Wraedan

Aliases	Grimlord, The Shepherd, Nightlord
Portfolio	Death, Night, Souls
Race	Dragon God
Status	Alive
Dragonflight	Black
Symbol	Crescent moon surrounding seven pointed star.

Death comes to all mortals in due time. It was Wraedan who understood this as necessary. For there to be any room for growth and to avoid undue suffering, Wraedan introduced the finality of a mortal life. This was done in order to give it true meaning and to drive the pursuit of purpose. While this might seem a callous decision to some, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Every mortal soul is precious to Wraedan and when their journey in the mortal realm has ended he guides them to their afterlife. For those who honored a particular deity, he walks them through the Aetherium to their realm where they may dwell. For those who followed none in particular, he brings to his realms where they may rest in peace. To assist him in his work, Wraedan created the Black Dragons.

Perception

Death is necessary. It is a facet of the mortal realms that is unavoidable and inevitable. Death gives the actions and meaning of a mortal life a beautiful finality to it. Every action has consequence. Every day holds more meaning because those days are numbered. None quite understand the necessity of the cycle of life, death and rebirth quite as well as Wraedan. The Shepherd is the chief architect of the cycle and as such bears the burden of being one of the deities most feared by mortals whether warranted or not. As the God of Death, Wraedan does not oppose Life, quite the opposite. As the beloved husband to Raella he is her balance. As the Guardian of Mortality, he ensures that the wild creations of Aedrin do not rampage out of control thus allowing a give and take to exist between mortals and the wilderness.

Wraedan is a deity that is frequently prayed to among mortals. In most instances it is as a mortal is begging him for more time in the life they presently live. In others it is in seeking comfort in the aftermath of death. For just as Wraedan is Death he is also known to be a comforter to those in mourning. Across the cultures of Ransera opinions on him vary from being revered to being regarded with outright dread. As the God of Death, many view him with abject terror. As the Shepherd of Souls, most do not understand his significance. As the Nightbringer he is often misunderstood. Through all of these things however, Wraedan is patient. Wraedan's responsibilities are many and his actions carry immense weight in realms both mortal and immortal.

Wraedan is unmistakable for anything but the god he is whenever he appears to mortals. He is prone to appearing as an ashen skinned male with pitch black hair and eyes that burn like a fire in the night. He is almost always dressed humbly, in a simple shirt, pants and boots. The only thing of real color on his form are two golden scaled bracers that cover his forearms. It is well known that these were fashioned from the scales of his beloved wife, Raella.

As a dragon, Wraedan is colossal. He is eclipsed in size only by the Dragon King himself. Of all the Dragon Gods, Wraedan is the one seen most frequently in his full glory. While he rarely appears as such during the daytime he is most often encountered at night as a dragon with midnight black scales that shimmer like dark jewels. His wings when spread, carry pinpoints of starlight highlighting his role as the King of the Night.

Dogma

Unlike many of the other deities both Dragon God and Mistlord, Wraedan has never offered a particular philosophy to mortals on the subject of death. Death is what it is and it takes many forms. Some peaceful, many not so. He sees death as a neutral force in the universe which is to say that it is neither good nor evil. It is not lawful. It is not chaotic. It simply is. He leaves mortals to decide how they exit their life and merely shepherds them into their afterlife or walks with them as they step into their reincarnation.

Similarly he has little to say on mortals interpretation of the Night. Like the Darkness that his sister Naori embodies, it is absent of philosophical alignment in his regard. The night is a cosmic force that is simply opposite of daylight. He has never stepped in to say there is right or wrong way to pay homage to him or what he represents. He is described as being filled with many blunt truths that are neither comforting nor cause for despair. Death is irreverent of rank, station, creed or philosophy. It does not discriminate. This mentality is very common in Wraedan's followers. Overall, Wraedan is very much like his sister Naori in that he leaves mortals to make up their own minds about what they believe and how they perceive the world.

The Shepherd and the Afterlife

Wraedan does not pass judgement on the dead and rarely does he pass judgement on the living. He is a guide who encourages mortals to find meaning in what is meaningful to them. To those who follow no god or spirit strongly in life, he is their steward and caretaker in the afterlife. Some souls choose to assist him in his work of balancing the forces of life and death in the universe. It is said that he turns those souls into more of his dragons. Some simply stay in his realms because it brings them peace. For those who followed either a god or spirit strongly in life, he takes those souls to the side of whom they believed in and followed.

Wraedan is known to be utterly intolerant of the abuse of souls. Demons that trade in souls. Creatures that harm, abuse or disrupt souls, are all abhorrent to the Death God. Those entities that are cunning enough to snatch up a soul before he or his dragons can properly guide it are anathema to Wraedan. As a result, such dark and twisted entities go to great lengths to evade his attention for it is the quickest way to awaken his wrath. Wraedan mandates that his followers destroy these creatures and entities wherever they are encountered so that the souls they've stolen can be returned to the proper cycle. Wraedan views most undead with either grim amusement or mild annoyance depending on the individual.

Necromancers walk a precarious balance in the Death God's sight. Manipulating the forces of life and death does little to garner much attention from Wraedan. Mortals do it all the time utilizing various methods both magical and mundane. It is in the tampering of souls that necromancers must be wary. Making a pact with a soul is one thing. Imprisoning a soul and siphoning its energy as little more than a common fuel source is a quick way to earn Wraedan's ire.

Notable Religious Factions

Wraedan has no specific religious factions. Those temples and organizations that choose to affiliate with him do so based on their own philosophical ideals and values. He occasionally deigns to bless them but in most instances he is content to let them form their own beliefs.

Demigods

The Dragon God of Death has sired few children with mortals. Those mortals who do earn his love and devotion earn it for the duration of their existence. He is known to guide, guard and comfort them throughout each of their lives until they ultimately come to stay with him in their afterlives. His first love is and always will be the Goddess of Life, Raella. Much like her, Wraedan was not at all happy with Eikaen's decree of having no involvement in raising their mortal children. Still, he understood the necessity behind it. Those mortals in his lineage that do awaken to their heritage find themselves quickly embraced by their divine father. Being the descendant of the Death God carries many burdens and many expectations depending on the culture.

Nazam

A powerful Draedan Avatar, the Demigod of the Stars is well known. Indeed, the black sands of Nazam's Hearth are named for him as he makes his home somewhere among the dunes. The demigod tends to be a recluse in most instances but is not unwelcoming of company. He is a gifted scholar and is considered to be a pioneer in the field of necromancy. It is not unheard of for him to be seen in the Republic of Cathena. Following the Sundering, he is accompanied at all times by an ancient white dragon, Celezi the Unyielding, a gift and promise from the Masked Queen to both him and his father for a great sacrifice Nazam performed.