Taur

The god of death and gatekeeper of the underworld, Taur constantly makes his way between the Shadow Realms and the Divine Realms through the Twilight Land. He judges souls as worthy of passing on to Ishranna or being cast into the Ulag. He is a tall and stately man with a short dark beard and shaven head. In his left hand he carried the iron shod staff of judgement, while his right holds a scroll containing the names of the dead. It is said that his voice can frighten spirits and command the dead, even clerics of other gods show deep respect for clerics of Taur.

When Taur is judges the dead unworthy he dons a black hooded cloak with a gauzy face to hide his features as he sends them to the Ulag. In this same tradition executioners don similar garb before killing their charges.

Far from the largest number of temples, the clerics of Taur tend to gather far outside of most areas when they can contemplate the afterlife in peace and solitude. They travel into the towns and villages to talk and preach to the people and soothe they worries for several months before again traveling back to their temple to cleanse their own soul. This means that most of Taur's clerics are on the move and strangers in the areas where they preach. Intead, they feel it is best to keep moving until Taur finally calls them home.

Taur's temples are always located in remote areas and only visited by his clerics. The clerics currently staying at the temple are responsible for its upkeep and expected to leave any extra funds and take any they need before they leave. There are many times a temple may not have any clerics within its hallowed walls. Still, there is no fear that someone may wander by and steal anything for only a fool would steal from the god that judges their soul. To the clerics eternal damnation is its own reward for such an act.

Any cleric of Taur can find the nearest temple by simple instinct, fasting, and prayer. If an area does not have a temple, they will use what fund they have and have one constructed. If they need more, nearby temples will send clerics or messengers with the necessary funds.

Shrines and sanctified areas are even more difficult to find and fewer clerics can find them. Those clerics that have special needs or doubts will find themselves drawn to those shrines where they can clense themselves of such matters. Often this requires months of travel, but to a cleric of Taur such a thing is of little import when balanced against eternity.

Hourglasses, waterclocks, sickles, iron staves, and other things associated with the passage of time, harvest, or judgement have been long associated with Taur. These are always displayed on a field as black as coal and deeper than the night. Worshippers often use black prayer beads, silvered amulets of interlocking circles, or gauzy veils to call his attention to a soul in need of gathering.

Most people will turn to Taur when they have lost someone close and they wish to send them to a peaceful rest. They will burn incense and say prayers on the day of the burial and then again on the yearly anniversary of their death until the hand of Taur tells them they have passed on.

This knightly order or warrior-clerics travel the land searching for the restless dead. Whether conjured by a necromancer or simply not buried with their full last rites, the knights combat the undead and send them back to await their judgement. They will then perform the last rites to ensure that they never return to the world. Those found to be practicing necromancy will find themselves the eternal enemy of the order and if caught will be burned alive so that their sins may be cleansed.

While many people believe that rituals to Taur should take place at night when the spirits are restless, this is actually not necessary. Over the years this rumor is now believed as fact because many of Taur's most powerful rituals are done alone in silence. Since most people sleep at night, the clerics of Taur logically find the best time to commune with their god and grant the souls a safe journey and restful sleep at night. For these rituals a cleric of Taur will hide their face and softly intone the words in time to the solemn beating of their staff upon the ground.

This is the last new moon of the year and a time when Taur releases the spirits of the dead that have not been judged upon the world. Those houses that do not appease these spirits may find that they have a series of visitations during the night. It is common to appease them with sweetcakes, wine, and fat candles. The spirits seek to find a mortal that will pray to Taur on their behalf so that they may pass into the Afterlife. The longer they have been in the Twilight Lands, the more violent they can become. It is possible for the oldest spirits to partially manifest themselves upon the world and attempt to take their revenge upon those that have forgotten them.

It was Taur who stayed the hand of Lom in carrying out the judgement of Byrne against Nar-dök when the devils created the norfaun. Taur proposed a game of cups for the life of the devil. When he won Bryne spared the devil, but instead of freeing him he punished the devil by making him wander the Ulag in search of escaped souls. Nar-dök is now the guardian of Ulag for all eternity.