Thikis

God of wrath, retribution, power, and rage
He is one of the two gods known to walk in the Twin Vales. He is known in some cultures as the raging god, for he is often ruled by the incredible rage inside him. He, unlike Chall, believes in the utter destruction of an enemy, their family, their home, their pets, anything involved with them. It has been told that his followers have burned whole villages, simply because they had a dispute with one of the leaders. Because Rowis froze over the Tane forest in his vale, he retaliated against her and sliced two huge rifts in the earth in the Western Twin Vale.

Manifestations

The god of Retribution contacts his followers in two ways. One is more direct than the other. The less direct route is a tremendous thunderclap in clear blue skies. When this is heard, the followers of Thikis know that he is trying to get their attention. The other means, is a much more direct contact. The person he is contacting gets a throbbing sensation in their head, and a rage builds inside them, blood starts to flow out of their ears and nose. Many who have been contacted in this way, do not wash the blood off until they have completed the task that Thikis has given them.

Symbol

The symbol of Thikis is an obsidian disk, dipped in the blood of an enemy. These holy symbols are created when one joins the faith. They are given the disk, and are to kill an enemy, and dip it in their blood. The power of their faith binds the blood to the disk. When one loses faith, the blood on their holy symbol begins to come off, thus it is easy to know when one of the church has abandoned them.

Greeting

May rage engulf you.

Priestly attire

Priestly: Black robes with red bottom, as if it has also been dipped in blood. The status of the priests is clearly evident from the robes they wear. As a priest progresses in the church, the red at the bottom comes further up. The high priests of Thikis have a nearly completely red robe. The priests also wear their weapons, the bigger the better, at all times.

Daily: Priests of Thikis are never found without their weapon, normally a large weapon. They also wear the heaviest armor, as appropriate. Priests of Thikis, as well as followers, never carry a shield. They display their holy symbol prominently, where appropriate.

Organization of the Church of Thikis:

The church of Thikis is divided into small cells including formal churches, as well as wandering clerics. Churches often contain small armories, some of the larger ones may contain a blacksmith and a potter. There are a set number of positions in the church, so to progress and be promoted, someone above you has to be removed from their position. The larger churches often sell some of their arms and armor to the smaller ones.

There is a handful of higher echelon priests that are called the "Rage of Thikis." This position can only be attained one way, by the word of Thikis himself. These priests truly rule the church.

Priestly activities:

Often, priests of Thikis have been seen assisting warlords to keep their power. They are also, often involved in puppet leaders, with the real power lying in their hands. The priests, and followers of Thikis are found in good quantities on battlefields. They are always striving to increase their own power, as well as the churches.

Holy Days:

On the anniversary of being initiated into the church, members must go into the woods and meditate. After their meditation, they will be engulfed with the rage of Thikis. This rage drives them to kill anything in sight. Initially, this meditation was performed in the church, in a locked room, but too often, the enraged soul escaped the confines of the room, and killed many followers. It was then changed to be performed in the woods.

Scarring of the Vale of Rowis is another, extremely important Holy Day. This is in celebration, and remembrance of the day Thikis took retribution, and slashed two huge gashes in the Vale of Rowis. On this day, the follower of Thikis must enact retribution on one of their enemies, preferably, a follower of Rowis, in a most heinous way.

The Day of Calm is held on the 15th day of the third month (Trimin). This day is set aside for the followers of Thikis to rest, and not become enraged for the entire day. They are to do nothing that would anger them in any way on this day.

Temple Descriptions

Most temples resemble primitive fortifications, with wooden palisades, motes, and sharpened stakes surrounding them. They are typically built in the forests. There are temples to Thikis in some of the more corrupt cities, but most often, they are not welcome.

The temples contain an armory, the larger the temple, the larger the armory. Some of the larger temples also contain a blacksmith, and a potter. The potter is employed to create pots to fill the rage room.

All temples contain a room, designated as the rage room. This is a room with a heavy lock on the door. Inside, the room is filled with shelves, and often may pots, and vases for an enraged warrior to destroy. The temples had problems with warriors/priests coming back from a battle, and still enraged, so they built a room just to allow those who are enraged to take out their anger, without killing others in the church.

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month 8