Vrokíva
Inaethri of the Brume
Realm of Origin: Myzelis as a whole, with this reckoning of Vrokíva arising from Gylidd.Portfolio: The Brume, defense of Myzelis, secret places in nature, natural spirits, wilderness, dangers in the mist.
Symbol: A shadowed moon with a crescent on both sides.
"Ah, Vrokíva. The Brume, the Wolf of Shadows and Mists... No, I'm not afraid to say Her names, because we are not saying anything disrespectful. Vrokíva is the wild, the natural places and spirits, and all the dangers and mystery and monsters that reside within the mists that have ever been lethal to Aethrin people. There are countless stories about when and how exactly Vrokíva came to be and what She was before Her Inaethrid. Accounts differ on if Vrokíva was originally an Incari who became intertwined with an Inaethri, or was an Aethri who dedicated Herself to the service and stewardship of Myzelis. The most commonly accepted lore of Vrokíva's Inaethrid is that She arose at the same time as the Ripple and the emergence of the Brume, but it is impossible to know where She truly came from. Whatever the truth of Her origin, and whatever She embodied before She became the animus of the Brume, they are now one in the same. No one that I am aware of, outside of the Greyfaith, has ever seen Vrokíva except through Her servitors and the wake of the Brume. She is depicted primarily as shifting fog; insubstantial and formless, but omnipresent. Sometimes this nebulous shape is described as feminine with veiled eyes. I have had a Greyfaith tell me that She also manifests as a wolf or werewolf with fur like churning dark ash clouds and pale steam that trails off into vapor, and that the only parts of that are solid are Her pearlescent fangs and claws. And that She calls to Herself a pack of spectral figures that are said to be the souls of those who dared transgress into the mists and never returned, now subsumed and transformed by Vrokíva, and at Her absolute command."— Zisanâl, Gylidder Mentor of Theology
The Faithful
"The first Aethrin to worship Vrokíva are said to have arisen from one of two different minds: those who shared Her rage and merciless defense of Myzelis, and those who sought to learn about the Brume and understand how to adapt and coexist with the reality of its existence, rather than trying to control or remove it. That remains largely true to this day. I would say that very few people choose to venerate Vrokíva, but many do so out of fear and in hopes of appeasing Her and Her inscrutable laws. Those who do choose to worship Her are typically the druids who live in the dangerous fringes between the Brume and... relatively... safe wilderness that buffers cultivated lands. Vrokíva’s utmost priority with the defense of Myzelis and nature, especially regions still healing from the destruction done to the world during the Age of Faith. Adherents of Vrokíva share this motivation, although their methods may range from acting as insistent guides that steer others away from harmful activities, to acting as enforcers that bind or slay those who would corrupt or harm Myzelis. We've all heard the stories of the macabre warning displays I will not describe here. Which leads me into that, perhaps paradoxically, Vrokívans seem to have a vested interest in keeping people out of the Brume. While it would be easy for them to dispose of offenders by sending them off into the mists to meet their end there, most instead devote their energy to discouraging such trespassing into healing lands in the first place. Vrokívans also defend wild places that are no longer covered by the Brume, especially those that contain nodes of power that have a sympathy to inner planes of existence, or resources likely to be exploited. The Greyfaith have been known to have an intuitive sense of the movement of the Brume, able to discern it from harmless fog, and anticipate where along those fringes where it will swell. This ebbing and flowing, like high and low tides, is partly what makes the wilderness especially dangerous. What was a safe trail one week could be the Brume the next, and the average person has no way of differentiating the two. A whole village that disregards the warnings of the Wrenjers and dares settle in one of these invisible flood plains of the Brume will find itself swept away without warning, yet a Greyfaith can live in these fringes without being swallowed to it."— Zisanâl, Gylidder Mentor of Theology
The Ordained
Those Vrokívans closest to their Inaethri and who receive their power from her are known as the Greyfaith. In addition to her Clerics, who have been known to wield the domains of Arcana, Nature, Death, (and perhaps surprisingly) Life, this also includes Druids, primarily those of the Circle of Spores and Circle of the Moon.Who Venerates Vrokíva?
There is not one Aethrin that venerates Vrokíva more than another as a whole, but it is not uncommon to see Aethrin people with ties to beasts or spirits in her service, such as Aarakocra, Centaurs, Hybrids, Kalashtar, Kenku, Leonin, Lizardfolk, Loxodon, Minotaurs, Satyrs, Shifters, Tabaxi, Tortles, Tritons, and Yuan-ti. Vrokívans typically come from Hermit and Outlander backgrounds, and are often proficient in the use of herbalist's kits, poisoner's kits, cartographer's tools, or navigator's tools. Although not as common, it isn’t unheard of for people from urban upbringings to turn to the worship of Vrokíva after learning the stories or witnessing first-hand the damage that can be done to the world by Aethrin hands. Outside of the Greyfaith, Vrokívans are usually drawn to the following archetypes and fulfill duties that are loosely divided into two roles. The Vukcheid (VOOK-khhide) are stylized as wolves. They are most often based around a territory, typically one that either includes a wellspring of power in need of protection or experiences frequent encroachment by civilization. Barbarians who follow the Primal Path of the Beast and Primal Path of the Totem Warrior — especially those who revere the wolf — Echo Knight Fighters, Monks who practice the Way of the Long Death, Paladins of the Oath of the Ancients, the Oath of the Crown, and the Oath of the Watchers, and Gloom Stalker Rangers commonly serve as Vukcheid. The Vrânin (VRAHN-in) are stylized as crows, magpies, and ravens. They act primarily as spies for the Greyfaith, collecting secrets, sabotaging activities that are antithetical to their cause, and guiding the Vukcheid to the next slaughter. Bards of the College of Whispers, together with Monks who practice the Way of Shadow, and Phantom Scout Rogues are commonly Vrânin. Shadow Magic Sorcerers serve in either role with equal frequency, as do Warlocks and Wizards. Although it is less common in general to see Vrokívan Wizards, as their art and method of manipulating magic is heavily steeped in the trappings of urban civilization, those who follow her are often adept with the Arcane Traditions of Chronurgy Magic and Graviturgy Magic, given their reverence for the Brume and Myzelis. Other Schools of magic also see use, but Vrokívan spellcasters (whatever their method of magic) prioritize and excel at finding ways to annihilate their foes without collateral damage to the environment. Many of them learn to banish or bind Outsiders and close planar rifts. The use of spellbooks is exceedingly rare among Vrokívan Wizards; instead, nearly all of them use spellshards, which are considered sacred pieces of the planet and bequeathed to them by the Greyfaith. These roles are not strictly arranged; a devotee can serve in either capacity so long as they can fulfill the responsibility.“Most of what we know about how Vrokívans organize themselves is based on what the Augur of the Mists has revealed to me about it, which is not a great deal. We know, generally, what sorts of talents have been observed amongst them, but there remains a veil of obscurity over their inner workings that I am certain is intentionally maintained. It is with painstaking collection of observations and not-insignificant favors provided to the Augur that I have been able to add the meaning of two terms to the body of Vrokívan lore; the Vukcheid, those who dwell in the wilderness, and the Vrânin, those who dwell in or near cities. It is not surprising that there would be delineation between them, and it may be that the Vrânin are perhaps a lower caste in their hierarchy, due to their proximity to civilization. It may be that Vrânin are something akin to initiates to the faith and eventually become Vukcheid, adherents who have proven themselves by finally cutting their ties to civilization. I should emphasize, this is purely speculation in the absence of deeper details. What I can speak on are the observations I mentioned, and how Vrokívan powers manifest differently from those of other faiths. The manifestation of a Vrokívan Echo Knight is harrowing to behold, seething with mist and shadow and sometimes even appearing as a more lupine version of themselves. I believe it is seen as a sign of favor, indicating that they have become part of the Brume. From what I have seen so far, animalistic Aethrin that are not lupine manifest mist and shadowy forms that retain their beast-like ancestry, and the transformation is particularly intense among animalistic Aethrin who are already lupine. Similarly, the ‘hound’ that powerful Vrokívan Shadow Sorcerers call forth is noted as being lupine in appearance, and much like the Echo, seems to be as much mist as it is shadow.”More information on the worship and tenets of Vrokíva is coming soon.— Zisanâl, Gylidder Mentor of Theology
“… Ah... hmm, that’s odd. One of my cohort must currently be studying my notes on Vrokívan ways, observances, and taboos. Once it is returned, we can revisit and go over the rest of this.”— Zisanâl, Gylidder Mentor of Theology
Relationships
Otherworldly Patrons
"Vrokíva serves the Incari of Myzelis, naturally, and She is in turn served by a host of powerful beings, several of which are known to be potent enough to create pacts. This is especially interesting, as we know that Vrokíva responds with immense hostility to breaches in the planar membrane and incursions from the Outer Planes. My cohorts and I have come to the conclusion that She must have subsumed and transformed these beings, and utilizes them akin to specialized weapons in Her arsenal, likely to aid in the defense of Myzelis from others like them. I will need to see if the Augur is willing to tell me anything more specific about these Otherwordly Patrons, but I do know that there is one of each known nature: an Archfey, a Celestial, a Fiend, a Genie, a Great Old One, a Hexblade, and an Undying — and, that they enter into any variety of Pacts with Vrokívans who seek them out. For now, let us move on."— Zisanâl, Gylidder Mentor of Theology
Other Inaethri
"Vrokíva has what I would... politely describe as an antagonistic relationship with the vast majority of other Inaethri, as She represents eons of ultimately futile effort and struggle to tame the planet and disperse the Brume, and countless number of their believers who have been lost to Her. She is the violent obstacle that none of them, not even Borsival, have ever been able to force into submission. While I am not certain if Vrokíva has what we could truly consider allies, there are some Inaethri who, at least, do not rouse Her ire and seem to be largely ignored by Her. Because Vrokíva does not communicate with Aethrin people in the same way as other Inaethri, we have to glean who She may be tolerant of from the Greyfaith and their own relationships with the devout of other Inaethri. There are — and I hesitate to say this — Inaethri that Vrokíva seems to tolerate. They share at least two things in common: they are more closely rooted to the wilds than civilization, and they are not inclined to reshape the world to their whims. In fact, they tend to be protective of whatever aspect of the natural world they are concerned with, or at the least prioritize living in harmony with it. Atnachi, Amphidromus, Beryx, Kethisarqueya, Falkeroc, Isinfyra, Mafis, Mihere, Shadow, Seamfinder, and Xaiith are likely the closest thing to what we might be able to consider on peaceful terms with Her. It must be emphasized, however, that this may very well be more a reflection of the values of those Inaethri and their believers, rather than Vrokíva's. Communities who are guided by these Inaethri may simply be better at avoiding conflicts with Her and respecting the Brume, and that is less a declaration of friendship than it is a way of earning Her indifference. On the other end of the spectrum, it is far more easy for us to identify which Inaethri are in greatest contention. Any Inaethri who embodies control of the land, the rending of the membrane between the planes, and the extraction of its resources with greater regard for the civilization that needs them than the cost of damage to the ecosystem is sure to be a target for Vrokíva's wrath. Borsival, Jomrune, Kciren, Sonemach, Tenthus, Torsahdan, and Xyudah are all Inaethri who are known for actively contesting Her and trying to reclaim the lands hidden within the Brume for Aethrin people to settle again. All other Inaethri seem to fall somewhere in a gradient between those two extremes of indifference and animosity."— Zisanâl, Gylidder Mentor of Theology
