Nezeril

"'It seems that Nezeril was even an outsider to the old gods.'""-Lord Professor Henrus Kline on the 14th of Sharus AeP 446 in the crypt on Piyla in the Southern Isles."

Accepted Lore
The last of the ancient gods is Nezeril. He claims the change of seasons and all that comes of it. The orange godstones of his making have not appeared to mortals in centuries. In the modern times little is known of Nezeril. Of the old gods he was the most cunning and the least predictable. He was known to be greatly capricious, his moods changing with the seasons. He could be both cruel and caring, both patient and wild, vicious or merciful, and charming or mocking. In the War of Ascendance he rarely took a major role. Unlike the other gods he commissioned no armies and made no monsters. Instead he had a group of cultists fiercely loyal to him. These humans would strike at the rebellion causing great devastation each time. At the end of the war he disappeared. Many rumors spread about his location. Some said he hides in the Southern Isles, other rumors say he masked his face and walks among the new civilizations, more rumors say he left Var’Tareen never to return. But these are just stories for though the new gods seek him out they have yet to find him. His cult still exists and is small but rooted deep. They reside everywhere waiting for his return. They fought the War of Nezeril from the Wildlands but the god himself was never seen. It is also said that they have power over magics none others have. It is a dark and primal form. Whether this comes from Nezerils ancient origin or something else entirely is unknown. In an ancient vault in the Southern Isles that predated the War of Ascendance, archaeologists found all magic but Nezeril’s. This led Henrus Kliune to hypothesise that even to ancient humans, worship of Nezeril was rare.

Cultists of Nezeril spring up around Var’Tareen every few decades. They cause great pain but are usually dealt with by the Legion of the Dancing Winds. In one such encounter in AeP 446, Legionnaire Zonah Safar was cursed by the cultists to always experience a bitter winter. The magic of Nezeril went through him and he was forced to carry it with him. Wherever Zonah went the temperature dropped and the sky was usually cloudy. Rain became snow and water became ice. Zonah fled to Carufell but was not able to shake his curse. This helped combine with the winter released by Veldud. Eventually in Carufell spring started to appear, but near Zonah it remained the coldest part of winter. Zonah could also act as a kind of source for season magic. When fighting a Drel’Mareath Behemoth, Deryl was able to channel a storm spell through Zonah to create a blizzard which froze the Behemoth in permafrost. Zonah himself was a follower of Rallia. He never worshipped Nezeril or tried to aid the Herald. But he could not shake the curse.

Stories of Nezeril
Nezeril is the primary subject of one of the myths in the Book of the Ancients. The myth is called Nezeril and the Three Princes. It tells the story of how he helped destroy a rebellious city from within. A similar tale was told by an old scavenger below the tunnels of Tarabrenth. Some suspect Tarabrenth to be the city from the Three Princes, however the timelines don’t quite match. The tale the old woman told was as follows:

''"Have you ever wondered what happened to Tarabrenth? How it fell with its walls intact. Some speak of a plague, some speak of a curse. But I know the truth. It was no weapon of war that felled the city. No, No, not at all. You see friends, Tarabrenth tore itself apart. In the early days of the War of Ascendance, before even the birth of Rallia, the city stood proud and fair. Waves of enemies broke themselves on Tarabreth’s walls. It seemed that this city would be the hope of mortals. Six of the gods were at a loss, so they turned to the only one who could help. They sought the Herald of Change. You see though Brenmon was the strongest, Ghendar the fastest, and Fjara the most magical, only the Herald could win the battle. For the Herald of Change understands humans the most. What makes us move, and laugh, and cry. In the night the Herald slipped into the city using these very tunnels. He took the disguise of a soldier on the watch. He went through the ranks spreading rumors. He said to the watch “look how your officer laughs at you. To him you are nothing more than a body between the gods and his glory.” Next he took the disguise of a baker. When people came to buy bread, he said to them “today your bread is small and burnt for our masters in the guard take from me the best loaves.” More forms the Herald took and more rumors the Herald spread. Until Tarabrenth came to a boiling point. The people took to the streets and the guards left the walls. The king knew he had to do something. So he went before the crowds and tried to calm them. But the Herald knew the king was no speaker. He was a tactician and a schemer. So when he spoke to the crowd he did nothing but make it worse. Within a week the city tore itself apart. All that is left lies below."''

Ancient Era
The reliquary beneath Piyla contained powers of the six of the old gods. All but Nezeril. Lord Professor Kline suspected this was because Nezeril was an outsider even then.

Modern Era
Besides the War of Nezeril, the cult of the Old God is almost entirely unknown. However in AeP 446, several explorers found an idol to Nezeril below Tarabrenth. Additionally they also encountered the Crypt Keeper. This being obviously worshipped Nezeril. It also had immense supernatural powers. It could use the power of the Herald of Change to rearrange the tunnels it occupied. It was unclear if the Crypt Keeper was acting alone, but it killed both Zayn Shmitty and Yoseph Thelandir. Veldud Mirthfow found its lair and a godstone of Nezeril. He used the godstone to shuffle the tunnels and make his escape. In the months following these events, Carufell experienced the worst winter in decades. The shrine of Nezeril in the tunnels below Tarabrenth was a small statue with no defined face or clothes.

Appearances
Campaigns


 * 1) Crypts of Carufell (Statue of, Mentioned)