Vyr

"He Of Tears As Sweet As Sugar"

The Great Mistake

Vyr is a deity of ruin and sorrow, though his followers primarily exemplify compassion. It is said that all that he touches dies, and all that attempts is doomed to fail. From the ashes, however, rises a new meaning - be it new life from grown from his tears or new lessons gleaned from his mistakes. Vyr is said to be deeply regretful of the ruin he causes, but he is cursed by its inevitability, thus bringing him great sorrow. His symbol is thus the tear drop.
Followers of Vyr are often called confidants. They will wear masks depicting various emotions over their faces with many never showing their true visage. They are often celibate, and many refuse to develop even strong friendships, seeing relationships as a recipe for misery. Despite Vyr's status, his followers are not typically bearers of bad news, nor do they tend to be despondent. Instead, they act as a shoulder to cry upon for their communities as well as undertaking various rituals (often at their own expense) to drive away bad omens.
Vyr's holy text is typically considered to be part of the oral tradition of the Fables, though negativists have an alternative interpretation known as the Tragedies. Vyr has attempted to become friends with most deities, though has failed every time. Were he capable of success, he would undoubtedly be considered a rival by many, though only Merak, Danyra, Karnathra and Rieloch have a particular disdain for him, with others mostly feeling pity.

The Compassionate Ones

Vyr's clerics are considered amongst the most empathetic and least judgemental of all deities' followers. His devout followers actively try to hone these capabilities, with the ultimate and unreachable goal being to befriend and eternally forgive the failure-god himself. In times of crisis, they maintain the strength to be the emotional pillars of their communities. They both lend an ear to the bereaved and counsel to the reavers. They do not, however, go so far as to offer advice, direction, or judgement; all would be doomed to fail since they are touched by Vyr.
Despite their positions, clerics of Vyr are not expected to be stoic. Many place a particular value on being in touch with their emotions, in fact, and shedding tears and expressing doubt or anger are core parts of that. However, Vyr's clerics seek to recognize and feel these emotions while freely forgiving those who cause them. At the same time, they do not mandate that those they comfort offer this same forgiveness to those that have wronged them. Negativity when wronged is valid to Vyr's followers; if it weren't, then it would not be such a virtue to let it go.
When disaster strikes, Vyr's clerics will often undergo various rituals to stave off further damage. These rituals are often, though not always, self-sacrificial. Some common rituals include:

• Bloodletting over a river in times of drought, typically by cutting one's abdomen
• Starving oneself for the period between a murder and the perpetrator's capture by the guard, in solidarity with the dead
• Infecting oneself and isolating until death or perseverence in the presence of plague, either in livestock or people
• Drowning, living burial, or burning at the stake (as appropriate) in response to particularly deadly natural disasters; typically leads to death, but may be terminated after some extensive time, with survival being viewed as miraculous

Cheating on any of these rituals is viewed as a particularly egregious trespass, associated with an increase in the intensity of the ongoing crisis. When a cleric survives a ritual (especially under miraculous circumstances), but the crisis does not alleviate, they are often accused of this transgression and find a quick death at the hands of the mob.

Negativist Cults

The ultimate goal of Vyr's followers is to be able to understand and forgive even Vyr himself. Rather than approaching this through the development of empathy, those referred to as negativists embrace Vyr's path themselves, bringing ruin and sorrow wherever they go. Such cults have many manifestations, though most bring no harm to those outside of themselves. In particular, practice of Vyr's rituals is a favorite passtime of the negativists, and many do not end up living long as a result.
There are, however, more dangerous negativist cults throughout Eashavar. Some of these cults seek to impose Vyr's rituals upon others, perpetrating torture and death against the populace they find themselves near. Others seek to bring about disasters such as drought or disease without succumbing themselves, bringing ruin to the world around them.
Regardless of their scope, for those within a negativist cult, the outcomes rarely lend themselves to long-term health.

Vyr, The Great Mistake

Deity of Ruin and Sorrow

Tenets

Penances	Strictures
⊕ Perform a ritual to stave off bad omens.	⊝ Do not impose your judgement upon another.
⊕ Offer forgiveness to one who wronged you.	⊝ Do not shy away from ritual when faced with bad omens.

Mandates

⊜ Lend an ear to those in need. Never cheat in the practice of a ritual. Hold no grudges.