Vitem Morta

Harbinger of Life's Dusk, Weaver of the Mortal Veil

The Equinox Requiem

In the cradle of creation, where divinity sculpts reality's fabric, Vitem Morta, enigmatic sovereign of life's finality, stands sentinel. Shrouded in whispered cerements, a silver visage conceals his countenance, a mirror reflecting the souls of the departed. His is not the malevolence of shadowed myths; he is the equilibrium in the cosmic scale, the silent arbiter ensuring that life's symphony plays to the rhythm of mortal destinies.
Vitem Morta's realms—Death, Fear, Murder—sing of his pragmatism, for they are the dark notes necessary for the melody of existence. Death is the exclamation at the end of life's sentence, granting purpose to each breath drawn; Fear is the cautious hand that steadies the reckless, guiding them from their self-wrought precipices; Murder, the grim equalizer, cleaves the tyrant from the throne, granting solace to the oppressed. In this trinity, Vitem Morta sees not horror, but the threads of free will, the gift of choice, the power to shape destiny.

History

Vitem's counterpart, Neb-Neter-U, shared his rule over death but harbored a skeptic's heart. Where Vitem saw potential in the chaos of free will, Neb-Neter-U foresaw only the unraveling of order. Yet, such was their bond that their debates were as the symposium of sages, and together, they birthed the undead, beings tethered to both life and the beyond—some with sentient gazes, others mere echoes of existence.
Amidst these divine machinations, Abram stood firm, a god of absolutes who saw the world in stark relief, devoid of Vitem's shades of gray. To him, the undead were abominations, antithetical to the natural order, and a violation of the sanctity of life and death. Thus, the pantheon was riven, as subjective morality clashed with objective decree, leaving the cosmos in a state of philosophical disarray.
In time, Vitem discerned an imbalance in life's scales—mortality's fabric stretched thin by overpopulation. His decree then was a natural end, a lifespan for each creature, a cycle of aging and inevitable return to the dust from whence they came. And in his mercy, he granted a second chance to those taken before time's allotted span, a life anew in undead form until the destined end.
The Age of Strife casts the gods from their celestial thrones, and Vitem Morta walks among mortals, his presence a shrouded enigma. His adversary, Abram, forges a path of destruction, a crusade against the Kingdom of Shadow, the bastion of the undead. The conflict ravages the land until the god of objectivity is drawn to other battles, and in his absence, Vitem Morta conjures an alliance with Ark. Together, they forge a new dawn for the undead, a fusion of arcane and innovation, arming them against the tides of obliteration.
Thus, Vitem Morta becomes the unseen hand guiding the art of necromancy, a gift to those dwelling in the penumbra between life and death. But the tides of conflict are relentless. Vitem, now entwined in ceaseless struggle with Abram, his energies bound to the fray, yet managed to bestow one final gift—a ritual to traverse the Echo, to commune with the whispers of the past.
And in the twilight of the Age of Nothingness, Quzira, ally turned usurper, enacted a grand betrayal. In her ambition, she sought to eclipse Vitem Morta, to wield his power unbridled by his judicious restraint. The ritual was complete, and Vitem's essence was consumed, or so it was believed. For in the realm of gods, death is but a shadow, and shadows, as Vitem taught, are cast by the light of existence, ever present, ever elusive. Thus, whispers endure of the god who balanced life and death, whose legacy is etched in the very marrow of the world, indelible and enduring.

Worshipping Vitem Morta

In the silence that blankets the world after the Age of Nothingness, the followers of Vitem Morta—now a deity enshrouded in legend—persist in their veneration through a tapestry of rituals both solemn and profound. His temples are edifices of remembrance, hewn from the very stone that once bore witness to the Age of Strife. They stand as monoliths to the balance of life and death, places where the air hums with whispered prayers and the echo of souls that once were.
The faithful convene under the shroud of twilight, for it is in the embrace of dusk and dawn that the veil between life and death grows thin. Clad in garments of midnight hues, they paint their visages with ashen symbols, reflecting Vitem's masked visage, an homage to the anonymity of death that comes to all. Their liturgies are chants that rise and fall like the breath of the universe, a sound that mimics the ceaseless tide of lives beginning and ending. Each word is a vessel of memory, carrying the essence of those who have passed, ensuring they are never forgotten, for in memory, Vitem Morta's followers believe, lies the power of immortality.
The core of Vitem Morta's worship is the Ritual of Echoes, a sacred rite where the living may commune with the spirits of the departed. Participants offer tokens of the past—a lock of hair, a cherished letter, the scent of a once-loved flower—to the altar, where the air shimmers with the latent magic of bygone eras. In this communion, they seek guidance, wisdom from ancestors, or simply the comfort of presence. It is a solemn pact with the past, acknowledging that every life, however fleeting, has its place in the grand design.
In a world bereft of Vitem Morta's physical divinity, his disciples carry forth his doctrine of balance. They are the keepers of graveyards, sanctifying them as sacred grounds, places where the dead are honored, and their stories are kept alive. They are also the arbiters of justice, for they remember Vitem's teachings on the necessity of death and the importance of life's natural course. Thus, they stand against murder as an affront to the balance, yet they are not averse to ending life when it threatens to disrupt the natural order.
The essence of Vitem's worship is not in grandiose displays but in the quiet acknowledgment of life's fragility and the acceptance of death's inevitability. In a world that has seen gods fall, the followers of Vitem Morta cling to his ideals, finding solace in the idea that every end is but an echo of a beginning, and in every shadow cast by life, there is a lesson of the divine.

Paladin Code

The Paladins of Vitem Morta uphold the balance between life and death, serving as guardians of the end and shepherds of the passage. They are the solemn watchers and judicious arbiters, embodying the transition from life to death with dignity and respect. Their code is a beacon in the shadow, guiding them through the twilight of their sacred duty. Their tenets include the following affirmations:

• I will uphold the balance of life and death, honoring the sanctity of both in equal measure.
• I will embrace the end as part of the journey, not as a finality to be feared.
• I will stand against those who would disrupt the natural order with undue prolonging of life or unjust hastening of death.
• I will provide comfort to those nearing life's threshold, ensuring their transition is met with dignity.
• I will act not out of malice but fairness, weighing each life as a scale in perfect equilibrium.
• I will fight to protect the cycle of existence, knowing that each end is a prelude to a new beginning.
• I will accept the burden of ending life only when it restores balance or prevents greater ruin.
• I will respect the dead, safeguarding their legacies and memories as a sacred trust.
• I will confront undeath only when it mocks life or distorts the rightful passage of souls.
• I will honor the choice and agency of all beings, recognizing that free will is the divine reflection in every soul.
• I will seek wisdom in the silence of the crypt and the whispers of the departed.
• I will carry out my duties with solemnity, recognizing that in the dance of death, I am but a humble participant.

Loyalties:

Equality, Freedom, Peace

Pantheon
Greater Gods
Areas of Concern
Balance, death, peace, undeath
Domains
Community, Death, Evil, Good, Liberation, Repose
Subdomains
Ancestors, Fear, Freedom, Murder, Psychopomp, Redemption, Revolution, Self-Realization, Souls, Undead
Favored Weapon
Scythe
Symbol
Yin and Yang
Sacred Animal
Raven
Sacred Colors
Black, Crimson, Silver
Casting Traditions
Soul Channeler