Auctum, God of Autumn
"And Auctum strode through the land robed in red and gold with copper hair shining as he played his silver harp and sang the song of autumn. The trees and rocks and animals all leaned in to listen as he passed, his soft, warm, voice beckoning them to prepare for Winter's slumber."
One of the Four Seasons, Auctum embodies the calm and quiet of autumn. At the end of summer, he walks Dálnaes and sings to the plants and creatures, preparing them for the coming winter. He appears as a willowy man dressed in red and gold, and his sacred animal is the fox.
Appearance
Auctum's most frequent appearance is as a lithe man dressed in red robes with copper hair. He's never seen without his silver harp.Tenets
As a minor nature god, Auctum has little care for mortals. He cherishes the harvest festivals thrown in his honor, and may curse those who dishonor him or his siblings by calling winter to come sooner, or by calling on his sister Cimexi to send insects to destroy a harvest.
Worship Across Dálnaes
In each of the five kingdoms, autumn is regarded as a harbinger of the most deadly time of the year. In some areas, Auctum is feared almost as much as his sister Nival, for the part he plays in continuing nature's cycle.Etherea
Auctum receives most of his worship from citizens of Etherea and Elbrith, where autumn is a distinguished season. Etherea holds an annual harvest festival on Kesum 22 in honor of Auctum and Florian. The elves of the Wood have their own celebration, called Vaelariin, at the end of which the Woodspeaker leaves on a three-month long pilgrimage from C'Oros Baal to C'Oros Diin, whispering to the Wood along the way to prepare them for winter.Elbrith
Like their Etherean cousins, Elbris hold an annual harvest festival to honor Auctum. Different communities celebrate on different days, depending on when they are ready to start the harvest, though they are usually within the last week of Kesum. In lean years, the normal festival is foregone in favor of communals gatherings to pray for forgiveness from Auctum and Niv.Zarglÿf
In Zarglÿf, Auk is the harbinger of Argur, racing ahead of the seasonal storms to announce the coming floods. In Glyfen iconography, his harp is replaced by the horn of a zakai.Kaer Thalion
In Kaer Thalion's Fertile Coast, Auk oversees the yearly harvest, though in the Y'dak he and Niveki are celebrated equally as entities of the cold months.Kilgroth
In Kilgroth, Ûktor is feared as the harbinger of the Deep Frost, and his festivals are gatherings of desperate prayer in hopes of surviving winter. In each community, the best piece of the harvest or the finest of the livestock is sacrificed in his name as a show of thanks for the little food able to be grown in their harsh land.Domain
autumn and the harvest
Alternate Names
Auk (Thali/Glyfen)
Ûktor (Kilgrothian)
Symbols
A golden tree or a fallen leaf.
Star Sign
Kalcoros, the "golden tree"
(image in the works)
Holy Books & Artifacts
Auctum has no specific holy books or artifacts, though priests of the Four Seasons tell of a holy almanac that reveals the pattern of the seasons every year. No one has ever seen this almanac, however.
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