Khal (/Kaal/)

"He Whose Wit Burns Flesh"

Summary

Khal is the bane of mortals, and the deity of those who seek (or have already managed) to transcend their mortality. Among his patrons are Dhampirs and liches, but he has no favor for the common Undead, who are little more than slaves of their mortal necromantic masters. No; Khal favors specifically those who have embraced immortality through their own will, and who actively strike at mortality by choice. Khal also serves to facilitate communication between the living and the dead, a reward for those who have managed to create lasting memories within the world, which he considers as a form of immortality - even if it is inferior to true ever-life.

The Canon and the Way

In the Prime Canon, Khal is sometimes interpreted more broadly as a deity of greed and excess, standing alongside Cinakath. Where the Mad-God seeks to maximize pleasure, Khal seeks to maximize life, all for the same ends. Communication with the dead is often dissuaded among the Prime Canon and considered unnatural, and so Khal maintains a primarily negative connotation. Still, his worship is not criminal.
Conversely, in the Green Way, Khal is viewed as a figure deserving of hesitant reverence. Communion with the dead is encouraged as a means of preserving their memories, and Khal's drive towards immortality is realized in some. Grove-Guardians, for example, are tasked with protecting nature and can often do so endlessly, until they feel it is time for another to experience life, at which point they voluntarily die. This is the true meaning of Khal's immortality for followers of the Green Way, while the mortals' pointless strive for endless living is but a misguided perversion.

Symbology

The raven is the most common symbol of Khal, but the rise of Sylla has introduced the dark trident as inseparable from his guise. In his holy texts, Khal is often depicted as a robed, skeletal man, with a trident of stone and a crown of gold, sitting immobile upon a throne of dust adorned with bones. All of these facets are incorporated into his symbology, their plentiful nature allowing his followers to blend into broader society while identifying each other with a subtle glance.

Rites and Worship

Khal is most strongly worshipped by aspiring necromancers and gluttonous nobles. Sometimes, he is prayed to on the dying's behalf, such as when desperate family members want to save the life of their grandfather. There also exist covens of Druids that worship Khal as a force which balances the natural world, preserving harmony within the world by way of his darkness.
Those who consider themselves Clerics of Khal will often don black clothing which is accented with bones. Their staves are often made of bone as well, and they wear a hollow skull upon their heads (typically that of a cow). Those who truly embrace Khal will begin to have a pallid and decaying apperance, a result of constant blood sacrifice and exposure to dark energies. This is a point of pride amongst his followers - nobody claimed immortality was a pretty look!
Khal's sanctuaries can be found in every major city, and his priests offer services such as seances and potions which empower and heal. Some sanctuaries offer funerary services, as well, though they are often viewed with suspicion for Khal's association with necromancy. Indeed, such services are often schemes to hide the trafficking of bodies for experimentation.

Holy Text: Libre Liberatio

Tenets

Penances	Strictures
⊕ Seek to prolong your life, by any and all means.	⊝ Do not die, nor fall into the ranks of the forgotten.
⊕ Study the Fallen Ways. They shall bring ease to the living when accepted.	⊝ Do not fear the dead, for they have fallen and you may yet live immortal.

Mandates

⊜ Offer your blood when you enter Khal's sanctuary.