Xantherus, Guide of Lost Souls

Xantherus
Guide of Lost Souls
Domains: The Afterlife, Eternal Rest, Planar Travel
Holy Symbol: A Torch
 

“When the lights go out in the dead of night, fear not the reaper just out of sight. We sleep, we dream, we heed the call, for Xantherus holds the hands of all.”

Often depicted as a shadowy figure, torch in hand, wearing a tattered travelling cloak with a large hood covering its face, Xantherus is an Eternal from Achriddat, the continent across the sea to the east of Mirokath. Xantherus was designated as the tender of souls and became the ethereal guide for those who die. He determines whether a soul is strong enough to resurrect or if it will achieve final rest with the Eternal who created it. To Xantherus, death does not signify the end of life, but is only a stage of one’s eternal journey.
 

Tenets
The world is large and ever evolving, so Xantherus’ first tenet is to make peace with the world before you leave it. After a soul stops resurrecting, they must forfeit all their worldly possessions and attachments and they transcend to the next plane to be with the Eternals and all the friends and family who preceded them. Due to the nature of life being a path with no natural way to prolong the journey, Xantherus teaches his devotees to strive to achieve their goals while living. Achieving serenity and peace in death stems from having no regrets in life, which is the root of fulfilling all of one's earthly desires.

“Inner peace breeds outer peace.”

While the concept of planar travel may be relatively new to the inhabitants of Mirokath, those in Achriddat understand and believe that, just like when undertaking any other journey, one must be careful when moving between planes. Xantherus teaches his followers that only those who are willing to let the cosmic energies flow through them may go where they wish to go, or else they may become lost on the journey, forever stranded in a state of being between the living and the dead.

“A pure soul is the compass between worlds.”

The last, but by far the most important tenet Xantherus preaches is that one shall not end a journey unless it threatens your own. That means that acts like murder and killing outside of necessity or self defense violates Xantherus’ most sacred law.

“Roads may wind and cross, but never at the others’ expense.”

 

Clergy

Those that worship Xantherus mostly develop pacifistic or defensive principles in life. They view combat as a final resort and would much rather pursue diplomatic solutions to resolving any conflict. They believe that life is a journey walked by all, and one should never purposefully hinder or distract another from their path.

 

The Church

The Church of Xantherus welcomes all and provides asylum to those in need. Very few physical Churches exist for Xantherus due to the nomadic nature of those who devoutly follow his teachings.