Verex

Symbol: A red fist holding a black shackle.

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Domains: War

History: Verex was brought into being as a logical experiment performed by the god Verexalar with the intention of seeing if civilization would thrive more by teaching people to appreciate order or by enforcing order on them by any means necessary. Verex was given the role of tyrant in this arrangement.

Relationships: Verex sees the value in maintaining healthy relationships with almost all of his siblings, though he makes no pretense about his hatred for Donua or his utter disgust with Morud. He enjoys visiting the Silent Sister as she is one of the few gods that does not immediately find his methods of control abhorrent. Perhaps surprisingly, Verex enjoys spending time with Alar as he finds their arguments and debates refreshingly challenging and thought provoking, despite how naive his brother is at times. He regards Lyasel as a sweet girl but thinks she shares Alar's worst flaws and none of his savviness. Still, her followers are formidable and must be taken seriously. Shalahu is the only other deity that Verex truly regards as his equal. As far as the gods outside the Seven, he appreciates the lawfulness and neutrality of the dwarven & gnomish demigods. The greenskin demigods and the deities he works most often with, though they are little more than tools of control as far as he is concerned. He appreciates Sennax'ar's control over his people but remembers well the battle with his forebears and is wary of the dragon's growing power.

Appearance: In times of peace, Verex looks like a lithe Anoran man dressed in the most popular and expensive styles of the day. He has a regal bearing and demands defference from all mortals. In times of war, he dons plate armor and wields a greatsword with unsurpassed skill. In all instances, his face is affixed with a permanent sneer of superiority.

Servants:


 * Bethyrt: Bethyrt is a chain devil who delights in torturing the enemies of Verex. He specializes in keeping his victims alive so that they can fully experience the unmatched extend of his depravity.


 * Ashara the Bureaucrat: Ashara is a massive female humanoid of unknown race who ensures the heirarchy is followed and that those who go against regulations are punished accordingly. She understands and appreciates the order Verex inflicts on the world and is a strict interpreter of the Edicts of Verex. If there is a question as to what the law perscribes, she is the final arbiter.


 * Kharik Chanun: Kharik is an ancient Rakshasa who acts as the pontiff of Verex. He is the to religious observance what Ashara is to worldly concerns. While he is an able trickster, he prefers to use his charm and charisma to engage mortals without subterfuge as Verex abhors liars and falsehoods.

Church
Verexian worship is replete with complicated ceremony and multitudinous rules and regulations, and clerics must perform within the strictures of the rules lest they find themselves excommunicated. Church is a long, drawn out affair and a central facet in the lives of Verexian worshippers.

Worshipers & Clergy: Attention to detail and adherence to the rules are two things expected from all Verexian worshipers. Clerics and paladins of Verex are held to such a high standard of perfection throughout their training that they often seem more machine than human to outside observers. Though many commoners are forced into worship as a condition of living in a Verexian city, most regard the lifestyle they enjoy worth the often tedious religious celebrations.

Notable Temples & Shrines:

The Hopeless Cavern: Deep within the Shattertusk Range lies a pit reported to lead directly to the plane Verex calls home. The walls of the pit are lined with a seemingly infinite number of jail cells in which the enemies of Verex are kept and tortured by Bethyrt. No one has ever escaped, nor has anyone ever died in custody. Those few who have been released after serving their time are said to emerge as little more than broken husks.

The Basalt Forum: Shattertusk Range Senators of every race meet here to discuss Verexian law and decide on matters of state. Verex himself makes occasional appearances, though he trusts Ashara the Bureaucrat to rule in his absence.

Texts:

On Fate and Folly: This text was written by Verex himself as an instruction manual to his earliest primitive worshipers. As such it's advice is usually in the form of simple parables and morality tales. The central theme of the tome is that every person is fated to be precisely where they are and desiring anything else is blasphemy.

The Red Concordat: This multi-volume text outlines the social hierarchy Verex expects his worshipers to adhere to and punishments for those who step out of line. There are regulations for everything from the proper way to muck out a horse stall to funerary rights for kings and queens.