Writings of Rion the Scholar - 4th Entry

This note is found inside a Dilapidated Urn in the Remnants of Korvan City. Following today's investigation of the tombs and temples of Korvan City, I must say I am more confused and, frankly, enthralled by the Korvan faith than I could have possibly imagined.

Today I had the privilege to bear witness to a ceremony at the Temple of Rahn, where the ascendant himself was present to perform the honorable rite. It is my understanding that Rahn holds domain over the sun itself and it is by his blessing that the sun rises each day to warm the earth and give life to the harvest. The ceremony itself was brief and involved the slaughter of five goats upon the golden altar, their blood spilled into the carving in the form of a many-pronged sun.

Rahn was a splendor to behold, his skin as golden as the suit of armor he wore. The armor glowed with burning energy and yet, as some of the acolytes in the temple described to me from their blessed opportunities to lay their hands upon it, is cool to the touch. With the way he presents himself it is easy to see why his followers believe this man to be a deity. The acolytes tell me that this is actually the 12th incarnation of Rahn. His father was the 11th and so on down the patriarchal chain of his family. Each of them had allegedly lived for centuries, and each had willingly given his life in the service of the Eldritch Sun. I was astonished to discover that the deification of this figure was his birthright. It does however lend credence to my suspicions regarding the true nature of these Korvan gods.

The acolytes of this temple were more than eager to share Rahn's history with me. I swear if I let them, they'd talk all day of his countless accomplishments and divine intervention. But what did catch my attention was the presumed rivalry between Rahn and another deity they call Ateph, the lord of the moon. As this rivalry heated up, Ateph, I've learned, had slighted the Eldritch Sun and was thus banished from setting foot in Korvan City or to ever again feel the warmth of day upon his flesh.

But the divine Korvaak was not without mercy. Once every 30 cycles of the sun, the disgraced Ateph was to make pilgrimage to Korvan City and make an offering upon the grand temple steps. This is an extraordinary and incredibly creative explanation for the cycling of day and night and the wax and wane of the moon.

If this strange practice of ascension weren't enough, the people of the Korvan valley also appear to deify native animals and sometimes odd combinations of people and animals. The Korvan gryphon is a particularly common target of this practice. The creatures apparently live in rigid hierarchical packs which elevate a singular, usually male, individual to an alpha known by the Korvan people as a Sovereign. These gryphon Sovereigns are then worshiped by locals as minor deities.

The intricacies of the Korvan faith are remarkable but it must not go unmentioned that they all lead back to Korvaak in one fashion or another. I shall focus future investigations on this penultimate deity.

See also:
 * Writings of Rion the Scholar - 1st Entry
 * Writings of Rion the Scholar - 2nd Entry
 * Writings of Rion the Scholar - 3rd Entry
 * Writings of Rion the Scholar - 5th Entry
 * Writings of Rion the Scholar - 6th Entry
 * Writings of Rion the Scholar - Final Entry