Rymgand
Rymgand (a.k.a. The Beast of Winter)
Rymgand, also known as the Beast of Winter, is the god of all manifestation of erosion and collapse, e.g. death, famine, plague, or simple bad luck. In particular instances, his dominion and will have been linked to the idea of entropy, that is the inevitable unravelling of all things organized towards some universally sterile, still and "cold" state of equilibrium.
Divine Domains
Cold, winter, famine, entropy, natural disasters, bad luck, the collapse of nations and empires
Holy Books & Codes
The Enigmatic God of Cold.
Young students are often confused by Berath and Rymgand's seemingly overlapping roles in holding dominion over death. Berath oversees the cycle of life, death, and rebirth; Rymgand oversees the cold, destructive act of death itself - this difference is often difficult for novices to appreciate until they've lost a loved one and endured the absence for a time - it is Berath that determines we will be reborn just as certainly as we will die, but Rymgand is the executioner's axe - Rymgand shows us that all life ends in stillness. I need only show them the symbol of Rymgand - the bone-white aurochs skull found carved within the most ancient ruins... it is a symbol of death and doom in every culture - any child with four winters under his belt needs no introduction to the ancient symbol. Rymgand embodies not just death, but all manifestations of collapse - be they famine, plague, or simple bad luck. Rymgand is a primal god, silent and inscrutable as death itself. He makes himself known with his passing, not by proclamation. There are innumerable stories of the god's terrifying passage through the lands of Gargantua. When the Beast of Winter stirs, bitter winds and beastly howling follow the creature's every move. Wherever the beast plants a hoof, all life withers into dust. The faithful of Rymgand insist that even another god's life can end in stillness, they claim the other gods must flee from the Beast of Winter's mastery over death - but we know not if this boast holds true. Though the Beast of Winter is shrouded in snowy clouds, those who have seen the shaggy white monster claim that the souls of the fallen can be seen clinging (or perhaps frozen) to the beast's fur. The dwarves of the boreal south have numerous stories that tell a similar plot: a brash hero seeks out the Beast of Winter to rescue the souls trapped in its fur... these tales never end well, for even if the hero saves his beloved's soul, the hero dies in the process - for it is not a proper tale of Rymgand unless the hero's life ends in stillness.
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