Achaekek
Achaekek’s first victim was His creator. For the gift of saving us from this evil, all who live owe their lives to Him, and in time, He will come to collect from us all. —Anonymous
He Who Walks In Blood
Achaekek, the Mantis God, exists to eradicate those who would usurp the gods’ divinity. The god of assassins is a deadly hunter who strikes his targets unerringly, regardless of their strength or status. Some of the gods disapprove of Achaekek’s amoral methods, but none have ever directly opposed the Mantis God. It is said that Achaekek alone can meddle in mortal affairs—but that may simply be a horror story other religions spread to keep their own faithful in check. In truth, no one knows whether Achaekek personally acts against mortals. Few, however, dare to test the old tales’ veracity, for doing so might call down the Mantis God’s bloody wrath.
Many theologians, including those who worship the Mantis God, agree that another god, or perhaps a group of them, created Achaekek—yet who exactly is responsible for his genesis is unclear. Certainly, the churches of Asmodeus, Calistria, Lamashtu, Pharasma, Rovagug, and Zon-Kuthon have compelling arguments that point to their patrons as the source of the Mantis God. Even the faiths of Norgorber and Gorum have legends that He Who Walks in Blood was born of their deities, despite legends of Achaekek originating far before either of them came to be. The most cogent belief may well be the one that the church of Achaekek espouses: that the creator of their god is long dead, murdered by the Mantis God for daring to create something so monstrous as himself.
Although known to his worshipers as He Who Walks in Blood, and commonly attributed by the faithful to be a masculine entity, Achaekek exists beyond conceits of gender, race, or politics. This means his followers come from enormously diverse backgrounds—united only in their common exaltation of the act of murder.
In art, Achaekek is universally depicted as a towering crimson mantis with four killing arms and a savage spike at the end of his long, slender abdomen. His eyes are endless pools of night, and he leaves a trail of blood wherever he walks, said to be from those countless victims the god and his cult have slaughtered over the eons. Achaekek is said to possess the power to rend reality itself in order to instantly travel to any time or plane to carry out missions of murder.
Worshipers of Achaekek have prospered by avoiding aggression toward other religions—except toward Father Skinsaw’s followers. While other good and lawful faiths might not approve of the methods the Red Mantis use, the church of Achaekek has always managed to remain less of a target of crusades than many other religions. Cynics whisper that even the gods of law and good, at times, have need of a slayer to handle the jobs that their own codes and morals won’t allow, and that these deities instruct their churches to stay out of Red Mantis affairs on the off chance that the services of He Who Walks in Blood may be required in the future.
The only other significant relationship held by the cult of the Red Mantis is not with a religion, but with a philosophy. Achaekek’s faithful still resent the exiling of their church from Rahadoum by the rise of the Laws of Mortality, and view that nation with a slow-burning anger. They have neither forgotten nor forgiven the ancient wrongs Rahadoum perpetrated upon them, and continue to watch and wait from Mediogalti Island. For now, the assassins seem content to take only actions involving observation and subtle meddling in trade and sea travel, yet whispers grow among those who worship the Mantis God that a reckoning may yet descend upon the so-called “Kingdom of Man.” If these murmurs are to be believed, the entire nation of Rahadoum may one day be bathed in blood.
Zyrruthys: Zyrruthys is a highly intelligent, enormous mantis, a crimson monstrosity often mistaken for Achaekek when he appears to wreak havoc on infidels. Zyrruthys particularly enjoys the destruction of villages or towns where large numbers of people have blasphemed or simply disrespected the Mantis God, and never asks for additional payment to perform such tasks, whether summoned by the faithful or dispatched by Achaekek.
Many theologians, including those who worship the Mantis God, agree that another god, or perhaps a group of them, created Achaekek—yet who exactly is responsible for his genesis is unclear. Certainly, the churches of Asmodeus, Calistria, Lamashtu, Pharasma, Rovagug, and Zon-Kuthon have compelling arguments that point to their patrons as the source of the Mantis God. Even the faiths of Norgorber and Gorum have legends that He Who Walks in Blood was born of their deities, despite legends of Achaekek originating far before either of them came to be. The most cogent belief may well be the one that the church of Achaekek espouses: that the creator of their god is long dead, murdered by the Mantis God for daring to create something so monstrous as himself.
Although known to his worshipers as He Who Walks in Blood, and commonly attributed by the faithful to be a masculine entity, Achaekek exists beyond conceits of gender, race, or politics. This means his followers come from enormously diverse backgrounds—united only in their common exaltation of the act of murder.
In art, Achaekek is universally depicted as a towering crimson mantis with four killing arms and a savage spike at the end of his long, slender abdomen. His eyes are endless pools of night, and he leaves a trail of blood wherever he walks, said to be from those countless victims the god and his cult have slaughtered over the eons. Achaekek is said to possess the power to rend reality itself in order to instantly travel to any time or plane to carry out missions of murder.
Relations with Other Religions
Achaekek does not turn his claws against his divine sisters and brothers, and while many of the gods have engaged his assassination services, Achaekek keeps no relations with other deities. In Ilizmagorti, Besmara’s faith is allowed, but largely as a concession to the city’s dependency on piracy for support. Norgorber’s faith is also allowed in the city, so long as those who venerate him as Father Skinsaw do not set foot on the isle—Achaekek does not tolerate this sect of the King of Thieves. The church respects the followers of Mephistopheles for his power over contracts, the value of which all assassins understand. Achaekek’s faithful also respect Nocticula’s followers, as they are the only assassins whose techniques the Red Mantis believe might rival their own in effectiveness. The Red Mantis lament, however, that these assassins are more of a cabal of talented lone wolves than an organized group.Worshipers of Achaekek have prospered by avoiding aggression toward other religions—except toward Father Skinsaw’s followers. While other good and lawful faiths might not approve of the methods the Red Mantis use, the church of Achaekek has always managed to remain less of a target of crusades than many other religions. Cynics whisper that even the gods of law and good, at times, have need of a slayer to handle the jobs that their own codes and morals won’t allow, and that these deities instruct their churches to stay out of Red Mantis affairs on the off chance that the services of He Who Walks in Blood may be required in the future.
The only other significant relationship held by the cult of the Red Mantis is not with a religion, but with a philosophy. Achaekek’s faithful still resent the exiling of their church from Rahadoum by the rise of the Laws of Mortality, and view that nation with a slow-burning anger. They have neither forgotten nor forgiven the ancient wrongs Rahadoum perpetrated upon them, and continue to watch and wait from Mediogalti Island. For now, the assassins seem content to take only actions involving observation and subtle meddling in trade and sea travel, yet whispers grow among those who worship the Mantis God that a reckoning may yet descend upon the so-called “Kingdom of Man.” If these murmurs are to be believed, the entire nation of Rahadoum may one day be bathed in blood.
Planar Allies
As a deity granted special dispensation to work his will on the Material Plane, Achaekek does not keep many particular allies or favored minions, although his herald, Zyrruthys, is known to often speak for the god.Zyrruthys: Zyrruthys is a highly intelligent, enormous mantis, a crimson monstrosity often mistaken for Achaekek when he appears to wreak havoc on infidels. Zyrruthys particularly enjoys the destruction of villages or towns where large numbers of people have blasphemed or simply disrespected the Mantis God, and never asks for additional payment to perform such tasks, whether summoned by the faithful or dispatched by Achaekek.
Holy Books & Codes
Few modern religious texts make much mention of Achaekek, almost as if today’s faiths have agreed to remain silent on the matter. Ancient texts, such as the mysterious Book of Maan and the Path of Ways, speak of Achaekek as a slayer of gods, yet the church currently holds that Achaekek slays no deities, and does not possess the ability to do so. Whether these ancient tomes speak of a time when the Mantis God may have served a different role is impossible to say, as no copies of them are known to have survived the intervening ages. If holy texts dedicated to Achaekek exist, they likely reside in the Crimson Citadel’s mysterious Sarzari Library, to which only the Red Mantis’s Blood Mistress has access. However, no copies of such books have ever been read outside of the cult, and the truth about their existence—and what secrets they contain—remain rumors to this day.
Holidays
Curiously, Achaekek’s faithful hold no particular holidays or festivals as sacred. The induction of a new member into the Red Mantis is always a time for prayer, devotion, and revelry, and the successful completion of any contract is a time to give thanks to He Who Walks in Blood, but these events can take place anywhere at any time. Often, public holidays are selected as times to strike against those who have been marked for death, but this is done more for theatrics than because of any religious significance.
Symbol
Edicts
conduct assassinations, spread the Red Mantis’s infamy, wield sawtooth sabers in combat
Anathema
kill a rightful ruler, become fixated on petty matters such as others’ gender or ancestry, abandon an assassination contract you agreed to pursue
Areas of Concern
assassins, divine punishments, and the Red Mantis
Centers of Worship
Ilizmagorti
Favored Weapon
sawtooth saber
Domains
death, might, trickery, zeal
Divine Ability
Strength or Dexterity
Divine Font
harm
Divine Skill
Stealth
Divine Classification
God
Religions
Church/Cult
Children
Ruled Locations
Aphorisms
Despite their focus on murder, Achaekek’s worshipers follow ideals that, ironically, many would hold to be honorable and just.Do not discriminate against the living, for in death we are all equal: None shall be turned away from the faith on the basis of their gender, race, or politics, nor shall vengeance be sought for the same reasons, for death will visit all mortals and be the final arbiter. This belief may well be the one tenet of the faith that has stayed the Red Mantis’s vengeful hands against Rahadoum, although the Red Mantis certainly do not ignore that land altogether.
Honor the gods, for they honored us all with this world: The gods created this world, and they grant those who serve well in life boons in the Great Beyond. Speak not ill of the gods, and do not deny their power, for to do so is to mock and deny reality itself.
Let death be final, for we are not the keepers of graves: One who dies should not be resurrected, particularly if her death occurs in the pursuit of the church’s beliefs or as the result of a contract on the deceased’s life. A worshiper of Achaekek rarely agrees to return to life if given the chance, and the god’s worshipers generally do not perform spells such as resurrection, save in cases where not doing so causes a greater inconvenience or peril to the faith.
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