Charon

Description

Charon is the lord of Tartarus: The Sea of Souls and he rules from The Everlight, a lighthouse of stark white stone that looks over the entire Sea of Souls and the light of which burns with a Black Flame. He keeps The Everlight lit, repairs the boats of his Ferrymen, and works doggedly without cease to ensure that all dead souls of Orentia eventually find peace.

Appearance

Charon is a giant, gaunt man with sallow light blue leathery skin and black eyes that shine coldly in their deep, sunken sockets. He is several stories tall, has a ragged beard that matches his long, thin, grey hair, and posesses four gangly arms. His hands are calloused and his feet are dirty. He wears the sparse clothes of a poor workman and though he has a battered raincoat it only leaves its hook when Charon must personally leave the confines of The Everlight.

Personality

Charon is calm, patient, and serious. He wears a dour expression almost exclusively and speaks in a tired, cold, detatched tone. Charon sees himsef as uninvolved in the affairs of men and gods, and is concerned primarily with his duty to keep The Everlight and maintain Tartarus. He treats all souls of the dead with an even hand, regardless of their deeds in life, for under The Everlight's watch there is no judgement, only a straightforwards and reliable end. He treats any obstruction of the natural order of life and death quite seriously, especially when souls are stolen from The Sea of Souls and are returned to other planes. He rarely leaves the walls of The Everlight, and has never left the rock upon which it sits in recorded history. When problems afflicting the Sea of Souls arise, such as souls being stolen from its waters or thea spirits of the dead being trapped in another plane, he calls upon his Clerics. For major disturbances such as the birth of a Lich or a demon attempting to drink from the Sea of Souls, he sends the Ferrymen. He cares deeply for the sanctity of the dead - though he may not show it, and secretly admires the empathy and emotional intelligence of his Ferrymen. His devotion to his duty and lack of care for the affairs of gods and men have gained him a reputation as fair and unbiased among the gods, and they frequently seek him out to resolve conflicts.

Worship

Worship of Charon becomes more common the closer one comes to death in its many forms. In many cultures, a dead man's last rites include a prayer to Charon for safe passage to the Sea of Souls. Shrines and monuments to Charon are ubiquitous in gravyeards, and can also be found in hospitals and sick bays. It is common for those elderly, wounded, and terminally ill to be prayed for or pray to Charon for a smooth transition into death. Because Charon frequently acts as a neutral arbiter in the affairs of gods, it is also common for him to be worshipped as a source of justice and wisdom. Courthouses will frequently include shrines for barristers and judges to pray at, and prayers are frequently said in his name to bring about the end of arguments and feuds. The vestments of his clerics are typically dark, simple clothes of grey or blue. They tend to preach fairness, humility, hard work, and empathy and generally eschew unnessecary displays of wealth.

Symbol A lantern, burning with black fire and giving off pale blue light.
Titles Keeper of the Damned, The First Ferryman, Tender to The Everlight, Shepherd of The Sea of Souls
Portfolio The Dead, The Afterlife, Justice
Domains Death, Grave, Order
Favored Weapon Light Hammer