Ibis

Ibis

Description

Ibis is a Stygian god of knowledge, learning and magic, opposed to Set. The banishment of the cult of Ibis, for example, was done for political reasons, not because Ibis is ‘good’ or morally opposed to Set. When the Set cult as a whole acts against any one thing, be it a person, a religion or a nation, it is not a religious crusade. It will act because it will bring power, wealth and prestige to the king, the cult or Stygia as a whole. Ibis was once a respected part of the grim, bestial pantheon of gods worshipped by the Giant-Kings of old. than he became a respected god among the black-hearted pantheon of Acheron. Only when Acheron was in flames, did the cult suddenly become respected as “goodly”. Many suspect this façade is but a false-face on a darker truth.
Ibis has a relatively small but respected cult with cordial but uncomfortable relations with the cult of Mitra in Nemedia. Many Mitrans argue that the Ibis cult is just as evil as Set, but others argue differently.

Rituals and Beliefs

The Cult of Ibis teaches that men are little gods, that the spirit within transcends the flesh. Men have forgotten how to touch their godlike natures. Alchemy and magic are part of a god’s power and knowledge is the ultimate power. With knowledge comes godhood.
Also Ibis’s cult opposes the cult of Set to some degree, this is largely a façade. Ibis followers do not actively practice religious intolerance at all. Set’s cult is far larger and has far more resources than Ibis’s meager cult and could completely destroy them if Set’s cult saw the need to do so. Still, the priests of Ibis and the priests of Set like to play deadly pranks on one another and oppose each other politically when able.
The cult of Ibis is sacramental to commoners and becomes mystical to the priests when they are initiated into the inner Mysteries. The temples of Ibis are built identical to Stygian temples.

Priesthood

Priests of Ibis are scholars, sages, doctors and diviners. The priests of Ibis sometimes ally with the priests of Mitra against their common enemy, the snake-worshipping cult of Set. The wizard-priest Karanthes is sometimes referred to as "the last priest of Ibis". Inner circle of Ibis hides many secrets and those belonging to it may learn any sorcery.
Priests are initiated into the priesthood by a ritual shaving of all bodily hair followed by a baptism in a sacred pool to symbolize the coming out of the Cosmic Ocean. If the candidate has not been circumcised, he undergoes the appropriate ceremony. The candidate is anointed with oil and sprinkled with water. The candidate is then lead away for a ten days fast. At the end of the ten days, the initiate is exposed to black lotus blossom in order to reveal the Inner Mysteries of the god.

Ibis

A depiction of Ibis

IBIS

(Lesser Deity)

Pantheon: Stygian
Gender: Masculine
Regions:

• Stygia (forbidden)
• Nemedia (tolerated)

Attributes: Crescent Moon, Ankh
Representations: Man with the head of an ibis
Sphere of Power:

• Knowledge
• Magic
• Protection
• Alchemy

Can Be Worshipped with Other Gods: No

Conan Lore Archives
Faith and Fervour, Mongoose Publishing, 2006
Stygia - Serpent of the South, Mongoose Publishing, 2006
Return to the Road of Kings, Mongoose Publishing, 2007