Blind Witness

Those who observe without vision can speak without a voice. The Blind Witness is the void, but it is more. It is all the spaces between, all the events that could have been yet were not. Every lost wish makes its way to the Witness eventually, fading like stars into the immense oblivion.
—Excerpt from writings by 34th century prophet Tiyaz

The Blind Witness is an unaligned pantheonic god of lost opportunities, forgotten dreams, and the spaces between the stars.

Aserdian pantheon

The Blind Witness is an unusual deity. They are uncommonly worshiped even amongst followers of the Aserdian pantheon, and are rarely seen in parts of the world in which this pantheon does not have a well-established presence. Still, they have an important cosmological role. The Blind Witness is the god of lost opportunities, forgotten dreams, and the spaces between the stars. They are a god of the events that could have been and the goals that were left behind. They see the passage of time in the universe yet do not interfere.

The Blind Witness has no holy text, though some temples to the god contain books for worshipers to write down dreams and wishes they have long-since abandoned, which then serve as objects of contemplation for prayer.

The Blind Witness has few followers. Sects and cults to the deity can be found scattered around the world, but these are nearly always very small. Some worship the Witness out of mourning for what could have been, while others take to it out of amazed wonder.

Unlike with most other deities, followers of the Blind Witness prefer not to give any depiction to their god. To most, it has no shape or form that would make sense to the mortal mind. A simple filled black circle is sometimes used as a holy symbol, representing the totality of the god.

Edicts and anathema

Edicts: Patiently observe the passing of time, listen to others tell you of their past ambitions, ponder what could have been
Anathema: Take action on matters that do not concern you, attempt to alter the larger flow of history

Chaskan pantheon

As the other gods busily shaped the cosmos in the first era of existence, something else began to form, unnoticed at first. Every choice taken in the grand design of creation left others cast aside, slowly accumulating into an ever-growing yet simultaneously infinite mass of squandered possibilities. As the finishing touches were being placed upon the world, the mass awoke. It observed the decisions that had been made and it understood all the ones that were not, and it saw this universe could never be a place for it. The Blind Witness quietly slipped away as the other gods celebrated and fought, departing for somewhere else beyond. It now stays in its remote perch past the heavens, never taking sides, never interfering, merely watching.

The Blind Witness sees the passage of time in the universe yet does not interfere. The Witness has no herald or servants, save for its few mortal devotees, and is not believed to ever directly act upon the world.

Worship of the Blind Witness has historically been tied to the Aserdian pantheon, with most of his faithful residing in Brightmarch, though more recently his religion has spread to areas around the Chaska Sea. The stories of the deity told by his followers within the Chaskan pantheon are an unusual attempt to bring the god into the long-standing creation stories in which he was previously absent. The deity remains marginal in the pantheon, though their influence has grown steadily if very slowly over the centuries. To most the inscrutable deity is a curiosity at best, or even something to be feared, a lurker in the dark outside the direct reach of the other gods. As a result, followers of the Blind Witness often find themselves unwelcome or even ostracized for their beliefs.

The Blind Witness has no holy text, though some temples to the god contain books for worshipers to write down dreams and wishes they have long-since abandoned, which then serve as objects of contemplation for prayer.

One notable group of Chaskan followers of the Blind Witness considers the Witness to be the only real deity, and all others to be merely aspects of its infinite self, shards of possibility temporarily given form.

Edicts and anathema

Edicts: Patiently observe the passing of time, ponder what could have been, mediate disputes
Anathema: Tell a lie or knowingly spread a falsehood, take action on matters that do not concern you, attempt to alter the larger flow of history, become involved in the affairs of other faiths