Izmus

Pictured as a woman in a tattered cloak with a dark mist billowing from underneath the garment and a death mask upon her face. She is a mysterious figure amongst the pantheon. Most of her followers claim she stands against necromancy, but legends exist that tell of her bringing back people to fight against her enemies. Some believe that she is manipulative, while others believe she is protecting the world from worse things that can be imagined.
Her followers tend to have a morbid sense of humor when it comes to death. They also are accused of being tackles about the loss of loved ones, seeing death as an inevitability. Her followers tend to respect the balance of life and death. However a small few believe, that they may be able to bargain with her to extend their mortal lives.
There are stories throughout the world of granting life to fallen to continue their fight. In Plutoria, many of the commoners believed the Emperor to be a lover of hers.
She uses her Reapers to help escort the many souls from their moment of death to the next life, whichever that may be.
It is unknown if she is working with or against other members of the pantheon.

Divine Domains

Grave, Death, Life, Darkness, Twilight

Holy Books & Codes

Rites & Rituals The Vigil This burial rite is one many take seriously and is held as an honor amonst the clergy of Izmus. When a living humaniod dies, someone watches over the dead, seing if Izmus has accepted the soul into the afterlife or if Mahdis has claimed the body (or in Plutoria, if Izmus has returned the soul for some purpose). The right is is carried out by trained an armed faithful, and usually one of the dead's family or friends, though this is not always available. The acolyte would murmer prayers over the dead and ask the relatives for stories of the deceased. If necceary they would destroy the body if it became undead (though in Plutoria, only if th body was not awoken).
The Guidance (Plutorian Traditon) This rite is usually reserved for those well trained and high ranking clerics and those who can spend their time on such a long and complicated rite. The ritual can take as little as a day or as long as several months (in some rare cases even longer). The process takes those recently return from the dead and intergrates them into life or helps deal with remants of their past life, weather that is one of just memories or if family is left behind. Many view this as some form of therapy, and that would not be in accurate, but it is viewed as a solom duty by mean of the priests of Izmus in Plutoira.
Final Rest A ritual that serves a sole purpose, and only recently used in abundance. Some view this rite as blasphemy or distrubing the natural course of life, death, and undeath. The Final Rest is a last rite, one carried out on someone who is dying. The priest overseeing the ritual would murmer prayer and sprinkle holy water over the dying, the dying would be laying on a bed of Lilly flower and after the payers and body had been sanctified, then beheaded with a sythe and the body burned on a pyer. The only purpose of this was to insure the body could not be ressurected, and be at peace. Before recent years, many viewed this ritual as evil since the person would still be alive; it is even banned in the Empire of Plutoria, yet as fear of the undead grows, so to did the popularity of this ritual.

Divine Symbols & Sigils

The Sythe The Sythe is Izmus' weaon and tool. It has become a symbol of reaping the souls and taking them into their respective after-lives. It has also become a popular symbol for the anti-undead sects, believing that her reach is long and all will fall to the Sythe eventually. Many warriors who worship her will tend to use this weapon.
The Raven The Raven is often depicted as a familiar or even avatar of the goddess. They represent her watchful care for those in her service, or those she cares for. They are often a sign of good omens for the followers of Izmus, and will often train them to act as messengers
The Lilly Flower This pale flower is usually depicted as a blessing from Izmus and is often seen in graveyards and tombs. Many have begun to use this symbol to represent and innnocent life taken before their time and the flower will be placed on the graves as a sign to Izmus; however for nefarious groups will use this as an intemidation tactic to scare thier enemies.

Tenets of Faith

Dead Symbols Dead symblols such as a dead raven, a dead lilly, or a broken sythe are seen as bad omens for those of the faithful, and usually means some form of disaster is quickly approaching.
Hourglasses A symbol of Emos, the hourglass often hold signficance to the followers of Izmus as well. There is a common belief that there is a hourglass for every soul and counts each moment of someones life. An empty hourglass is treated with respect and turned over when seen to signify a new life begining. If one is ever seen on its side, it should be righted immiedately, so whoeve's life can continue.
Reapers The reapers are servants of Izmus. Angels of her devine will, who are tasked with collecting the souls of the living and deliverying them to their intended afterlife. Depictions of them varry wildly from kind humaniods who act as a guide, to horrific skeletons who will never stop till they have reaped the soul.
Playing a game with death. Across the world there are stories of a figure playing a game with a reaper or in some cases Izmus for their immortal soul. The identity is never concise, in some cases it is a humble figure like a farmer, while in others in it some grand, like the Emperor or even the god Mahdis. No mater the case, the figure won and was allowed to continue living forever more. Though this is largely viewed as an apocryphal tale, many will still asked to be burried with some cards, dice, or some other game.
The Emperor Many tales revolve around the Emperor and his relationship with the gods, in particular Izmus and Madhis. Some stories say the Emperor was once her champion, others her consort, some even a renegade reaper.

Religions

• The Empire of Plutoria