu’s hand) right? Did Dartakk have no shame? And so, as Dartakk twisted and turned, fiercely defending his forests and wildlife, Algrund seized one of his four heads by the neck and ripped it from his body. It’s said that from Dartakk’s toxic blood came the first yuan-ti, a race created out of scorn for the lives of others. In Dartakk’s eyes, the yuan-ti were truly a tragic race.

One Snake Alone. Show Spoiler

The Dragontooth Isles, to the sailors that have ventured there in the pursuit of legendary treasures, is a land designed to be cruel. Perhaps it was the will of Dartakk that caused countless shipwrecks on the Dragontooth shores. Ever since a century ago, however, ships have had a higher chance of docking, and rumors tell of a young, injured girl who cried out for help but went unanswered. She soon found herself in a haven of fruit-bearing trees and under the gentle care of an awakened cobra, who offered to show her the ways of the Dragontooth Isles. Thanks to the cobra’s guidance and the girl’s newfound presence of mind, she was rescued by a hectic search party and lived a peaceful life from that point onwards.

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Unreleased Game - The Snake Level by Lia Booysen

Tenets of Faith

• All life is sacred.
• Death is necessary so that life may continue.
• Echoes are the enemy of all; accept nothing less than their eradication.
• Take only what is necessary and nothing more.

Divine Classification

Intermediate Deity

Alignment

Lawful Neutral

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Y'Qualanxue (original name)
Mother Nature
Father Earth
Nature's Keeper

Cleric Domains
Nature; Life

Dartakk's Goals

Dartakk has always operated in the Prime Material Plane’s best interests, though his concerns over nature’s natural order extend to all corners of the universe. He dutifully works to ensure the balance between man and nature, keeping both sides in check and balance. Should one side seek to dominate the other, Dartakk’s fangs clamp down harsh and decisively in an indiscriminate fierceness. Dartakk does not seek to be benevolent or cruel but fair and just.

Divine Relationships

Though Dartakk does not often fraternize with other gods, seeing social endeavors mostly useless, he harbors a strong dislike of the four primordial brothers, Algrund, Darvazus, Heliex, and Caspio. After his birth from the Terran Egg, Dartakk is said to once have had four heads. The fourth was torn off by Algrund, the Hauler of Continents, leaving Dartakk bleeding with only three heads remaining. Though the physical wounds healed, Dartakk’s rage has not been quelled since.

"Cry if you must, child, the land will not shed a tear for you."

Ancient Egg by Shiraz Domingo