Brazim
Contents
Introduction
Brazim is the God of Love, Debauchery and Ambition. He is a cunning man; petty, but never enough to let it drive him to recklessness, naive; but only enough to guide him to the arms of those who he might take something from. He is a God of withered joy and failed dreams, yet one with the tact and patience to see all of them through in time. The Reveler weaves threads across Arun far out of sight, whispering compulsions into the minds of warmongers to lead them to actions he desires.
History
Brazim was born the son of Maraxas, an Adac who lived long ago, before the creation of the Planes by Venadak and the extinction of the Adac race outside of those planes. He was one of the first Draedan, a piece of living evidence that the Gods could reproduce, though not with one another. His mother was a member of an alien race within the Outlands; a woman that he remembers fondly, though one inconsequential to his greater destiny. Brazim, within his early years before the exodus from the Outlands, developed his divine heritage at an unprecedented level. He became the first Draedan to unlock their domains, and eventually the first and only one to ever ascend to Godhood.
Once ascending, Brazim's following centuries became trying times. The only among his peers born to mortal heritage, he had a difficult time relating to the others surrounding him. He was easily welcomed among the ranks, yet felt that the sense of comradery formed between the Gods was hollow and empty. Their desires, to him, appeared muted; their motivations surprisingly drab, focused largely on their survival against the Outsider, who followed them from world to world, culling planets in its wake. Brazim remembered being a younger man and seeing the Adac perform great things; introducing their artifacts to young races, traveling across the galaxy and domineering the night sky within the corridors of great vessels. Now, as one of their order, he saw what he perceived to be a decay of their importance, and their purpose.
From the beginning of his life, Brazim could vividly recall a dream that he often confused with reality, or perhaps blended with his own reality, a strange byproduct of the celestial power he wielded as a divine. He could see himself at the edge of a regal balcony, a chalice of wine in his hand and a warm smile upon his lips; a crown wrapped around his head, a cape thrown over his back and a lover or two at his side. He would look down below to see a mass of women and men, looking back up at him with their hands raised, only for him to pour his wine over the edge of that balcony and have the masses below ravenously compete.
Sometimes, that dream-like vision drew out longer. The details became clearer; green fields below, cypress trees, a warm summery day meeting the vibrant colors of his palace. He would be addressed not as a King, but as something more. The Adac did not initially view themselves as 'Gods' at all, using largely different terminology: Wayfinders, Navigators, Creators, Architects. Brazim was the first of many things, and he was indeed the first to ask that others address him as a God. In his path to fulfill this prophecy, he proposed that Venadak forge a world of their own, and create mortals like the ones from his vision. From Brazim's vanity, and ambition, came the idea that Atharen be forged into existence. For others it was a means of survival, but for him, a place to be worshiped and to watch others grovel beneath him.
Brazim lived out the first few thousand years, before the Bleeding, largely as one would expect of him. He became the Hero-King of his dreams, the Poet, the Visionary. He helped forge the first nations on Icheron, which bowed to him as their patron and Lord. He took on countless lovers, among the Gods and among mortals, creating Draedan like himself to fulfill the ranks of his great dynasty.
And, with intention to save the world and be renowned as the hero who brought Venadak back to the halls of Muid unscathed, he joined the battle that raged within Adena and was subsequently corrupted and banished to Bel.
Early life as a so-called 'Corrupted One' was challenging for him, a man who adored praise as a basic fundamental to his being. He would project his awareness outward, looking through the Gate of Markhan to peer into the world, only to find others tearing down his statues and lamenting his 'fall', the 'evil' that plagued him. For a hundred years, Brazim was filled with bitterness and spite, enraged in the face of this betrayal. To be so loved by all, only to have dysentery-plagued abominations spitting on his name and battering his idols, the God was incensed. While other Gods engaged in the Endless War, Brazim sent out his Dregs to murder people who slandered him on the surface, tearing them apart and leaving them scattered through the streets. He quelled his anger with orgies, consuming the essence of other Gods' Dregs to incite some sensation similar to intoxication. He wept, and then bargained, and then eventually changed.
While most other Gods found the Corruption grating to their minds, turning them darker and more sinister, Brazim found himself becoming only more clear-headed. In place of rage, he brewed a plan. He used pleasure to manage both his corruption and his grief, and forged a weave of relationships with both the Gods adjacent to him and the Warmongers of Bel. Rather than playing a direct part in the conflict plaguing Arun's surface, Brazim would engage in a proxy war, whispering into the ears of Adac, Draedan and others, turning them against one another and remaining secure within his own bubble. Brazim became intricately aware of all that raged around him, living as Bel's broker of information, and a manager to the balance of power.
It is unknown, precisely, what Brazim wants. He is known to have a tight-knit bond with Valteran and Saren, serving as a consort to the former and a friend to the latter. In some ways, despite his ambition and vanity, Brazim's mortal upbringing appears to have given him the humility necessary to allow other Gods the podium, a fact that has kept him largely free of the toils of the Endless War. As of right now, Brazim works to make peace between Valteran and Jaxkael, hoping to turn the two embittered Gods towards the true threat domineering Arun's infernal fields: the Great Necromancer, Y'shendra.
Depiction
Brazim is depicted as he is; he is one of the most documented Adac in terms of appearance, given that he used to live among mortals as a sort of God-King. While Jaxkael yearned for such a fate, Brazim fulfilled what he believed his destiny, becoming intricately involved in Atharen's political landscape. Paintings were drawn of him, statues built. A dark-skinned, Elven looking man, scarred with a damaged ear, his clothes always elegant, every day donning a different article of gilded apparel. He would stand straight and tall, with a closed lockbox in his hands, the key wrapped around it. The contents of that box were said to be the keys to rulership and prestige, Brazim capable of offering power to any who could abscond the box from his hands.
Brazim is viewed as being wildly handsome, a blend of boyish masculinity and almost feminine glamor. While Gods like Venadak, Jaxkael and Malek represent brutal or rugged masculinity, Brazim is the face of the handsomeness of youth. Statues of him often depicted him with far less attire, inviting the eyes of local men and women to feast upon his visage. In the face of their desire, some of his statues are even said to smile, and peer directly towards those onlookers.
Domains
Brazim is the God of Love. It is the domain he was known for, long ago, back when those on Atharen's surface once worshiped him. Brazim has a very unique relationship to love - he loves more strongly than perhaps any creature alive, the feeling imbuing him with understanding, empathy and admiration for the person he cares for, on a level incomprehensible to most. He never forgets someone that he loves, or loved, nor a single detail about them. It is said that in Amurlain, exact replicas of all the people he has ever loved walk through the palace, crafted by his mind to offer him a sense of companionship in the loneliness of oblivion.
Brazim was once prayed to for this domain, as those beseeched that the one who captured their own heart be captured in turn; perhaps a wife or husband caught in an unhappy marriage would pray that their flame be rekindled, or that it be kindled in the first place. He was a favorite of the young, who would call out to him in the face of their fantastical desires.
If Brazim lost one thing within the hellscape of Bel, it was his youth. Once known to be a whimsical and idealistic man, he has since become cynical and pragmatic. His domain of Debauchery came from what was the domain of Youth; the carefree indulgence of growth, shifted into a grungy method of gratification. Brazim is a favorite of the underworld - the patron of drugs, the Lord of addiction and vice. Despite this, his own relationship with pleasure is not one of grit, but of class. Surrounded by lavender, silk, marble and gold, the Reveler looks down on the unwashed primitives below and laments their admiration of him.
Brazim is the God of Ambition. He wants all; love and power, praise and certainty. He would, long ago, chase after these desires belligerently, though his methodology has become far more cunning. Brazim's ambition carries a harrowing nature, as none seem to know exactly what it is that he wants. Would-be Emperors pray to him, but Empire seems far from his own aspirations. He was glad to allow Venadak the title of their leader, and remains so. It is said that even dominion over Atharen is viewed by him as a dull motivation; he would see the Adac fostering new races across the galaxy again, an ambition that they rule not just the Planes, but all reality.
Influence
Where Brazim's influence was once real and palpable, it has since become far less overt. He works, both on Atharen and in Bel, from behind the scenes; he pulls at strings and shifts the balance of things that he touches, carrying weight with his words and his wits rather than direct action. While many can be certain that his influence is significant, it is impossible to know just where or how far his roots spread. Among mortals, he is worshiped more commonly than most Corrupted Ones, given the penchant people from both society's underbelly and the more vainglorious elite tend to have for him.
Dogma
"Wisdom is the folly of age." These words are Brazim's most frequent association, often uttered by the young in the face of authority or domineering. Brazim believed strongly in the power and ingenuity of passion, prioritizing fervor and action. Though his ideals has shifted within Bel, much of his old teachings remain ingrained into mortal cultures. The Reveler encouraged self-worship, reverence of strength and the condemnation of inaction, building Empires of aesthetic and spectacle. He was fond of gladiators and their arenas, dancers and bards, and the liberty of intoxication.
Despite his corruption, many of these facets of him remain. Brazim continues to carry forward the moral code of strength, subjugation and pride, mocking things such as humility, self-repression and shame. In order to truly worship Brazim, one must not bow to him, but instead must worship themselves.
Aside from this, Brazim is ever the encourager of pleasure. He believes sex should be given nearly as freely as a greeting, and that none should be limited by their socially contrived idea of preference. Exploration of one's self should be, to him, a guiding principle. Many believe that Brazim was highly influential in the general belief across Atharen that sex is only peripherally meant for reproduction, as he instilled in the mortal races early on that it is a component of love and companionship as much as any other thing.
Notable Religious Factions
The Four Brotherhoods
The Four Brotherhoods are each distinctive factions, populated by tight-knit groups of Brazim's chosen. They are disparate groups of revelers, often residing in the most unseen corridors of high society. Members of the Brotherhoods often dwell within occult-like covens across the world, and are known to be the world's greatest spies, assassins and information brokers, convening with one another in secret halls beneath the feet of great Lords and vast armies. These factions are made up of the wielders of one of Atharen's few Blights, the Reveler gifting his chosen the power to appeal, to siphon and to vanish without a trace. This Blight is known as Corvo, or the Nightcrawler.
Amurlain
Amurlain is known to many as the 'Garden of Revelry', a place of surrendered inhibitions, and Bel's lost treasure. It is, doubtlessly, the most beautiful of all of Velyar's realms. Amurlain is a palace of colossal scale, larger than any known to the physical world. It appears as one out of a fairy tale, with towers and spires ascending from it, the castle constructed of an ivory-colored stone with blue and black accents, such as the roofing of the towers. The entrance to Amurlain is a great garden-courtyard, with walkways one might stroll through while approaching the palace, or viewing the abundant flowers, statues, cypress and topiary.
The structure itself is sectioned into three tiers: the entrance building, the east and west wing for desired guests, and Brazim's foundry and place of rest, the largest tower ascending from the structure. Beyond the palace gates exists a quaint city, filled with Brazim's followers, living and dead, throughout the ages since his corruption. Many claim that Amurlain is ominous, always on the verge of night, the sun seemingly setting deep beneath the horizon but never quite sinking wholly below. The city and palace can be restructured and changed as Brazim wills, shifting and reorganizing, buildings rising and falling into place. People are often plucked from the streets and summoned to the God's chamber, to fulfill his every desire.
Amurlain is permeated with pleasure and bliss; sex is rife and on every corner, and love appears vibrant. Romantic poetry and bard's song decorate every corner of the palace and the streets beyond its parameters, the rot and violence of Bel nowhere to be found.
Demigods
Caius
Most renowned of Brazim's Draedan is Caius, the first grandmaster of the Brotherhood of Scaeva and son to one of his most beloved wives. Caius is a strong, belligerent man, rowdy and smug. A Draedan of only a few hundred years, he accomplished much in his early life, eventually becoming the undying monarch of the Kingdom of Samara. Upon the conquest of his Kingdom by the Dunash, Caius was horrifyingly converted into a Dunash himself, showing others that even Draedan are not immune to the grip of undeath. He now serves as a vassal to the Emperor of the Unbreathing Horde, entirely disconnected from his father and the followers he once called dear friends and companions. This has caused Brazim great sorrow and dismay, though it is something he speaks of little.
