Rangdayan (rəŋɡ.də.jən)

"Rangdayan has an abomination for every flavor of pain and suffering" - Phaṇin saying

Rangdayan was once a High Nakaal, during the latter days of the Empire of Muria, where she was known for her skills in manipulating creatures for use by the military and government. She used a combination of magic and the Egregoric Force to create living weapons that were so feared that even the Emperor eventually decided that she must stop. He sent troops to arrest her and put an end to her work, but it was too late. Rangdayan was warned by her creations of the Emperor's intentions, and she fled with several of her most loyal monsters.

Thus it was that a small group of Muria's monsters never went into battle with the Clarati, and survived the fall of Muria. The most numerous of Rangdayan's surviving creatures were the band of Utkrośa who had carried her away, and it was on them that her plans for survival depended. She directed them to hide from the Clarati and the Nakaal in the mountains of Kanluranan, and there she laid the groundwork to elevate herself into a goddess.

The community of Utkrośa thrived in the high valleys and canyons, while the outside world descended into bloodshed and chaos. They laid the foundations of their culture, naming themselves the Jatayu to distiguish themselves from those Utkrośa who still served Muria. Embedded in their culture was a deep respect and reverence for their creator, Rangdayan.

Apotheosis

When Rangdayan died, the Jatayu continued to honor and revere her. This allowed her Eidolon to ascend from The Dream as a new goddess. She anchored herself to Gunung Dewi, near the center of Jatayu culture, and continued to guide and direct her children as she had in life. In this way, she cheated death, and is one of the few surviving elements of the Nakaal present in the world today.

Rangdayan and the Phaṇin

Existence as a goddess follows different rules than those that apply to living beings. Most notably, the Egregoric Force is far more influential, and can radically shape the thoughts and actions of gods, in a way that mortals do not experience. Rangdayan knew this before her apotheosis, and had primed the Jatayu culture to see her in the way she wished to be. However, she did not account for her reputation from before the destruction of Muria to follow her into the new world.

While the Jatayu were developing in the mountains and highlands of Kanluranan, another culture was establishing itself in the coastal and lowland regions. These were the Phaṇin, whose predecessors were low Nakaal who had escaped the Clarati purges. They saw the Utkrośa flying over the mountains and hid from them, whispering tales of Rangdayan, the mother of monsters who had created them, tales which grew larger and more horrible with each retelling. The Phaṇin greatly outnumbered the Jatayu, and when Rangdayan's Eidolon ascended to godhood, she was shaped as much by their fears as by the devotion of her followers.

In the centuries since Rangdayan achieved godhood, these two views have been a constant part of her nature, and have shaped her in every way. She is the creator of the Jatayu, and the witch-goddess of the Phaṇin. The lowlanders have sought to destroy the people they call demons, and she has directed her people to attack and destroy the Phaṇin in response. Rangdayan has also created and sent fiendish monsters to harrass and destroy the Phaṇin communities. Blood-drinking Leyak have haunted them, and disembodied clawed hands have sought to smash their eggs. But she has never been able to create enough monsters to remove the Phaṇin, and their fear and hatred of her has become a part of her sustenance, ensuring that she is a vital and potent force in the world. At this point, she is the prime mover in sustaining the war between the Jatayu and the Phaṇin, as a way to keep herself well sated with thoughts and prayers.

Species

Numina

Ethnicity

Nakaal

Other Ethnicities/Cultures

• Jatayu

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