Xuld

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The Xuld (pronounced k-SOLD) are entities worshiped by the Xuldorai giants of the southern Aban Steppe. The religion of the giants is complex and poorly understood to outsiders. The Amshani believe the giants pray to demons, while to the people of Abanir they venerate evil spirits and the Nameless One. In reality, the xuld are none of these, but their origins and exact nature are unclear. Xuldorai religious art depicts them as shadowy figures with horns, multiple eyes, and often many limbs, all traits that very much fit with Amshani notions of demons and Abanir beliefs about evil spirits. But to the Xuldorai, the xuld are far more complicated than the foul beings with which outsiders associate them. The xuld are believed to be the ancestors of the Xuldorai and the progenitors of each of their tribes, from whom they still derive their names. Fickle and prone to violence as they are, the xuld nonetheless are also wise mentors and guardians.

Offerings and sacrifices are given by the giants to the xuld in much the same way as the Abaniri do to their gods. Shamans within the Xuldorai tribes summon the entities only when in dire conditions, as asking them for aid always carries a steep price. None from outside the communities of the giants have yet witnessed such a summoning.

Each xuld has their own areas of concern, domains, and requirements of worship, the precise details of which are known only to the tribe worships it and takes its name.