The Prophet of Despair

S'Sath, called Vexxaradh by the Rellians, is the God of Suffering, Ugliness, Despair, Loneliness, and Mourning. Unsurprisingly, He is not a popular god among the people. However, devotion and petitions to S'Sath are common in times of great sorrow. When in dire emotional pain, those seeking solace will journey to sites sacred to S'Sath and pray. The largest of these sacred spaces is in the Ptsannae Desert and therein lives the most powerful of his devotees, a priest known as the Prophet of Despair.
The rank and title of Prophet of Despair is obtained only be those who have truly suffered and then are drawn to the site. Because torment is ever-present, only those who are truly transformed by their grief will see the hierophany of S'Sath and journey into the Ptsannae. When the current Prophet of Despair meets such a being, they will train them in their merciful duties, and then they die, passing the station to their acolyte.
Outcasts, the grievously infirm, the mad, those lost to grief, all have place in the desert shrine, and are tended by the Prophet of Despair. The Cult of S'Sath is particularly maligned in the Ptarshakkian Empire, which values strength and prowess above all: admitting to weakness, succumbing to grief, are hated qualities. Despite this, Ptarshakkians do respect the autonomy of holy sites, it is thus that many who flee Ptarshakk find their way into the desert and—assuming they survive the passage—and find sanctuary with the Prophet of Despair. It is for this reason that Ptarshakk consider the Prophet to be an enemy of the state. Should the Prophet enter Ptarshakk proper, it would likely be a death sentence. However, historically, certain holders of the title, have defied Ptarshakk and traveled into its cities to preach. Indeed, they have all be put to death, only for another denizen of the shrine in the desert to be called to the rank.
Slaves who have fled their masters know they can be safely hidden for a time in the Prophet of Despair's shrine. Free Ptarshakkian exiles who flee to the Prophet of Despair, often serve in the community, those who are not so inclined or cannot for whatever reason, will then be given water and the means to travel onto the multiethnic state of Hœm to the west. It has been argued that the practice of giving solace to exiles and runaway slaves is one of the primary reasons the Hœmmé are hated by Ptarshakk.