Abhirati

Abhirati is the goddess of destruction, chaos, lust, and ambition. She is the fifth born of the deities.

Description

Abhirati, when appearing in human form, shows herself as a honey-skinned woman in the full blush of youth. She has shaded, almond-shaped eyes hued a deep amber. Her hair, a deep black, falls straight and rests about mid-back, when not held in elaborate headdresses.

Her clothing is typically ostentatious, yet reflects the tropical nature of her home climate. Elements of her costume remain the same over the millennia. Black gauze is a common material, as are gold workings. Other colors are typically sparse, though bright. She is never without her daggers, which are serpentine affairs.

Her movement and mannerisms are highly sexualized. She prefers to speak in whispers, up close. As a deity, she seems to be capable of simulating physical proximity with more than one individual at a time; it is suggested that this is illusory.

Personality

Abhirati is known for her varieties of anger (both hot and cold) and her general willingness to destroy anything in her path. Her legacy is one of ruin, if not outright demise.

Ambition is a trait she holds in high regard from her devotees, but failure is dealt with harshly. Those within her favor receive the finest in luxuries, vices, and vanities. Those outside of her favor and within her general presence do not live long.

Location

Abhirati maintains a Temple on the tip of the southern crescent of Morida.

History

Abhirati remains a prominent figure in both Alanna's country of Silice and her own continent of Morida. She goes through periods of dormancy ever several centuries, and the people of both continents are granted time to recover from her exploits.

Diplomatic Relations

Abhirati is the figurehead of all but a handful of governments on Morida. Even when she slumbers, her image and religious dogma deeply affect the populous.

Her relationship with her siblings is tumultuous, at best. Abhirati has made a permanent enemy of the goddess of life, Alanna. The rest of her brethren are neutral enemies, during periods of non-conflict. Her closest brother, Sirus, regards her as a tragic mistake and waste of talent. Nanami does not tolerate the antics of her sister well, but does not act directly unless direct action is taken against her. Rodrik and Abhirati have almost an amicable animosity. Like Alana and Abhirati, Rodrik and the goddess of chaos fight one another as a matter of course, although on a much smaller scale than The Goddess Wars

Territories

Between the Second Goddess War and the Fourth Goddess War, Abhirati maintained ownership over the northern isles of Silice.

Worship

The typical symbol used for Abhirati are a pair of crossed serpentine daggers. In some sects, the daggers are not only serpentine but serpents. The type of serpent depicted in these cases differs on the particular group the worshiper belongs to.

Assassin's guilds that incorporate serpentine blades or serpents can always be traced back to Abhirati on Morida, and oftentimes can be found to have the same source on other continents, as well.

Moridian clergy are some of the most fanatical around, and can be considered infinitely more dangerous than your average disciple of any other deity.

Daily Life

Houses in Morida possess a shrine of some form. This can be as simple as a small alcove in a hallway, or as complicated as a dedicated room. In the northern areas, the temple for an entire household will be in a centrally located atrium. In the southern areas, each living space is equipped with its own shrine.