Auron Surai (ow-ron soo-rai)
The Sand Man; Myoei-the-Stories-Given-Form; Lord of Wandering Souls
The Last Unicorn
Auron Surai is the Duskscape Regent of nostalgia, convalescence, perspective and positive dreams. Lord of the Spharai, Shepherd of the Sleeping. A mysterious, morphic, nonverbal deity who communicates with its adherents through dream messages, omens and emotional impressions. It can sometimes be seen simply wandering The Duskscape in one of its enormous, chimeric forms. No entity, benign or malign, is known to interfere with the Dream King's comings and goings.
It bears repeating that the Duskscape Regents are alien creatures with moralities that are often difficult to fathom. The motivation of most Cenobites involve little to no regard for Waking Mortals and as such are generally recognizeable as neutral or evil. Of these creatures only Auron Surai can be regarded as remotely “good”, albeit in ways that are still often capricious and enigmatic.
The Dream King is opposed but also complimented by the Regent of Nightmares and Queen of the Qlippoth, Sheoldred.
The being also sits a small sub-pantheon beside Overshepherd Rom, whose raison d'etre is the protection of dead souls, in much the same way Auron Surai is the protector of dreaming ones. It is common for non-evil Cenobite churches to worship them in tandem.
Auron Surai's alignment is Neutral Good.Appearance & Heraldry
See also: Auron Surai Image Gallery (External)Auron Surai has been observed taking many magnificent and often bizarre forms. It does not seem to have its own realm, but instead seems to enjoy wandering the Duskscape in one of its massive, chimeric, vaguely bestial forms. When stationary, it seems to prefer floating, geometric shapes.
Worship
you believed in crystal notions not in human clay
always twitching as if asleep you hunted chimeras
wolfishly you crunched the air only to vomit
you knew no human thing you did not know even how to breathe...
Zbigniew Herbert
Clerics of Auron Surai are known as Dreamshepherds. They are not only exemplars of the Sand Man's drive to protect the dreams of Material peoples, they are also eccentric researchers of what lies beneath the conscious mind. In particular, many are seekers of ancient relics called Dreamstones: repositories of mortal dreams created by some lost culture of demon or fae. Of all magical or religious sects on Waking Materia, the Dreamshepherds are some of the most comfortable and skilled at traveling the Duskscape and even the Far Umbral Provinces. Some curious and daring Materian scholars hire them occasionally as Umbral guides.
It is a frequent belief among the Dreamshepherd churches that Auron Surai is a manifestation of the collective hope, among peoples everywhere, that happiness and beauty will never be defeated by oblivion. And even more encouragingly, that being has a plan.Domains
Auron Surai's primary Domain is Dreams. Its secondary domains are Repose, Memory, Soul, Knowledge and Vigil.Favoured Weapon
The Sand Man's favoured weapon is the starknife, dual-wielded. Its Relic starknives are Polaris and Scheherazade.History
Almost nothing is known of this astounding being, past or present, as it does not often communicate in ways that would convey such information. One persistent rumour is that it was once a united being with Sheoldred, named Auron Sheoldrai. Why the being split into two is unknown, assuming this story is even true.
Illus. Berneri (Left), Frank Frazetta (Right)
Auron Surai
Godhood
Duskscape Regent, possibly Interesoteric Alignment
NG Domains
Dreams, Repose, Memory, Soul, Knowledge, Vigil Favoured Weapon
Starknife Relic Weapons
Polaris & Scheherazade
Comments