Socharin is death, yes, but not the death to be feared. Socharin is the death that brings new life, new opportunities, new hopes. As the rotting tree provides nutrients for a sapling, as the wildfire brings flowers the next spring, as the replacement of old leadership allows new ideas to flourish, sometimes death provides the seeds we need to grow.—Excerpt from a treatise by an unknown Rudamunian refugee
Socharin (pronounced SOH-kar-in) is the god of death, rebirth, change, renewal, and plants.
Edicts and anathema
- Edicts
- Ensure new ideas and possibilities can be explored, sow seeds and tend to plants, protect the bodies of the deceased
- Anathema
- Tolerate stagnancy, speak ill of the dead, maintain unwarranted control or power
Description
In the hazy era before the creation of the world, Socharin had a very different form. A god of rulership and order, he directed the other deities in shaping the first incarnation of the universe, fitting together the cosmic pieces into his perfect design. As the gods celebrated their finishing touches, Lotan, who had observed this process from afar with anger at the structure that was taking form, struck at Socharin. They fought for a fraction of a second and an eternity, across an infinitesimally small space and everywhere at once. And Socharin was defeated, his consummate creation scattered into an unrecognizable and chaotic jumble. Chased by the other gods, Lotan fled back into the darkness, nursing his wounds yet victorious.
The gods mourned, then set to work once more. A new creation was born, far less ordered than the first, as the cosmic quintessence was arranged into something vaguely resembling Socharin’s design. As the second world took shape, Socharin was reborn, chosen by Shai for resurrection. Rather than attempt to impose his order upon it, he saw its altered form and understood - perfection comes through change and time and cannot be forced. Socharin gave his possession of the domains of rulership and law to his sister Harinna, then stepped back - he could only play his role by allowing the universe to perfect itself.
Socharin is a god of change and growth. He understands that achieving one's goals takes time and unceasing effort, and that sometimes relinquishing direct control is the best action to take. He is closely associated with death and rebirth, both of people and of the natural world. For this reason many cultures connect Socharin closely to the seasons.
Followers
Though Socharin has followers across the world, the majority of his faithful can be found in the nation of Khapesh. His devotees hail from all walks of society, though farmers, pastoralists, and others that make their living from the earth are often particularly drawn to the faith. Socharin is also important to many as a funerary deity.
Church structure
Within Khapesh, the church of Socharin is highly organized under the grand temple in Sile. Outside of Khapesh, however, there are no unified churches of the Resurrected God. Unusually for a lawful deity, his clergy prefer to maintain a more hands-off approach to managing the religion. They ensure the faithful can pray and have their questions answered but otherwise let the religion spread of its own accord.
Holy text
Socharin's holy text is The Five Days, a work that describes the return of their god from the dead. The events are metaphorically described as taking place across a span of five days, even though most other renditions of the narrative of his resurrection state it was instantaneous. The Five Days is a collection of fables mixed with instructions for the five-day-long festival of the Procession of Socharin that his faithful hold on a yearly basis.
Shorter version of The Five Days are often inscribed on stela located in and around temples to Socharin.
Relations
Followers of Socharin's faith have good relations with those of Harinna, Aduntarri, Hasamel, and others that emphasize the importance of caring for one's community. His religion is strongly opposed to that of evil deities like Lotan and Ubellur, though it takes a softer stance towards chaotic gods like Erra, Laverna, and Marya. These faiths are seen not as threats but rather more like astray children, their followers misguided souls who will eventually find their way back to the fold on their own.
Though the followers of his brother Tarhunz often have a rivalry towards devotees of Socharin, this is rarely reciprocated. Socharin's clergy believe such an oppositional stance to be behind them, a remnant of a struggle that has long since lost its meaning and purpose.
Depiction
Socharin is commonly depicted as a shepherd, often with the tools required for such a role. He is widely seen as a benevolent steward, someone who watches his crops, flock, or people, providing guidance when needed while otherwise allowing them to grow independently. In some cultural depictions, particularly in Khapesh and Ishtar, he is pictured with green skin, the color of rebirth. Many images of Socharin also show him wearing faded or incomplete royal garb, symbolizing his former position as a god of rulership.
Variations by pantheon
| Pantheon | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aserdian | Saclateni | Saclateni (pronounced sah-clah-TEH-nee) is the god of death, rebirth, change, and renewal, a deity who ensures the world never stands still. Followers of the Aserdian pantheon credit Saclateni with the establishment of the cycles through which new things are brought into being. Heis often worshiped alongside Errai, one the destruction to the other's re-creation.
Saclateni has relatively few clerics of his own. He and Errai are often invoked in prayers and sacrifices by the devoted followers of other gods, however, as together they are widely considered to be fundamental forces underpinning the world, worthy of worship and respect even if not necessarily the primary target of one's veneration. Depictions of Saclateni are split. Some prefer to picture the god in an anthropomorphized form, typically as a humble figure wearing the garb of a common person who causes new life to spring into being as he passes. Roughly an equal number of followers instead consider the god to be a cosmic force too broad and all-encompassing to be reduced to a simple depiction - these followers generally see Saclateni in all life, pervading everything and everyone. |
| Chaskan | Socharin | In the Chaskan pantheon, Socharin is cosmologically and theologically important but is rarely worshiped on his own. Followers of Harinna often pray to Socharin as well, honoring him as the creator of the universe, but in general adherents of the Chaskan pantheon do not consider Socharin to be as great of an influence as his sister. |
| Khapeshan | Sokar | In the Khapeshan pantheon, Sokar is a god of central importance. He represents the Aur River's cycles of droughts and floods that bring new growth every year. In Khapesh Sokar is closely connected to agriculture and communal prosperity, and he is worshiped across the kingdom in hopes of bountiful harvests. He is the shepherd that guides his devotees towards a brighter future while still allowing them to shape the world as they see fit. To those that follow the Khapeshan pantheon, Sokar also represents the hope that one will be chosen by Shai to be reborn into the world once more. |
| Dwarven | Surgar | In the Dwarven pantheon, Surgar is almost entirely a god of agriculture. His other aspects are heavily de-emphasized. |