Ravash, the Crimson King
Spurned Deity of Bloodshed, Murder, and Destruction
The impulse to harm has existed in the collective psyche for mortals for as long as they have had the ability of thought. Regardless of one's moral standing, everyone has had that sudden urge, that desire to cause harm for harm's sake. That is what fuels Ravash, the desire to maim and kill purely for its own sake, not out of any ulterior motive.
There is something almost refreshing about the simplicity that Ravash represents compared to the other Spurned Deities. While the others entangle themselves in grand plans, abhorrent trysts, or games of war, Ravash simply indulges himself in the slaughter. He does not care from where the blood flows, only that it flows in the first place.
Divine Domains
Blood, Death, War
Holy Books & Codes
The Sanguine Apocrypha - Copies of this tome exist among the various different cults of Ravash, and each one is different. It is said that the Apocrypha acts as both a guide for his followers to kill and main in the most gruesome ways, and a way for his followers to celebrate the act of doing so.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Ravash has multiple symbols, but themes within them are common. Mouths filled with blood-tipped fangs, claws drenched in blood, of a heart held in a blood-stained hand; so long as blood and violence are involved, it will serve as an apt symbol for the Bloodthirster.
Tenets of Faith
Maim. Kill. Burn.
Let the blood flow, it matters not from where. Slaughter is what gives you purpose, a reason to be.
Be equal parts furious and joyful when you kill.
Holidays
The Blood Moon - Occurs once every nine years, during this night the full moons of Itaxia are said to shine a piercing crimson. Ravash's influence is said to be far stronger than normal, inciting people into being more aggressive and violent
Divine Goals & Aspirations
- Let the blood flow
- Carve a wave of endless slaughter across the planes.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Depictions of Ravash tend to vary, but a few consistencies are noted. Widely considered by some to be among the first Demons, Ravash is often shown as being a towering, hulking, crimson-red demonic figure with an array of razor-sharp towering horns protruding from his body and festooned with blood and gore. He is also shown with a variety of weapons, from sword, to axes, to hammers; generally they are weapons that cause the most blood to spill.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
According to legends, Ravash is one of the oldest Gods in existence, coming into being while the mortal races were still learning the world. After the Founding of the World and the War of Dawn, the early races of Itaxia were born into the world and imbued with the ability to think and feel. For a time, they lived in relative peace. However, as with anything, this fragile peace was broken and one was driven to kill one of their own in a blind rage.
It is said, according to his most devout, that he was formed in the moment of this first murder; the act of one willingly killing another of their kin was said to be so horrid that it caused Ravash to spring into being, at this time little more than a vestige of what he would eventually become. The birth of Ravash was unprecedented; the idea that such a powerful being could be born from such a small act has baffled scholars for years. But Ravash did not just represent the idea of murder; he embodied the idea of mad, wanton slaughter, of ripping kin limb from limb and savouring every second.
Alongside Ravash, more were born: Vandros, Gieri, Kos, and Herula were born from the base impulses of war, greed, and lust that existed within the early mortals, and they were fed by them to quickly grow to near-godlike power.
The War of the Spurned
While the five newborn Gods were disparate from each other, they were still strong in their own right; Ravash in particular was noted for his sheer ferocity and strength, and his desire for bloodshed. But this separation from each other would be resolved by one figure: the mercurial, scheming Asmodeus. Ever the wordsmith, he was able to pull on the desires of Ravash; if what Ravash wanted was slaughter and blood, then why not go after the most powerful beings to kill? Ravash, ever the simple being, did not need much persuading, and joined his siblings and Asmodeus in what would become known as the First War of the Gods. Where his sibling-Gods would engage in complicated strategies, twist the minds and bodies of those who followed them, or simply drew wealth from their followers, Ravash was far more simple, and that simplicity made him terrifying. What Ravash lacked in his grace and tactical ability, he made up for in his sheer bloodlust and power. He drove his forces to carve a bloody swathe over early Itaxia Perhaps most significantly, he was able to draw the early Orcs under his control by corrupting them with his essence. As a result, they were imbued with a strength and bloodlust that is said to still permeate their being even 10,000 years later.The War of the Gods
Thousands of years later, long after he was sealed within the Wastes, Ravash would be surprised at the meeting of his kin, the other Spurned. Ravash had spent much of the previous millennia carving a bloody swath across the Wastes, and very rarely interacted with his sibling-Gods all that much. What would surprise him more, was the reason why: a Goddess from above, a young Elven-looking Goddess covered in webs like a spider, had appeared in the Wastes and asked for their help. Under normal circumstances, Ravash would've been the first to suggest merely killing her, but something made him listen to her pleas. By the end, he was convinced further by his brother-God, Vandros, to heed Lolth's words. Ravash, nothing if not incredibly simple, did not necessarily understand why, but for the first time in millennia he followed his words. When the seals keeping the Spurned in the Wastes were broken by Lolth, Ravash lead a massive army of his bloodthirsty and berserk demons into the Material Plane, where they rampaged across the world. Ravash would spend much of the world wreaking untold havoc across the world, killing any who stood in his path and doing his best to wipe out even the Gods. Ravash would come to meet his match towards the war's end. The one who managed to best him, however, caught many off-guard: Ymir, the Gentle Giantess. The otherwise peaceful and kind Mother of Giants was uncharacteristically furious, and proceeded to give Ravash the fight of his life; battering his armies with little effort and giving Ravash one of the most swift and brutal beatdowns he had ever had, before grabbing him by the neck and throwing him across the planes; so hard, in fact, that he flew for nine straight days and nights before slamming into the Material Plane After the War's end, Ravash was sealed back within the Wastes Beneath the World, where he has sat for the last 3,000 years. Out of all the Spurned, he perhaps minds this the least. After all, it gives him ample souls to kill and ample blood to spill.Intellectual Characteristics
Out of all the Spurned Gods, Ravash is perhaps the most simple of them. Where others are either conniving schemers, powerful warlords, or irreparably insane, Ravash is more akin to a wild beast. He is a creature formed of the desire to rage, to fight, and to kill, and he acts on those impulses endlessly.
He abhors the regimented, cautioned warfare of Vandros and loathes the web of secrets and lies maintained by Asmodeus; to him, thinking about slaughter is a waste of time, time that could be spent partaking in it and spilling blood in his name.
He sits within his Bleeding Plains and waits for the perfect moment to manifest himself, but in the meantime he communicates his simple desires to his spawn: main, kill, burn.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Worshippers of Ravash
Ravash is perhaps one of the easiest Spurned Gods to worship, as the mere act of violence itself is said to be enough to give him power. Actual worshippers of Ravash are strong adherents of his doctrine of maiming and killing for the sake of it: warriors and barbarians make up much of his fold, and it is incredibly common for Orcs to worship him as a result. The worship of Ravash doesn't have much in the way of a complex hierarchy, as they simply rank each other in the amount of blood they have spilled and the bodies they have killed over their lives. The highest-ranking Ravash worshippers can claim the deaths of thousands by their own hands. Despite this murderous attitude and desire for slaughter, worshippers of Ravash are remarkably honourable and honest people. They abhor the schemes, plans and trickery that so many of the other Spurned Gods rely on, preferring the more direct route of running into a fight and letting loose. To quote a researcher of the worshippers of Ravash:"Ravash will not stab you in the back. He will simply stab you in the face until your face stops resembling a face."
Tieflings of Ravash
As one of the Spurned, Ravash's bloodline has permeated many mortal beings and given rise to Tieflings descended from him. These tieflings are very much unlike the traditional svelte and slender ones that most people are familiar with; Ravash Tieflings are far more muscular than others, and often have spikes or barbs growing out of their back and arms. As with other Tieflings they have access to inherent magic, specifically that which augments their already strong weapon attacks.Speech
Ravash's voice is closer to a deep, booming roar that threatens to burst the eardrums of those who hear it.
Relationships
History
Ravash and Vandros have never seen eye-to-eye on anything, despite the great overlap of their worshippers. After all, bloodshed and war go hand in hand. However, much of their disdain towards each other stems from a mutual dislike of their respective methods. While Ravash will not walk away from an opportunity to cause violence, he hates the scheming and mind games that is a key part of warfare. Conversely, Vandros considers his brother to be little more than a mindless brute, concerned only with slaughter and having nothing more to offer.
"BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! BLOOD FOR THE GOD"- Worshippers of Ravash
Divine Classification
Spurned Deity
Alignment
Chaotic Evil
Realm
Church/Cult
Honorary & Occupational Titles
The Great Destroyer
The First Murder
The Bloodthirster
The First Murder
The Bloodthirster
Spouses
Siblings
Vandros, the Indomitable Conquerer
(Brother-God)
Children
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