Azazel
The doctrine of Azazel holds that every successful civilization is built upon the broken backs of the betrayed. Society itself is inherently corrupt: Some must suffer so that others can seat themselves upon the throne of propriety. To make things right, the high and mighty must be overthrown by those they have betrayed. Only when the lowly have tasted the blood of the powerful will the world be healed. Such words hold a powerful allure to the downtrodden members of the lower classes, as well as to prisoners, exiles, or others who have unfairly felt the lash of the law. Ranging from violent revolutionaries to quietly dissatisfied servants, followers of Azazel work to thwart the plans of the privileged classes through calculated campaigns of larceny, arson, and murder.
Azazel, the so-called Guardian of the Goat, took his title to honor the “scapegoat,” an animal who in ancient times was saddled with the sins of a tribe and cast into the wild in a ritual of absolution. His servitor race, the schirim, carry out most of his plans on Eldarr.
Description
The Guardian of the Goat possesses many forms. To some, he is a great avenging Angel with moldering eyes of dark crimson and seven seeping wounds upon his powerful back. Demonologists often describe Azazel as a mighty schir, a four-eyed, goatheaded, bare-chested monstrosity bearing the standard of the armies of The Abyss. His true form, which few have seen, boasts seven serpentine necks, fourteen hideous faces, and twelve looming wings.Realm
The forlorn desert of Maldinach howls with the keening of souls dedicated to Azazel. Chained upon immense, sharp rocks and left to bake in the unforgiving blaze of a sun that never sets, the tortured souls have an eternity to seethe over their final betrayal—at the hands of Azazel himself. Schirim and vrocks wander the desert in abundance, reveling in the suffering of their mortal charges. Their liege prefers the solitude of an isolated valley at the center of the layer, attended by his personal servant, a powerful balor named Mullin. Prior to passing on to The Abyss in death, few followers of Azazel know what awaits them in the afterlife. Most prefer to focus on the here and now, their blood boiling with thoughts of revenge for slights both real and imagined. Nobles and those who have dedicated their lives to preserving the law hate and fear the cult of Azazel, though the Demon enjoys great popularity among vigilantes, who often see themselves as protectors of the downtrodden. Though Azazelites preach a doctrine many in the lower classes find attractive, their methods are so brutal, so unthinkably ruthless, that only the most heartless stay with the cult for long.Obedience
Azazelites never forget those who have wronged them. Accordingly, the obedience ritual of thaumaturges sworn to the Guardian of the Goat involves carving the name of the thaumaturge’s greatest enemy into the flesh of the inside left forearm while whispering fantasies of revenge over a small fire. Only when the chosen enemy has been destroyed can the wound be allowed to heal, at which point the thaumaturge chooses a new enemy, and the process begins anew. The ritual involves a full hour of opening old wounds and letting the blood drip into the fire, after which the thaumaturge’s spell complement is replenished.
Divine Classification
Demon
Alignment
Chaotic evil
Current Location
Species
Realm
Children
Aligned Organization
Ruled Locations
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