Dark Six
The Dark Six are the shadows of the Sovereign Host. These dark gods shape the world and are present at all times, speaking to those willing to hear them. Where the Sovereigns govern positive forces, the Dark Six are the source of fears. Arawai and Balinor reflect the positive aspects of nature. The devastating storm, the earthquake, the wildfire? These are the work of the Devourer.
The Dark Six and the Sovereign Host are opposite sides of the same coin. If you believe in one, you acknowledge the existence of the other. The only question is whether you fear the Six or revere them. Those who choose to follow these sinister deities embrace darkness. A barbarian may thank the Fury for the gift of rage. An assassin walks the path of the Mockery, while a warlock’s pact may be a gift of the Shadow.
The Dark Six inspire worship in different ways among diverse cultures. Temples to the Dark Six appear in Droaam, along with wild revels driven by the Fury. The Dark Six aren’t worshiped openly elsewhere in Khorvaire; the gods’ shrines are hidden, and it’s more common to find a cult devoted to a single member of the Six than a temple dedicated to the entire pantheon.
Ethics
The Sovereigns embody pillars of civilization: agriculture, commerce, industry, honor, law. The Dark Six represent frightening and destructive forces, their existence explaining why bad things happen in the world. When a wildfire destroys a village, the Devourer is to blame. When someone commits a crime of passion, they were overcome by the Fury. When monsters prey on the innocent, good people curse the Shadow.
The Pyrinean Creed exhorts that the Dark Six should be shunned, teaching their names and aspects so that people can recognize their works and understand how to resist them. When Pyrinean Vassals do make offerings to the Dark Six, it’s usually as an act of desperation: begging the Devourer to calm storm-tossed waters or calling on the Fury to enact a terrible revenge when the law has failed. However, there are those in the Five Nations and beyond who see the Dark Six as powers to be respected and worshiped in their own right.
Worship
Rites
The Dark Six are a mirror of the Sovereign Host and their worship uses similar rituals, including formal rituals conducted in song. Each of the Six has their own rites. Followers of the Fury engage in wild revels. Cults of the Devourer gather around enormous bonfires. Cults of the Mockery conduct ritual combats or gather to torture captured enemies.Temples
Temples and shrines of the Dark Six hide behind disguises. A cult of the Mockery might gather in a slaughterhouse, while a shrine to the Shadow remains concealed in the deep stacks of a library. Dedicated temples are built from dark stone, with six doors and the Hexagram engraved in the floor.
Type
Religious, Pantheon
