Phantom Congregation
The Phantom Congregation is a group of five deities from Maloruno mythology. These powerful beings are typically associated with evil. The Phantom Congregation is seen in many religions and mythologies on Maloruno, but are mostly present in Tumandism, one of the most followed religions on the planet.
Deities
All five deities relate to a certain species on Maloruno, feared by runos. Azhkar bears a resemblance to a white tiger, Zhuheti to a vampire cobra, Tupuxa to a maze hawk, Whezeti to a rhizan serpent, and Mammata to a malorunian mammoth.
Each deity is said to have been responsible for a natural disaster in runo history. Most recently, Azhkar is believed to have caused the spinerot epidemic, which plagues civilisations to this day.
Truly the most notorious deity in Tumandism is Azhkar. A deific version of a white tiger, an already feared species, Azhkar is the embodiment of power used for evil.
Ancient Tumandists documented a massive black and white figure, a similar physiology to a white tiger but at least ten times as big, prowling the forests of the eastern Heartlands. It spent its life hidden away in the dark fogs, appearing once in a blue moon to wreak havoc on nomadic runos.
This creature had two massive scorpion-like tails, which would rattle and click as the creature moved.
Azhkar is often seen as the ruler of the Phantom Congregation.
Zhuheti is a deific version of a vampire cobra, a rare snake species found around the Bridge. Zhuheti is the embodiment of stealth and assassination.
Ancient Tumandists noted a supersized vampire cobra, approximately fifty metres in length, swimming around the Bridge. These sightings evolved into stories about this creature, hunting down people she did not like.
Ancient Tumandists rarely spoke of Zhuheti out of fear they would attract her. Zhuheti's sense of smell is unmatched and she can detect a person's presence from miles away. Once she finds a smell she does not like, she will hunt it down and will not stop until it is dead.
Tupuxa is a deific version of a maze hawk, the largest predatory bird species on the planet. Tupuxa is the embodiment of abuse and abandonment.
Ancient sightings of a bird five times the size of the average maze hawk were rather frequent, and Ancient Tumandists named her Tupuxa.
Whezeti is the deific version of a rhizan serpent. Another species found around the Bridge, rhizan serpents are entirely aquatic animals and are rarely seen poking their heads above the water. Legends say their tunnels and burrows run deep underground, fracturing the lands, causing earthquakes and sinkholes where these beasts congregate.
Whezeti is believed to be the ruler of all other rhizan serpents. Whezeti is the embodiment of abuse of power. She forces everyone beneath her to commit to her orders, or they will be eternally punished. This includes runos she has enslaved.
Mammata is the deific version of a malorunian mammoth. These gigantic, lumbering beasts wander the Equator Range, in tremendous herds of up to a hundred. They stand up to fourteen feet tall. Mammata towers over them, twice their height. Mammata is the embodiment of Anger and destruction.
When angry, Mammata stomps her legs, causing avalanches to rip through the Heartlands below. Throughout history she has supposedly caused three ice ages, and in more recent times, supposedly caused many avalanches, devastating runo populations.
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