Sarish

Sarish
￼Sarish is the first son of  Neroth and Beltine and the younger brother of Larissa, known as the Font of Will among the people of  Carceri. Sarish was initially a mortal man despite his divine heritage, but prior to  the Madness was approached by a devil that was an enemy of his Father and Uncle and the fiend offered to make the offspring of Life and Death more powerful than his entire family. Initially seduced by the the offer but not willing to do anything to harm his divine family, Sarish proceeded to spin a contractual negotiation with the devil that transferred all of the fiend’s arcane power to Sarish. Sarish then slew the creature to terminate the contract, retaining the energy of the devil and becoming the Prime Sorcerer.

Exact workings of the deal are secret to all save Sarish, but when the Sorcerer shared the experience with his divine family he stressed the one condition he could not dissuade the devil from: when Sarish dies, his soul and every other soul tied to the Cauldron would descend to the lowest circle of Hell and form a portal through which foulest archdevils could freely enter the realm of the Gods. Aghast at the idea that his son had made such a deal but hands tied to punish him, Neroth and Beltine devised “The Gift.” Beltine severed her son’s connection to the Cauldron of Souls, so that if the Sorcerer should die, the vitae inside could not be used to make the bridge. Neroth then bound Sarish’s soul inside his son’s body preventing the former mortal from perishing from old age. After everything was done, Neroth and Beltine had created the first Undead and, with his newfound immortality, Sarish finally became a God like the rest of his family.

Source: Original Creation, elements taken from Arcanis god of same name

Pantheon:  Carceri

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Favored Weapon: Sarishan Dagger, a silver dagger cooled in the blood of the wielder. Sarish’s personal dagger is called “Oathmaker”

Symbol: A golden disk inscribed with an arcane circle, specifically Sarish’s arcane mark

Sacred Animals: Stag

Sacred Colors: Purple and Gold

Domains: Arcane, Blood, Chaos, Deception, Education, Family, Good, Knowledge, Law, Language, Legislation, Magic, Portal, Rites, Rune, Self-Realization, Thievery, Trade, Travel, Trickery, Wards

Inquisitions: Clandestine, Conversion, Excommunication, Fervor, Final Rest, Heresy, Imprisonment, Redemption, Reformation, Revelation, Secrets

Mysteries: Lore, Occult, Spellscar

Blessings: Knowledge, Law, Magic, Rune, Travel, Trickery

Worship of Sarish

Sarish’s clergy were in great demand during  the Madness, helping to stem the tide of Infernal incursion, as well as gaining a few new servants. Priests of Sarish tend to be quite charming and eloquent, contrary to what would be expected of those who have frequent interaction with Infernals. They tend not to be very aggressive, letting those whose natures are brash and impulsive take the lead. But they are always there, whispering in the right ear or saying just the right words to achieve a desired result.

Because of his expert dealings with the nameless devil, Sarish now also governs over oaths and contracts. It is said that Sarish will hear an oath taken in His name and if broken, the transgressors will be cursed. Whether or not this is an old wives tales is unsure. What is known is that those contracts “bound” by a val’Mehan or priest of Sarish certainly do invoke a curse upon any that would break the agreement. The clergy even have a devoted group of ecclesiastic contract lawyers called the Oathkeepers, who not only will oversee negotiations as arbiters, but will lend a divine covenant to any agreements signed in their presence. The Oathkeepers duty can sometime bring them into contest with the Dawnbringers of Lathander, whom they respect in their legal expertise but find overly stuffy. Law and contracts only go so far in dealing with the evil of the world after all, it is the will of the people who should truly decide the course of the future.

GM Only

Sly Sarish is the patron of all those who seek knowledge of a more esoteric and arcane nature than those who follow Althares. Some legends tell of Sarish freely gifting Mankind with the secrets of Magic, while others tell of its theft. Regardless, Sarish now guides and blesses those who are gifted with the arcane “Gift.”

Sarish is also known as the Binder of Demons and Devils. Over the ages, Sarish has accumulated an enormous amount of Outsiders, which He or His worshippers have bound to service. These creatures are governed by Fallen Valinor that have taken the titles of Demon or Devil princes. Yet, for every Outsider Sarish has in His service, countless others remain free and ready to spread havoc across the realms of man. Such was the case during the Time of Terror. Countless Outsiders, called Infernals by the populace, roamed unchecked, spreading chaos, mayhem, and in a few cases, their seed, throughout Onara.

Spheres of Influence: Dæmonology, Holy, Magic, Oath, Secrets

Holy Symbol: A disk inscribed with the sigil of Sarish.

Favored Weapon: Sarishan Dagger, “Oathmaker”

Animal: Cat

Color: Purple

Appearance: There are no records of Sarish himself ever appearing. Instead, His “representatives” appear in His stead.

Secret Society: The Seekers of the Hidden Master. This society is hidden deep within an organization that is, by nature, already secretive. During the Time of Terror, very powerful Infernals known as the Devil-Kings ruled over Nishanpur. When the First Crusade of Light finally arrived, these powerful Outsiders were either killed or driven out of the ancient city. After the Wall of the Gods was raised, these Devil-Kings, along with a horde of other Infernals, were believed destroyed by the Gods.Members of this secret society are the descendants of those who served these unbound Devils. They believe that the demon horde and their true masters were not destroyed, but are actually still on the other side of the God’s Wall, or at the very least, entombed within that gigantic mountain range. Their goal is to somehow pierce the Wall and usher in the return of His Infernal Majesty. Given the immense size of this undertaking, it is no wonder that this sect has not yet succeeded in this grandiose scheme

Val’Mehan  The val’Mehan are the descendents of the Valinor of Sarish. Centered in Nishanpur in Canceri, this Val family is treated with a mixture of fear and respect. Master manipulators and diplomats, val’Mehan are often found at the center of any intrigue. Though often shunned, the members of this family are often in high demand for their ability to create binding oaths.

1st Level Bloodline Powers  Arcane Servant (Su)The blood of the Patron of Sorcerers and Magi carries with it an affinity towards magical creatures. Even a Val without the gift of the arcane may call a familiar which will grow with him exactly as a wizard or sorcerer’s familiar would. Should the Val already have a familiar, he gains the Improved Familiar feat instead, though he must meet all the normal prerequisites before he may utilize it. Therefore, a first level val’Mehan wizard may take arcane servant as his starting bloodline ability, but he may choose to wait as long as he desires to make use of the Improved Familiar feat he gains from it. Should the familiar granted by arcane servant die, the Val suffers all normal effects for losing a familiar as detailed in Core Rulebook I.

Oath Maker  (Sp)Sarish is the Oath Maker, and His children are wordsmiths by instinct, writing and sealing pacts in His name with a drop of blood and a bit of wax. However, despite the ease with which their words flow, a Sarishan Oath is a devastatingly serious agreement. The Val may witness an oath between two or more willing parties. Each member of each party must supply a small quantity of blood, which the Val mixes with sealing wax. Once both parties have reviewed and agreed upon all points of the contract, the Val then binds and finalizes it with the prepared wax and his own personal seal. Verbal agreements (known as bloodoaths) are also possible. As with the traditional Sarishan oath, the bloodoath is a pact to which all parties willingly agree. The blood required for the oath is collected in a goblet or on a sash of red cloth, during which the Val leads all involved in reciting the entirety of the agreement. While swearing upon the name of Sarish, the Val then finalizes the agreement by burning the cloth or drinking the blood. An informal version of the bloodoath can be done between two individuals by slashing their palms and shaking hands while reciting the desired oath, though the entire agreement must still be overseen by a val’Mehan. In either case, the Sarishan oath is null and void if all involved do not participate of their own free will or if the pact encompasses specific individuals who are not present at the time of the oath making. Should this contract be violated in any way, the offending person (or people) will be inflicted with the curse of the oath breaker as detailed in the oathspell.

Sarish is Known to His Chosen (Sp) As the Master of the Arcane, Sarish’s children have an instinctual ability to sense magic within their environment. At will, the Val may determine if an object is magical simply by touching and scrutinizing it for up to three rounds as if he had cast detect magic.

2nd Level Bloodline Powers  Blood Calls to Blood (Sp) The children of the Blood God are gifted with the ability to sense and follow the trails this life-giving essence leaves behind. If the Val has access to even a single droplet of blood, regardless of age, he may unerringly track its owner once per day as if he had cast locate creature, with the following exceptions: The duration is extended to one day per character level; the range is extended to one mile per blood rank; firsthand knowledge, familiarity, and/or visualization of the intended target are not required; mislead and polymorph cannot be used to fool the Val; and nondetection on the intended target offers a 50% chance per day for the spell to hide the target from this ability. Blood calls to blood cannot be used more than once in any 24-hour period.

Our Master Bids You Obey  (Su)The Binder of Demons and Devils demands servitude and respect from the Infernal hordes, and a small piece of that deference and fear is passed on to His children. As such, for a number of times per day equal to his blood rank, the Val may turn, rebuke, or command Infernal outsiders as a cleric turns undead. Clerics of Sarish who already possess this ability instead gain a +2 bonus to turning checks and an additional 1d6 points of turning damage versus Infernal outsiders.

Grace of the Cat Lord  (Su)The favored animal of Sarish is the cat, and His children are gifted with feline grace and stability. The Val gains a +5 bonus on all Balance skill checks, a +1 dodge bonus to Armor Class, and an additional 5 feet to his base movement speed. He loses the AC bonus any time he would lose any other dodge bonuses to AC.

3rd Level Bloodline Powers  Know the Work of Sarish (Sp)Magic is so close to the val’Mehan that no amount of illusion can hide the truth of enchanted items from them. At will, the Val may determine all magical properties of any item he touches as if he had cast identify. The Val may also ignore any enchantments that mask the true nature of an item’s magical properties, such as magic aura.

Stone Guardian  (Su)The children of Sarish can give some of their own essence to bind an Infernal to their service. The Val must obtain a small gargoyle statue (approximately 12 inches tall) with a market value of no less than 2,000 gold pieces, and bind it to his service with the soul of an Infernal outsider by smearing a touch of his own blood over its face and spending 24 continuous hours in ritualistic prayer. This results in the permanent loss of one hit point and costs the Val 500 experience points, but he gains a faithful and willing servant out of the statue, which now acts similarly to a figurine of wondrous power. Upon utterance of a chosen command word, the statue grows to the size and specifications of a Medium gargoyle (as detailed in Core Rulebook III). This figurine can be used once per day for a number of hours equal to the Val’s blood rank. The gargoyle is considered to be an Infernal outsider and will revert to statue form if turned or commanded by a Sarishan cleric regardless of the amount of turning damage dealt. Should the gargoyle be forced to return to its statue form, either from being turned or from the Val using his command word, the gargoyle may not be called upon again for another 24 hours. If the gargoyle is ever killed, it will return to its statue form and cannot be used again for one full week. The Val may not possess more than one such gargoyle at any given time. Should this statue ever be destroyed, the Val must wait one full year before creating another.

4th Level Bloodline Powers  Brothers in Blood (Su) The children of Sarish are masters of ritual and cooperative casting. On his own, the Val may pour his very life essence into his casting to heighten the potency of any single spell, once per day. The Val may sacrifice 5 hit points per blood rank to increase his spell’s saving throw DC by 1 for every 5 hit points spent. The Val may not spend more hit points than he would normally possess. He may not go unconscious from using this power, nor may he expend hit points gained from a temporary source, such as heroes’ feast. This damage may not be healed in any way for 24 hours. Alternately, when using the Cooperative Spellcasting feat with his val’Mehan brethren, he may add an additional +1 caster level for every val’Mehan of equal or greater blood rank participating in the ritual, once per day. Using this ability is a free action, but only one version may be used per day. Its effects do not stack in any way; if there are two or more val’Mehan casters with the Cooperative Spellcasting feat, only one of them may make use of this bloodline ability at a time.