Profile and Followers
Lylarus the Cryptheart is the divine god of magic, spring, music, and art. He is characterized as a majestic and dignified figure, who's simple movement of walking appears to be an elegant dance. He has a easygoing attitude, but when it comes to magic and the arcane, there is no expertise like his.
Lylarus is often depicted as an elegant elven figure. Rumored to be the patron of all fey, he wields an otherworldly beauty much like the denizens of the Feywild. With glowing skin, long blonde hair, and large sharp ears, he is the epitome of elvish beauty. Interestingly, Lylarus is often depicted as both genders. Although this is common with Deities depending on the culture, with Lylarus it is often a fifty-fifty chance whether or not a temple sees them as a male or female. Because of that, many of their famous art pieces leave it up to the individual's judgement whether they are male, female, or none.
Followers of the Cryptheart are more often than not powerful practitioners of the arcane. They may spend their time honing their arts, be it through study, practice, or experience. Additionally, many of the Cryptheart's mages make it their life's mission to find any magical secrets hidden away. Because of his insistence on beauty, elegance, and magic, the elvish races have taken a liking to Lylarus, and so has he in them. As such, it will typically be elves leading the temples in multi-race cities. The most ornate, complicated, and powerful of the Cryptheart's temples lie in elvish cities, where elves spend centuries following the clues sent by their Deity.
Popular Myths
The Cryptheart's relationship with magic is a debated myth. Being the god of magic one might think that he is the one who created magic, and thus has control of all magic. This does not seem to be the case. Instead, it is more likely that Lylarus is the one who has truly mastered magic, and has also taken the responsibility of upkeeping it. Rather than birthing it, he instead can direct it, focus it, disperse it, or will it to a far greater extent than even other Deities. Additionally, he is the one who has set the limit on the power of magic that can be wielded by a mortal, to keep the rest of the realm safe.
History With Other Deities
One of Lylarus' most famous relationships is his rivalry with
Runaldir the Soul Forge. These two Elysians have a lot in common, which makes their differences even more grand. Both value craftmanship, but the Cryptheart prefers beauty and elegance, where the Soul Forge prefers reliability and strength. This argument has gone so far that even the Deities' respective races, the elves and the dwarves, see each other as rivals. Countless duels have been waged, where a dwarf's powerful hammer faces off against a elf's elegant sword.
The Cryptheart, since the Divinity Strife, has claimed
Ruvaa the Lie Weaver as his eternal enemy. This conflict comes less from a clash of domains or ideals, but is instead more personal. Through a preemptive strike, Ruvaa managed to curse a grove of Lylarus' elves, creating the realm's first drow. Since then, the curse Ruvaa held over the drow has been lifted, but the rivalry between the two Deities continues to rage to this day.
Another foe of Lylarus in the Chthonic pantheon is
Guull the Ravager. Similarly to the Lie Weaver, this comes from a personal grudge. Lylarus was very influential in the battle to defeat Guull. Although he was not the one to imprison him, he famously cut out one of the Ravager's eyes. Since then, zealots of the Ravager use this bloody torn out eye as a symbol of revenge, and seek to do the same to any of the Cryptheart's followers.
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