The Beacons & Travesties
The Beacons & Travesties are a collection of otherworldly entities, both feared and revered by the people of Apa Axas. They are sometimes referred to as gods or demons, but their exact nature is unknown. Occasionally named 'Trauma Lords' or 'Lights and Darkness', their purpose is to either lure Spirits to or away from The Heavenly Nexus as they traverse The Marshes Betwixt, allowing the Spirit to escape into the next life, or become enthralled by the Marshes forever. What constitutes a Beacon and a Travesty is a matter of opinion, as they seem to be entirely different from individual to individual. Many schools of thoughts differ on how many Beacons there are in comparison to Travesties, and which entities count as a Beacon and which are Travesties. However, the most common branch of The Murky Path, The Followers of the Path states that there are four Beacons and Sixteen Travesties, although there are several lesser dieties that are also involved with The Beacons and Travesties.
The Beacons
- Vida Quda, the Lady of Life and the Crownless Queen. Vida Quda takes the form of a Halfling woman, and guides Spirits to the Heavenly Nexus with a smile and good cheer. Her domain includes life, growth and nature, as well as Technology and Progress.
- Surm Tutdrug, The Dead Dwarf and the Lifehunter. Surm Tutdrug takes the form of a Dwarf, and employs Spirits as his 'Marshals', hunting down creatures would harm those who wish to travel by night and introducing them to death. His domain includes death, endings and being present.
- Feny Lekki, the Tricky Flicker and the Twisting Flame. Feny Lekki takes the form of an Elven man. He enjoys playing tricks and confusing Spirits under his care, but it is said that he has a kind heart underneath and will guide his Spirits to their destination... eventually. His domain includes light, trickery and laughter.
- Gloom Mona, The Voidal Outcast and the Deep Dark. Gloom Mona takes the form of a human woman, shrouded in inky darkness. Feeling the caress of this blackness is said to grant comfort, even in the most hopeless of times. Her domain includes the dark, protection and love.
- Vox, the Voidseeker and Lord of the Fog. Vox reigns supreme over the domains of confusion, ill-preparation and shifting forms, guiding mortals to forbidden places with the Marshes. Vox's domain includes shadow, perception and manipulation.
- Retch, the Fury of the Deep and Devourer of Lands. Retch's power formed The Putric Isles themselves, and he commands the domains of power, hubris and storms. Its realm is known as The Whirling Wastes.
- Drelux, the Wispmother and the Dream Weaver. Drelux is the angler, luring Spirits from the path with glowing eyes resembling gemstones. Drelux's domain includes false idols and gullibility.
- Tratch, known as the Reality Paradigm, the God Severment and The Death of Faith. Tratch was built by The Clever Folk as a destroyer of Gods, although this eventually led to their ruin. Tratch represents collapse, with his domain including logic, rigidity and singular purpose.
- K'Niff, enemy of time. He mantles stagnancy, and is the Travesty of Statis, Preservation and the Cold. Its realm is known as The Screaming Stagnancy.
- Channus, the Combined Kings. It is rumoured that Channus was formed from a bizarre hell-ritual that combined an cannibalistic Simic Hybrid and an insane Gnome. Their disparate nature affects their domain, as they represent contradiction, absent mindedness and jealousy.
- Kahiladman, the Deeper Dark and Personification of the Void. His sphere is less tangible than the other Travesties, representing half-truths and lies, the void and the Infinite Black.
- Kal Crist, The King of Fear. One of the few Travesties who shows interest in mortal affairs, particularly if it involves spreading fear. His domain includes terror, poisons and primal instinct.
- Gutrot , the Many Limbed Demon and the Infinite Maw. Gutrot's origins can be tracked to the continent of Kthombru, as he was formed from a strange parasitic creature bonding with a psychic demi-god at the end of The Godrot Incident. His domain is relatively recent, and he is associated with gluttony, starvation and famine.
- Beheerous, the Constant Flurry and the Mind Plague. Beheerous does not seem to be a singular entity, but instead a swarm of burrowing insects, who crawl inside the minds of lost Spirits to dominate and overthrow their consciousness. Their domain includes mental illness, control and command. Its realm is known as the Sporeplanus.
- Zemer Epsh, The Foul Temptress and the Lustful God. Zemer Epsh is thought to be a remnant of the Vida Quda, discarded at the beginning of the Vida Quda's quest to prevent The Great Stagnancy, an act that left Zemer Epsh with an eternal vendetta against the Lady of Life. She now bares the form of a burnt, emaciated woman who lures Spirits away with carnal desire. Her domain includes sex, passion, fire and vengeance.
- Nidryshim, the Temporary and the Many-Faced Thing. Nidrysham bares no singular form, for they are beyond definition. They cannot remain constant, and shifts from form to form, tricking Spirits into believing they have found their loved ones, before stealing them away forever. Their domain includes flux, change and momentum.
- Sangroke Bliss, The Never Ending Tsunami of the Crimson Rapids and the Rage of Agathron. Snagbroke Bliss was rumoured to once be the strongest Orc in existence, killing entire armies single handedly. It is said she killed so many that she even challenged and killed the previous Travesty of Bloodlust, replacing them. She is said to kill any Spirits on sight, unable to contain her endless rage. Her domain includes violence, war and bloodlust.
- Cthothlast, the Forbidden Librarian and the Endless, Grasping Keeper. It is said that Cthothlast has existed before any of the other Travesties, and is said to simply record all it witnesses, preferring to observe than interfere. However, it is also said that it tempts Spirits with the dark arts, leading them far from The Path. Its domain is black magic, knowledge and learning.
- Thija, Pain Mistress and the Eternal Hurt. Said to be made of razors and possess lips of blood, Thija prefers to torture her Spirits, seeing how much pain they can endure before they expire. Her domain includes pain, torture and determination.
- Shubb'Ki, the Crawling Rot and ScarKing. Shubb'ki corrupts all those he sees, twisting innocence into depravity and love into decay. It is said he loves all those who change their bodies in his honour. His domain includes scars, corruption and filth.
Structure
To call the The Beacons & Travesties an organisation is a massive oversimplification. Although they may appear to be simply a loosely defined collection of random entities, it appears that there is a hierarchy in place, with each entity attempting to seize power for themselves, but it is inconceivable to our mortal understanding.
Culture
The Beacons and Travesties appear to have no culture between themselves, but are intrinsic to their own realms and those in the mortal plane. Each entity reigns supreme over their own realms, filled with many species, cultures and communities native to that plane. Despite their importance within certain domains, it appears the Beacons and Travesties do not have any roles within the groups. They also do not seem to adhere to any mortal cultural roles, as their appearance, gender, personality, powers and interest in mortal affairs seems to vary from encounter to encounter.
Public Agenda
The individual needs or wants of the Beacons & Travesties are far beyond mortal understanding. It is unknown as to why they collect Spirits, or what they do with the Spirits after they have collected them. What is known, however, is that they do not care for mortals, or each other, preferring instead to remain in their own planes, or The Marshes Betwixt, unless they are manipulating mortals for their own nefarious ends.
Mythology & Lore
The Beacons are hugely important to The Path, as they guide Spirits through the Marshes Betwixt. They are attracted by Virtues, and are more likely to appear before a Spirit who lead a righteous, honourable life to guide them towards the Heavenly Nexus.
In contrast to this, The Travesties attempt to lure Spirits away from the Nexus, either to their own realms or to leave them stranded in the Marshes. It is thought that Spirits who are left in the Marshes become easy prey for necromancers, or even may wander back into the Mortal Plane by themselves.
Divine Origins
The origins of the Beacons & Travesties vary from individual to individual, but only a few have concrete origins, such as Retch, who is known to be the son of Hadar, Channus, the result of a foul merging of mortals and Gutrot, who is said to exist as a mortal creature for years until it is ready for apotheosis.
Many others, such as Vox, Kal Crist and Kahiladman have no recorded origin, and are speculated to have existed before time, space and matter. One school of thought, known as The Manifestation Theory was posited by The Clever Folk, in a reaction to their early interactions with several Travesties. Scholars noted several similarities between the Trevesty Retch and creatures from the Elemental Plane of Water. Others noted similarities between Feny Lekki and the Feywild, as well as Gloom Mona and the Shadowfell. This led to the idea that many Beacons and Travesties are related to the Planes, and are avatars, or "Manifestations" of those planes, and the deities that reside there. There is much evidence to support this theory, such as Warlock Pacts with beings such as Feny Lekki have been known to manifest in ways similar to Archfey Patron pacts. However, this topic is widely debated by theologians and scholars to this day.
What is known, however, is that they do not all appear to be the same species, as their appearance, whims and biology vary wildly from individual to individual. This may be a ruse however, as each entity can appear in multiple guises, and therefore are capable to shape-shifting, leaving their true appearance impossible to determine. The Followers of the Path believe the Beacons & Travesties are formed from the remnants of The New Gods after the The Clever Folk committed an act of ultimate sin by creating Tratch, which lead to the death and banishment of the New Gods. Scholars theorise this act fuelled the hatred of The Clever Folk the Travesties seemed to harbour, as Retch led many attacks on their settlements.
What is known, however, is that they do not all appear to be the same species, as their appearance, whims and biology vary wildly from individual to individual. This may be a ruse however, as each entity can appear in multiple guises, and therefore are capable to shape-shifting, leaving their true appearance impossible to determine. The Followers of the Path believe the Beacons & Travesties are formed from the remnants of The New Gods after the The Clever Folk committed an act of ultimate sin by creating Tratch, which lead to the death and banishment of the New Gods. Scholars theorise this act fuelled the hatred of The Clever Folk the Travesties seemed to harbour, as Retch led many attacks on their settlements.
Tenets of Faith
Each Beacon or Travesty has its own set of tenets for their followers. Some, such as the Beacons, are focused on companionship, wellbeing and honour, while many of the Travesties revere traits such as callousness, bloodlust and savagery.
Priesthood
Despite having single organised religion, many cults devoted to specific Beacons and Travesties have cropped up all through Apa Axas. In particularly, The Simic View view Retch as the one true power, due to his involvement in the creation of the Putric Isles as detailed in The Legend of the Bitter Pill.
Granted Divine Powers
Both Beacons and Travesties bear artefacts that have made their mark on the world. These are often gifted to mortals who please the entity, but they can be stolen, bartered or exchanged from the entity in specific circumstances.
Some
Type
Religious, Pantheon
Alternative Names
The Trauma Lords, The Lights & Darkness
Predecessor Organization
Parent Organization
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Related Traditions
Controlled Territories
- Ghostlight
- Shield Moon
- Sombre
- Sporeplanus
- Sprigalif
- The Burning Glacier
- The Clockwork Expanse
- The Coral Spear
- The Endless Archive
- The Fester
- The Feywild
- The Flesh Pits
- The Killing Fields
- The Museum of Mutilation
- The Rift of Broken Sleep
- The Shadowfell
- The Soulforge
- The Spiral of Forever
- The Stillness
- The Uliberance
- The Void
- The Whirling Wastes
Related Items
- Acorn of Scorn
- Barbed Tome
- Bastard Blade
- Belts of Giant Strength
- Blackrazor
- Blade of Fog
- Bleeder
- Book of Pain and Blood
- Book of the Grief Eater
- Chronostone
- Copper Fruit
- Crystal Ball of Telepathy
- Crystal Ball of True Seeing
- Dark Reflection
- Deck of Many Things
- Executioner's Halberd
- Five Keys to Time
- Gambler's Dice
- Hazemaster
- Horn of Valhalla
- Ioun Stone: Greater Absorption
- Ioun Stone: Mastery
- Ioun Stone: Regeneration
- Iron Flask
- Leyland's Shroud
- Mask of Curt Prices
- Merry Mug
- Moonblade
- Ring of Baleful Flames
- Ring of Invisibility
- Ring of Three Wishes
- Sovereign Glue
- Sphere of Annihilation
- Spiderbite Flail
- Talisman of Pure Good
- Tome of Crawling Depths
- Twin Axes of Hate and Fate
- Universal Solvent
- Wave
- Well of Many Worlds
- Whelm
- Yellow Grapes
Notable Members
Related Species
Comments