The Zheng'sui
Wild God of Waves, War, Solace, and Providence
Titles: The Shieldpiercer, The Father, Deliverance Divine, The Great Tidal Wall, The Almighty Azure, He who waits in Silence, The Icy Reflector, The City-Sacker
Favored Weapon: Greatsword
Alignment: Fire
Elemental Lord: None - the Zheng'sui has no Elemental Lord and is thus classified as a Wild God.
Obedience: Stab six bladed weapons into the ground around you at equally spaced points in a shape resembling a circle or a pointed star - within this radius, fall to your knees and inscribe your cheeks and arms with war paint, then finish by using the remaining paint to paint the holy symbol of the Zheng'sui, the Piercer's Signet, at the base of your throat near the top of your central chest. Finally, whisper a prayer to the Zheng'sui and prick your finger with a weapon inscribed with the Piercer's Signet and use some of the resulting blood to accent the war lines upon your body and the symbol near the base of your throat.
Effect: Once every 1d6 rounds as a standard action that does not provoke Attacks of Opportunity, you may call upon the surging waves of the Zheng'sui to protect yourself and your allies - when this ability is used, you and all allies within 30ft of you gain a protective 'Tidal Charge' that allows them to as an immediate action when struck for physical damage, swap places with another ally within their line of sight without provoking. Once used, the charge dissipates and loses its effects.
1st Boon: Death Knell 3/day, Castigate 2/day , or Greater Magic Weapon 1/day
2nd Boon: While you or one of your allies is infused with the Tidal Charge from the Obedience Effect, any creatures who strike them in melee for damage are automatically dealt 1d6 points of magic bludgeoning damage plus additional damage equal to the attacked creature's HD. They may also expend the charge as an immediate action to negate one attack of opportunity made against them instead of just to swap places.
3rd Boon: When you successfully reduce a hostile creature to 0HP or below, you can channel the violent power of the Shieldpiercer and instantly tear it apart in a violent shower of gore - instantly slaying the target and healing yourself and all allied creatures within 30ft that carry a Tidal Charge creatures an amount of HP equal to the slain creature's HD. Allies that benefit from this healing lose the Charge.
Divine Domains
War, Water, Destruction, Glory, Strength, Protection
Artifacts
Unlike the artifacts of the Zheng'sui's partner deity The Shan'sui, those belonging to the more aggressive and warlike Zheng'sui have been better documented by those who have had experienced firsthand the aggression of the faith - to put it mildly. Many of these artifacts, it should be noted, have been found and documented by the unfortunate and ill-fated members of The Rasmanthus Guild and the Knights of the Blighted Gate who have been charged in decades past with venturing onto the Blackgrave Isles to make contact with the Heihaizi: often to disastrous results.
- Firstly, and most infamously, are the Piercer's Rods - a series of enchanted pikes used by members of the faith almost exclusively within the Blackgrave Isles to enact hideous cruelties on their enemies and those who have transgressed against the faith or their close allies. These enchanted pikes typically are made out of gleaming bronze or burnished iron, and stand on average around 12-20ft (3.66 - 6.10m) tall - simple but terrifyingly effective, these artifacts of the faith serve a simple purpose of torture and lifegiving in equal measure; creatures placed upon the pikes are kept alive by the pike's regenerative magics(Even if they are only a head), and are bound by the pike's enchantments to serve a variety of functions ranging from sentry to a simple warning to future enemies of the faithful.
- Secondarily, and perhaps most welcomingly, are large artifacts commonly seen guarding the churches of the faithful outside of the Blackgrave Isles known as Tidewall Bunkers - most commonly seen taking the shape of massive walls of incredible thickness(Typically made of whatever materials on hand for function rather than appearance), these large walls bear rather ingenious wards upon them blessed and sanctified by the Zheng'sui to allow for hyper-effective dispersion of kinetic energy and momentum along the length of the wall, effectively "slowing" and "stopping" all that comes towards them before allowing them to bounce harmlessly and be shunted down and to the sides rather than Up and Over. While initially created to protect the churches of the Zheng'sui and The Shan'sui from flooding and natural disasters, as the churches of both deities were constructed in low-lying wetlands and flooding-prone areas of the Seogharan countryside shortly after the faiths of both deities arrived on the eastern shores of Zheng-Kitar, these artifacts have seen re-use in recent years as makeshift fortifications thanks to their enchantments and durable constructions which allows for surprisingly resilient defensive walls.
Holy Books & Codes
The Holy Book of the Zheng'sui was only very recently formalized by its followers outside of the Blackgrave Isles in a landmark moment which saw the Kingdom of Seoghar allow the faith, alongside that of its sister faith of The Shan'sui, use of a publishing house to formalize the holy book of their gods, on the condition that the faith abide by the laws of the kingdom and not disturb the peace.
This book, dubbed The Amatsu Chronicle, has thus only very recently entered general circulation as recently as a decade or two prior to the modern day - and unlike many holy books of various Elemental Saints or Wild Gods, can be found on the shelves of various Bookstores and the like across mainland Zheng-Kitar. However, it is worth mentioning that unlike the holy book of its sister deity The Shan'sui, the Holy Book of the Zheng'sui has found its way into circulation amongst various soldier barracks, knight orders, fortresses, and the like across much of eastern Zheng-Kitar and often sees free distribution outside military encampments.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
The Holy Symbol of the Zheng'sui is known as The Piercer's Signet, and is depicted as a beautiful spear with a wing-shaped cross guard pointing in a North-Eastern direction while inside of a circle stylized to appear as a kite shield or round shield.
Its followers, much like those of its sister faith of The Shan'sui, believe it to be a divinely inspired mark of the Ocean God itself, and hold a myth that states those who bear the mark upon their person will be granted divine entry into the Zheng'sui's divine realm or divine temple upon its ascension or their death, made free to rejoice within its booming halls forevermore free of all mortal worries and concerns. As such, those of the Zheng'sui's faith are often clearly demarcated and wear the symbol with pride even when faced with oppression.
Tenets of Faith
Destroy the evils that lurk behind the good-intentioned. Never trust those who act for the 'greater good' - look out for those left broken in their wake and let the fell hand of vengeance fall upon them most severely.
Become the line in the sand. In front of you lies devastation, and behind you sanctuary - protect those who look to your back with all your heart and let your only step in battle be forward.
Welcome the calming silence. Take solace in the calm before the storm, know the value of reflection, and use the silence in which I lurk to find your center and still your mind.
Deliver Agony Untold. Death is too swift for those who earn your ire - ensure those who bring harm to you or those you cherish suffer and writhe in agony unimaginable.
Preperation is everything. All struggles are won through thorough planning and informed foresight. Stay informed and have a plan for each conflict and coming storm.
Holidays
Similar to the faith of The Shan'sui, the true holidays of the Zheng'sui, if they exist at all, are not known by the majority of its faith - instead, the followers of the Zheng'sui across mainland Zheng-Kitar view the coming of oceanic events such as tidal waves, monsoons, and any other significant oceanic event both good and bad(From abnormally calm waves to abnormally destructive waves and everything in between) as a sign of their gods' favor; often, the followers of the Zheng'sui gather to do their best work during storms that devastate coastal areas, building large Tidal Shield Walls to blunt incoming floodwaters while celebrating alongside the faithful of The Shan'sui.
Divine Goals & Aspirations
Unlike the faith of The Shan'sui, the Divine Goals of the Zheng'sui are better documented - it seems a deal less mysterious with its goals than its sibling deity and seems to hold the destruction of the Knights of the Blighted Gate in highest regard, perhaps as a way to ease the burdens on its followers on the Blackgrave Isles, the Heihaizi. However, it does not seem to hold this goal in such high regard as to force its followers to do so at the exclusion of all else - it allows its followers to do so or not at their own discretion, and simply rewards those who make strides towards that goal.
Otherwise, its goals seem very practical and focused in the current moment - ensuring the safety of its followers and their parishes being chief among them.
Followers & Priesthood
As one of the newer Gods to grace the shores of Zheng-Kitar, the Zheng'sui's priesthood, much like that of its sibling deity The Shan'sui, has largely spread from the eastern shores of Zheng-Kitar along the border of the Kingdom of Seoghar - although unlike the faith of The Shan'sui, many Theologians suspect that the faith of the Zheng'sui actually arrived on the shores of the Kingdom of Seoghar far earlier than many assume; sparse evidence amongst the lower-class in outlying areas of the Kingdom suggest that it first arrived much earlier than initially assumed, taking advantage of the wave of unrest in the wake of several oceanic disasters that flooded many coastal villages at the time. As a result, the followers of the Zhengite faith were initially scattered amongst those displaced by the flooding, fathers who sought to provide for their families, and soldiers and guardsmen who sought to help those in need in the wake of those very disasters and the outbreak of banditry that followed in the subsequent months and years. Even in the decades that followed as the faith slowly entered the public eye and became a semi-widespread organization across the Kingdom of Seoghar and other nearby countries, the followers of the Zheng'sui have kept their roots and are mostly male, or those who more inclined towards "providing", "protection", and classical Seogharan "Masculine" tendencies, as well as those who deeply appreciate the confidence and training instilled into them by the Zheng'sui and its followers and who seek to repay the deity's stoic reassurance in whatever ways they can. As such, the Zhengite Priesthood, as a symbol of their bottomless respect and trust in their god as well as to honor the roots where their faith first began, tend to dress in very practical and defensive garb(With an emphasis on garb obtainable by the everyman, as rich or expensive garb is seen as in poor taste and out of touch) colored Icy-blue and White - though not always armor, the faith nonetheless prefers close-cut and form-fitting garments that don't get in the way should they suddenly find themselves jumping to battle, making reinforced tunics or armored everyday garb being a popular middleground for many members of the Priesthood who might not be able to afford actual armor. Much like the faithful of The Shan'sui, the members of the faith tend to display the holy symbol of the Zheng'sui extremely prominently upon their garb - typically hand-painting it themselves or in some similar DiY fashion to symbolize their own dedication to hard work and perserverence in the face of adversity. Building their churches or parishes in close concert with the faith of The Shan'sui, the priesthood of the Zheng'sui often partners with its sibling faith to build united churches from which to spread their faith from - often leading these united parishes are a jointly coupled duo of a Head Priest of each deity joined together in platonic friendship or romantic matrimony, leading a familial-style gathering from within these large churches which are typically constructed near floodplains, high upon hills in storm zones, or in defensible areas that in some way experience storms or rainfall or have a clear view of large bodies of water. When they have occasion to build churches alone without the input of their sibling faith, the members of the faith tend to build their churches as bulwarks and miniature castles capable of not only withstanding sieges, but also the worst environmental catastrophes the area has to offer - often studying the area's weather and oceanic patterns to know which calamities that they must build their Churches to endure. This, combined with the Faith's natural disposition for drawing its members from the ranks of Soldiers, Guards, Mercenaries, Protectors, and any who seek to protect their friends and defeat their enemies, makes the centers of the Zhengite faith natural fallback points in not only times of war, but more importantly during disasters - where their churches, warded by the artifacts of their faith known as the Tidewall Bunkers, are capable of and have easily weathered the worst flooding, tornadoes, monsoons, and more that the continent has to offer.Ethics
The ethics of the Zhengite faith are, in a word, practical - they have rather unique worldviews on the nature of morality and believe that, above all, that there is nothing that one can trust more in this world than the certainties of clear and obvious evil. However, inversely, they believe that there is nothing that one can trust less than clear and obvious good - their ethics hold that anyone who approaches with offers to help, goodwill, or promises of aid are among the people that one should be most suspicious of for a simple reason; they believe that it is in the wake of these people who come to help others or to act in what they believe is the "Greater Good" that the most suffering is truly spread. Most notoriously, they hold this fact up in description of the Knights of the Blighted Gate, whose "help" and "ministrations" to help alleviate the Witchblight that ravages outlying communities, while undoubtedly "helpful", displaces families, causes vast amounts of suffering, and abandons infected children to die alone in laboratories and on the shores of the Blackgrave Isles - all things that the Knights themselves do little to fix in favor of "continuing the fight for the greater good". In this way, the followers of the Zheng'sui place greater emphasis on actions and place trust in others on a personal level - they are suspicious of the good-intentioned on principle, and are often slow to trust and accept those outside of their close circle of connections, friends, acquaintences and the like. However, to those inside of this tightly knit circle or those whom followers of the Zheng'sui see as being "under their care", they are a ferocious fighting force taught that there is no greater or more admirable act than giving their life to protect those at their backs - that the worth of a life is measured in how much good is done here, in the present, saving lives and buying others time to live on that much longer. This unique outlook makes them uniquely suited to motivating others and helping others out of depressive states, as they focus almost entirely on the present moment - they despise looking at "the big picture", viewing such as a habit that can easily lead to grief and depression, and ground themselves by focusing on what they can affect in the here and now while measuring their worth in much the same way: because they helped save a life, because they made someone happy, because they stood in defense of their charges, and so on - such things give the lives of the Zheng'sui's followers meaning. Taught to be introspective and well-prepared, the followers of the Zheng'sui are taught to be cool under pressure and to always enter into the struggles of their lives prepared no matter the circumstance - be it preparing for inclement weather or for a bloody war, the followers of the Zheng'sui believe in the value of a well-laid plan and knowing the struggles one will face far in advance of when they will actually happen. To them, improvisation or "taking things as they come" is mere laziness at best and apathy at worst, especially when there was an opportunity to have prepared for the current events even if only nominally - and on this thread, their introspective tendencies make them excellent at using their alloted time in the best ways possible, making them natural busybodies on and off the battlefield. One will rarely see the followers of the Zheng'sui simply "doing nothing" when there are tasks to be doing and preparations to be making - however, when the time comes for the "calm before the storm" and they judge that they have done the best they can, that doing more would only overprepare and possibly do more harm than good, they relish in making use of whatever free time they have to reflect upon themselves and the current moment in quiet meditation to center themselves and their mind before a conflict or struggle. In this way, they are quite skilled and firm believers of seperation of disciplines - prepare and work hard in one moment, and reflect in silence to still the storms of one's heart the next. Finally, they believe in embodying a uniquely ferocious savagery in their fighting that few expect from them at first glance - rivaling even the bloody butcherings of the faith of Saint Oshihime the Unbroken, the faith of the Zheng'sui believes that to simply deliver death to one's enemies is not only a waste of resources that could help in future conflicts, but is almost never sufficient to repay one's enemies for the pain and suffering they have inflicted upon the faith and those under their charge. As such, while not sadistic torture enthusiasts, the followers of the Zheng'sui happily mutilate and torture their enemies out of simple practicality - viewing it as an exchange and nothing more; a way to ensure that their suffering matches their crimes, and that an enemy can be put to good use as an impaled, half-alive warning to future enemies that conflict might be dissuaded or as a tortured sentry whose screams will alert them to invaders. Either are fitting options for their foes, and both are tasks they take to with a grim and stoic determination.History
Like many Wild Gods, the history of the Zheng'sui is almost entirely unknown - what is known paints it as one of the twin rising Deities of the Heihaizi that dwell upon the Blackgrave Isles, rising to prominence within the accursed Heihaizi some unknown centuries prior to the modern day and eventually spreading outwards from their sealed-off home in the Blackgrave Isles off the eastern coast of the Kingdom of Seoghar despite the best efforts of the Knights of the Blighted Gate to stop its spread. However, whether the god was born from the Heihaizi or was merely discovered by them, is wholly unknown - perhaps even to the Heihaizi themselves.
Yes, it is quite terrifying to look at the big picture - why fight at all if one day all will be dust? Why bother at all, when the Greater Good promises eventual utopia? Do not forget - you do not live in the big picture. You live here and now. And those here and now whom you save, whom you protect, is not in vain. Let that be your meaning. Let that drive you forward - not some promise of a future you will never see, or benefit from.
Divine Classification
Wild God
Alignment
Realm
Children
Example Divine Oaths
Oath of the Dread Defender: Never kill a defeated foe where you instead put them on display in unending agony for all the world to see. Guard your allies and those who stand behind you for protection, even if you must give your life, and never flee from or avoid a battle where doing so would lead to the deaths of innocents.
Oath of the Blackgrave Avenger: Seek the destruction and obliteration of the Knights of the Blighted Gate at every turn, and do everything in your power to see their organization scattered. Do not rest until every trace of their memory has been destroyed, the last member of their group has been slaughtered, and all record of their accomplishments has been eradicated.
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