Murtern

Demon God of Murder

"May my father of death guide my knife into the heart of he who gains my ire. Let all children of the gods fall before the hatred of That Which Crawls." - Prayer of the Black Congregation

The first murder of the world took place between two first-generation Ohrlen who were feuding over land. They were brothers who had agreed to a fair split of land on the plains of Tamaha until one had gone back of their agreement. He demanded a larger portion of the land as he was the stronger of the two and more rightfully deserving of it. The younger brother, knowing this claim to be false, challenged him to a fight as was their custom under Orloch. Even as he overtook his older brother, the older kept pushing farther and farther, continuing to get up and taunt his sibling even as his bones were broken and standing should be impossible. The younger brother succumbed to his rage, strangling the older until all life had left his face.
His corpse lay on the ground for but a moment before it began moving again, the jaw opening wide as two black hands came forth and pulled it open from the inside. The younger brother fell on his back, paralyzed in fear as this inky black figure crawled out of his brother's mouth, twisting unnaturally as it clawed its way towards him. "Mur... Terrrn..." It croaked as its claws began to pry open the mouth of the younger and forced itself inside their mouth. The whole of the black form twisted and crawled its way into the fear-stricken body that began to convulse violently as a new entity began to take over the body.
It leaned forward and began to crawl back towards the village from whence the brothers originated. The body soon learned to stand once again, smiling as its croaks turned from slurred speech to a full mimic of the man's voice. "Murtern... Murtern. The blood begins to churn."
When Baal opened the gateway to the Realm of Demons underneath what would one day become Nechestivy, Murtern was the first to crawl through, ready to wreak havoc upon a fresh new realm. They are an ancient being, even among those from his own realm, with the only known demon said to exist being Baal himself. Murtern orchestrated the first murder and went on to spread this act throughout all of Tamaha before reaching every corner of the world. Although Orloch was known to be violent and chose combat and even killing to be in his domain, his was an act of settling conflict whereas Murtern's devices were purely out of hatred, jealousy, or spite. They relish in the pure art of the kill and require no outside reason to push them to the act.

That Which Crawls

They are commonly referred to as That Which Crawls, as uttering just their name is believed to summon their presence. Followers will often refer to them as father or lord, yet Murtern is not known to possess any gender. No records of their sitings or dealings possess any mentions of genitalia and their real voice is such a harsh croak that it can hardly be assigned a gender. They are a being made for murder and possession, nothing else.
Powers associated with Murtern are their ability to infest and corrupt the bodies of others. They can twist their body to be as narrow as a shadow, slipping into any c stone or bodily orifice. The ink that drips from their body can be converted into bladed weaponry. This is typically made into the fashion of knives, as their favorite kills are performed up and personal. For those who truly offer themselves to Murtern, he can hop between their bodies at will, often offering to assist their most faithful by piloting their forms and all but guaranteeing a kill. This always comes with a price, however, as the ink that drips off of their body is said to be such a violent poison that not even the hardiest of Dahlen can resist succumbing to a painful, frothing death.
Murtern's victims are primarily the Risen, however, they have no qualms against killing the fae, devils, or even his own kind. They originally spread throughout the world by hosting one body after another as performed his art themself. Now, a cabal of dark-hearted Risen has come to worship him, labeling themselves the Dark Congregation. They meet in private to plot the death and downfall of others, offering prayers and sacrifices to Murtern in the hope that they would receive their blessing and ensure a successful kill. Those who would wish for the death of others and discover the urge to kill them with their own hands will call upon him in the dark of night.
It is said that Murtern now lurks in the heart of all Risen, waiting for their fall into the darkest temptations so that they may crawl forth and orchestrate their hands into committing the ultimate sin.

Icons of Murtern

Murtern's appearance is humanoid, though not easily compared to any species of Risen. They most closely resemble a hairless Ohrlen that has been completely emaciated of their flesh with taught skin clinging to sharp bone. Their entire body is pitch black and constantly dripping in a neverending supply of ink. The only exception to the black in their form is their haunting white eyes and sharp teeth that bear an ethereal glow, carving out the night even past the ink dripping past them.
There are no official icons for their worship, as anyone discovered to be a follower of Murtern, let alone a member of the Black Congregation, will be arrested and executed. However, followers of That Which Crawls have been known to smear parts of their bodies in black ink. Marks they leave to denote their presence include a black hand swiped across areas or the image of an alien blade, serrated and dripping in ink.
High-profile members of the Black Congregation have been rumored to carry these blades, black weapons delivered directly from Murtern and still dripping in their black ink. The poison from these weapons is otherwordly, matching the rumors of Murtern's own ink, and is said to kill with but a single scratch.
A single scratch is never enough, however. Murtern urges their followers to mutilate the bodies of the dead and display them, striking fear in the hearts of the pure and inspiration in the dark desires of the depraved.