Sgrios Mass: Introductions

Greetings, all, and thank you for joining me here today. I have raised several congregations from dust to fire; as befitting of Sgrios as anything in Temuair, even our religion decays. It is important for me to remind myself at which part of the death-birth cycle I’m teaching, admittedly it sometimes eludes me. That being said, with so many fresh faces lining the hall these days, I figured it’d be a good time to make some introductions: who am I, who are you and who is Sgrios?


My name is Leanna Runda, Sgrios priestess, though most know me as Paramour. I have spent nearly my entire life in the service of Sgrios; I came to this temple as a troubled youth and, since that day, have worked tirelessly to tend to this shrine and those who worship within. I became a priestess under the guidance of our High Priest, Van Morgan -- the man who has, even in his absence, been an inspiration and spiritual leader to all member of the clergy. Echoes of his accomplishments still sound in the chambers of this hall. I do not claim to know all, but what I do know I’m always happy to share and the things I don’t I’m always excited to learn. If I am awake in the land, I am typically standing in this very spot; I encourage you to seek me out whenever.


Every one of you has your own reasons for worshiping our dark lord. I was drawn here by His overwhelming love and compassion; sentiments that were unpopular with the congregation of the time. I have tested most, if not all, of you for admittance and I rarely get the same answer when I ask what draws you to our faith over all others. Some are drawn to the shadows in which we do our work; preferring the comfort of darkness to the harsh reality of light. Some are agents of chaos, here to embrace anarchy and sow discord throughout the land. Others are drawn to His power, seeking mastery over death itself. The diversity in our devotion is testament to the complexity of the God which we worship - for, even though we all approach Sgrios from a different angle, each of us is justified in our praise.


Take a look at the Gods of Temuair and tell me if you see any whom don’t appear to belong? Amongst the bearded old codgers and and muscle-bound men, there are two who cast distinct silhouettes. Deoch, who burns like a torch, and Sgrios who spreads his influence like a shadow. So who, then, is Sgrios? This isn’t always an easy question to answer; for he has many faces and not all of them are pleasant to gaze upon. A monster and a savior, a being of unworldly power and a tragic prisoner. Sgrios is a God of duty and performs his tasks regardless of the perception others hold of him -- this should be a lesson all worshipers spend time absorbing. Sgrios reigns over the realm of Chaos. He is the God of Decay and the gatekeeper of the realms beyond. Like the beasts that stalk the halls of this castle, Sgrios is a Dubhaimid, a creature of darkness. While it has been theorized that Sgrios was once a man, these claims have yet to find any solid evidence to support them.


Situated as he is in the fragile order of Temuairian Gods, our allies on the Octave are Deoch and Ceannlaidir. Better allies we could not ask for; Ceannlaidir has always swung his mighty sword in our defense and Deoch, our Dubhaimid brother, created the very Aisling spark that Sgrios has charged himself with protecting. One might name the enemies of our order without even looking at a chart of the deities. Gramail, whose foul laws would even seek dominion over death itself and Cail who is our direct opposite in the Death-Birth cycle are the two who stand against us. Luathas is opposite us on the Octave, having aligned Himself with our enemies.


Chances are, if you are here today it is for a reason, and if you worship Sgrios it is that you have found in him something you wish to pursue in yourself. The beauty of giving praise to a God so complex and multifaceted is that we can always find a place in His heart to occupy; for if there is room for me in this congregation, there is room for any. Over the next several double-moons we will explore our faith deeper, going over history, lore and supplications. In the meantime, I’d encourage any who have questions or care to know about a particular topic to reach out to me and I will do my best to present my teachings here at mass.