Amaranth (Am-marr-ann-th)

Demonic Goddess of Power and Bargains

Amaranth is a demonic goddess who first rose to power through her conquest of the Abyss. Surprisingly, once Amaranth took control of a lawless layer, she began to reorganize it, transforming it from a realm of chaos to one of order through her might. While some demons still resist the reorganization, many are happy to work for Amaranth. Amaranth found herself accidentally joining the Nilian pantheon when she started answering the prayers of hopeless mortals who offered her sacrifices in exchange for Amaranth sending her demons to the Material Plane. Amaranth has a casual attitude toward being a goddess since it’s really more of a side hustle for her. No one is more surprised than she at how well she fits into Nilskul’s pantheon. Most depictions of Amaranth are joyous and macabre. As long as everyone respects her, Amaranth is chill, relaxed, and jovial. Should anyone disrespect her, they’ll learn why she is the goddess of power.

You might think that a demon goddess would have an evil and torture-happy horde of worshippers, but no, those kinds of people bore Amaranth. Like Giselle, the Infernal Saint of Broick, who first summoned Amaranth to aid her people and triggered her rise to godhood, the Nilians who worship the demon goddess tend to be humble, terrified, and powerless. Amaranth is the goddess to pray to when none of the other gods have answered. Butchers, tattoo artists, barbers, and bloodletters blow a kiss to Amaranth before beginning their work. Revelers who want to survive killer hangovers invoke her name. No bargain is too big or too small for her. Amaranth is happy to answer prayers, especially when those prayers include a sharp knife and a plump goat. Unlike most of the gods of Nilskull, she is actively involved in the affairs of mortals, and there are many folktales about Amaranth walking the streets of Nilskull in search of a good time. Many Tieflings are said to be the descendants of Amaranth: they are thought by some to be a sign of how “busy” Amaranth has been in Nilskull.

Divine Domains

Knowledge, Trickery, War

Divine Symbols & Sigils

A demonic face with a drop of blood suspended between the horns.

Tenets of Faith

There is No Morality. There are Only Bargains.

DIVINE FAMILIAR: RITA, THE HELLFIRE SERPENT

Rita serves as Amoranth’s trusted herald and courier on Aboril. She acts as high counselor to the throne of the XXXth layer and chief henchsnake whenever Amaranth needs someone to “swim with (insert life god)'s creations,’’ or in other words, die. Rita’s core is hotter than the molten pits that begat her. The souls whom Amaranth damns to Rita’s gullet never make it as far as judgment. Instead, they burn up inside her until not even ash remains. The serpent familiar is rumored to be so large she could easily be mistaken for a mountain range. If Rita emerges from the Abyss somewhere in the oceans of Aboril, those who see her might mistake her for an archipelago characterized by frequent earthquakes and abundant volcanic activity.