Menas (MAY-nass)
In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals.Menas is a primordial, savage deity, finding pleasure in the pursuit and the crimson aftermath. Taking the form of a lithe and agile feline creature with jet-black fur stained with the remnants of past hunts, Menas finds joy in evoking terror in those he stalks, relishing the aroma and flavor of their fear.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Clergy, Temples and Worshippers
In urban areas, the Menas church is widely despised because its members, often evil lycanthropes, pose significant threats to local safety. However, in frontier and wilderness regions, those who rely on hunting for survival reluctantly show respect to the Lord of the Hunt, despite their fear of his ruthless nature. Outsiders often distinguish between openly operating "Hunts" Menas' bands, and those that prowl during the night. Certain realms, like Keatis, legally acknowledge the former's authority over hunting while regarding the latter as mere dangerous predators to be repelled or eliminated.Day-to-Day Activities
Clerics devoted to Menas actively engage in hunting pursuits, striving to heighten the danger for both prey and predator and ensuring that the hunt's violent conclusion occurs near settled areas. This often results in disdain and fear from the common folk, which aligns with the clergy's intentions. They also extol the virtues of hunting while impeding civilization's expansion to preserve wilderness, conducting raids and vandalism to this end, which garners favor among outlaws and idle nobles. Menas' followers oppose druidic circles dedicated to Soryna, Ehlonna, Silvanus, and similar deities, viewing their efforts to maintain natural balance as obstructing the natural order of the strong dominating the weak.Temples
Temples dedicated to Menas are uncommon, as the followers of the Hunt tend to favor secluded wilderness locales over formal structures. Unlike typical druidic circles, Menas' sanctuaries feature stones shaped like inward-curving fangs arranged in circular formations. In civilized regions where Menas' worship is met with disdain, the sacred sites may be concealed within vast limestone caverns accessible via a sinkhole at the center of the stone circle. These underground passages serve as hunting grounds where ruthless followers of Menas track sentient prey, often humanoids captured from the nearby vicinity.Hierarchy
Menas' church lacks a centralized hierarchy and operates through decentralized cells organized around the Hunt. This structure makes it challenging to confront or eradicate, as new groups emerge once one is suppressed. Leading these cells are Huntmasters, who can be clerics, druids, rangers, or shape-shifting predators. They determine the details of ceremonial hunts, including location, timing, and prey. The position of Huntmaster is attained through challenge, often resulting in mortal combat if the incumbent does not step down.Rituals
Clerics of Menas pray for spells at night, preferably under a full moon. They invoke the Master of the Hunt's favor before, during, and after the hunt, often offering prayers and toasts over their fallen quarry. A solemn Bloodsong resonates over the bodies of all hunted creatures, while ritual prayers and chants accompany the feast that follows.Holidays
Two significant ceremonies are observed within the faith of Menas are the Feast of the Stags and the High Hunt.
Feast of the Stags and beasts
Clerics, devotees and worshipers of Menas engage in abundant hunting prior to the harvest season. They extend invitations to all, particularly those not aligned with the faith, to partake in a communal feast. At this gathering, attendees pledge to continue hunting throughout the winter to provide sustenance for the less fortunate. This tradition earns favor among the common people, serving as one of the few activities undertaken by the church that garners widespread approval.The Hunt of the highests
the High Hunt occurs periodically throughout the year, marked by worshippers adorned with trophies from their kills. In this ritual, participants pursue a designated humanoid target who has the opportunity to secure their freedom and receive a blessing by evading or surviving for a day and a night.Divine Goals & Aspirations
Embrace the law of the wild, where only the strongest endure, and weakness fades into obscurity. Discover meaning in the stark transition from life to death, finding significance in the raw and primal. Life's essence lies in the relentless pursuit between predator and prey, where the victor determines the course of existence. Approach each endeavor as a visceral hunt, guided by unwavering vigilance and unyielding vitality. Fearlessness defines those who roam the untamed wilderness, where instinct reigns supreme over reason. Revel in the intensity of close combat, savoring the essence of vanquished foes. Stand firm against those who defile the natural world and heedlessly slaughter its denizens. Spare the vulnerable to ensure the eternal rhythm of life, safeguarding the young, the pregnant, and the defenseless in the intricate dance of existence.
Join the Wild Hunt so you can bask in the hunter's glory.
Physical Description
Special abilities
Avatars
The Wild Hunter
The Wild Hunter is Menas's best known avatar. It takes the form of a large masked humanoid clad in black armor, riding atop a huge horse which has three rows of serrated fangs for teeth. The armor is made from the hides of unnamed, unknown, or forgotten beasts, stitched with tendons; it is persumed that the armor cannot be removed, as all of its pieces seem to be stitched together, nor can the rider dismount. The Wild Hunter manifests randomly throughout the Prime Material Plane at random times for short periods, no more than a tenday, and sometimes only for a single night. When it manifests, the Wild Hunter is accompanied by a hunting party, which differs between locations; in Grausur, he is accompanied by the Cŵn Menas; in the Keatian Cape, he is heralded by a group of similar looking riders whose torso is backwards, such that they always ride with their face opposing the direction they ride in.Mental characteristics
Personal history
When the world was young and the Elves came to the world, Menas found a chance to overthrow Nyx and her dominion of the night, as a small power as he is. He plotted with Sehanine Moonbow, and helped create Lune was born, another moon.
This was the beginning of the rising of Menas as an intermediate deity. However, his ambition was his demise, just as he rose to greater deity status and he he was a very close ally of Lune, he bit more than he could chew. In his attempt to rile the elves into more feral stage, he created the Wild Elves and had The Seldarine, including Araushnee rising and destroying his domains. Their onslaught was more than he could take, and Lune had also abandoned him for he tried to gain dominion of the moon itself and siphon it and as such, she herself turned the moon on him, thus creating Lycanthropy.
It took Menas ages to rise again into power, from the Demi Power that he became after the onslaught and again to Intermediate Power.
Titles:
Lord of the Hunt;The Wild Hunt;
Master of the Hunt;
The Lord of Beasts;
Master of the Wild Hunt;
Divine Classification
Intermediate Power
Religions
Alignment
Chaotic Evil
Realm
Children
Other Affiliations
| LG | NG | CG |
| LN | N | CN |
| LE | NE | CE |
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