The Betrayer Gods
The Betrayer Gods refer to the group of deities that are children of Kormund and Garenthar who joined the Dark Brother to destroy Garenthar and his children. Worship of the Betrayer Gods in almost all areas of Korrisia is heavily frowned upon, or downright illegal. The Betrayer Gods initially lived alongside their cousins in peace, working together to build a perfect world for their fathers' creations, but also their own. When Kormund slowly grew more and more jealous of his brother's creations, he would often talk to his children about how flawed Garenthar is, how selfish and cold he was towards his children, and his own Brother. When Kormund lashed out and attempted to burn all his brother had built, the Betrayer Gods fought alongside him, and were to blame for much of the rampant destruction that rocked not only Korrisia, but all of the Planes.
After Kormund & Garenthar had fallen, the Prime Deities attacked with a fury no mortal could imagine, forcing their cousins to near destruction. Knowing that the death of so many deities could cause even more death, Mystra, the Goddess of Magic and Knowledge sought peace with the Betrayers. Instead of permanent destruction, the Prime Deities banished the Betrayer Gods from the Material Plane, where they were forced into their own planes to live forever. After so many thousands of years, the Betrayer Gods have slowly begun re-working their way into the Prime Material, whispering dark secrets and promising eternal power to mortals of weak minds. It is the goal of the Betrayer Gods to supplant their cousins as the Prime Deities of Korrisia, and forge a new world in their image, whilst also returning their departed Father to life, so that he can complete his goal of removing the vile filth that is Garenthar's creations.
Structure
Each Deity chooses a Speaker - Ex: The Speaker of Serpents (For Zehir), or The Speaker of the Lord Undeground (For Asmodeus). The Speaker has supreme rule over the entire Temple of that specific Deity, and their word is treated as the words of their god. None dare to falsify the wishes of their deity, lest they wish to face the true agents of the Betrayer Gods (Demons, Devils, Fallen Angels, etc.)
Under the Speaker are the Hands, these are the principal agents who take action on behalf of the Speaker. If a new sect is to begin in a major city or a nation, the Hands are the first to appear and spread their deity's word.
Under the Hands are several levels of worshiper:
Priestlord - Head of a particular Sect, reports directly to a Hand
Wordgiver - Lieutenants and Captains of a Priestlord
Supplicant - General member of a sect
Public Agenda
Destroy the Prime Deities
Resurrect Kormund and return him to his rightful throne in the Golden City
Destroy any and all signs of Garenthar
Corrupt mortals to serve their needs
Worship
Worship occurs mostly in the evening, as many of the faithful of the Betrayer Gods believe the Moons were born from Kormund, not Garenthar.
Most often, Rites consist of reading from forbidden and ancient scripture of their gods, and sacrificing souls to their cause. Most sects seek homeless, members of frontier villages (who will not suspect as heavily if a member were to go missing due to the dangers of the location), or individuals with no apparent family/connections. These individuals are sacrificed in a number of ways, burning, mutilation, their heart is cut out and consumed by the members of the sect. All who are sacrificed are condemned to the chosen deity's plane, forever out of reach of the Prime Deities.
Priesthood
The faithful are guided mainly by Wordgivers and Priestlords of their religion. To be chosen as a Priestlord, the Hand of the specific Deity must submit the choice to the Speaker, who will commune directly with their god. If the Speaker approves, the Priestlord Elect is subjected to a mysterious and unknown ritual that changes them forever, and (according to some) imbues them with a shard of the Speaker's power.
Wordgivers can be chosen by Priestlords with approval from the Hand. Wordgivers are able to command Supplicants, and can also choose when/where to perform rites for their deity.
Granted Divine Powers
Boons of the Betrayer gods are granted to the devoted faithful, and the heads of religion. Some of the faithful are given gifts such as supernatural abilities, but are often times transformed into, or imbued with the soul of a servant to their deity. Many greet this fate with joy and love for their god.
Sects
Most of the Sects are unknown of, and hidden from public view. It can be assumed that in most major cities and capitals there are agents of the Betrayer Gods, the difficulty is determining which Deity has control over what area.
Founding Date
633 RB
Type
Religious, Pantheon
Alternative Names
Dark Gods, Evil Gods, Kormund's Children
Demonym
Betrayers
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