Guardian of the Dead Gods
| Unknown Status, "The Hound of the Dead" | |
|---|---|
| Pantheon: Ennead | |
| AoC: Guardian of dead gods | |
| Worshippers: Funerary priests of the Ennead | |
| AL: LG | WAL: Any |
| Symbol: Black-furred wolf | |
| Home p/r: Astral/Wanders | |
| Allies: None | |
| Enemies: None | |
| Favored Weapon: Flail | |
| Domains: None | |
| Subdomains: None | |
| Known Proxies: Betita Khab (Px/♂ human/M14/LG) | |
This being was once known as Anubis, guardian of the dead for the Ennead, but now and for ages hence, they've been known only as the Guardian of the Dead Gods. Then as now, they most commonly take the form of a muscular, dark-skinned, humanoid figure with shadowed eyes, their form marked by iconography of the black-furred wolf, the imiut, or the scales of Ma'at.
Prior to this state, in the course of his duty with the Ennead he grew well-accustomed to the Astral Plane, the realm through which his pantheon's followers traveled to reach their final end. However, as time went on, he grew increasingly off-put by the growing number of godcorpses within that plane. Over time, oddly for a power, his time watching the conduits gave him a strong sense not just of his own mortality, but that of all deities; a sense that was truly solidified when he caught sight of a group of mortals attempting to rend a godcorpse apart for reasons unknown, scavenging for building materials, spell components, or who knows what.
Wishing to stop this senseless dissolution of all that remained of those who he once considered compatriots, Anubis cast off his divinity through unknown, obscure means. He became something else, something neither mortal nor divine yet somehow straddling the two. Taking upon themselves the role of steward of the dead gods, they began to watch, guarding the floating islands from others that would do them harm. Though they still have some worshipers, and even a small number of priests, they possess no realm and grant no spells (such priests gain their powers from the whole of the Ennead, though they may not be aware of this). Instead, they merely sit and watch, defending the graveyard of the Astral, intervening only when necessary to defend the integrity of the dead, or when something severely upsets the balance of life and death amongst the divine, and relying on the word of their sole remaining proxy, Betita Khab, to inform them of events across the plane.
The Guardian only manifests themselves nowadays at a threat to one of the godcorpses, though what constitutes a threat none can say; githyanki settlements go unmolested, Athar tours of the Astral rarely brook appearance, but individual corpse-thieves often risk raising the Guardian's ire. They are said to spend the majority of their time these days simply adrift upon the Astral in their throne, noting Khab's reports or their own observations within their Book of the Dead. Though they once held close relationships with their father Ra; their mother figures Hesat, Bast, and Nephthys; and their distant ally and companion Hermes, since their transformation they have avoided all interactions with any divine entities. On those rare occasions where they do manifest, they still grant servants of these deities, or of other respected members of the Ennead, slightly more latitude than most, but otherwise they have refused all connections they once held, no longer even journeying to the Godmoot lest their duties be neglected.
Reference
- Deities and Demigods, Third Edition, pg.136
- A Guide to the Astral Plane, pp.38-39
- On Hallowed Ground, pg.87
