Pazuzu

Pazuzu is a Lord of the Abyss, whose dominion over the winds and those who live by them have earned him the epithets Sultan of the Winds, and Demon Lord of the Winged Beasts. He was once a demon, born of the chaos of the Abyss, but has lived longer than some gods and has risen to a commensurate level of power. His absolute dominion over the winds of that realm and his immense power in the sphere of air have earned him followers among many sorts of spellcasters looking to harness such energies, desperate sailors, and even the more morally flexible among the Djinn.

A chaotic evil diety, his symbol is a stylized spiral gust of wind. Divine spellcasters inspired by the Sultain of Winds gain access to the Chaos, Evil, Air, and Travel domains. His sacred weapon is the scimitar, and he's known to especially value sacrifices of large birds of prey which exhibit soaring behaviours, like eagles.

History

Pazuzu's origins are shrouded in the mystery of time and the volatility of his native realm, the Abyss. Pazuzu is a Lord of the Abyss whose domain is expansive, and while his cult is extensive and he is generous with his gifts to his followers, the nature of his cults tends to attract opposition from more organized faiths quickly, making large and historic campaigns of her influence impossible. In point of fact, his followers on Ahren tend to be jealous of their lore and are mistrusting of even each other.

Relationships

All of the Lords of the Abyss war with each other constantly, shifting alliances amongst each other in like manner to how mortals shift their clothes. His domain puts him above all other abyssal realms as he rules the Castles In the Ceiling, a floating realm within the Abyss. He allies particularly often with Dagon, usually for the purpose of wrecking portions of other Abyssal realms.

Appearance

Pazuzu rarely appears before mortals in his true form; that of a Pazuti demon of unrivalled size and age. Instead, he often passes himself off as a golden-skinned Djinn, or a sailor of impressive physicality and a curiously foreign disposition.

Realm

His domain puts him above all other abyssal realms as he rules the Castles In the Ceiling, a floating realm within the Abyss. As the Abyss is both bottomless and without limit, the name is slightly misleading - the realm consists of castles and fortresses amongst floating masses of abyssal basalt in its topless sky.

Providence

Pazuzu is said to send his omens in the form of guiding breezes. Those who recieve his divine inspiration, especially oracles, occasionally describe his guidance in the form of a song stuck in their minds, ever changing, chaotic and without logical measures or meter.

Servants

Many species of demon pledge their loyalty to Lords of the Abyss, among whom Abraxas is no exception. While Dretches are, as always, over-represented, he is also popular among the Pazujti, of which he is an especially ancient example.

Church

One can hardly call the followers of Pazuzu a church. Occasionally, a cell of cultists may grow no larger than a small stronghold or pirate crew in size. Much more often, individual spellcasters, or perhaps a spellcaster and one or two overly-trusting apprentices, may find themselves working together in the service of the Sultan of Winds.

Worshippers

Pazuzu's worshippers fall under many categories, though most are seekers after power. Many are adventurers, especially sailors, who have fallen into desperation and found that there is only one true Sultan of Winds. Druids who are willing to look past the traditional teachings of their circles may occasionally fall under Pazuzu's sway, especially if they were particularly affiliated with the winds to begin with. Djinn of Antistasis occasionally worship him in greater numbers than most mortal races of Ahren (at least, those of Wisteria), but even Djinn morality rarely brooks the sacrifices and abuses demanded by Pazuzu for long.

Clergy

Pazuzu is less choosy than some other Lords of the Abyss over who may join his clergy, perhaps in keeping with the ephemeral nature of his assemblage of worshippers. Just as there is nowhere untouched by winds on Ahren (even the Deeps has its Deep Breath), Pazuzu has a peculiar awareness of the presence of his worshippers throughout the exoverse. It is whispered that amongst any real knot of such followers he will inevitably bless at least one with his power, usually in the form of a cleric or warlock, though quite a few are corrupted druids.

In communities where his worship is observed intergenerationally Pazuzu may even create oracles. In such cases, his oracles are often cursed with wasted physiques and sickly appetites.

Temples & Shrines

Raising permanent temples to Pazuzu in Wisteria is a dangerous game; his worship is illegal under punishment of imprisonment in the Hearthlands and the Atarlie Empire and by death in Bastonia. Even in the Lordless Lands, where intelligent beings have great latitude in their choice of diety, Abraxas is seen as distasteful at best.

Indeed, it is only recently, since the Great Collapse opened up the Shimmering Shore to the influences of the planes and threw the region into chaos, that any effort to organize the church beyond country cults meeting in secret was possible. He is rumoured to have a temple known as the Fluted Bastion somewhere in the Shimmering Shore. Some argue it is near Rookpoint.

Holy Texts

The Lords of the Abyss consider nothing sacred. No word, much less a facsimile of their word, may be used to bind them. Their only teachings are that which they or their lieutenants or priest pass along to the next generation, and their only law is their current demand.