Skorn

Appearance

Skorn is depicted as a towering, grotesque figure, his form twisted and corrupted by chaos. His skin is slick with the blood of countless fallen warriors, and his eyes burn with unquenchable fury, like molten embers deep in his skull-like face. Clad in jagged, blood-stained armor adorned with the skulls of those slain in his name, Skorn carries a massive axe that consumes the souls of its victims. He is often seated upon a Throne of Skulls, surrounded by the wails of the fallen, his presence a reminder of endless war and destruction.

Origin

Skorn’s origins lie in a tragic fall from grace. He was once Abaddon, the Archangel of Justice, and a proud servant of Unknown, the God of Life. As one of the most revered archangels in the Host of Helion, Abaddon was the enforcer of divine justice across the realms, ensuring balance and righteousness throughout creation. In his original form, Abaddon was a symbol of divine retribution, delivering punishment to those who wronged the innocent.

However, his downfall began at the end of the Second Age: Twilight of Creation, in the bloody wars between the True Dragons and the rising Elf empires. These wars, fueled with vengeance and betrayal, saw the Elves turn against their True Dragon creators, massacring many in a bid for freedom and power. Abaddon was called upon to mete out justice, and while his duty was to restore balance, the betrayal of the Elves filled him with an uncontrollable fury. The act of rebellion and the slaughter of the True Dragons enraged him to the point that his sense of justice gave way to wrath.

Driven by vengeance rather than righteousness, Abaddon descended upon the Elven armies, slaughtering scores in a fit of divine fury. His wrath was so consuming that it led him to break the laws of justice he had sworn to uphold, and his actions began to tear apart the fabric of order that Helios had strived to maintain. His unchecked violence and descent into chaos marked the beginning of his fall.

Fall from Helios

Seeing the dangerous transformation within his once-noble servant, Helios acted swiftly. As chaos began to corrupt Abaddon's soul, turning his thirst for justice into an insatiable hunger for vengeance, Helios was left with no choice but to banish his corrupted Archangel. Abaddon was cast out of the Unknown and banished into the depths of The Nine Hells for his transgressions, where his once-pure essence was consumed by the forces of Khaos.

There, in the infernal depths of Irath, Abaddon was entirely consumed by rage for Helios' perceived betrayal. His once divine form twisted and distored into the Khaos god now known as Skorn. No longer the embodiment of justice, Skorn became the god of Wrath and Bloodshed, feeding on the anger, vengeance, and violence that plagued the mortal realm. The more chaos he embraced, the stronger he became, his divine nature fully corrupted into the terrifying force of destruction that he is today.

Powers and Abilities

• Wraith of Wrath: Skorn's power is tied directly to the violent emotions of mortals. As wars rage and blood is spilled, his strength grows exponentially. He thrives on conflict and his presence can incite madness and bloodlust in even the most disciplined warriors.
• Wrathsworn Weapon: Skorn wields a massive, blood-drinking axe that consumes the souls of its victims. Those slain by the weapon are not granted the mercy of death but are instead trapped within the weapon, their tortured spirits fueling Skorn's power.
• Storms of Rage: In moments of great violence, Skorn's fury manifests in the physical world as storms of fire and lightning. These ragestorms mirror the chaos in the hearts of those who fight in his name, sowing further destruction.
• Vengeance Incarnate: Once Abaddon, the Archangel of Justice, Skorn retains some of his former divine strength, making him a god capable of punishing with divine fury. His wrath knows no bounds, and those who invoke his name can gain terrifying power in exchange for their humanity.

Connections

• The Fall from Grace: Skorn, once Abaddon, represents a cautionary tale of how justice can be perverted into vengeance. His fall from grace is one of the most tragic transformations in the celestial history of the Pantheon, and his former comrades within the Host of Helion view him with sorrow and caution, understanding the danger of unchecked wrath.
• Pantheon of Khaos: Skorn is now a central figure within the Pantheon of Khaos, embodying the rawest and most destructive aspects of chaos—unpredictable, uncontrollable, and insatiable. Other Khaos gods, like Skoll and Valkur, respect Skorn's unmatched capacity for violence but fear his volatile nature.
• Symetrius and the Riftways: Despite his immense power, Skorn’s chaotic essence is contained within the Plane of Khaos by Symetrius, the Custodian of Order. This confinement ensures that Skorn cannot fully manifest in the Prime Plane, though his influence can still seep through rifts and corrupt mortal hearts during times of great strife and war.

Legacy and Legends

Skorn’s fall from grace has left an indelible mark on the cosmos. Where Abaddon once sought to protect and uphold justice, Skorn now revels in the chaos of war. His worshippers, known as the Wrathsworn, see him as a god of endless conflict, and they serve him by waging wars, seeking only bloodshed and violence in his name.

Skorn’s influence is strongest during periods of great strife and suffering. When mortals turn to their darkest emotions—wrath, revenge, and anger—Skorn’s power surges. His followers are known to invoke his name before entering battle, and they offer tribute through violence rather than prayer or sacrifice.

Skorn’s Throne of Skulls—said to be located deep within the Plane of Khaos—is a monument to the lives lost in his name. Built from the remains of those who have fallen in battle, it serves as a grim reminder of his insatiable thirst for bloodshed.

Imprisonment and Immortal Influence

Though Skorn is imprisoned within the Plane of Khaos, his influence reaches the Prime Plane in times of great turmoil. As wars rage and mortals give in to their basest instincts, Skorn's essence seeps through the rifts in reality, corrupting the hearts of those who crave vengeance. He does not need to physically manifest to cause destruction; his presence is felt in every act of violence, every moment of anger.

It is also believed that Skorn, like the other Khaos Gods, is fueled by the eternal dreaming consciousness of Unknown, the Watcher in the Abyss. This connection to the abyss grants Skorn his immaterial essence, making him an ever-present threat to the order of the cosmos. As long as anger, hatred, and violence exist in the hearts of mortals, Skorn will continue to grow in power, an unstoppable force of chaos. His legacy as both Abaddon and Skorn marks him as one of the most dangerous gods in the Unknown, a deity who thrives on the destruction of order and the eternal cycle of war.