Zela-Rakishi

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Spheres of Influence: Vengeance, Berserking, Battle Raging, Frost Giants

Tenets of the Faith: The worshipers of Zela-Rakishi view revenge as a dish best served always, it doesn't matter its temperature. Zela-Rakishi claims all vengeance as hers, seeking it no matter how slight an insult. Seeking vengeance for others is required at least once a year, sometimes for free or for coin depending on the vengeance dealer. Not every vengeance performed has to result in death, though many do. Clever vengeance dealers often find special punishments reflecting the crime of their victim.

Their holiest ceremony is known as the “Apply Fury” ritual in which they capture a target of a vengeance or one who falsely tried to use their services. They bind the target to an altar and shove apples down the throat of target. These apples are always green and blessed by the head priest. The blessing causes the natural poison in the apple seeds to strengthen and seep into the apple juices making it a deadly poison. The ritual continues until the victim dies of poisoning or suffocation.

The priests do not worry if the target be unable to choke or immune to poison, as the ceremony always ends with the victim’s beheading. Once beheaded, a whole, unused blessed apple will be placed in the remains of the neck connected to the head. The body will be burnt and the ashes spread in an apple field. The head with the blessed apple in it will be planted in a sacred grove for future rituals. On occasion, these heads will be planted in a normal apple grove of an unsuspecting farmer. If the ritual was favored by Rakishi, the trees in the grove will produce green apples in their next growing cycle, despite the type of apple it was before. These apples will be worthy of blessing.

Priestess who develop white hair are considered blessed by their gawdess, though many bleach their hair. Where worshipers mate, 1 in 10 children often have white hair or develop it early. Every chosen one of Zela-Rakishi have all had white hair since birth. Surprisingly these chosen ones have had varying temperaments ranging from good to evil.

About The Church of the Vengeful Mistress

Priesthood: Vengeance Dealers

Symbol: A green apple with a human skull in the center

Colors: White and green

Place of Worship: Any place with an apple orchard. Sometimes they will have small stone shrine in the shape of a beheading block.

Holy Days: Once a year a vengeance dealer must seek out someone to perform vengeance for.

Sacrifice: Apples burned with the corpse of one slain in vengeance. The "Apple Fury" ritual describe above is held for special vengeance moments.

Raiment: Chainmail bikinis with green links and white straps are worn for all rituals, even if not worn in combat. Their raiment are quite popular in some communities, those smart enough not to slight these priestess.

Revered Names for Deity: The Jade Lady, Granny Apple, Vengeful Mistress

Deity's Appearance: Rakishi appears as a twelve foot tall beautiful woman with green skin and white hair. She wears a bikini made of chain mail and wields an ancient bronze leaf shaped blade, tarnished green with age.

Advancement within the Order: Advancement in The Church of the Vengeful Mistress is an easy task...if you are worthy. With their very loose to almost no organization structure, often advancement is all about how many vengeances you have done and how many "Apple Fury" rituals you performed. The quality of vengeances matter in regard to the apple fury ritual but not in amount of vengenaces you have done, thus the most spiteful who seek vengeance for ever minor insult raise quickly in the ranks.

Confederate Faiths: Tarakus, Klaw-Keel

Adversarial Faiths: El-Tir, Dragon Queen

Sayings: I want him dead, I want his whole family dead! - Revenge is a dish best served...NOW!