Mortair

Mortair, Mother of Rituals

***This article is an incomplete placeholder to be expanded on later***
Mortair, also known as the Maker of Altars or Lady of the Black Flame, was one of the first Dahlen created as the Risen race came into creation. Like all Dahlen, she was born with an innate love for her creator, and lived her life in devout praise and worship of them. As many of the Risen found, the gods were not omnipotent or always present, thus reaching out to them proved difficult when they weren't physically there, let alone receiving their blessing. With this knowledge Mortair began to build an altar dedicated to Sturn and began to offer gifts to it along with her prayer. Food, trinkets, and animal sacrifices were offered alongside her prayers to her god and to the surprise of all watching, it worked. Sturn blessed her shrine with a visit and a gift of an ever-burning black flame, confirming her belief that the ritual worked and got his attention. Word of her creation spread like wildfire throughout Dahlen society and her praise was sang loudly, catching the attention of the other gods and their followers. Jealous of how devout his followers were due to this newfound practice, the gods convened and taught Mortair the secret of Ascendancy, raising her to godhood so that she could communicate with them in full and teach their followers as well. Though the details of their rituals varied wildly by god and purpose, all roots can be traced to Mortair.

Appearance and Depictions

Mortair bears the appearance of a Dahlen with light heather purple skin the is covered in large patches by black snakeskin. Her hair is silver-white and medium in legth, ending at her jaw. Her eyes are vivid red and slittled much like a venomous serpent. She wears a tight black snakeskin dress and is adorned with silver jewelry in the shape of various serpents. For armaments she wields a torch, lit by the black flame bestowed upon her by Sturn, along with a whip barbed with silver razors and a gauntlet to protect her as she wields it. Emblems depicting her worship will be portrayed by an image of her torch, silver handled with a black flame. Artworks of Mortair will show her holding her torch high, as if to lead the way to the enlightenment of the gods, though a popular piece is to represent her first meeting with Sturn as he bestowed his flame at the altar.

Powers and Followers

Mortair has a strong connection with Sturn and has been gifted a small portion of his power in exchange for her zealous faith and actions. She uses a potent venom from her body to coat her whip and be utilized in magickal attacks. She also bears a torch with the ever-burning flame granted to her by Sturn that has it's place in both rituals and offensive uses. Through her rituals she can make easy contact with a god of her choosing, and is used as a messenger to converse between them.
Followers of Mortair are primarily found amongst ritualists, shamans, and warlocks. While prayer was always commonplace, rituals and sacrifices allowed a more powerful, direct line of contact with their favored deity. In almost every ritual and altar, there is a place for Mortair's praise, to strengthen the power and connection of the worship that is taking place.