Unlike most of the world, a majority of the people of the deserts are fierce believers in a religious pantheon they refer to as the Divine Atrocities with the members of the Dytos tribe being the most zealous of believers, however, the Makos clan only selectively believe in a few of the gods.
The Divine Atrocities are split into 3 categories, the Okunrin which were the gods closest to the people of the desert and would sometimes descend to help the people in times of desperate need, the Aderu, or gods who sought only to destroy and punish those of the deserts, often portrayed as the originator of certain beasts and creatures of the desert, alongside the ever deadly desert demon, and lastly the Asale, which were less of gods as they were beings of unrestrained force representing the desert and it elements itself. Within the sacred lands there will often be statues depicting various Okunrin, whilst the Aderu may only be depicted in murals in battle or stories within certain lands under control of the dytos. However, in the more treacherous corners of the deserts there are some who do worship the Aderu. The Asale as being of the desert are far too powerful and destructive for a mortal to dare to come anywhere near them, as such, there are no depictions of them.
(parenthesis are applied for what the names of these gods translates to outside of the dialect of the desert people).
Pictures of various gods are often seen in the form of statues or murals in Dytos temples.
Okunrin
Kuruk Har (The Grand Lord)
It is said that Kuruk Har is the first true god to appear, as such, he is also the wisest and strongest of all the gods. For many centuries Kuruk Har had simply watched as the people of the desert had grown, he took joy from witnessing the ever expanding potential of these weak and fragile creatures, and he respected their tenacity in enduring the ruin brought by the Asale in their lands. However, when the Aderu begin to come to being, he saw the creatures which he had came to love through observing them over the centuries could become extinct, and so he descended to the mortal world to save our people from the ceaseless destruction that the Aderu had spawned forth with their beasts and monsters.
Tales of Kuruk Har on the mortal plane are few and far between, during this time most simply thought of him as a legendary warrior, but with each ever deadly beast slain, the people came to realize that no man could do something like this, this is a feat only a god could achieve. This was solidified when to save a single village Kuruk Har had fended off a Sand Devil, the most abhorred creature within the deserts, but not just one, but three, there was no room for doubt anymore, this was no mere champion, it was a god. As the legends and tales of his deeds had spread before long Kuruk Har was met with cheers and reverence everywhere he had gone from the smallest tribe in the corner of the deserts to large tribe’s that have survived for centuries. Whilst there were many who simply thanked Kuruk Har for what he had done a similar number wanted more from him, they asked Kuruk Har why their village had been destroyed, why he hadn’t been there in time, if he was truly a god why could he not simply eradicate all Desert demons from existence with a flick of his wrist. Others had more tame expectations and tried to garner favor from Kuruk Har requesting him to teach them so they could fight back as well. To both Kuruk Har explained simply, he had 2 legs the same as the rest of them, while his were faster he could not reach everywhere at once, even so, he will always try his best.
Sadly, one day, Kuruk Har had just disappeared, the people were distraught at first, believing that their god may have abandoned them, but soon they realized. He had bought them time, he had slain the beasts which outnumbered even the people of the sand to a miniscule number, with this the people could grow stronger, they could outnumber and defeat these beasts themselves, and they must take up the mantle of protecting the weak, and so the Dytos clan was formed.
As the years went on, from time to time tales emerged of the reappearance of Kuruk Har to take down even larger threats that no number mortal warriors of the desert could ever hope to fight against. But this time, he wasn’t alone, myths and legends appeared revolving around individuals that could not be mortal, they had to be gods, they had to be… Okunrin. It was then and in future tales that Dytos and the people of the desert slowly learned of the existence of Divine Atrocities, the Okunrin, the Aderu, and the Asale.
Elarax Har (The Grand Retributor)
The second god to appear, assumed to be one of Kuruk Har’s two sons, and thus also given the title of Grand. Whilst Kuruk Har grew in fame from saving the people of the deserts from the monsters and desert demons, Elarax Har sought out and destroyed the evil within the deserts, those deserving retribution. No matter how focused and stalwart the people of the desert are, Evil exists everywhere, lurking in the shadows of those who make living in the desert possible.
Some of the most popular legends revolving Elarax Har is a couple centuries ago when slavers of other countries started to take away the people of the deserts en masse. Villages were ruined, families were separated, and warriors of both Makos and Dytos who protected certain parts of the desert were taken away, leaving the people and villages in those areas vulnerable for all the monsters of the desert. It almost seemed to a miracle to the people of the desert when those who were taken away began to return, those who had returned told of an unfathomably strong being wielding nothing but iron chains as his weapons to destroy his enemies, and after he had taken care of the slavers he released the people and told them to return to their homes.
After this event and the gods' arrival had spread through the deserts some of the more zealous members of the deserts had desired to follow in his footsteps creating a specialized martial art for metal chains. These individuals created clans which would exist for centuries and prove to outsiders that even if they may escape the deserts, its vengeance is boundless for those who have harmed the residents of the desert.
Adarukh Har (The Grand Warrior)
Amongst the wisest of those in the Dytos clan there are none who wouldn’t tell you that Kuruk Har is the greatest, but, if one were to ask them who is the mightiest, many of those same men would enter a deep silence of contemplation. Adarukh Har is a large god with muscles perfectly strewn across his entire body, a physique that most from Makos would say they could easily acquire. Despite an intimidating presence radiating with power, Adarukh Har is likely the god who has interacted with the people of the deserts the most, and thus the legends and stories surrounding him are practically unending, The legend of Adarukh Har starts from his birth discovered by the god retelling the tale himself after drinking through the entire dessert’s supply of alcohol. According to Adarukh Har compared to his father or brother he was born abnormally weak, to the point that his father worried that there would be mortals who could defeat him, which would make the extermination of sand devils impossible. So, he trained, he trained in a way in which he would be forced to become stronger or die, this method was simply fighting against monsters far stronger than himself. Adarukh Har was met with countless near death experiences, far more than any child of a god should but he persisted, and he kept looking up, until the only thing above him was his own father. Adarukh Har had challenged his father to a fight and while the grand lore Kuruk Har had entertained the idea, they had to stop the fight as after just a single day of fighting, a chasm had appeared throughout the desert due to the repeated force of their blows. Even to this day, it is said that when one can feel the ground shaking, it is due to Adarukh Har fighting a creature who deserves his full strength.
Such a tale of courage and dedication to improvement had led Adarukh Har to gaining the recognition of the Makos, but such a grand warrior stirred the restless blood of the Makos clan warriors. As such, every time Adarukh Har had appeared the Makos clan would make their way to challenge the god. However, Despite how much Adarukh Har had enjoyed the battles himself, seeing mortals who could but up even a sliver of a fight against him, Kuruk Har had commanded him to cease his actions, as he spent too long fighting against mortals, the monsters of the desert were given time to breed and spread. Dismayed, Adarukh Har had come up with a solution he had declared to the Makos clan that every 50 years he would make his way journeying across the deserts to fight every warrior who wishes to challenge him, with this the warriors of Makos were easily satisfied.
Zhulek (The Vengeful)
To start off with the legend of this god we must start with his brother, Tahlek. Tahlek wasn’t the strongest or smartest of the Okunrin, however he was the most magnanimous, protecting the people of deserts was his first priority and everything else came second. Such was his ever reaching kindness that he even tried to convert some of the less diabolical Aderu, according to legend, he almost succeeded, but as the other Aderu heard of this they organized an ambush and killed the god. Originally, Zhulek was very similar to Tahlek, as he looked up to his brother greatly, but Tahlek’s death had changed Zhulek, he became obsessed with revenge going as far as to use the people as the desert as nothing more than bait to potentially lure out an Aderu.This change in ideals caused Zhulek to have fight against other Okunrin as well from time to time, as he would berate some of the Okunrin for spending their time saving people instead of focusing on killing the Aderu to stop this endless war once and for all.. Nonetheless, most of the gods, win or lose, would deny his words and carry on with their duties. It is speculated within the Dytos clan that the reason the Okunrin never attempted to entirely assault the Aderu is the potential of losing a Okunrin as just a couple Okunrin could make the difference between the desert demons being able to completely eradicate the people of the desert. Because of the actions and ideals of Zhulek some would go as far as considering Zhulek himself an Aderu as his actions often cause more misery than any actual benefit for the people of the desert. Alas, the wise and intelligent know that at his core he is still Okunrin, for as many tales there are of him outright abandoning a tribe to pursue an Aderu there are just as many of him abandoning a pursuit to do what is right.
Tor Raq (The Ironclad)
In the deserts there are few tales of those who can match the stature and musculature of those from the Makos clan, and none surpass it, perhaps that is why the Makos vehemently deny the existence of this 20 foot tall god. The metal giant, Hammer of the Gods, The forged, the god known as Tor Raq goes by many titles due to his imposing appearance but none as common as The Ironclad. The legend goes that Kuruk Har had believed him and his sons to be spread out too thin to properly handle every threat, as they could not be everywhere at once. As such, he decided to take matters in his own hands and create a god, he pulled out a massive slab of iron straight from the Asale of mountains Xulroq, and forged a behemoth clad in iron with the sole purpose of destroying the desert demons. As Tor Raq had been forged in part with the essence of an Asale it is said he could instantly move between areas with large deposits of metal, making him the swiftest savior to the people of the deserts. Despite the legend of his birth many wonder if there is flesh beneath the iron, as some saved by Tor Raq claim the Ironclad would arrive and warn them of impending danger.
Antakos (The Omniscient)
Compared to the other of his kin, Antakos was not a fighter, it is said that the god claimed himself to be a pacifist not desiring to aid the destruction of the monsters, in fear of what that aid could result in. Instead Antakos helped the people of the desert in a different manor, he helped them with knowledge, if a group of villages had their water source depleted and began to fight one another for the smallest droplet, he would arrive and explain to the villagers how to unearth a new source of water from the ground itself. Many such tales lead to the people addressing Antakos as The Omniscient as there was nothing he did not know, whether it was a question about life, monsters, gods, or simple morality, his words were truest of them all and always correct. For a long time, the people had believe due to the pacifist nature of Antakos and his slim figure, that for all his knowledge he must be rather incapable of combat, however, on one of his expeditions Antakos had met with another god Zhulek, they had gotten into a disastrous disagreement spurring a battle. In this battle it was clear to the people that Antakos was not weak, no, not in the slightest, he simply detested fighting and killing, although Antakos did not fight like any normal god, he used solely magic in the fight. Within the desert magic is an incredibly rare existence, and also detested by those of the Makos clan as they see it as a shortcut to power, and those who witnessed the battle described Antakos’ magic as gentle and refined whilst still incredibly destructive. Before the battle could come to a conclusion Antakos noticed the battle was inflicting damage on the surroundings including what the people had worked on after receiving his guidance, and so in the slightest amount of anger, Antakos used magic to blast Zhulek across the deserts, stopping and ending the fight, although the attack was far from killing/defeating Zhulek. It is said this legend alone is the sole reason that members of the dytos choose not to belittle foreigners visiting the desert wielding magic.
Aderu
Siax (Patriarch of Devils)
A being far older than even Kuruk Har, as where there is light, there must be dark, and Siax is an all consuming void who hopes to blot out any semblance of light. As one can assume, Siax was not always a known entity, originally it was assumed Sand devils were merely a fact of life, a creature born on the Fierce deserts similar to the people of the deserts themselves, truly the people had no way of knowing that centuries of suffering was orchestrated by a singular being. How the people came to know of the existence that is Siax was through nothing other than chance, A group of Dytos clansmen were on a pilgrimage to help those in need throughout the desert and were having trouble navigating through the desert due to a sand storm when they had came upon a magnificent sight, Kuruk Har. Their first instinct was to rush over to worship the grand lord, but they stopped themselves as they noticed Kuruk Har was guarded and ready for combat. It was then they saw another figure near Kuruk Har, The figure was covered in a glistening bright white armor, with white hair and glowing white eyes, the only thing it wielded was a mystical looking golden sphere which pulsated with energy. Under the cover of the sand storm they were able to approach closer and noticed the two were talking. Kuruk Har was asking why he desired the suffering of the people of the desert to such an extreme extent that he would create something like the sand devil. In return Siax used some incomprehensible terms but what was understood is that at the end Siax had stated that everything was a means to an end. After the short exchange between the two, Siax seemed to have noticed the Dytos clansmen, and had gone to kill them, but Kuruk Har had stopped him long enough for them to escape. While little was actually said, a lot could be learned through this conversation, the most obvious one being that Siax created the Sand Devils, the other being that Kuruk Har and Siax most likely have been rivals longer than the people of the desert have even existed. However, as this was the first time anyone had met a godlike being that was neither Okunrin or Asale, it had contained a more sinister and terrifying realization, that the divine atrocities slowly revealing themselves would not all be helpful, and instead could deliver unstoppable terror if they so wished. As such, after this event the Dytos clan had committed a large number of members for scouting out the desert, following the smallest rumors and tales to discover any Aderu, and to organize a countermeasure in some small form, so that the desert can continue to survive.
As the one who started the entire nomenclature of the Aderu Siax's deeds do not end at creating the most destructive and dangerous creature of the desert’s, over time he has lead great blows against the Okunrin, killing many gods who have yet to become well known and developed into a true force for the Okunrin, his greatest achievement in this act of curbing the power of the Okunrin is being the primary factor in killing Tahlek. Many believed Tahlek to be weak and stupid compared to most Okunrin, but in reality he was too kind to ever use his full power, ambushed by Siax who can rival Kuruk Har in power, alongside other Aderu, Tahlek was still able slay a multitude of minor Aderu before inevitably falling. It is hypothesized that Siax knew of his power and had an Aderu named Qhitan act as if they believed the words of Tahlek playing into his naive ideal and leading into a scenario where they could ambush and kill him.
Kanarut (Matriarch of Demons)
As the Sand devils had come from Siax, those from the Dytos clan naturally came to the conclusion that the desert Demons must also originate from the Aderu. This had been conjecture for a long time as tales of the Aderu are hard to come by, this is likely due to how most who meet them would have met an ill fate or worse. However, by chance a member of the Dytos clan had met a woman claiming to be an Aderu, he thought her claims nonsensical but decided to listen to her anyways. She told the story from third person but was obviously referring to herself. Summarized, She was a lonely but powerful being that loved to play pranks on people, these pranks escalated to where her victims would ultimately meet an untimely demise, and so she ran out of people to play with. Eventually she met Siax who she described as incredibly handsome and it being love at first sight and immediately chased after him. Allegedly Siax had no interest in her stating that unless she could prove some form of use to him he wouldn’t even consider receiving her love. Because of that she tried hundreds of things from trying to show him how her pranks are useful, to how easily she can disguise herself as one of the desert people, but to Siax these were all useless. Eventually however, she found a method, Siax's prized creations, the Sand devils, if she could make something like them she believed she would be able to garner his attention. It allegedly took centuries before she was successful in even the smallest manor, but she created a monstrous lifeform, what would eventually be known as Desert Demons. And so, Siax recognized her worth and accepted her love, and she decided that it was enough even if it wasn’t true love. It was after telling her story that the Dytos member laughed out proclaiming that she has a wild imagination, and Kanarut had joined him in laughter and then spawned forth several Desert demons seemingly out of the air. The clansmen managed to escape, and immediately brought the information back to the temples.
Amundr (Bestower of Devastation)
The blessing of Amundr, the mere mention of this strikes fear and terror to any of those within Dytos that knows of its meaning. Amundr is a strong and stoic Aderu with a strong ideal that one most solve their difficulties on their own, as these difficulties serve to reforge a person into a stronger version of themselves, this ideal embodied every action he took . Originally he was considered an uncategorized god, however, according to legend he once came upon a tribe under attack by desert demons, the people mistook him for a Okunrin and begged for his assistance. With his ideal, this act of begging for him to solve THEIR problems disgusted him greatly, he was tempted to kill them on the spot, but, an idea occurred to him, and he offered the people strength and power to solve their problem themselves, a blessing to unlock their fullest potential. The people gained power enough that even one of them could have fended off the desert demons, but after the battle had ended, their lust for combat did not, and so the tribes men and woman turned to one another, and fell upon each other, and when only one had remained, they left, and became a terror for other tribes and people of the desert. To Amundr this was the perfect happy ending, he gives people the power to solve any imminent difficulty, but in turn they will inevitably become a trial to others to pass, and those that do defeat one with his blessing will surely benefit by ending up stronger afterwards. It was an interesting feeling, in his mind everyone was benefitting, through his blessing he would be able to witness the events one experiences and so he could find enjoyment from the story of those who deemed the need for his blessing, those with his blessing would solve their difficulty, and the one to defeat them becomes stronger, a win win all around.
Amundr believed he had become kind, freely lending his blessing to any who desires it, spreading his name and influence through those who accept his power and leaving artifacts around the deserts which could remotely give one his blessing. However, one day Amundr met with an Okunrin called Zhulek who proclaimed him an evil and malicious Aderu, the normally stoic Amundr became angered at such dire slander, he goes around helping people and he gets called an Aderu, he should be referring to him as a fellow Okunrin. In an uncharacteristic fit of rage Amundr fought the god… unable to keep his emotions in check made him sloppy and easy to read, even though he easily outpowered Zhulek, Zhulek was more than experienced in fighting gods to handle him. As the fight looked to come to an end Amundr was able to gain his composure with the myriad of injuries littering his body, although injured and weakened, he was still more than capable enough to escape, and so he retreated, warning the Okunrin that he would pay him back. And so, Amundr delves and plots his revenge, if the Okunrin think him an Aderu, fine, he will be an Aderu and will give his blessing to any who need it, even if they are unwilling.
Qhitan (Epitome of Deceit)
A mysterious Aderu who not much is known about, the main part of what is known about Qhitan is that he was the primary Aderu who lead Tahlek to believe he was willing to convert only to betray Tahlek’s trust and lead him into an ambush. Other than this it is said that Qhitan whispers sweet words of deceit in the ears of mortal men and women of the desert convincing them to do horrible deeds for promises he will never deliver.
Asale
Xulraq (The Mountain)
A truly peculiar Asale, as their fury at times could be mysterious and undecipherable, while Xulroq is the one responsible for great pieces of the world falling upon those who build their villages near mountains, many times over the centuries hundreds of villages would tell tales of a mountain appearing out of thin air, and then disappearing later. However, for whatever reason, these tales have become almost non-existent in the last 40 years, some believe that the Okunrin had enough of Xulroq’s games and had punished him. While Xulroq is not the most terrifying of the Asale, the people of desert respect his domain to the point where it is widely considered taboo to attempt to set up a tribe or simply just sleep atop a mountain. Alas this is also a large part of the reason for the lack of proper minerals throughout the deserts as the people refuse to harvest minerals in any cave or mine as they fear the displeasure of being consumed by Xulroq once they attempt to do so, as some have done in the past. As such, most minerals (mostly iron), are found in areas where the ore can be found practically on the surface, or in times of great need, acquired in tiny specks through the great river.
Gaqon (The Sky)
In times of old, many within the desert referred to the sky as the unfathomable end, as it was believed that when one dies they ascend to beyond the skies, but what lies behind the skies is unfathomable, and so they would be forever unable to return to the deserts. Even today however, of all the Asale Gaqon is recognized as the most fearsome of them all. When most of the Asale are displeased often a few villages at most will be destroyed, however Gaqon is not nearly as merciful, when Gaqon displays his wrath, his will descend from the sky and decimate entire regions of the desert. It is assumed by most that his wrath is caused when beings of the sky are killed, as even though they have no real connection it is believed that Gaqon feels a connection to those with flight as they are similar to him as a being of the sky and as such is heavily displeased at the death of even a singular one. Because of this, outside of desert demons or sand devils, hunting or killing a flying creature is of the heaviest taboo outside of Makos controlled areas. Any who break this law disregarding whatever disposition or status they have, warrants immediate execution.
Wanil (The Sea)
Forever in movement changing with the flow of the world, Wanil is thought to be the most flippant of the Asale, at one moment, a new river will appear providing clean refreshing water and a safe haven to many, at the next moment, a great wave will erupt from the sea killing just as many as that river might have saved. The flippant nature of Wanil is the reason why none from the desert attempt to venture into the sea or whatever may lay beyond it, as the risk of Wanil deciding to devour them on a whim is simply too large of a risk. Nonetheless, Because of the existence of the great Enbas river those who survive through its existence deliver tribute to Wanil through various methods, most simply choose to respect the creatures of the sea alongside delivering the dead to Wanil to return the water they had drank in life. Whilst rare, others choose more extreme methods, varying from a week of avoiding drinking any water, to ritualistic sacrifice by drowning a sacrifice in the Enbas river. As with most other matters relating to the divine atrocities, the Makos clan chooses to ignore the tribute by and large. However, after centuries of pressure from the major Dytos temples, the Makos city now makes a tribute once a year in the form of delivering Wanil, the strongest desert demon they have killed within that year.
