Realm: Grove of Plenty
Allies: Chuakazix’ focus on his beasts, and the bestial races he created, creates the basis for a cautious alliance with Zelagiur, as the God of Deceit seems content to topple the most advanced civilizations, and the bestial races are content to celebrate their place in the natural world.
Enemies: Chuakazix’ relationship with Premyzic is antagonistic, bordering on hostile, as Premyzic’s followers fail to honor Chuakazix, and look down upon the bestial races.
Temples: The Order of the Sacred Herd is a monastic community that reveres all herd animals as sacred beings and guardians of the earth. The order believes that the well-being of these animals is closely tied to the health and balance of the natural world.
Members of the order live in small, self-sustaining communities scattered throughout the countryside. They devote their lives to the care and preservation of the herds, tending to the animals’ physical needs and spiritual well-being. They also work to protect and preserve the natural habitats of the herds, utilizing sustainable and eco-friendly farming practices.
In addition to their work with the herds, the members of the Order of the Sacred Herd also engage in meditation, study, and prayer, seeking a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of all living things.
The order is open to all who seek to dedicate their lives to the care and preservation of herd animals and the natural world. It is a place of refuge and sanctuary for those who wish to live in harmony with the earth and all its creatures.
The Hearthwarmers are a monastic community that values the bonds of family and community above all else. Members of the order believe that strong, supportive communities are essential for the well-being and prosperity of all their members, and that the bonds of kinship and friendship are sacred gifts from the divine. Communities often turn to them for reconciliation or mediation of grievances and relationship counseling.
Worshippers: Chuakazix is worshipped by the bestial races, by athletes, by those who value self-sufficiency, sustainable living or residents of tight-knit communities who value those community ties.
Sacred Animal: All herd animals.
Sacred Colors: Green and Brown
Edicts: Feed on what the land provides. Tolerate not the desecration of your fields and herds. Protect what is yours, but take not more than what is needed.
Anathema: Unnecessary killing of the strongest of the herd, immature beasts, or pregnant or nesting beasts.
Aphorisms:
- “To Cull is not just to Kill.”
- “Honor gifts given by the land, and the land will keep giving. Abuse gifts given by the land, and the land will take you.”
- “Truth is spoken in grunts, growls and roars.”
Benefits
Divine Ability: Strength and Wisdom
Divine Font: heal or harm
Divine Skill: Survival
Favored Weapons: Longspear
Domains: Confidence, Family, Freedom, Protection
Alternate Domains: Indulgence, Travel, Might
Cleric Spells: 2nd – Animal Form; 4th – Reflective Scales; 6th – Flesh to Stone
Background
As a child, Chuakazix knew great hunger as a result of rampant over-hunting of herds. As a result, he developed a healthy respect for the importance of beasts and sustainable living – and an unhealthy skepticism of people.
At the birth of Merisyl, Chuakazix was chosen by Apsu as someone deserving of a second chance. Chuakazix reveled in the untainted land, and immediately devoted himself to the health and nurturing of beasts across the land, ensuring their successful establishment and encouraging sustainable practices in the people that relied on them.
His growth in influence and power as he helped early civilizations establish themselves led to a devoted following who shared Chuakazix’ teaching’s far and wide.
Holy Texts
Thunder of a Million Hooves – This collection of parables describe Chuakazix’ mentorship as it was observed prior to the Botojan Slaughter. The stories within it are rich with agricultural tips, animal husbandry advice, and peacefully co-existing with nature. Oral histories of the people of the Achuak Hoardland were assembled and recorded by Anutan Broadback thousands of years after the Slaughter itself, and the work paints a picture of Chuakazix as a kind and gentle teacher.
Landspoken – Authored collectively by some of the earliest Daeodus and Mustela, this work differs from Thunder by recognizing the anger and distrust Chuakazix’ has for the non-Bestial races. While his insights on caring for wildlife are recognized, they are an aside to the central theme of the importance of small, tight-knit communities that share common values and can be trusted to use those values as the basis for decision-making that has the best interests of the group in mind.
Botojan Slaughter
Chuakazix experienced a drastic change in outlook after the Botojan Slaughter. In what is now known as the Achuak Hoardland thousands of wild pigs and wild cattle were driven into the sea by raiders from what is now the Protectorate of the Black Wyrm. While some were taken for food, the act was primarily an act of punishment for the death of a handful of war stallions at the hands of those wild boar. Warlord Lyshentala Avuur blamed the Gnolls of the region for the stallions that were killed, and organized the Slaughter to deprive those Gnolls of their food source.
Chuakazix was devastated at the waste, and enraged at the stupidity of the perpetrators. The seed of disdain for people blossomed into an active dislike, and he took the Gnolls under his protection, and turned his attention towards active recruitment of the Minotaur races as devotees. He was also inspired to the creation of new ancestries which he could raise to respect Beasts and the balance of nature. Chuakazix spend hundreds of years working to create protectors of the beasts, and thus were born the Daeodus and Mustela.
This slaughter drove thousands of tons of beasts into the Jirhez Sea (off the Southwest coast of what is now known as the Achuak Hoardland). Academics say that this allowed the sea creatures to gorge themselves on the corpses, growing to an exceptional size and either surviving to this day or passing their immense size on to their offspring. Others believe that the sheer volume of death in that location caused the creation of undead Beasts known as the Drowned Horde. Communities in that area witness the Feast of Sorrow, which is an annual recognition of the Slaughter – and which by legend wards off the angry retribution of the Drowned Horde. While the truth of the cause is unclear, the fact that ships are often lost off of that coast is an undeniable fact, and sailors travel there warily, if at all.
Divine Intercession
Minor Boon: Chuakazix guides you to what the land provides. You gain a +1 status bonus on checks to Subsist using Survival, and any result worse than a success is treated as a success.
Moderate Boon: You have earned Chuakazix’ favor in your athletic endeavors. Become Trained in Athletics if not already. Choose one Athletics skill feat of level 7 or lower.
Major Boon: Once per day you can cast Soothing Spring as a 5th level Primal spell.
Minor Curse: Chuakazix hides the land’s bounty from you. You gain a -1 status penalty on checks to Subsist using Survival, and any result better than a failure is treated as a failure.
Moderate Curse: Chuakazix’ disfavor makes you a social pariah. All NPCs you interact with gain the Unfriendly condition towards you.
Major Curse: You gain the Sickened condition, and are unable to remove it. If you have an animal companion, it abandons you. For any Nature check targeting an animal, treat any result better than a failure as a failure.
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