Oath Upon the Deep

Before wind and wave, I pledge to keep the peace on deck, obey the captain’s word, and care for the safety and good of all aboard, until we set foot again upon the shore.

Fatho'deep: The Faith of the Sea

Fatho'deep is the word in the Sailors Argot for the Faith of the Ocean-farer. While many sailors can and do worship in the religions of their homelands, many more give up their faiths for the peculiar beliefs held by all sailors, regardless of origin.

These sailors will place their hope in "Shuro," that is, Oshuron, titan of the Oceans. They sacrifice gulls before departing in the hope that he will provide them favorable winds, profitable journeys, and ultimately protect them from watery death. They also have the assurance, that should they die and be rolled into the sea, that Shuro will take their bodies and resuscitate them in Dryhook.

There are few practices of Fatho'deep. 

1. The sacrifice of gulls before any voyage. 
2. The recitation of the Oath of the Deep before any voyage. 
3. The practice of offering gifts to the deep in the midst of voyages to expiate their failings -- these gifts are either iron filings, bits of silver or flagons of wine -- all things believed to be unavailable to Oshuron as he lives on the high seas. 
4. The offering of salt water to dry ground when landfall is made -- this offering is said to remind the land he is on that the sailor is only a guest from the sea. Since only freshwater falls on land, it is believed that saltwater is highly prized away from the shore.

Fatho'deep teaches that mercies of Shuro are countered by the cruelties of Old Rita -- that is, Valritra the Kraken. She is an unthinking personification of rage and destruction.

The Afterlife: Dryhook

Those who practice Fatho'deep believe that Shuro, a titan of old, has prepared a dry place in the middle of a vast and distant sea. This place is called Dryhook and is the embodiment of a sailors dream -- a place where every wanderlust is finally sated, and everyone's feet are dry. It's a place of relaxation, rum, tobacco, and endless dancing. But those who do not find Shuro's favor are said to be consigned to the deep, minions of Old Rita -- the mother of krakens.

Bound for Dryhook

(Chorus) So haul me down and lay me low,
 Where the tide don’t pull and the wind don’t blow,
 Where the hammocks swing and the sheets don’t bend—
 I’m bound for Dryhook at the end.

 I've sailed between the twenty towers,
 And watched ten thousand nighttime hours

 I swore to Shuro all my oaths, 

 And fed the gulls to calm the ghosts.

 (Chorus)

 There’s a taproom there what's built from bone,
 With a cask for each knot that I've known.
 The stools don’t splinter, the pipes stay lit,
 And the floor don’t sway—not one damn bit.

 (Chorus)

 They say he waits with a weathered grin,
 As Saratan rolls my body in,
 My soles'll go dry, my breath'll come back,
 And I'll drink my grog ‘til the stars turn black.

 (Chorus)

 So lash my bones to a barrel tight,
 And toss me deep in the dead of night,
 Let 'Rita howl and the dark tide rise—
 I’ll float ‘til Dryhook's in my eyes.

 (Final Chorus, slower)

 So haul me down and lay me low,
 Where the tide don’t pull
and the wind don’t blow,
 Where the hammocks swing 

and the sheets don’t bend
— I’m bound for Dryhook at the end.

Oshuron and the Kraken

Oshuron was of the Tytanos -- great beings who were like gods among men. He made his home in the Seven Seas and lives there still. It is said that after the cataclysm which flooded the Great Sea, the Dagger Sea and the Sea of Ice; Oshuron left Dry Land to hunt the krakens and leviathan which came in with the rushing waters. He made the seas safe for seafarers by driving the massive predators from the waters.

Oshuron has great enmity with Valritra the Eternal... the mother of krakens. He is said to protect all who swear an Oath upon the Deep -- using his mighty trident to ward them against his ancient tentacled foe. 

For her part Valritra the Kraken cannot die. She is one of the Old Ones -- ancient powers from the dawn of time. She is capable of consuming even the largest ships after taking them in her eight tentacles and pulling them into the deep. She has been wounded by men and even slain by Oshuron many times, but unless her lifeless body is dragged to Dry Land and burned, she will always be restored to life.

Oshuron loves all those who follow the Law of the Sea. He accepts the sacrifice of gulls to placate his anger. He looks favorably upon the consumption of fish and snails. He lives on Zaratan, a massive turtle which serves also as an island. He travels the Seas on a collapsible boat made from the skin of sea serpents, which is called Levadir. It has invisible sails which were sewn for him as a gift of the legendary Sea Elves. He also carries the breath of Garyx in a magical horn and can use it at will to burn his enemies. Finally, he is almost always armed with Torida -- the massive trident made by him from the ivory of a vanquished Dragon.

Holy Symbol of the Fatho'deep