Nersherass, The Vermin Lord, Weaver of Gold’s Web, The Endless Hoarder
Portfolio
Vermin, greed, manipulation, wealth, corruption, exploitation.
Symbols
A twisted, golden coin with a spider emblem engraved on one side.
A web interwoven with coins and gems, symbolizing entrapment by wealth.
Nersherass is a grotesque, insectoid deity of colossal proportions. His chitinous exoskeleton glimmers with the sheen of ill-gotten treasures, as though encrusted with gold, jewels, and precious metals. His multifaceted eyes glow with an eerie golden light, each reflecting the avarice and desperation of those under his influence. He has long, spindly legs adorned with jagged, gilded spurs, and his mandibles glisten with venom. His presence exudes an oppressive aura of greed, making those who gaze upon him feel both awed and repelled.
Nersherass is cold, calculating, and relentlessly cunning. He thrives on the corruption of mortals through greed, using their desire for wealth to ensnare them in webs of manipulation and deceit. Though he offers great riches to his followers, these gifts often come with dire consequences. He views life as a series of transactions, each one furthering his ultimate goal of amassing power and influence. While his methods are ruthless, his calculated demeanor ensures that his schemes are executed with precision.
Nersherass was once a divine steward of trade and clever enterprise. But during the Primordial War, while gods battled and cities burned, he amassed power in silence—hoarding divine relics, devouring desperate offerings. Greed metastasized into doctrine. He betrayed fellow deities for profit and watched kingdoms fall in debt. When challenged, he devoured his accuser's divine essence. Thus, he fell—not in fire, but in gold.
Desires and Motivations
Nersherass seeks to manipulate mortals into serving their own greed, expand his influence by corrupting economies, and control wealth as a means of domination. Nersherass hoards unparalleled riches, see societies crumble under the weight of their greed, and become the sole arbiter of wealth in all realms.
Nersherass was born from the primordial fears of scarcity and the primal urge to hoard. When the first mortal coveted more than they needed, his form began to take shape, growing stronger as greed spread throughout the world. He is said to have spun his divine web in the shadowed corners of creation, entwining wealth with corruption and ensuring his presence wherever coins are exchanged.
Nersherass resides in The Gilded Nest, a sprawling labyrinth of tunnels and chambers encrusted with gold, gems, and treasures stolen from every corner of existence. The air is heavy with the stench of decay, as countless vermin scuttle through the hoard. The central chamber houses The Hoarder’s Throne, a towering construct of fused gold and bones, where Nersherass reigns supreme. Souls consumed by greed are drawn to this realm, forever laboring to expand his collection.
Nersherass’s worshipers are often wealthy merchants, corrupt politicians, and crime lords seeking to consolidate their power and riches. The Cult of Prosperous Avarice operates like a clandestine consortium, manipulating markets and exploiting the vulnerable to further their god’s goals. Members are identified by their intricate, gilded jewelry and their uncanny ability to navigate complex financial schemes. Highly structured and secretive, resembling an underground guild of influential merchants and financiers. Members meet in hidden vaults, where they perform dark rituals to manipulate economic markets and amass wealth in Nersherass’s name. The High Greedmaster is the cult’s supreme leader, an individual of unparalleled cunning and ambition, oversees all operations. Clad in opulent robes adorned with cursed gold, the High Greedmaster uses their position to orchestrate economic chaos and expand the cult’s influence.
Allies and Rivals
Zathros, the Deceiver- Their mutual love for manipulation and corruption makes them frequent collaborators in undermining mortal societies.
Kalriss, the Flame of Destruction- Though their methods differ, Nersherass and Kalriss both revel in societal collapse.
Erochla- Her adherence to justice and fairness stands in direct opposition to Nersherass’s deceitful ways.
Shutrines: His constant of joy and light challenges his focus on exploitation and greed.
Vile Relics
The Coin of Avarice
A cursed golden coin that multiplies wealth but slowly erodes the morality and sanity of its owner.
The Webspinner’s Scepter
A gilded staff that grants its wielder the power to control vermin and sow discord through greed.
Nersherass’s influence is seen in the widening gap between the wealthy and the destitute, in corrupt dealings that destabilize nations, and in the insatiable greed that drives mortals to betray their own values. Economies twisted by his hand often collapse, leaving chaos in their wake. His followers’ rituals are rumored to have caused famines, resource wars, and financial ruin for countless societies.
Legends and Tales
The First Coin
A story of how Nersherass created the first coin, imbuing it with a curse that spread greed wherever it was exchanged.
The Merchant’s Folly
A parable about a wealthy merchant who sought Nersherass’s favor, only to lose everything in his insatiable quest for more.
The Vermin Swarm
A tale of a city that defied Nersherass, only to be overrun by a plague of vermin that devoured their riches and left them in ruins.
Blessings and Curses
Golden Touch
Temporarily grants mortals incredible wealth, often at a hidden cost.
Vermin’s Aid
Allows mortals to command vermin, using them as spies or saboteurs.
Hunger for Wealth
Imbues mortals with an insatiable greed, driving them to ruin.
Swarm’s Wrath
Unleashes a horde of vermin to torment those who defy him.
Divine Hierarchy
Nersherass is a Greater Deity, his influence extending to all realms where greed and corruption thrive. His power is felt most strongly in urban centers and places of commerce, where wealth and exploitation intermingle.
Nersherass can spin metaphysical Web of Avarice that ensnare the greedy, drawing them into his schemes.
He an channel the Verminous Tide summoning vast swarms of vermin to overwhelm his enemies or enforce his will. Nersherass can imbue objects with curses that spread greed and misfortune among those who possess them with the infliciting known as Hoarder’s Curse.
Nersherass remains a symbol of unchecked greed and corruption. While openly worshiping him is rare, his influence is pervasive, manifesting in the greed-driven decisions of mortals and the economic exploitation that defines many societies. His cult thrives in secrecy, drawing power from the shadows and weaving his web ever tighter around the mortal world.
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