Qyrad

God of Disease and Plague

Child of the God of Magic and the God of Light, Qyrad's status as the God of Disease and Plague makes him, perhaps, the most misunderstood and misrepresented of the gods. Though unquestionably overseeing a domain that has caused a huge amount of pain and suffering for the populace of Valine, Qyrad knows the necessity of culling a population to prevent stagnation, overpopulation or famine, and accordingly sends plagues to do work in benefit of societies - at least in the eyes of Qyrad and his followers.
In a constant cycle of conflict and cooperation with Enesis, Qyrad actually gets on well with the other deities. His appearances on Valine, however, cause nothing but fear and consternation, naturally, for the populace that knows that a visit from the god of disease cannot be good news, especially for a healthy populace.
The three great pandemics of Valinian history are those of the Stinging Delirium, Coven's Rage and Troll's Mark. It has been more than a quarter of a millennium since Troll's Mark ravaged the Valinian populace and, even after so long, humans retain a reputation as plague carriers, since so many of them contracted the disease but did not die, whereas the other races saw fatalities in the thousands everywhere the disease appeared. Ratlings also suffered from their connection to Qyrad, who most frequently is in the form of a giant ratling when he appears on Valine. In truth neither humans nor ratlings are any more likely to spread disease, but reputation is hard to shake off.
Humans from Mithlerien, who were interned for two decades in camps when Troll's Mark ravaged the planet, particularly suffer from this association. They are often pariahs outside of Mithlerien, and unwelcome even within their own island in the larger settlements. Outbreaks of disease on Mithlerien when a human is present can lead to lynchings.
What is kept a closely guarded secret by clerics of Qyrad is that the god knew nothing about Troll's Mark. The lack of control over his domain, has been a worry for three centuries, and neither mortal researchers nor the God of Disease himself has ever traced where Troll's Mark came from or if it is likely to return.
Until Qyrad can be assured that the disease is in no danger of sparking another widespread pandemic, he has been loathe to unleash a serious disease or plague on Valine. While a relief to the sentient species on the planet, it has also led to a population boom over several centuries which is causing problems for some regions and, soon, Qyrad's hand may be forced to cull the sentient population to a point where resources in the world are not overtaxed, bringing famine and starvation or even a brutal war over resources.

Divine Domains

• Disease
• Plague

Holidays

1st of Asmir: Divine First of the Pantheon

Physical Description

Identifying Characteristics

Portrayed as a giant ratling  in tattered clothing and with patchy hair.

Mental characteristics

Morality & Philosophy

Qyrad's ongoing association with rodents has led to a fear of rats and mice and a lot of inherent racism towards ratlings. Content to sow discord as well as disease, Qyrad opts to appear as a ratling when taking physical form.

Social

Family Ties

Child of Zadkush and Tehsus

Qyrad, God of Disease and Plague

Holy Symbol of Qyrad

Divine Classification

God

Religions

• Duchy of Bute

Parents

Tehsus

Zadkush

Gender

Male