T Humakt Y
(who-MAKT)
God of Death and War
Storm pantheon
Storm pantheon
Humakt is a son of Umath, the Primal Air. When Eurmal found Death, Humakt first saw its use and with it slew Grandfather Mortal, the first deity to die, thus opening the road to Hell for so many colleagues.
His brother Orlanth borrowed Death to slay Yelm, the Sun, in a foolish quarrel, plunging the world into the Great Darkness. Humakt disassociated himself from his brother and any connection with the Air A. In this way he maintained his honor and strength, and did not suffer destruction in the Gods' War.
Humakt has maintained his position as bringer of Death to all throughout recorded Time. He is the god of mercenaries and soldiers, and can be found on all sides in any conflict. He encourages honor and courage, and disdains pointless slaughter. He keeps the road to Hell well-populated by honorable warriors.
Humakt is one of the most single-minded of deities. In recognition of this, the Rune most commonly associated with his worship is that of Death. The other Runic Power associated with the cult is Truth.
Humakt is the god of death and war, the unyielding fate of all living creatures, both mortal and divine. Humakt, sometimes called the Silent God, is feared by all, except (perhaps) his worshippers.
Humakti temples sometimes also serve as mercenary hiring halls. He is primarily worshipped by professional warriors and soldiers. His initiates recieve gifts which increase their combat-effectiveness, but often take away from other areas of their lives.
Humakt is depicted either as an ornate sword, sometimes made from exotic materials, or as a burly armed and armored man bearing a sword.
Initiates must have at least some skill with a sword. They also swear to never use the spell Dullblade.
Rune Lords of the Humakti religion are known as Swords of Humakt. They must be masters with Sword Attack and Parry, and other fighting-related skills. Humakt gives his followers combat-, honor-, and death-oriented Divine Magics.
The Humakti religion is structured differently than many others, as it has no Priests as such. Instead, the Rune Lords of the cult provide a sort of joint leadership for the cult's members.
The worshippers of the cult can look forward to a special section of Hell reserved for them to practice their and prepare for the Final Days, or at least the next full-scale War of the Gods. By doing this they also protect Hell from in-roads by chaos. Humakt worshippers are never resurrected.
The cult cares little what happens to the corpses of their dead, save that they are treated with local respect and not turned into undead. Members usually sing a song of victory over any grave, commemorate the dead with a feast, then move on. It is not uncommon that the broken sword of the member is left stuck into the grave or funeral area.
Humakt was busy one day, polishing his swords so that they shone like the sun. Then a shadow passed over the swords, dulling them slightly. Annoyed, Humakt looked up and saw Eurmal sneaking past with a bad look on his face. Humakt challenged him and asked what he was doing there. "Nothing," Eurmal replied, but Humakt could see that he was lying and he grabbed the troublesome one. As he hung Eurmal upside down, Humakt forced him to admit that he knew of a Secret. Humakt ran his dagger over Eurmal's feet and made him tell of a new weapon that would make him even more powerful. Pleased with this, Humakt forced Eurmal to show him where this weapon was.
The two gods left for the Underworld and passed through many dangers. First were the Guardians of the Underworld, great creatures of the Earth who blocked all who would raid their kingdom. Humakt had faced demigods like these before and cut them in two, leaving them bleeding on the ground. Next was the Winding Way that confused all those who travelled there, but Eurmal had been here before and knew the way through. Then was the Sword Bridge that spanned a chasm without a bottom. Humakt was the Master of Swords and he could walk the Sword Bridge with ease, but Eurmal cut his feet badly and left a trail of blood behind him that was followed by the creatures of the Underworld. The Falling Caves almost crushed them, but Humakt used his shield to protect them as Eurmal helped them slip through a crack in the wall. At the banks of the Styx, Humakt paid his dues and Jeset ferried them across. Now they were in Hell itself and they knew that there were dangers here. They were beset by Hell Hounds, by Shadows and by the trolls that lived there, but they overcame all their enemies with the help of Humakt's Sword.
Finally, they reached a dark part of Hell, shrouded by impenetrable shadows. Hidden behind these dark curtains was a cleft that was even darker. In front of this cleft was a deity whose shadow towered over him like a cloak. This was Vivamort and he was the Guardian of Death. Humakt and Eurmal spoke to Vivamort and asked him to show them Death, but he refused. As Humakt tried to reason with him, Eurmal slipped inside and stole Death away. Vivamort sensed that Death had gone and challenged them, but Humakt cut him with his sword and sliced his shadow away, which Eurmal picked up and ran of with.
The two ran through Hell, evading their enemies with Vivamort's Shadow Cloak. Humakt told Eurmal to stop while he looked at Death. He was pleased with its power, but he knew that he had to forge it into a Sword if he wanted to use it. They settled beside a dark pool and Humakt went to work. He shaped and pulled Death until it took the correct form. He breathed on it and hit it until it became hot and soft, then he hit it again until it became hard. Finally he quenched the sword in a flagon of water and forged Death into a sword. Humakt was well pleased with this and gave Jeset his old sword to allow them to cross. As they left, the Pool Nymph reminded him that he owed her a favour and that the next time he entered Hell, he would not be allowed to leave.
They passed through the Underworld easily, for the others had seen what Humakt's Sword could do and some were still trying to put themselves back together after their last meeting. They reached the surface and met Grandfather, who was Father of Many but had no powers. Eurmal asked him if he would like to try Humakt's new toy and he agreed readily. Humakt swung Death and cut Grandfather's Spirit away from him, so that he fell and became Grandfather Mortal. Humakt realized the power of Death and performed his first Death Rites, covering Grandfather Mortal with Vivamort's Shadow to hide it from the rest of the world, for Death should be hidden.
As he had seen the power of Death, Humakt knew that it would be misused by others who were not as morally strong as he was, so Humakt vowed that he would not give Death up, that only he could be trusted to use its powers honourably.
This is a tale of Humakt, who was once son of Umath. You should know that Humakt and his brothers were once much like the Durulz, for they and their father were born without a place in the world, and had to take or make their own. So listen carefully, and learn how to make your place with dignity and honor.
From the beginning Humakt and his brothers were violent and restless; they fought many other gods. But Humakt was different from his brothers. He did not fight out of cowardice like Valind, out of malice like Vadrus, out of greed like Gagarth, or out of pride like Orlanth. Nor did he fight out of envy or even love. Humakt was not sure why he fought at all, except that when he did he did not feel incomplete.
One day when he was blowing around the world, looking for opponents worthy of his sword, he encountered Kargan Tor, the ancient god of conflict and war. "Go away, windling," Kargan Tor bellowed, "or I will cut you into ten thousand pieces." But Humakt was not afraid, and he did not go away. Then Kargan Tor cut Humakt into ten thousand pieces before he could even raise his arm. That is how quick and how skilled the Old Warrior was.
Humakt had to find and put together the ten thousand pieces of himself, but the old god had scattered them far and wide. Sometimes someone else would find one of these pieces and try to eat it or keep it for himself. Then Humakt would have to fight. So Humakt had much travelling to do, and met and fought many strange creatures he would not have met otherwise. When he put himself together again, Humakt went back to Kargan Tor, who sneered, "Go away, windling, or I will bash you into mush." But again Humakt stayed, and Kargan Tor did what he said he would do, and Humakt spent a long time putting himself together again.
Again and again Humakt went back to Kargan Tor, and each time the ancient war god would defeat him with some new attack, sometimes one that Humakt had never even heard of. Each time Humakt had to travel to new lands, and each time he met new creatures he had never met before. It was a grim and bitter struggle, for Humakt had never been defeated so badly before, and every part of his body and even some parts of his mind was broken at least once by Kargan Tor.
Then, one day, he saw something wedged under a tree root deep in a dark forest. He immediately knew it as part of himself, but it had a strange shine to it that he did not immediately recognize. When he picked it up, he saw he had found a piece of the Truth, and he felt stronger. When he next went back to Kargan Tor, he found he could hold his own a little longer than before. But he was still defeated, and so back he went to find the broken pieces of himself in the wilderness. And this coming to Kargan Tor and going to find himself again (and sometimes finding a piece of Truth) continued many, many times - Ten Thousand times. But even in those days if something escaped Humakt once he would come back again and again until he defeated it.
One day, after Kargan Tor had beaten him ten thousand times, Humakt went back again. The ancient god assaulted him immediately. This time, however, he could not defeat Humakt, because he had already used his cutting, bludgeoning, stabbing, burning, and freezing attacks, and all his other attacks on the young wind god, too. Humakt had endured and learned how to counter them all. "You have become very strong through my teachings, wind warrior," Kargan Tor intoned. "Now kneel, and you shall receive my blessing." And Humakt did so, because even then he was an honorable god and did not know the depths of deceit. But when Kargan Tor made to strike him while his head was down, Humakt sensed the attack and cut off Kargan Tor's head instead.
"Excellent!" roared Kargan Tor as his head rolled back to his body (for in those days Death had not yet been discovered). "Humakt, you are made of Truth, and in all our battles have fought with honor. Though I defeated you ten thousand times, you are the only foe who has never tried to ambush me. Know that though you act in truth, your foes will often act in falsehood. Now you are ready for them. Go with my blessings!" So Humakt found the piece of Truth that gave him a place in the world. It told him that he had mastered war, and honor besides. And it told him the secret of Truth, which is that it can only be found through struggle.
Now what I want you all to learn from this story is that like Humakt you must fight, and fight not for greed or glory or - worst of all - gore, but in the hope that you might find a little piece of Truth, and so find your place in the world.
As everyone knows, after Orlanth used Death against the Evil Emperor, the trickster Eurmal stole it and left a copy behind. Eurmal then traded Death to one god after another. In each case he stole back Death, and left another copy behind. What he didn't know, because he didn't understand Death, was that he was leaving a piece of True Death in each of the copies he formed. In this way, Death became scattered through the world. Since everyone had a small piece of Death, but no one had all of it, it could affect anyone, but no one really could control it.
When Humakt first took Death from the palsied hands of Eurmal and then used it on the Grandfather Mortal, he had come to understand the awesome power he held. He severed himself from kin to master this power alone and held himself oathbound to do so. The scattering of Death had loosened Humakt's control of it, and left him with only Honor. He swore to recover Death as his Right and his Duty.
Eurmal might not have understood Death, but he fully understood Fear and Delight. He was fully enjoying the spectacle and confusion he had loosed upon the world, and he was afraid of what would happen as Humakt's Honor exposed his dealings and deceit. Thus, Eurmal set himself to try to distract Grim Humakt from his quest for the pieces of Death.
One day, as Humakt sought the pieces of Death that had scattered through the world, he journeyed along the Road of Illusions. Eurmal knew this road well and traveled it often. He spied Humakt and assumed the form of the Lady of Masks. As Humakt approached the Lady called to him.
"Noble Warrior," she said as she assumed the Mask of Winsome Helplessness "I find myself alone on this road and I am afraid of the specters that surround us. Can you help me?"
Grim Humakt was unable to see the specters on the Road of Illusions because of his Truth, and was unable to understand Fear, at least at that time. "Woman, I am oathbound to find the pieces of Death and cannot turn aside for anything less," he replied.
Assuming the Mask of Earnest Helpfulness, she replied "The pieces of Death? I know where such a piece could be found. If you will swear to guard me to the end of this road I will tell you where it lies."
Humakt responded, "Then I so swear. Where does it lie?"
"Ah," the Lady laughed, "but if I tell you now, how can I be sure you will fulfill your oath to me?"
Humakt didn't understand the idea of not fulfilling an oath, but neither was he impatient. Even then, Death would wait its time. The two set off down the Road of Illusions.
As they journeyed further and further along, Eurmal was very pleased with himself. He knew that there is no end to Illusions, so there was no end to the Road. The more he laughed though, the less like the Lady of Masks he became. Eventually, Humakt's Truth showed him that the Lady of Masks was indeed Eurmal.
He wasn't pleased.
"Sniveling worm!" Humakt hissed, "I have no idea why my former kin has allowed you a place in his hall; but we aren't there and I have made no promises about your safety! Tell me what you know or end here!"
Eurmal sought to ease the grip Humakt had on his throat and said "Don't you recall? You swore to see me to the end of the road! And I only promised to tell you about one piece of Death."
Humakt set Eurmal down and considered what the trickster had said. He had sworn, and if he gave up Honor he would have nothing left. Then he drew The Sword, turned suddenly, and struck.
Humakt turned back to the cowering Eurmal and said, "Now, worm, my oath is fulfilled! We are at the end of the road. Where can I find the piece of Death you mentioned?"
Eurmal stood gaping at the severed End of the Road of Illusions. Ever since then, all Illusions have ended with Death.