Jörmungandr
Midgard is surrounded by a god made flesh, the great World Serpent, a monstrous beast that defines the edge of the world and that contains—and some say, created—the entire world. This serpent, biting its own tail, creating the tides through his breathing and storms through his snorting and sneezes, is well known to the Northlanders and the Dragon Empire and less well known in other places. Hugely powerful, he is an indolent, even lazy, god who rarely speaks to his worshippers. Prophecies say that someday he shall consume the earth entirely. He is a creature of the end of all things, and his worshippers are few. Called Veles in the South, Jörmungandr in the North, Ouroboros in the Crossroads and the West, the Great Serpent is the embodiment of worldly things, strength and rage, wisdom and water, earth and blood and death. The Serpent is entirely unconcerned with an afterlife, but instead focused on the natural world and its various scaly and non-scaly children. Sailors who claim to have seen the flanks of Jormungandr describe the god as a wall of mossy, scaly flesh encircling the oceans. Beyond his bulk lies the Void filled with stars and darkness. Long before this mysterious and terrifying god encircled the oceans, it was a much smaller serpent child of Loki and ally to the Aesir. When it came time for the Aesir to bind Loki and his Kin, Thor and Jormungandr battled fiercly, ending with Thor striking Jormungandr into the sea during a raging storm. To this day, Thor and Jormungandr remain mortal enemies destined to one day kill eachother in combat during Ragnarok.
Depiction. Jörmungandr is depicted as a massive serpent that surrounds Midgard, different cultures design him however in various ways. The North depict him as a massive sea serpent while the Dragon Empire depict him as a dragon.
Worshippers. Giants and dragons are the primary followers of the World Serpent, though some dwarves, humans, and kobolds also acknowledge him. Jörmungandr is a reminder of the short lives and paltry significance of most mortal lives. As a result, few care to worship the Great Serpent. Most of his followers are dour stoics or frenzied believers who live life to the fullest, since the afterlife is uncertain at best. Certain druid cults follow the Serpent of Wisdom, and cults devoted to the Void and outer darkness claim a dark and apocalyptic version of the Great Serpent as their patron.
Commandments
Depiction. Jörmungandr is depicted as a massive serpent that surrounds Midgard, different cultures design him however in various ways. The North depict him as a massive sea serpent while the Dragon Empire depict him as a dragon.
Worshippers. Giants and dragons are the primary followers of the World Serpent, though some dwarves, humans, and kobolds also acknowledge him. Jörmungandr is a reminder of the short lives and paltry significance of most mortal lives. As a result, few care to worship the Great Serpent. Most of his followers are dour stoics or frenzied believers who live life to the fullest, since the afterlife is uncertain at best. Certain druid cults follow the Serpent of Wisdom, and cults devoted to the Void and outer darkness claim a dark and apocalyptic version of the Great Serpent as their patron.
Commandments
- Your time is short, and all things end.
- Make your mark on the world, show mercy or cruelty, but prepare yourself for the end of all things.
- Ensure that the ley lines run smooth and that magic remains strong
- If you walk with dark gods, you hasten the hour of apocalypse
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