Mariella

The god of dark magic, chaos and natural destruction. They have myriad forms, and are the most mercurial of the pantheon in terms of the shapes and icons that they are recognized by, however, the tarrasque and the Iron Hag, a multi eyed crone with a crown of metal antlers are the most recognizable. While not openly worshiped in many areas, many cultures in Almora will pay desperate lip service to them during natural disasters. It is also said that there is a roaming island in the Nisean Ocean that pays exclusive homage to their chaotic deity. The first known legend of Mariella is how they split from Carrinda, the god of order and knowledge, when a primordial god of magic was cut in half during the Divine Culling. Ever since then, the two siblings have ever been in conflict, waging war over magic and the fabric of reality itself. 

 

Divine Authorities

• Domains: Tempest, Blood

• Oaths: Conquest 

• Pacts: Hexblade

• Ways: Long Death

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Divine Armaments

• The Iron Helm. A jagged iron helm, made to look like a mesh of metal antlers. Commonly worn by Mariella’s aspect as the Iron Hag or Mariella’s high priest (Usually a hag as well). 

• The Hag Scepter. An iron scepter topped with a petrified heart. The heart is rumored to be either the heart of the previous god of death, or the heart of Mariella’s first follower ever.

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Faiths and Followers of Mariella

• Libitina. Worship of Mariella is technically illegal inside the bounds of Libitina, and there are no official temples or shrines built to Mariella. However, there are small pockets of followers, particularly around the volcano, and its not uncommon for commoners to whisper a prayer to Mariella during natural disasters. 

• Diaspora. After suffering the worst disaster in the history of Torieus, and perhaps all of Almora, there are hardly any followers of Mariella among the Diaspora, though some small shrines and temples have been hidden away in Tartarus as remembrance of Orchard’s destruction. But following Mariella is widely considered taboo here.

• Refuge. Though the most unpopular deity in Refuge, it is not uncommon for some older sailors to carry a small charm dedicated to Mariella in case their airship gets caught up in a storm, especially if they/ve lived through one before. However, besides charms and the occasional prayer during crises, dedicated followers of Mariella are difficult to come by. 

• Feyborn City States. There are some small shrines and temples dedicated to Mariella inside Spider’s Keep, and Mariella’s nature as a god of chaos is far less frowned upon. Many followers of Sylph also pay minor tribute to Mariella, though it’s not too common.

• Greyscale. While Mariella is the least popular god in Greyscale, there’s actually a decent amount of small cults and temples dedicated to Mariella (as Mariella inherited a lot of Tiamat’s followers). Mariella is depicted as a Tarrasque, and as a dragon with a grey, Obsidian, and Rust dragon heads. 

• The Red Isles. Mariella is worshiped amongst some of the tieflings on the Red Isles, as they view Mariella as an important match to Carrinda, as well as being a protector from the Blood Sea (an unnatural disaster). Some theorize that worship of Mariella was inherited from the mysterious traveling island...

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Divine Realm: The God Spire. The God Spire is a shimmering, twisted spike of infinite possibilities and dreams, which stretches forever, and according to some, into the Astral abyss. Souls dedicated to Mariella are placed inside the spire, where they get to live out endless dreams and possibilities for all eternity. Or, they can enter into Mariella’s celestial legions to protect the spire and wage war against the forces of the lowest.

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Mariella’s Court

• Saint Knucklebone, the Iron Hag. An avatar of Mariella, and high priestess of Mariella.