Baruchiel
The Husk of Light and one of the legendary engines of destruction
Baruchiel is classified as a Lesser Idol, and is capable of granting powers as a patron to witches and warlocks, and perhaps clerics and the like who venerate the mysterious Six-Winged Angel, savior most high and bringer of light. Consult your GM if you are interested in following or recieving power from Baruchiel as described here.Obedience: Spend an hour cleansing evil thoughts, actions, items, people, and the like from the world, either in yourself or others. Where possible, burn it away or otherwise cleanse it thoroughly. Effect: Your body is covered in the Eyes of Auromachios - you gain a +2 competence bonus on perception checks, and gain it as a class skill if it wasn't already. You also gain All-Around Vision, and can no longer be flanked. 1/combat, you may lose all-around vision for the day to shoot a beam of energy as a ranged touch attack that deals 1d6 force damage PER 4HD you possess. This beam can pass through translucent barriers such as walls of force and glass walls as if they weren't there, though they still deal damage to them(Ignoring Hardness).
Summary
The myth of Baruchiel is a strange one compared to the myths of the other Six Husks such as Korvaddegon or The Judazhai, in that almost all remaining records of it are universally positive - unnaturally so. The myth of Baruchiel is that of "The Savior", and is not typically one that most would associate with the horrible beasts of destruction known as the Six Husks - it is spoken of as a great father or mother figure, and a great bringer of salvation to all that, universally, is spoken of as "one that all should, and shall, embrace".
From what remains, the myth of Baruchiel speaks of them as a great uplifter, who descended from the skies unto a people most barbaric and primal(The exact identities of these peoples cannot be conclusively identified, but are believed to have been barbaric islanders native to the Isle of Khyarmani far to the east) and inspired in them something that surviving myths and records refer to as "The Light of O'Randa" - a great light that was spoken of as filling the spirits, minds, and souls of those peoples Baruchiel descended unto as a savior, imbuing in them qualities that are only described as "Righteousness, Zealoutry, and Purity". This blessing of Baruchiel was the first of many gifts given to this people, which would later go on to give them great advancements in agriculture, farming, industry, and more - building a society of unrivaled purity, goodness, and justice that, from surviving records, might well have been a utopia.
What exactly happened to this society, and what exactly happened to Baruchiel themselves is unknown - large gaps are missing from the records of this people(The only records of Baruchiel's existence) and outside of this beginning story of the 'creation' of this utopia of light and knowledge, the only remaining records speak of a great catastrophe brought about by a being that is only referred to as "The Betrayer" which many believe to be a later name for Baruchiel themselves. This catastrophe is described as "A madness of the mind" and most notably "A complete breakdown of self and reason" which caused a complete societal collapse of the once mighty utopian society - a description which alluded to modern historians and scholars that the beast "Baruchiel" was likely one of the legendary "Six Husks", the great beasts of destruction thought imprisoned in the world.
Though no records exist of where, it is believed that the last of these ancient people - a being recorded in these records as a man of the name Auros who, expressing great regret in his final writings, speaks of a great ritual enacted to seal away "The Betrayer" and stop "Its fathomless evil, greater than even that of the world-snake". Upon the enactment of this ritual, the rest of the civilization's peoples are believed to have been snuffed out, its cities laid to dust, and "The Betrayer"(Believed to be Baruchiel) sealed away in parts unknown - to never roam the world again.
Historical Basis
The ruins of the ancient Utopian Society of the peoples uplifted by Baruchiel that remain on the Isle of Khyarmani have served as the source for the historical basis of the myth of Baruchiel - these cities, though almost all have been ground to dust long ago over Milennia of time's passing, with only a few ruins remaining in the swamps and humid jungles of the land, have served as places where a handful of records have been found. In these ruined cities, several ancient manuscripts have been found in the midst of these ancient wonders of advanced civilization - all manner of sculptures, manuscripts, tomes, and reliefs carved into glorious walls that once pulsed with magical conduits have been found that all speak of a society that was formed and flourished beneath the rule of a great, divine being.
This "Divine Being", which is believed to be Baruchiel, is carved on almost every facet of the ruins that can be found - all things which prove that, at one point, long ago, the legendary Husk of Light did indeed exist - though many records recovered speak of a society with no regard for the lives of its people. Instead, everything seemed to revolve around this "Divine Being" and the values it espoused - reliefs depict citizens being thrown into incinerators once they can no longer serve a purpose, sacrifices being made en masse to achieve a goal, and more - all proof of a strangely zealous people with seemingly little to no regard for their own society.
Spread
The myth of Baruchiel has not spread far at all - indeed, it seems to have been and might even still be actively curtailed by people or parties unknown, and is even now a mostly unknown thing that only especially studious scholars of the Six Husks or of ancient peoples, such as that of the ancient society on the Isle of Khyarmani from which most of the records of Baruchiel come to the modern world.
Cultural Reception
The myth of Baruchiel is an extremely local one - seemingly, it only ever visited the tribal peoples of the isle of Khyarmani, and it is from the records of this tribal society that would go on to found an entire Utopian(Possibly Dystopian, in its later years) Civilization beneath Baruchiel's mysterious leadership that most of the information about how Baruchiel was recieved by them comes from.
From the records recovered from that society, modern historians have learned that this ancient society viewed the Baruchiel with an overwhelming reverence and worship in a level that almost seemed to border on zealotry. They viewed it as a god-like figure, a deity who uplifted them from barbarism and gave them everything they had as a people and as a civilization - universally, there is not a single negative WORD to be found about Baruchiel in the remaining records of it from these people, and in fact those that are spoken of as speaking ill of it are referenced as villains, betrayers, and even referenced as being executed for such offenses.
Later on in the same records which describe the downfall of their society, those same people describe a figure known as "The Betrayer" with unbelievable vitriol - speaking of it as a deciever, a betrayer, and a villain and force of evil on a scale they often compare to the legendary engine of destruction known as The Judazhai, a startling comparison that pointed out to many modern scholars that this "Betrayer" is likely the Husk of Light...and is also quite likely the same creature as Baruchiel, seen and spoken through the lens of a people betrayed by their god in a way so deep and cruel that they sealed it away at the cost of their lives, memory, and entire civilization.
In Literature
The Baruchiel is literature is almost nonexistant - there are, for the most part, two big "records" recovered from the Khyarmani Civilization:
The Uhg'thala: The creation myth of the Khyarmani Civilization, and the only remaining record that directly references Baruchiel. Paints Baruchiel in an extremely positive light as an uplifter of their people, a divine protection, and figure of worship.
The Journal of Auros: This journal recovered from a ruined city on the Isle of Khyarmani is from the fall of the Khyarmani Civilization - written from the perspective of a powerful mage named Auros, it speaks in some depth of the events that led to the fall itself, and of the grand ritual Auros devised to seal away "The Betrayer" at any cost.
In Art
There are few remaining depictions of Baruchiel is almost nonexistant - remaining artwork is simple and depicts it as a humanoid figure with six wings, and many of the remaining artwork simply illustrates it surrounded by eyes, though the meaning of that is unclear.
Date of First Recording
The first recordings of Baruchiel appear around 440 ASK, over 4100 years ago.
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