Rusasha

Guardian in Darkness and Guide of Death

The patriarch and progenitor of the gods, but also the most enigmatic and disquieting of the pantheon. He is not easily spoken of, yet is still considered an essential and welcome part of the divinity and has plenty of adherents. As with all gods, his domain consists of three aspects: a part of the sky (Darkness), an aspect of nature (Death), and a social principle (Mortality).

• As the manifestation of primordial darkness, he represents that which existed before everything that we know and can recognize, and whatever will exist afterward. He is a reminder of the ephemeral nature of all existence, and the eternity within which it briefly resides.
• As the Guide of Death, he is understood as an unpleasant but necessary reality, and besought for clemency and fairness in perilous situations. He guards the great secret of what lies beyond death, and each soul in its time is guided by him through the Firmament into the unknown.
• As the god of death in a social aspect, he is worshiped by those who care for the dead and undertake funereal practices.

Divine Domains

Darkness; Death

Divine Symbols & Sigils

An eye with a vertical line across it

Tenets of Faith

The orders who serve Rusasha are the carers for the dead; they perform last rites, oversee burial rituals, and keep and maintain graveyards.
The most common type of prayer to Rusasha takes the form of a coin or small trinket placed within the coffin of a dead person during the ritual of burial. These will be items belonging to the praying individual, and ideally related in some way to the deceased. When the deceased is a public figure, it is customary for their funeral to also be public, and so there is often a great show of piety whereby those of high social status or seeking fame will bestow great and lavish gifts to be entombed with the subject. This has led to grave robbing becoming commonplace in some areas, and so priests of Rusasha are trained to physically guard the dead against living interlopers as well as perceived spiritual threats.

Holidays

Autumnal Equinox

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

The official statue of Rusasha in the antechamber of the Hall of the Chosen is on the far left, between Caralnis and Dorrelin. It stands upright, the right hand raised with palm facing outward, while the left hand cups an iron bell. It is made of ebony, with onyx eyes and hair and garments of Adamantium. Its features resemble those of a Night Elf, but also bear much similarity to those of a Wild Elf.

Apparel & Accessories

Robe of woven adamantium; bears an iron bell.
Adherents of Rusasha wear black robes, accented with iron, the amount indicating their rank.

Mental characteristics

Intellectual Characteristics

In lore, Rusasha never speaks, nor proffers involvement in any situation. He only appears when someone of importance dies. He is said to spend most of his time perusing the Firmament, but does not give any indication of what he sees there.

Social

Family Ties

Husband of Caralnis, father to Athnar, Athne, and Arrehan

Divine Classification

God

Religions

• Star-Lords

Species

Elves

Eyes

Black

Hair

Black

Height

2.3m