Nethys

The All-Seeing Eye

Nethys is a god who holds magic above all things. He gained enough power to witness all that transpired on all planes, and this both fueled his divinity and drove him irreparably mad. He is a god of magic, torn between destroying the world with one hand and saving it with the other. This dual-edged nature of magic is cherished by his followers and is epitomized in his apotheosis.

Appearance

As a human, Nethys had unnatural purple skin and golden eyes with no pupil nor iris. As a god, he appears as a frightening male human emanating great energy. One side of him is youthful and dominating, almost glowing with power while healing the sick and protecting the innocent, while his other half is charred and crackling with leaking magic that unleashes destruction.

History

Nethys came from a nation that has been long forgotten. When he first met the tribal chief that would eventually found that nation, the chief knew to fear and respect him, and asked him who he was, Nethys only said: 'Your god and your king'.
Nethys granted the chief with magical powers, and in turn he followed all of Nethys' orders with no hesitation. Nethys ordered him to keep his identity secret from everyone else, and showed him a way to unite the tribes living around the area. Channelling the power of Nethys, the chief destroyed a Spawn of Rovagug, causing the other tribes to voluntarily join him, who founded a great city around the spawn's carcass as the capital of his new nation. In the early years, Nethys ruled the kingdom with the chief turned king as his public face, until he ascended to divinity, leaving the chief to lead the nation alone. In order to repay Nethys' favour, he named him the official patron and constructed the Temple of the All-Seeing Eye in his name.
When the chief died, Nethys selected a Naga as his successor. He sent her violent, nightmarish visions to let all know the fickle power of magic, until the Naga went insane and burnt Nethys' temple to protest his visions. The Naga died in this fire, and Nethys decided to start managing his empire in a hands-off fashion.

Relationships

Although his madness makes it hard to act on long-term plans, Nethys is active and approachable by all deities for aid in their ventures. He remains neutral for the most part, unless his powers of omnipresent knowledge reveal he is being betrayed or threatened. He particularly allies with those requiring the use of magic, regardless of nefarious or benevolent cause.
Despite his indifference, there is one area where Nethys will never act, and that is to support followers of Rovagug in freeing their master. There are limits even to Nethys's love of destruction, and the annihilation of the world is not his wish. On the other hand, Gorum and Nethys share a mutual appreciation. As Irori and Nethys are the only mortals to have ascended to deity status without the aid of the Starstone, Nethys has a special interest in the Master of Masters, even though Irori does not particularly care for him. Magic scholars of the two faiths sometimes clash, as Irorans tend to want to impose structure on the fundamental nature of magic, while Nethysians revel in the chaos.
Nethys' servants frequently cooperate with proteans, and can often defuse conflict between them and visitors to the Maelstrom.

Realm

Nethys' divine realm is Ahkanefti, a desert island floating in the Maelstrom. His personal residence is a tower at the middle of the desert, where he can watch everything that unfolds in his realm.

Providence

Areas of unpredictable magic are thought to occur when Nethys passes too close to the Material Plane, while dead magic zones (where magic does not function) are seen as a sign of his disfavor. The All-Seeing Eye does not visit his worshipers in dreams to show favor or dislike, a fact that they often mention with pride. They see the divine attention of other gods as patronizing or coddling, and are glad that Nethys does not stoop to such common practices.

Church of Nethys

The learned and powerful church of Nethys is as divided as its god, many even actively opposing rival temples. Magic and the ability to cast it is held above all other things.

Worshippers

Nethys is worshiped by all sorts of wizards and clerics, and all those with an interest in magic and its use and advancement. Rank within the clergy is determined by magical knowledge and power, with the former more important in benign temples, and the latter taking precedence in the more malevolent ones.
While many consider following Nethys an odd choice for a knight, these scholars have equal devotion to the skills of battle and magic. Over the centuries, devotees of Nethys have spread the spells found in Serren's Field Manual, a tome dedicated to the support of knights and soldiers.

Clergy

Priests of Nethys wear skullcaps, robes, mozzetta, and hoods in related hues that vary depending on the individual temple.

Temples and Shrines

Temples of Nethys can take any shape, from that of a wizard's laboratory, to a fortress, or even a small palace. They are always staffed by magically knowledgeable people, and take quite a mercenary approach to their services. Different temples may have a different focus in magic, or a preference towards one of Nethys' aspects, however many try to maintain a balance. The holy scripts of Nethys (The Book of Magic) are always written on a temple's interior walls. While inadvertently reinforcing stereotypes that breed fear of those that use magic, many churches are involved in mutation and cross-breeding experiments, occasionally creating new true-breeding species.

Holy texts

The clergy consider all books of magic to be holy texts to the All-Seeing Eye, and most of the scripts and writings associated with his faith include spellcraft, and dual methods of application and interpretation—often in immediately contradicting paragraphs.

• Book of Magic: This is a comprehensive guide for channeling magic and the ramifications of its use and misuse. Although its teachings are always written on the interior walls of Nethys' temples, most priests also carry them as a book or scroll bundle.

Holidays

Services and occasions vary between temples, though most ceremonies involve the active use of magic and chanting. The three major holidays are held in the month of Chilling: Abjurant Day on the 8th of Chilling, Evoking Day on the 18th of Chilling, and Transmutatum on the 28th of Chilling.

Divine Classification

Lesser Deity

Alignment

Neutral

Current Location

Maelstrom

Species

Human

Honorary & Occupational Titles

• The All-Seeing Eye

Current Residence

Ahkanefti, Mealstrom

Eyes

Cyan

Hair

Ashen

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Tanned

Height

6'5''

Weight

160lbs

Holy Symbol

Pathfinder Statistics

Divine Domains

• Destruction
• Knowledge
• Magic
• Protection
• Rune

Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff

D&D 5e Statistics

Suggested Domains

• Arcana Domain
• Knowledge Domain