Zyrr

The Doomweaver

Identity

  • Title(s) – God of Magic, Seer of the Ages, The Doomweaver
  • Influence – Apocalypse, Doom, Magic, Pacts
  • Appearance – An old Yrūn man wrapped in dark robes

Attributions

  • Symbol – Black sun
  • Focus – Any mummified body part
  • Color – Black, Gray or Silver
  • Element – Air (Shadow)
  • Animal – No specific animal, skeletal forms

Cult

  • Center of Worship – Zyrr
  • Scriptures –
  • Leader – Prydyrim Gor, …
  • Priesthood – Gor Ordus Zyrr, Zyrrites
  • Orders – The Shroud (clergy), High Circle of Zyrr (holy council), Order of Malórdakra (teachers), Blacklancers (military)
  • Aspects – Malórdakra the Henchman, Tagìl Dis the Student
  • Touched – …
  • Holy Days – …
  • Friends – All Dekàli Cults and Orders; Inheritors of ancient covenants
  • Enemies – Immortal races
  • Sayings – “It is the doom of the Yrūn to rule in the Final Age”, “Though the world has forgotten the past, its hidden truths still propel us toward our destiny”, “The thousand pennants of the Yrūn kingdoms are one against the children of the early Ages”

Introduction

Perhaps the least understood of the Dekàlan deities is Zyrr. The earliest references to Zyrr may be Panæði writings about a northern wizard in the 1st century HK. The original sources for these writings no longer exist. What does remain are a handful of references, copies of ancient texts, which were sent to distant libraries in Acèntyra during an early monastic expansion at the end of the 2nd century HK. Among other things, these histories mention a wizard named Khadyr yth Zyrrnayn who was said to have visited the City of Panæð on more than one occasion to speak with the Priests of the Seven Flames. The nature of these meetings is unknown. While not extraordinary in itself, the importance of Zyrrnayn to have commanded the audience of the High Priests and the fact that the meetings were mentioned at all in the Histories of Panæð have led many scholars to speculate as to the importance of these events. Nowhere else in the early written records of the Old Empire does the wizard appear.

Toward the end of the 1st century, Dekàlan armies turned their attentions toward the Snaking Pass, seeking to secure the western border of Kændal from Ortor and Yrūn barbarians. This campaign met with great resistance from seemingly unified tribes. The Kændàlan armies were forced to retreat to the mouth of the pass where they built a great wall between two fortresses. It was here in the year 100 HK that the first undisputed appearance of Zyrr is recorded. The War of the Wall had been raging for three years as barbarians stormed from the pass and mountains. During this time, the barbarians sent no messages or demands to the Dekàlans. Over and over again, their numbers would attack the wall and forts with great ferocity and then inexplicably retreat when loss seemed all but inevitable. By the second year of the War, battles were erupting throughout the Fertile Coast. Again, their motives remained opaque as they never pursued conflicts to victory. The Kændalan forces however had reached a critical point, unable to sustain the incursions much longer. The High Lord of Kændal sent a message to Lanàdus pleading for forces, fearing that the state could not survive much longer. Already forces were being withdrawn to the capital city as the battles moved closer and closer to the coast. It seemed that the barbarians could attack anywhere in Kændal that they wished. Despite this freedom of movement, other units of their vast army continued pointlessly to throw themselves at the western Wall. Hundreds a day would die there, and the next day more would come. All seemed lost until a messenger arrived in the court of the High Lord bidding him to come to the Wall to discuss terms with Zyrr. Having heard nothing from the High King, he traveled to western Kændal. Along either side of the roads from the capital to the Snaking Pass, the barbarian armies were camped watching the entourage move by. In his memoirs the High Lord would later mention how the barbarians watched his horses pass from the roadsides, like “dogs waiting for command”. It is written that at the Wall, the High Lord met privately with the shrouded Zyrr and agreed to his one demand. Returning to the City of Kændal, he then sailed to Kryr Trèmendùm where he issued the demand of Zyrr to the High King and his Council. Three years later, the Nūlēun Vale was admitted into the Empire with Zyrr as its head. The Council of Lanàdus refused to grant the vale the status of state, for in that time the status pertained as much to a political region as a religious one, and from all accounts the land was godless. It would be another 273 years before the Council conferred the status of city-state upon the Zyrran, and even then it required the persuasion of a Shroud contingent, traveling to Lanàdus to offer evidence that their leader and god were one and the same.

The speakers for Zyrr, the Shroud, have never made much practice of venturing outside the Nuléun Vale so not much is known about the Cult or its god. In times of war, as was required of all city-states, Zyrr supplied an army to do the bidding of the High Crown. Historically, these armies were led by Shroud commanders who Spoke for Zyrr. After the campaigns had ended they returned home, carrying with them any fallen Zyrran companions. It was reported that Zyrran soldiers were exceptionally disciplined both in battle and afterward, abstaining from the spoils of conquering.

A great many concerns however revolved around Zyrrn Weavers. These powerful wizards showed evidence of necromantic magics, which was traditionally the sole realm of the Cult of Drāūn. Although there was no evidence of their employment of the undead, the Zyrrn Weavers destroyed vast areas of living land with their magics, which seemed to draw energy from the living environment rather than from the Skein.

All of these details that are presented here are to help compile a picture of the god Zyrr since so very little direct knowledge is known. The largest breakthrough into understanding the Cult of Zyrr occurred in the 8th century HK when a 5th century Zyrran book entitled “The Last Age” was discovered in a Viríllián library. The book had been part of a larger collection that was indexed. The librarian did not know how to categorize the book and so brought it to the attention of a Drāūn monk working at the library. The monk, realizing its importance, had copies of the book scrivened and sent to each of the Dekàlan high Temples before it could “disappear”. The book outlined in great detail a prophetic war between the armies of the Yrūn and the non-Yrūn world. Not only did the book foretell of this conquest, but it named battle sites, commanders, and dates. The book was compiled by a hitherto unknown Aspect of Zyrr, named Tagìl Dis, self-referenced throughout the book as “..his Student”. Word of the book’s message spread quickly throughout the Old Empire and Acèntyra, though its specifics were not released. The apocalyptic prophecy was the cause of much controversy through the Empire, which nearly culminated in the Golden Schism. Following this event, the Viríllián editions were collected or destroyed. The last known copy of the book was viewed in the 2nd century DR at the Iron Library of Kyrm Oryroð; it is listed today as “misfiled, probably lost”.

The Cult

There are several layers to the Cult of Zyrr. At the bottom of the Cult are the Members. These are commoners who through Pendanting and a long program of indoctrination have been determined to be skilled and productive members of society. Members do not serve the Temple directly, but instead go about their personal lives and support the Land through their labors. A subset of Members are recruited into the priesthood. These are the Shroud.

The Priesthood

From an early age Shroud initiates are removed their common lives and taken to monasteries where they are taught the ways of Zyrr. At the end of this time they are tested. Those that pass the tests become the Shroud, those that do not are are never seen again. The Shroud priesthood serves both the Shrines and Temples of the Zyrr. A select few are picked to be ambassadors to Shrines in other lands, these belong to the Order of Malórdakra. In addition, every generation a single priest of the Shroud (usually a member of the Order of Malórdakra) is selected for elevation to the High Circle of Zyrr, the highest calling within the Cult. Members of the High Circle of Zyrr are believed to sit on the Circle for centuries.

Daily Activities

Holy Days and Rituals

Places of Worship

Nomenclature: Zyrr Dekàlic: Zyrr (god), Zyrri (pertaining to), Zyrryn (follower), Zyrryr (followers), Vorn Pryn Zyrr (priest), Vorn Pryr Zyrr (priests)