Liao

Description

Liao is revered within the Nagan Empire as the God of Death, also known by the title Judge of Fire. Though legend claims he was born from a volcanic eruption, the truth is that Liao—like the other gods of the Five—was created from the divine flesh of Diion during Diion’s imprisonment in the Third Age.

He is often depicted as a stern and fearsome figure, his face charred black like charcoal, engulfed in living embers, and bearing a flaming glaive. His dominion over death is tied to the turning of the seasons; each autumn, it is said that Liao descends into the mortal realm to weigh the souls of the departed, judging whether they are worthy of peace or punishment. To his followers, Liao is not merely a bringer of death, but a guide and protector—one who shields the living from true evil and ensures that souls find their rightful place in the afterlife.

Dragon Form

Like the other gods of the Nagan Pantheon, Liao may take the form of an oriental serpentine dragon, a manifestation of his divine essence. His scaled body gleams with the dark green sheen of leaves in late autumn, talons black as polished ebony, and eyes smoldering with inner flame. This form embodies the essence of autumn itself—the season of change, decay, and renewal. His scales mirror the dying foliage, while the fire in his gaze speaks of both destruction and the purifying force of flame.

Throughout Lunora, dragons are revered as symbols of wisdom, strength, and guardianship. For Liao’s followers, calling upon his dragon form is more than ritual; it is a plea for resilience against the upheavals of life, for protection against ruin, and for guidance through uncertainty. To them, the dragon form is not merely a symbol of his might but a vessel of his wisdom, reminding mortals that even in endings there is the promise of renewal.

History

Born not of volcanic fire but of divine sacrifice, Liao’s existence is rooted in Diion’s act of fleshcraft during his imprisonment beneath the Imperial Garden. Crafted to embody death, fire, and the autumn season, Liao was both guardian and judge, ensuring that the cycle of life and death remained unbroken.

Over centuries, his worship flourished in tandem with the rhythms of harvest and decline, becoming one of the most respected yet feared aspects of the Five Seasons faith. His role as arbiter of the dead cemented him as an inescapable force in the worldview of the Nagan Empire: inevitable, necessary, but never fully loved.

Personality

Liao is impartial and solemn, embodying the inevitability of death. He is patient yet uncompromising, embodying the duality of fire: its destructive wrath and its power to cleanse and renew. While not cruel, his nature is relentless; he weighs all souls with equal measure, sparing none from judgment.

Unlike deities of warmth or comfort, Liao does not coddle his followers. Instead, he teaches resilience and acceptance, encouraging mortals to face mortality with dignity and courage.

Views on the Other Four

As judge and keeper of balance, Liao holds nuanced views of his divine siblings:

• Gao (Harvest & Time): Respected as a provider of sustenance and prosperity. Liao values Gao’s abundance but recognizes that without death and decline, the harvest cannot renew.
• Takata (War & Winter): Approached with caution and respect. Liao admires Takata’s strength and endurance but remains wary of unchecked hardship and suffering.
• Nori (Love & Water): Viewed with compassion. Liao sees Nori’s nurturing force as vital but warns of the dangers of unrestrained attachment and emotional imbalance.
• Laaos (Wisdom & Spring): Held in the highest esteem. Liao respects Laaos’ wisdom as essential to maintaining balance. He often seeks Laaos’ counsel, acknowledging that wisdom shapes how death should fit within the greater cycles of the world.

Overall, Liao respects all of the Pantheon, working to temper their extremes and ensure that their powers together sustain rather than destabilize the natural order.

Worshipers

The mainstream faith venerates Liao as a vital—if sobering—pillar of the seasonal pantheon. His dominion over fire, death, and autumn is seen as both necessary and inevitable, and thus he is respected across the Nagan Empire and much of Lunora. Yet reverence for the Judge of Fire is tempered with dread, for his absolution is final and beyond appeal. While most approach Liao with solemn respect, certain sects interpret his dominion through more radical means.

• Firekeepers of Liao – An extremist sect that pushes veneration of Liao into zealotry. The Firekeepers believe that only through sacrifice and flame can mortals appease the Judge of Fire, twisting his role into a demand for constant offerings. Their rites involve ritual burnings, self-mutilation, and acts of martyrdom, often carried out in public displays meant to terrify as much as inspire. Once tolerated within the Empire, they were formally outlawed and exiled from Nagadao after their practices incited panic and unrest. Comprised largely of priests and monks radicalized into fanaticism, the Firekeepers proclaim Liao as the supreme god of the Five, above all others.
  
  To them, death is not merely natural—it is sacred, and may be hastened whenever omens or visions demand it. This has led to countless tragedies of misinterpreted signs and needless deaths. Despite imperial suppression, the sect persists in hidden enclaves and remote villages, recruiting from the desperate, the broken, and the devout. To their followers, fire and death are not ends but gateways to transcendence. To the wider world, they are a cult of terror, feared for their fanatic devotion and unpredictable violence.

Avatar

The Legendary Avatars of the Five are revered as living vessels of divine will—champions chosen by the Nagan Pantheon to serve as mortal representatives. Each Avatar demonstrates extraordinary devotion, wisdom, and talent in service of their patron deity, embodying their god’s essence in flesh. Becoming an Avatar is a rare and sacred honor, granted only to those who have performed acts of exceptional piety or heroism.

It is widely believed that each of the Five maintains one Avatar within the world of Midora at any given time, though scholars debate whether multiple Avatars could exist simultaneously. Their presence is seen as both a blessing and an omen, for an Avatar’s emergence often signals great upheaval in the Empire.

Abilities

• Judgment of Souls: Each autumn, Liao traverses the mortal realm to weigh and guide departed spirits.
  
• Fire and Renewal: Commands sacred flame that destroys corruption but also fosters rebirth.
  
• Dragon Ascendance: Assumes a vast serpentine dragon form, embodying destruction and protection.
  
• Balance Keeper: Maintains cosmic equilibrium, ensuring that death tempers excess and life cycles can continue.

Possessions / Relics

• Tanto, Liao's Touch: A cursed blade shrouded in mystery and enigma.
• Liao's Judgement: A legendary katana forged by the skilled dwarf blacksmith Ben Bolo and blessed by Liao.
• The Ember Glaive: A flaming polearm wielded by Liao in both his divine and dragon forms. Said to burn with the fire of judgment, searing away falsehoods.
  
• Ashen Masks: Sacred relics worn by his priesthood during funerary rites, representing impartial judgment.
  
• The Autumn Pyres: Hidden ceremonial sites across the Nagan Empire where his followers perform rituals of cleansing flame.

Legacy

Liao’s legacy is one of inevitability and balance. To the people of the Nagan Empire, he represents the harsh truth that death cannot be avoided, but also the comfort that it is part of a greater cycle. His presence at the turning of the seasons reminds mortals that endings are not final, but necessary steps toward renewal.

While extremists like the Firekeepers stain his name with blood, the broader legacy of Liao remains one of solemn respect. He is not loved as much as Nori nor admired as much as Gao, but he is acknowledged as indispensable. In art, literature, and ritual, he embodies the fiery autumn winds that strip the leaves from trees, clearing the way for spring’s rebirth.