Eresh
The Shadowed Goddess Below, Rot Bringer
Between spindly roots and bent trees overrun by moss, lichen, and mushrooms, murky water stands stagnant, save for the slow rise and spitting pop of a bubble… or the occasional movement of a lurking shadow below. A perpetual fog delicately holds the swamp, distorting what lies in the distance. Spores dance through the air, carrying with them the kiss and promise of disease and plague. Yet, despite the rot that embraces this place, spirits rise to dance above the murky water, mushrooms form mosaics of intricate shapes and patterns, and new life rises from the pestilence that calls forth decay. For there is beauty in the rotted and the decayed; and, in the end, there is no escaping Eresh, the Shadowed One Below.
Eresh was often regarded as the embodiment of rot, disease, and paranoia and was thus often the patron of those who sought to weaponize that which lurks under the cover of darkness… unseen by the humanoid eye. Yet, Eresh embodied a necessary piece of the cycle of Life and Death; for pestilence breeds decay, which brings forth nourishment and new life. She was often depicted as a thin, frail, and haggard woman with vines, mushrooms, lichen, and moss growing upon her clothes and directly from her skin. Her hands were often blackened and her touch believed to hold all manner of rot and pestilence. Despite her ominous image, Eresh was often a patron to healers, herbalists, and plague-doctors. For there was a balance – a harmony – to be found between the rot that brewed within Eresh’s heart and the life her bubbling bog brought forth.
Accepting the Gyésar
Ancient stories hold that Eresh once shunned and opposed all humanoids that attempted to settle within her bog. The Shadowed One Below preferred the company of darkness, of plants, and of the animals that lurked. Despite the nefarious reputation of her lands, humanoids still stumbled into it and Eresh led them all to an early grave of rot and pestilence... until one woman. When Eresh descended, intent to kill, she recognized the signs of abuse and torment; how this woman had long since rotted from the inside... Eresh saw herself. In a rare moment of mercy, Eresh instead turned the woman into a dryad. Slowly, one dryad at a time, Eresh's rotted heart slowly opened. When the Gyésar fled perseuction in the lands of Mevetés, Eresh welcomed them hesitantly – kept them at a rotted arm's length. Yet, after witnessing their acceptance and devotion, how they found beauty in the moss that covered their forms and the rot that took them in their sleep, Eresh relented and welcomed them in true to her rotted embrace. To them, she granted resilience to rot and pestilence, so they could have more time to delight in the patterns it formed upon their skin.
The Gyésar were a small people (in stature and number), yet they were infused with wanderlust. Although Eresh never had a desire to leave her lands, she sent the Gyésar with her blessing. Under the cover of darkness, Eresh extended her influence to guard her people, calling down rot upon any who threatened her kin. Wherever the Gyésar travelled, Eresh's name was whispered in fear even if no disease or pestilence beset the lands. For unless her people were harmed, Eresh was content with her rotting paradise.
Fall to Corruption
Eresh was always a goddess of “death in the natural world”, of the death of plants and other creatures not in possession of a "complete soul" yet possessing life energy and essence. Eresh only interfered in the matters of a humanoid soul on two occasions: (1) the soul belonged to the Gyésar or (2) the soul had been slain by Hadúr, directly or indirectly. The Divine Assassin often killed in the Shadowed One’s name. Although Eresh never returned Hadúr’s twisted affections, the King of Subterfuge held a special place in Eresh’s rotted heart, for he saw her as she was and was content. Over the centuries, there were many that sought to dictate Eresh’s actions, to mold her more to their liking.
- Malachor strictly bound Eresh to his rules of Death and Souls.
- Mevetés sought to dictate where she and her Gyésar could and could not go.
- Agni flaunted his freedom and mocked her chains.
- Hesper'Telia would not cease her pestering torments.
But Hadúr remained… oddly obsessed with her; and he expected nothing in return.
And then Hadúr was killed. As a testament to the depths of her rage, Eresh left her swamp for the first time, beseeching the Abyssal Lord to aid her in seeking revenge and, in turn, she offered her own kin. After all, it was better for her people to die at her command than to perish at the cruelty of the mortals of Jalasar and the folly of other gods. As paranoia and tensions grew, the Gyésar were barred passage at best and slaughtered at worse; told where they could or could not go. Eresh grew spiteful. When Mevetés began to invade her lands, Eresh rose to meet her fellow god, fueled by wrath. Once motivated by the beauty of rot, Eresh was fueled once more by her spite for mortals; by her spite for the other gods. And one day, she consumed her own kin in her spread of spiteful rot. And Eresh’s corruption consumed her in turn.
Divine Domains
Death, Souls, Darkness & Shadow, the Unknown, Paranoia, Decay, Rot
Divine Symbols & Sigils
The black onyx gemstone, a network of sprawling and darkened roots
Tenets of Faith
Embrace the Decay – Decay is an inevitable aspect of the Cycle of Life and Death. Embrace it. For from decay, new life shall blossom. But first, pestilence must spread, wounds will come to fester, and the rot must be allowed to bloom. Do not resist the creeping death. Instead, examine the patterns it creates; the artistic pieces it imagines. Find the beauty within the rot all around.
Veil of Darkness – To others, the night signifies darkness, shadows in one’s periphery, and the threat of lurking danger. Within the darkness of the world or the darkness of one’s own mind, paranoia blooms. But for those who have seen past the veil, darkness is but a protective shroud. It is a cover whereby one can move unperceived by threats and danger; it is where the Shadowed One lurks, ever protective of her own.
The Heart of Rot – The land pulses with life; even the dourest of places contain vibrancy if one takes care to look. Trees house memories of the years, and the dryads sing. Mushrooms tell stories through their networks while the moss paints the landscape. Should you offend one, know that their rotted heart will beat with a vengeance until you have been claimed by the bog you have wronged.
"I wish you to deny him. Just as Hyperion denied me the right to have slain Hadúr myself. Until Hyperion releases Hadúr's soul... that coveted soul that belongs to me."
Divine Classification
Spirit of the Land
Current Status
Corrupted
Current Location
Realm
Children
Pronouns
She/They
Aligned Organization
Concepts
Eresh & Hadúr
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