Title: The Scorched Warden
Domains: Burning Ruin
Creators: Vorthar and Zoroth
Pantheon: The Nyx
Description
Akrath, the God of Desolation, is the dread embodiment of devastation, flame, and the withering aftermath of ruin. Borne of the unholy union between Vorthar, the Dark Weaver and Zoroth, the Hollow Prince, Akrath is not a god of fire’s brilliance, but of its aftermath—the ash, the hollowed plains, the blackened stone that once held life. He is known as The Scorched Warden, a cruel and relentless presence who walks in the wake of war, famine, and flame.
Akrath is depicted as a towering, gaunt figure cloaked in smoldering black and crimson robes, his form crackling with cinders and scorched bone. His face is hidden behind a cracked obsidian mask, from which black smoke leaks in twisting tendrils. In one hand, he carries a blade forged from volcanic glass, jagged and unrefined, while in the other he holds a broken censer, eternally billowing ash.
Followers
Akrath’s followers are warlords, cultists, exiles, and those consumed by vengeance. They do not seek creation but embrace destruction as divine will. Entire cults roam the wastelands, their skin marked with burn-sigil scars, preaching that desolation is purity—that only by burning the old can the truth of Akrath be seen.
His clergy are known as Ashbearers, feared and reviled wherever they tread. They offer blessings of fire not to heal, but to cauterize; not to comfort, but to cleanse. Many are former priests of other faiths who turned to Akrath in despair or fury.
Rituals and Offerings
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The Ashfall Rite: Performed on scorched earth, followers gather around a great pyre built from relics of the old world—books, tools, icons—and burn them to ash while chanting praise to Akrath. It is said he speaks through the smoke, whispering what must next be destroyed.
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The Ember Vow: Warriors and zealots offer Akrath a piece of themselves—hair, flesh, or blood—cast into flame. In return, they believe Akrath grants them strength through pain and clarity through suffering.
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Offerings: Offerings to Akrath include charred bone, blackened relics, and flame-scarred earth. Shrines to him are often pits of ash, filled with scorched remains of old temples and altars.
Sigils and Symbols
Akrath’s symbol is a cracked obsidian mask wreathed in flame, representing the silent face of destruction and the fire that devours identity. His sigil is etched into volcanic rock, tattooed with burned ink into flesh, or carved into scorched altar stones. It is a mark feared in all lands—when found, it signals that nothing will be left standing.
Additional Details
The Flamebound, Akrath’s most devout, are those who have survived great fire and returned changed. Their skin is often scarred, their minds consumed with a singular purpose: to destroy what weakens the world. Some become fire-wielders, using corrupted magic to immolate cities. Others become silent shadows, razing sacred places in Akrath’s name.
Akrath teaches that ruin is not cruelty, it is clarity. What stands must fall. What grows must burn. Only when all is ash can something pure rise again.