Arkhan

God of Necromancy and Secrets

The Whispered One

The lich lord Arkhan presides over villainous mages, conspiring politicians, and envious servants as the dark god of necromancy, undeath, and secrets. Once a dangerously clever and powerful archmage-turned-lich, his hunger for dominion over all mysteries and obsession with conquering the pantheon led to his own dissolution, leaving behind only his left hand and black pyramid in his wake. His every action and deed is self-serving, his achievement horrific and loathsome, and his every whim is bent solely to ensure that no one shall ever deny nor challenge his right to rule ever again. But for now, he remains just a forgotten god to most, with only a few remembering his lost name. His left hand is the only reminder of what he once was, each skeletal finger wrapped in cloth and scattered across the sands of Naset, guarded by each of his servants in life as a twisted ploy against them. Now, many generations later, his name has become little more than a shadowy legend, his dark whispers echoing eternally upon the pages of long-forgotten tomes. Though he may be gone, death itself could never truly claim his soul, and for centuries after his demise, his eternally damned spirit has since recovered his power, whispering to the ears of all those that had served him, and those that soon will. Always, he steered them towards his reawakening, his final apocalyptic rebirth upon the world. Arkhan vowed to bide his time, not returning until his powers were regained in full and until he was ready to reign supreme against all life. He envisioned the mortal world filled with the silent, unthinking Undead, a realm where only his will and thoughts can think freely and without challenge. This time the Great Necromancer was going to claim the power of death itself. He would choke all life from the world and rule eternally in the darkness that followed. This time, there will be nothing to stop him from reaching his ultimate destiny, and to those that try, they shall bow before the true god of the dead. Arkhan plots and schemes within his ancient tomb within the Shadowfell, known as the Black Reliquary. This dual pyramid of Arkhan's design is where his legions of undead creations lie in wait, yet during the Calamity, his rotting fortress was split in two across the Material Plane and the realm of shadows. On the Southern cape of Naset lies the bottom half buried in the sand, his godstone lying in wait. On the shadowed mirror lies the upper half, where his skeletal corpse sits atop his throne waiting to be reawoken.

Depiction

Those who claim to have looked on Arkhan's form speak of a tall, skeletal lich swathed in tattered robes and enchanted jewels, missing both his left hand and left eye. His cloak is adorned with skeletal bones and skulls that form makeshift armor, and atop his head is a grand, ornate headdress.

Relationships

While Arkhan loathes all other gods and wishes to destroy them and become the sole divine power in the planes, he has a particular hatred for Malady. Malady seeks to share with the world the same secrets the Whispered One guards for himself, and his followers work diligently to undermine and destroy the Nasai Library and any others who follow her path. The Raven Queen also despises Arkhan and sees his presence as a mighty affront to her purpose.

Divine Domains

Arcana
Death
Eldritch
Knowledge

Tenets of Faith

Learn all you can, and keep hidden that which you know. Reveal what pieces you must, but never the whole.
Express and cultivate the evil within yourself, and in doing so, recognize it in others to exploit them for your own benefit.
Seed the ruin of all who worship other deities, until only those who kneel before Arkhan remain.