Umirra

He came to Southrun cleansing people of their diseases and healing them of their infirmities, but he was hemmed in on all sides by throngs of seekers and did not know rest. So he went out onto the sea to seek respite and there he discovered Marida, a princess of the deep who was sunning herself upon a ring of coral.

Umirra was once a courtier of Heimos, the father of gods, a Prince of Erenes. Unlike his patron, Umirra’s strength lay not in might or mastery of war, but in wisdom, healing, and the power of words. He journeyed to Southrun, bringing cures for sickness and relief to the afflicted. Yet so many came to him for healing that he could not find rest.

Seeking solitude, Umirra went out upon the sea, where he encountered Marida, daughter of the Khedive of the Deep. She was radiant, her skin the hue of the sea, her hair the color of salt, clothed in seaweed and pearls. Enchanted by her beauty, Umirra spoke in poetry and gentleness, and Marida in turn led him beneath the waves to her father’s court.

The Khedive, angered at his daughter’s boldness, struck her in wrath. Umirra healed her wounds, and the miracle softened the sea-lord’s fury. He consented to their marriage, and in time Marida bore triplets: Amir, Bhamut, and Sekhat. Yet Marida perished in childbirth, and Umirra, stricken with grief beyond bearing, ended his own life.

The Khedive cast out his grandsons, declaring, “These are children of the land,” and they were given to mortal rulers to raise. But Sekhat, resembling her mother, remained in the deep. Thus were born the great rivalries of Southrun, and the sorrows of its wars.

Though his life ended in grief, Umirra is remembered as a gentle and tragic deity. In Southrun, his name is invoked by healers and physicians, and among poets who speak of love and loss. Seafarers call upon him for protection when voyages lead them into unknown waters. His temples are quiet shrines, often circular, with coral or pearl motifs, places of silence rather than grand ritual.

Over time, some sects reinterpret his self-destruction not as failure but as transcendence: an act of returning his gift of life back to the cosmos. These followers see him as the god of release, invoked at funerals as a comfort to the grieving.

Umirra appears as a olive-skinned slender man. His face is noble but sorrowful, the eyes often depicted downcast, reflecting the grief of his legend.

Sekhat

So Umirra and Marida, the daughter of the khedive, were wed and soon produced triplets -- sons Amir and Bhamut; and daughter Sekhat. But Marida died in childbirth and in his grief, Umirra followed -- a victim of his own hand. So the khedive cast the infant brothers out of his presence and handed them to the rulers of dry land to raise them, saying, "These are children of the land." But the daughter he allowed to remain for she resembled her mother and the khedive could not bear to part with her.

The sister of Amir and Bhamut, Sekhat was "not of the land" and was heiress to the realm of her grandfather, a spirit of the sea. As adults her brothers returned to the place of their birth, and not recognizing Sekhat sought to make her their wife. In their dispute, Sekhat was slain, therefore the Khedive pronounced a curse upon the land and those who live on it. 

Among other devotees, Sekhat has a specific cult of women called the Akwali Sekhat which serve as a House of Assassins.

Bhamut

Bhamut is one of the twin sons of Umirra and his consort Marida. His mother died in childbirth and his father committed suicide. His maternal grandfather, a spirit of the sea, gave him and his brother into the care of a tribe of men of Southrun. The infants were traded again and again as slaves until they came into the care of a Barasin noble.

As he grew into adulthood, he began a conquest of neighboring tribes and peoples. Ultimately, he contested with his brother Amir for the love and hand of their sister Sekhat. While he was unsuccessful, his enmity with his brother eventually enveloped all of Southrun, except Barasa, into war.         

For his part Bhamut took strange creatures to wife and produced many offspring by each them. All of these offspring were immortal and extremely powerful -- gifted with many of the powers of their sire, but also given to all the bestial habits of their mothers.

Bhamut eventually withdrew, though some say that he was slain by a weapon of the dark elves. Either way he has left the temporal world in the hands of his volatile children. The sheer number of his offspring means that every tribe and family has its own preferred god or goddess, with most of the rest being benignly neglected. 

Amir

Amir is one of the twin sons of Umirra the Pretender and his consort Marida -- the daughter of a water genie. Amir's mother died in childbirth and his father committed suicide as a result. His maternal grandfather, the genie gave him and his brother into the care of a tribe of men of Southrun. The infants were traded again and again as slaves until they came into the possession of a Barasin nobleman.

As he grew into adulthood, he began a conquest of neighboring tribes and peoples. Ultimately, he contested with his brother Bhamut for the love and hand of their sister Sekhat. While he was unsuccessful, his enmity with his brother eventually enveloped all of Southrun, except Barasa, into war.  

For his part Amir took mortal women and produced many offspring by each them. All of these offspring were immortal and extremely powerful -- gifted with many of the powers of their sire, but also given to all the failings and passions of their mothers.

Amir eventually withdrew, though some say that he was slain by a weapon of the dark elves. Either way he has left the temporal world in the hands of his volatile children. The sheer number of his offspring means that every tribe and family has its own preferred god or goddess, with most of the rest being benignly neglected. 

The Princes of Erenes VI: The Sons and Daughter of Umirra

Umirra, Prince of Erenes, was a great physician. He came to Southrun cleansing people of their diseases and healing them of their infirmities, but he was hemmed in on all sides by throngs of seekers and did not know rest. So he went out onto the sea to seek respite and there he discovered Marida, a princess of the deep who was sunning herself upon a ring of coral.

Marida was beautiful beyond words. She had skin the hue of the ocean and hair the color of dried salt. She wore clothing that was woven from seaweed and inlaid with pearls. When Umirra saw her, he spoke to her with kind words and flattered her with poetry and bewitched her with his tongue. So Marida took Umirra beneath a whirlpool to the khedivate of her father and there to seek his hand in marriage.

But the khedive was wroth with his daughter and lashed out in his anger, grievously wounding her. So Umirra healed her. Then the anger of the khedive cooled upon seeing what Umirra did and he consented to their marriage.

So Umirra and Marida were wed and soon produced triplets -- sons Amir and Bhamut; and daughter Sekhat. But Marida died in childbirth and in his grief, Umirra followed -- a victim of his own hand. So the khedive cast the infant brothers out of his presence and handed them to the rulers of dry land to raise them, saying, "These are children of the land." But the daughter he allowed to remain for she resembled her mother and the khedive could not bear to part with her.

The Princes of Erenes II: The Counsel of Heimos and the Deicide of Brand

When the chariot had come to rest upon the Aksus, Heimos, captain of the Princes, looked out upon the world of Erenth and declared that if man should heed their counsel, then the Princes would reward them. In return, the Princes would be as gods to them and protect them and keep them safe. And the people who were gathered there said, "Let it be," and paid obeisance.

Then to demonstrate their love and their trust, the Princes set aside the robes of their magnificence and the mantles of their regency; and they stepped foot upon the Aksus as if they were only the peers of men. But the kings of that time were savages and unlearned. They were jealous of the Princes incomparable wisdom and jealous of their luminous beauty and jealous of their immense power.

"If these Princes of Erenes come among us," they said, "we will have no more power forever."

So the kings of men attacked the princes and speared Brand, who was as a son to Heimos, the captain of the Princes. This kindled a great fury in Heimos who put on his robe of magnificence and the mantle of his regency. Then he raged with thunder and lightning and slew all of the kings who had come to him to pay obeisance.

Then the Princes of Erenes gathered around and their grief was great for the broken body of Brand, but the fear of their captain was even greater. 

"Let us each go out into the Four Lands, and tame the lords and kings of men, for they know only evil which they have learned from the Vyrum. Let us therefore go among them and show them a better way."

But Heimos could not be consoled in his wrath. He placed the body of his son, Brand, on a pyre made from the chariot and burned it upon the Aksus, while the princes slipped away in the darkness to fulfill their plan.

Mykrojurs went to the Land of Eastrun. Lamon went to Northrun, Umirra went to Southrun, Ris went to Westrun.