Cult of Nerull

Assets

Temples: Nerull's temples are hidden and usually subterranean except in the evilest lands, as befits the god of darkness and the underworld. Well known cults of Nerull seek, among other things, to undermine the church of Saint Cuthbert.

Mythology & Lore

When Agnesia was still young, beings from the Far Realm attempted to assert dominance over all reality. They sent minions to destroy the newly sentient, pre-human life that then lived on the surface of the world. Three gods rose to oppose this: Pelor, Nerull, and Kord. Pelor and Nerull had yet to form allegiances to Good or Evil in those days; they were most interested in maintaining the balance between Law and Chaos. Kord was just along for the sake of having something to fight. The four gods each sacrificed a part of their power to create an anchor that would sever the ties of the invaders to their unguessable masters, and so were able to defeat them. The origin of Nerull is debated. Some tell the story as a proud and beautiful sorcerer-queen died long ago, and her shade came before Nerull. Nerull was impressed by her power and loveliness and gave her soul substance so that she could be his consort and queen. Her original name is no longer remembered, but Nerull called her Nera, the feminine form of his own name. A debated and much less substantiated story is Nera killed Nerull and overthrew him centuries ago, calling herself the Raven Queen and becoming the new goddess of death.

Tenets of Faith

Nerull's faithful believe they will be rewarded for acts of murder, for every living thing is an abomination in the eyes of the Reaper.

Worship

Nerull is the patron deity of those who seek the greatest evil for their own enjoyment or gain. Most common folk do not worship or propitiate him, although they fear him greatly. It is believed that any form of appeasement will merely draw his attention, something that is at all costs to be avoided by the sensible. Nerull seems, in fact, to draw power from the very avoidance of his name. Services to Nerull are ghastly things performed in absolute blackness, featuring litanies of fear and suffering. Murder is done as a homage to the Reaper.

Priesthood

Clergy: Nerull's clerics are feared throughout the lands as cold, calculating murderers. They are secretive and often solitary. When not in disguise, they dress in the same rust-red hue as the bones of their god. Those who would become priests of Nerull must undergo an arduous initiation that climaxes in being buried alive for a time.