Akwali Sekhat: a Faith of Southrun

Akwali Sekhat, or Sisters of Sekhat, is the name given to the strange society of Southrun which is headed by a noble woman known as... Al Adhra, the Virgin. The Sisters live in a mountain redoubt completely isolated from the affairs of men. There they are devoted to the worship of their goddess Sekhat, and only leave its confines to practice their cruel murderous rites.

The society is wholly made up of women. Indeed, for a man to enter their fortress is to earn a death sentence. Their society grows from runaway women, absconded servants, abducted children and abandoned widows. Their leader is chosen from among their number by the casting of lots.

The Sisters worship the goddess Sekhat, who is believed to have been slain by her brothers Amir and Bhamut, during their divine feud. The worship of this deity requires the ritualized murder of men. To complete this rite, the Sisters have been known to waylay travelers, infiltrate noble houses, and abduct those who are unawares.

The Sisters also offer their services for hire. All of the nobility of Southrun is aware of the Akwali Sekhat and will often contract with them to remove enemies and rivals. It is believed that by giving them a steady supply of victims, other men will be safer from random attacks.

The Sisters rely heavily on poisons and strangulations to achieve their ends. Many victims have been found with silk sashes around their throats or with faces locked in pain at their passing.

Asharahlafillah: the Many Faiths of Southrun

In Southrun, it is said that there are 10,000 gods. Not all of them are equal in power or precedence and no two of them are worshipped, cajoled or influenced the same way.

Generally speaking, there is no office of priest for any of the gods; though there may be remote temples and monasteries dedicated to some of them, and some might have full-time monastics. The so-called holy men of Eastrun are Diviners, who seek to determine what Fate has in store for both the gods and mortal men alike. 

Rather than have a clerical office, the priest of every tribe, faction and household is the patriarch of the family. It is he who issues blessings, solemnizes contracts, negotiates marriages, and tends to the family idols. He makes sacrifices of burnt offerings and when in cities, will sometimes see to the organization of a parade or festival to honor one deity, or another.

The Many Gods of Southrun

The pious pagans of Southrun maintain that two brother gods, Amir and Bhamut, once ruled over Southrun. For six centuries the Brothers held sway over all the Land.

The day came when the Brothers became rivals. For they had a sister named Sekhat, who was greatly desired as a consort by each of them. And the two of them came to blows over which of them would be able to wed her. And the fury of their rivalry caused great tribes and nations to go to war. And it came to pass that Sekhat, who tried to preserve the peace of her brothers, was slain in their conflict. So each looked to the creatures of their domain for wives.

For his part Bhamut took many creatures of the animal world and had his offspring by them. These became beasts of great cunning and strange power. While Amir took mortal women and slew many of them with his seed. But some of his wives survived and produced many offspring for him. All of these offspring were immortal and extremely powerful -- gifted with many of the powers of their sires, but also given to all the failings and passions of their mothers.

Eventually, both Amir and Bhamut grew tired of war (some say they were slain by the machinations of the Dark Elves). They have left the temporal world in the hands of their volatile children and can be seldom bothered to pay attention to the affairs of Erenth, let alone interfere in them. 

The sheer number of their offspring means that every tribe and family has its own preferred god or goddess, with most of the rest being benignly neglected. While they will not sacrifice to the other deities, the Southruner is careful not to blaspheme or disparage them -- for he believes (under the Law Which Cannot Change) that any one who does so will suffer curses for seven generations.

The lists below are far from complete. These are the well-known offspring of the brother gods. In addition to a great number of siblings unrecorded, each of these demigods have further bred with other creatures and mortals, and with each other, giving rise to lesser and least categories of beings with divine blood.

The Lineage of Al Amir

• Djazzar -- The butcher is a particularly bloody and violent culler of life.
• Hadeeqah -- The gardener is known for his love of plant life and green areas.
• Bohairah -- The god of lakes and water. He is responsible for the rise of the oasis and all well-watered areas.
• Jabal -- The master of the mountains is considered to be the keeper of the borders between the Khard and the coastal Sultanates.
• A'lana -- This goddess is considered the messenger of the various gods.
• Naqaasha -- This goddess is capricious and given to strife, anger and conflict.
• Hajaam -- He is a warrior god given to attacking first and maintaining a good offense as the best defense.
• Haraqah -- The burning-one is the keeper and originator of fire.
• Raqasa -- Depicted as a young belly dancer, she is a goddess of fertility, allure and desire.
• Halama -- This goddess is the master of dreams, hope and vision. He is called the Dreamer.
• La'eba -- This god is depicted as a small, naked, and often dirty child. He is the god of merriment.
• Wa'ada -- This goddess is a matronly and wizened woman, austere and grim. She is invoked to bear witness to contracts and agreements.
• Abhara -- The patron of sailors and travelers across the sea.
• Kataba -- The patron of scholars and learned men, Kataba is faceless and usually depicted with ink-stained fingers.
• Rahabba -- The goddess of hospitality and the protector of travelers, pilgrims and nomads.

The Lineage of Al Bhamut

• Asad -- The Lion, god of war, power and savagery.
• Samak -- The Fish, god of contemplation, silence, sea voyagers and armorers.
• Qett -- The Cat, mother goddess and patron of defenders and of children, enemy to Af'aa. She is invoked as a surety for hospitality.
• Dob -- The Bear, god of wrathful vengeance and righteous anger.
• Hesaan -- The Horse, god of strength and nobility
• Af'aa -- The Snake is a being of unparalleled cunning, he is the god of liars and assassins.
• Ta'lab -- The Fox is a creature of great mischief, he is the patron of gamblers and actors.
• Gazal -- The Antelope is the patron of generals and the brave. He is the rival of Asad for the affections of Qett.
• Qerd -- The Monkey is often seen as another incarnation of La'eba and is the god of merriment and of debauchery.
• Kalb -- The Dog is the god of servants and soldiers. He is fiercely loyal and a protector of the weak.