[pez-min]
Basic Information
- Name: Pesmin
- Domain: Spite, Malice, Vindictiveness
- Title: The Spiteful One, The Malice Bearer
- Alignment: Chaotic Excess
- Symbol: A blackened heart pierced by a dagger
- Primary Worship Area:
Physical Description
- Appearance: Pesmin is depicted as a gaunt, twisted figure, his skin like that of a frozen cadaver with icicle jutting through the skin haphazardly over its body. His eyes burn with a cold, malevolent fire, set deep within a skull-like face with sharp, protruding cheekbones and a permanently twisted sneer. His mouth is filled with jagged, broken teeth. His thin, claw-like fingers are elongated and end in sharp talons.
- Height: 380cm
- Weight: Variable
- Distinguishing Features: His most notable feature is a burning hole that carves through his chest, alongside his burning eyes, devoid of pity or mercy.
Personality
- Traits: Vindictive, malicious, manipulative
- Strengths: Ability to incite and amplify feelings of spite and malice in others, unmatched in plotting revenge
- Weaknesses: His spite blinds him to long-term consequences, making him vulnerable to strategic counteractions
- Goals and Motivations: To spread malice and spite across the world, feeding on the bitterness and hatred of others to increase his power.
Relationships
- Allies: Aligns with other Vices that thrive on chaos and destruction, such as Ormos and Aperkepsi
- Rivals/Enemies:
- Attitude towards Mortals: Sees mortals as tools and pawns to be manipulated and corrupted, deriving pleasure from their suffering and downfall.
Mythology and Worship
- Creation Myth: In the early days of the world, wise elders told a parable about Pesmin to warn against the dangers of holding grudges. Pesmin was the form given to represent grudges and spite. Over generations, the story of Pesmin morphed from a cautionary tale into a belief in his actual existence. The line between parable and reality blurred, and Pesmin was no longer seen as just a concept but as a living demon to be feared.
- Major Cults and Religious Practices: Cults dedicated to Pesmin are secretive and often hidden in the shadows of society. Although times of peace seeks to eradicate his presence in Staterum, his favour is inevitably called upon following times of great trial and war.
- Festivals: The Night of Release, a festival held by the Church of Statera, this festival seeks to reduce the influence of Pesmin, by releasing past grudges from the year, and seeking to forgive those that have done wrong.
- Rituals: Ritual of Vengeful Shadows, a dark and solemn ceremony performed by those consumed by spite and seeking retribution against someone who has wronged them. The ritual instills a supernatural sense of direction and determination in the seeker, allowing them to track down their perceived wrongdoer with uncanny accuracy.
- Clergy and Temples: Temples to Pesmin are dark and foreboding, often located in secluded areas. His priests, known as the Bearers of Malice, are masters of manipulation and revenge, guiding their followers in the art of spiteful retribution.
Significant Historical Impact
- Major Plot Points in World History: Pesmin has been a catalyst in many of the most vicious conflicts and betrayals in history. It was through his merciless guidance that the ancient inhabitants of Nordholt where wiped out to the last by the Knights of Fireoath.
- Artifacts:
- The Dagger of Spite,
- The Blackened Heart, an amulet that amplifies the wearer’s feelings of hatred and malice.
Quotes
”Those who forgive are doomed to repeat their pain.”
Background
In the early days of the world, when the hearts of mortals were still pure and untainted by malice, there existed a tale told by the wise elders around the flickering flames of hearth fires. This tale warned of the dangers of holding onto grudges and letting spite fester within one’s soul. It spoke of Pesmin, a being born not of flesh and bone, but of the dark emotions that brewed in the hearts of those who refused to forgive.
According to the parable, Pesmin was created from the first act of true betrayal. In a small, peaceful village, two friends, once inseparable, found themselves divided by jealousy and mistrust. One betrayed the other, and the wound of this betrayal ran deep. The wronged friend, unable to forgive, allowed his heart to fill with spite. Night after night, his thoughts grew darker, consumed by dreams of revenge. From this cauldron of malice, Pesmin was born, a shadowy figure representing the very essence of vindictiveness.
Pesmin grew stronger with each act of grudge-fueled revenge that followed, his presence becoming a dark shadow over the land. The elders warned that every time someone held onto a grudge, they fed Pesmin’s power, allowing him to spread more bitterness and hatred. The parable served as a lesson: those who could not forgive would ultimately destroy themselves and others, for Pesmin’s influence brought nothing but ruin.
Over time, the story of Pesmin morphed. As generations passed, the line between parable and reality blurred. The tale of a cautionary figure representing the dangers of holding a grudge transformed into the belief in Pesmin as an actual being, a demon to be feared. No longer just a concept, Pesmin was seen as a living entity that stalked the shadows, seeking to corrupt the hearts of mortals with spite and malice.
People began to speak of Pesmin in hushed tones, attributing unexplained misfortunes and acts of betrayal to his malevolent influence. Temples and dark shrines dedicated to appeasing or invoking Pesmin sprang up in forgotten corners of the world. Rituals and sacrifices were performed to ward off his vengeful spirit, or to call upon his power for those who wished to harness his malice.
Thus, the story of Pesmin serves both as a parable and a cautionary tale. It reminds us of the corrosive nature of holding grudges and the destructive power of spite, while also illustrating how stories can take on a life of their own, transforming into myths and legends that shape the beliefs and fears of generations to come.