Hades

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Hades is the oldest son of Chronos and Rhea. One legend has it that Chronos swallowed Hades and his eleven brother and sister titans. Kronos did this because of a premonition that they would depose him. Somehow the sons and daughters escaped, and eventually Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon slew their father.

When the Primordials began to mobilize for the Creation War (1486 DE - 8777 DE), Hades sought out Bruh Kreniik. He was against the undoing of Creation, so he joined the side fighting to keep it around. Coming under the protection of Kreniik came at a cost. As part of this protection, Hades had his energy composition manipulated. It was advanced stuff for the time, such that a mistake had a cascade effect that in under a century, cleansed Hades of all the entropic energy that once ran strong in his make-up.

Hades first task was joining a team of Lith-Crillion scientists. His help was the breakthrough needed for the construction of the first voidship from a living organism. The other top scientists were Anubis, Ptah, and Set. After the Âni-Zandân passed its flight tests, Bruh Kreniik decided it was time to put the four to more important tasks. Elevated to 5th Rank Angels, they were sent off to help lead Covenant armies against the Primordials.

Much of Hades's work in the Creation War involved caring for the wounded and placing the dead in secure resting places. He had to do this because some of the primordials had a penchant for necromancy. One of the worst of these was Maen Grirngrim. Hades despised this being more than any other, fearing his knowledge over the necromantic arts and his ability to raise angels from the dead, turning them into undead angels of fearsome might.

Hades spent centuries handling soul energy and carrying for the dead, so it was no surprise when the he took on the Domain of Death. As a God of the Dead, he shepherds souls to the netherworld where they are then taken to the Soul Gathering System corresponding to their disposition.

Undead are an abomination to Hades, a direct affront or rebellion against his divine authority. He is also against the use of Cairn Scythes.

It is often said that Ares and Hades work together, with Hades welcoming the slain in the cruel wars of Ares. Hades greatest enemy is Thasmudyan, the God of Undeath. The two differ in their goals, Hades putting souls to rest, and Thasmudyan seeking to return the soul to service as some form of undead.

Priests of Hades seek the permanent rest of the dead, destruction of Undead, and obliteration of cults delving into undead practices. These tenets are diametrically opposed by those held by priests of Thasmudyan. Hades also opposes the use of resurrection, raise dead, reincarnation, and similar spells which seek to deprive him of subjects. For nearly a century, up until the Grim Harvest Crusade (1462 - 1464), he was a greater power. During this time, his Divine Power was such that restoring the soul to its corporal form was restricted by nearly 40%. In the Grim Harvest Crusade followers of Thasmudyan purged those of Hades. By war's end Hades had lost so many followers that he was on the brink of becoming a Lesser Power.

When the Black Tide struck terror across the lands in the Black Tide War (1465 - 1504), assassins were hunting his worshipers across Brucrumus and into Karterus. For nearly a century, anyone who worshiped Hades was either a stalwart or a fool as thousands died at the hands of Black Tide inquisitors. As a result of the loss of many places of worship and tens of thousands of followers, he lost divine power, becoming a Lesser Power.

After the Artery War (1546 - 1554), with the Black Tide driven from Brucrumus, Hades worship returned with a vigor. His priests emerged from their secretive temples, starting the Hades Renewal. Proselytizers were sent across the lands to spread the word of Hades and recover religious relics lost to them in the two wars with Thasmudyan's pawns.