Kishike
"There does exist a passion that will not die, and I shall take you to it—but what a pity to waste all its iterations which shake the multiverse! You must find something you care wildly about, and let it consume you. Once you do, you will know what I mean."Kishike
Kishike, god of fire and passion, was the one who first discovered fire and gave it to mankind to keep them warm. This discovery came very early in his life, as he was wildly passionate about most everything around him—about life, about the relationships he had with those around him, about the beauty of the world. And when that passion burst forth, it manifested as flame at his fingertips. Kishike was great friends with Noveakrin, and when he saw the race his friend had created, he was so excited for him and so confident that his ideas would change the world that he gave the gift of flame to these creatures. However, more than once Kishike hurt those around him with his unrestrained passion—never intentionally, but always to his great sorrow and contrition. For a time he was manipulated by Dzuzce, god of destruction, and had many close calls, until he accidentally started a wildfire that destroyed half of Uapri's Forest of Life. After this he exiled himself to the island of Mor-Elda, though many say that he was unable to remain there and would visit Talazic in secret, trying his best to contain his emotions unless he was completely alone. Kishike is generally portrayed as an exuberant young halfling with flaming hair, a tunic edged with flame, fireballs in his hands, and ashes at his feet.
Relationships
Kishike and his siblings—the other elemental deities, Alaya, Dagmar, and Lesh—all had close relationships, and Kishike was particularly close to his father Kaeli. His best friend was Noveakrin, god of wealth and creator of the dragons. Dzuzce spent some time manipulating Kishike's emotions in order to use his great destructive power without Kishike necessarily realizing it. Even after he did, Dzuzce successfully played enough on Kishike's weaknesses and insecurities until Kishike injured him horribly, burning off half his face, and setting Uapri's Forest of Life, where Dzuzce had led him, ablaze. Kishike stayed far away from Dzuzce after this, and clerics of Kishike have particular disdain for followers of Dzuzce, seeing the god of destruction as what Kishike could have become if he had had no goodness in him. After Kishike fled from Talazic, Rōz-El, goddess of life, appeared to him and advised him that his mistakes did not define him and his passion was no bad thing at all, but had to be balanced out with a generous amount of self-control. She counseled him and he came to greatly respect her.
Teachings
Kishike's followers embody ideals of wild, impassioned joy and love, wearing orange robes, but also obsidian necklaces, to remind them of the gravity of such a gift, and the cost with which it came for Kishike.
Associated Customs
"Go to Mor-Elda": A common expression essentially meaning "Calm down."
The offering itself: As a gesture of joy, celebration, or gratitude, followers of Kishike often simply light a fire and keep it fed for a certain amount of time depending on local customs. Some locales encourage the use of particular rare materials or accelerants in the building of the fire. A subset of this tradition has spread, first from halflings, then across many humanoid races, in the form of birthday candles.
The Burning of the Winter Witch: Commemoration of the EC 4505 defeat of the powerful bheur hag Granny Icebones at the hands of the Kishikean cleric Miravard the Sable and his devoted servant Diggory. In preparation, a statue of wood and straw is erected of the hag, and a performance takes place in the evening, usually a dance with three main participants and accompanying music, though it varies in complexity by region. It culminates in the burning of the statue and is followed by a feast during which winter is declared over. The celebration takes place on February 23rd of each year.
Aspects
Pemdru: Seen as the patron of summer, Kishike is also called Pemdru in many areas. In this aspect he often appeared holding a staff with a sun-like orb atop it, radiating light downwards.
Blaze: In his darkest moments, Kishike became a force like unto Dzuzce. Most of the time he did so unintentionally, but sometimes his anger overtook him to the point that he mindfully committed terrible acts of destruction. In moments of great power and anger, he became he who is called Blaze. In this form he is depicted with coal-black skin and fiery red eyes, with similar facial features but the stature of a human rather than a halfling. Blaze also wears a cape of red flame and is shown standing atop mountains of ash and embers.
Divine Domains
Fire, passion, joy, summer, the south
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