Dezzik
From Zok
Dezzik is the eldest of the war gods, and son to Zokthis. The god of the sun, his goal is to bring his light to the darkest depths, and to rule over all his light shines upon. His worship is frowned upon by most good societies, but all are forced to admit that those nations which devote themselves to his service and follow his teachings become mighty and prosperous. The patron god of tyrants, Dezzik is infamous for his rape of Tyani, an act which earned him the enmity of Gulzek, Mozik, Tyani herself, and Gern; but also an act which has granted him one of his mightiest lieutenants in his son by the forced union, Lord Aki. When Gulzek’s armies attempted to defend Tyani from him, Dezzik challenged his brother to single combat, obliterating Gulzek’s left arm and left leg arm and permanently scorching his body. Dezzik wasn’t too concerned with Hirzek’s assault upon Mozik (Mozik, though a brother, was hardly an ally) but he was shocked by Hirzek’s choice to trade his hard-won glory for an unliving shadow. Dezzik violently opposes necromantic magic or anything which would increase the power of Krai. Dezzik’s goal is to rule over all existence in a blazing eternal noon, and he is as anathema to darkness as he is to hope and joy. Dezzik is the progenitor of the goblins, his answer to Mozik’s gnomes, and the patron god of the nation of Dronos. He resides, along with his servants, in the Sun City, where he sits upon his glass throne and surveys Asriphil and the Plains of Glass.
Contents |
Statistics:
Thirsty One, The Blazing Hammer
- Greater Deity
- Symbol:
- Spiked Sun disks
- Any glass sphere/disc
- Home Plane: The Sun City, The Plains of Glass
- Alignment: Lawful Evil
- Portfolio: Goblins, war, fire, sun, glass
- Thirsty One: Drought, Envy, malice, passion, conquest, vanity
- Burning Hammer: Tyranny, discipline, conquest, vengeance, dueling
- Worshippers: Tyrants, aristocrats, monks, desert tribes, goblins, glassblowers, attacking soldiers
- Cleric Alignments: LN, LE, NE
- Domains: Fire, Sun, War
- Favored Weapon:
- The Thirsty One: Flail (Shard, a dire flail made of bronze and glass)
- The Blazing Hammer: Unarmed Strike
Dogma
Dezzik teaches his followers to hone their minds and bodies. He believes that it is the duty of the wise to rule over the foolish, and the duty of the strong to enforce this rule. The Thirsty One tells his followers to take what they want by force, exhausting every possible avenue before striking to perfect effect. As the Blazing Hammer, Dezzik commands his followers to build mighty and beautiful cities, and to use their power to rule over the lands around them with an iron fist. He incessantly bludgeons his worshippers with droughts and famines to drive them to attack their neighbors, and discourages acts of mercy: those who fall beneath the lash did not deserve to stand.
In addition to his worshippers, Dezzik claims the souls of all those who die of thirst by exposure to the sun, or on the Plains of Glass. Unless he or his minions find another use for them, they shall toil in his service in the Sun City or war eternally on the Plains of Glass.
Clergy and Temples
The Thirsty One:
Temples to the Thirsty One are usually carved of white sandstone and heavily decorated with sun symbols and bas-reliefs of Dezzik’s greatest victories: his rape of Tyani and his defeat of Gulzek in single combat. They are usually placed within a larger temple or monastery to the Burning Hammer for protection, but if isolated they are surrounded by high and thick walls built in the shape of a sun disk. Temples to the Thirsty One have as their center a circular pool of pure, clear water placed in a large chamber with no roof. Any may drink from this pool, but only after they give an offering to Dezzik. The temple is filled with gold, gems, works of art, fine fruit trees, and every other earthly luxury anyone could thirst for (sometimes including a well-stocked and perhaps well-enchanted harem). Needless to say, these temples need occasional defending in the desert wastes in which they’re commonly located. Larger temples are usually served by a nearby monastery or by a small cadre of Dried Ones or fire creatures. Visitors are welcomed cautiously, and their weapons and an offering must be given to the priests (the former for holding until they leave) before they are granted welcome. Worshippers of the Thirsty One are perfectly willing to use force to obtain visitors to "entertain" if offerings or travelers are scarce.
The Blazing Hammer
Temples to the Blazing Hammer are similar to those of the Thirsty One in their thick and heavily-fortified design, and in the central room open to the sky. They differ in their contents, however. While temples of the Thirsty One are filled with delights, temples to the Hammer are (while still ornately decorated with images of the glory of Dezzik) filled with tests and trials. Often doubling as monasteries, they contain a massive glassteel altar in place of a pool of water. This altar serves as a stage upon which duels take place, and the blood of the duelists is viewed as a great offering to Dezzik. Clerics of the Blazing Hammer spend their time honing their bodies and minds, striving to hold themselves up to the high standards Dezzik places upon the leaders of his people. In goblin communities they are the central governmental authority, and in other communities they strive to either become the rulers or to aquire the leaders’ trust in order to advise militaristic and totalitarian agendas. Clerics or monks devoted to service of the Blazing hammer often become undead or abomination hunters, journeying to bring the fiery blaze of Dezzik’s glory to bear against the dark creatures that would weaken reality itself.
Allies:
- Lord Aki: God of Illusions
- Kren Nulgi: Goddess of the Stinging Sands
