Nergal

Oh lion, lion, reacher of the sky. Your fearsome roar does cause the ground to shake. Oh lion, lion, how can one deny the fear and awe you leave behind your wake. Oh lion proud and mighty have you been but soon your tower built shall tumble down. For all things end just as they do begin, the Judgment comes to all when the time comes 'round.

| Popular child's nursery rhyme about Nergal's coming.

NERGAL (LN) Greater Power. Judge of the Dead, God of Death, the Reaper of Souls.

Nergal is known as The Reaper of Souls and Judge of the Dead for his part in the cycle of life. Nergal is the god of the dead, as well as funerals and burial places in his role as the supreme judge of the dead, proper burial, and the protection of tombs. Nergal is a somber, thoughtful deity with a supreme sense of responsibility. He is burdened with the knowledge of secrets that have filled him with great urgency in his duties as a judge. Although he maintains neutrality for the sake of balance, Nergal may occasionally assist great heroes in a small, limited manner if it serves the justice of the afterlife. Nergal is absolutely opposed to the existence of the undead, as they represent a perversion of life and death that bring a false terror of death to the living. Gods that are strongly zealous in the destruction of undead are counted as his allies, though destroying undead might be the only endeavor that he might support together with them. Gods with a relentless support of dark necromancy murders and poison are terribly offensive to him, but Nergal cannot directly move against them because of the divine rules restricting his actions, but he does consider such beings to be an enemy of his as they spread unnatural death. Nergal appears as a skeletal figure. His skull-like head has an iron crown melded atop it cascading with locks of dark black, ropey hair. His eyes are empty sockets filled with endless darkness, his hands and teeth are ivory white. He wears a billowing black cowl and carries a long scythe staff called Mortem Interfalcarios - Death's Scythe in one hand and a longsword scabbarded to his waist called Mors Sanctus - Holy Death. When death occurs it is Nergal's duty to judge the one who died as one of either the faithful, faithless, false of fallen. The Faithful have lived their lives in accordance with one of the celestial powers ways and Nergal respectively guides and protects them, along with a servant of their god through the grey mists of death's realm and to the place appropriate to their faith. The Faithless are those who lived their lives in denial of all deities while The False have betrayed their gods in some way while pretending to be faithful. Every soul among the Faithless and False will roam death's realm awaiting Judgement, prevented from leaving, for up to ten days before a final judgement is applied by the Court of Souls where Nergal preside over various issues concerning the dead and mediate any disputes over the soul. Rare cases of re-evaluation brought before the Court may result in a Faithless or False being given the chance for a reprieve but such an event is exceedingly rare. During those ten days, servants of the gods may try to convince the souls to give themselves over to the gods; devils will attempt to make contracts with the souls that will bring them to the Nine Hells as newborn devils. Not all souls are approached however. Without salvation from a deity or damnation through devil conversion, the remaining souls are usually imprisoned for all eternity as part of a writhing mass composed completely of souls. Souls that are bound to slowly lose their memories and fade into oblivion. The Fallen are those already contracted or sentenced through their faith to devils or demons that tear the souls off and bring them to the Abyss or Hells for their conversion into newborn fiends. Clerics of Nerull dress in rust-red or black garments. All carry the symbol of the skull and scythe and either openly, or when the subject of displaying a symbol of death would become difficult for others, cleverly hide it somewhere on their persons. They are often employed to perform funerals, oversee last rites, and execute last wills and testaments. They typically build churches, temples, and monasteries near places that honor the dead, such as cemeteries and memorial structures. The Church maintains a highly organized hierarchy and frequently expands its activities whenever possible. The paladins of Nergal are particularly zealous in their hunting of undead, setting out in crusades of extermination whenever news of an undead sighting reaches the ears of the Church. These knights are typically equipped with long swords to honor the martial lore of their god. Clerics and paladins of Nergal usually pray for their spells during the first hours of the night, symbolizing the arrival of the dead in the afterlife after a transitional journey. The standard daily ritual of the faithful is to give a prayer for the fallen once after waking, and once before sleeping. A few droplets of water, preferably holy water, are sprinkled on the ground and then flung into the air during these prayers, symbolizing the acknowledgment of the spirit’s release and journey from the body to the great beyond. The traditional ceremonial dress is a long sleeved gray robe with coarse black lining; the collar is snugly fitted against the neck. A tiny vial of holy water is usually worn from the neck on a silver chain, and a long sword is hung from the belt in a black sheath bearing the symbol of Nergal. The faithful are mandated to offer condolences to those who have lost loved ones and preserve the sanctity of places reserved for the storage of corpses and remembrance of the dead. If there are undead creatures in the vicinity, the highest priority is the protection of the living, followed by the destruction of the undead. If it is not possible to destroy the undead with current resources, the standard procedure is to send a request for reinforcements from the nearest conclaves so that the faithful can descend upon the threat en-masse as a unified front. The lifestyle of a cleric or paladin of Kelemvor is typically a humble one that emphasizes training, prayer, and meditation. It is a common thing to take up quiet hobbies such as writing literature or crafting works of art such as sculptures or paintings.
These are the tenets that worshippers of Nergal are given to live by; ● Death may be the end of life, but it is also the beginning of something more. The great journey continues beyond the veil so do not despair. ● The dead are equal in the eyes of the gods, no matter their station in life. All shall receive fair judgement at their time. ● Respect and honor the fallen, for they have joined the builders of history in their passing. Without those who came before, no progress could have been possible for any of the peoples of the world. ● Speak out against the willful prolonging of life beyond a natural end, especially if it involves the creation of undeath. ● The undead is an abomination that must be destroyed. Their existence is a mockery of both the dead and the living.

NERGAL (LN) Greater Power. Judge of the Dead, God of Death, the Reaper of Souls.

Type

Religious, Pantheon

Parent Organization

The Gods