Anubis/Anpu

“Life, but a shadow of existence true.”

Anubis is the Lord of the Dead and the Guardian of Souls. His most important duty regards the proper keeping of souls in the afterlife, and his priests concern themselves with funerary proceedings. They also battle undead, perform exorcisms, and hunt down those who flee their proper deaths. When a person reaches Anubis with a Divine Intervention as they die, he may decide that it was indeed not their time, restoring their soul to the mortal coil.

On Jaern, Anubis is known as an organized yet patient and caring god. Many of his priests, in addition to presiding over funerals and times of mourning, also run bureaucracies for their home cities. On Cahyali, Anubis takes a somewhat less gentle bend - owing to his bloody associations with Dahabu's conquest of the continent. Anubis is also the patron of dogs and other canine creatures.

The sign language of Tusparol was created by Anubians on Jaern, and quickly became the universal sign language. Although Cahyalian Tusparol is slightly different, it is still intelligible. People attribute this to the divine guidance of Anubis in unifying the language of his followers.

As the primary aspect of Anubis in Jaernian worship, the Caretaker has no distinct name, only a title, and is otherwise simply referred to as Anubis. He is believed to have originated as a mortal in Torandor's distant past, and is the one who brought the release of death to an ailing, stagnating world and established his divine plane of the Infero to house and transport the souls of the dead. The myth of the Infero's creation can be read here.

He is known to be a stickler for paperwork and proper processes. When his priests arrive in the afterlife, they must finalize their paperwork pertaining to spells such as Deliver before they can pass on to the Infero. The Caretaker appears as an 80-foot-tall, jackal-headed man wearing black-and-white robes, seated on an enormous adamantine throne at the entrance to the Infero - where he passes his judgment on them before sending them off to the afterlife.

On occasion, when Anubis appears to someone in a vision, he appears in a study filled with papers, sitting at a desk as he signs and stamps them. The pen he uses is far too heavy for any mortal to pick up. In this form, he is only about the height of an average human, and speaks in a gentle, tired-sounding voice.

He rarely leaves the Infero; myth states that living souls cause him pain when in his presence. So, when matters require the Caretaker's attention in the living world, he usually sends a mortal priest or one of his many servitors. Although he can speak, he often uses the sign language of Tusparol to communicate.

Long ago, before the conquest of Cahyali at the hands of Dahabu, the Cahyalian god of death had no single name. He was known by titles only: the Lord of the Underworld, the Silent One, He of Beastly Visage, etc. The Dahabi pharaoh Anpu-Khasti changed this, as his near thousand-year reign was filled with war, bloodshed, and death on such a scale that legends following his death would raise him to the height of a god; thus, the Cahyali name of the god of death has become Anpu.

Anpu is feared as a bringer of death and war, and respected as the lord of all beyond the pale. He is seen as a stern, kingly figure who rules with an iron fist and a sense of ultimate authority. Depictions of Anpu show him as a larger-than-life man wearing an ancient pharaoh's crown, robed in vestments which evoke the image of a jackal. All details of his face and figure are shrouded entirely in shadow. He rides on a white horse adorned with gold, and blood soaks his steed's hooves.

Worshipers of Anpu often serve their nations' militaries, dedicating themselves to delivering their enemies swiftly and inevitably to the hands of their fearsome god.

This aspect of Anubis is rather minor and rarely worshiped, and is told of primarily in the folklore of small rural villages across both Jaern and Cahyali. They tell stories of a ghostly black dog who wanders graveyards, ensuring each person interred within is laid to rest and guarding the graves from those who would disturb them, such as necromancers and grave-robbers. This specter is often called the “grave-grimm” by those who tell of it.

The grimm also exemplifies Anubis' role as the patron of dogs, protecting feral canine packs and guiding the paws of working animals. Those who place some trust or veneration in the grimm may send a prayer to it when their furry friend is in poor health, asking for healing or at least a painless passing.

Unlike the greater aspects of Anubis who appear as awe-inspiring humanoids, the grimm is no larger than a mastiff, and appears out of shadows. It sometimes looks more wolflike, and sometimes more like a domestic dog. Its eyes, carrying an odd spark of intelligence, glint with silver and gold, and its pitch-black form is smoky and spectral. It does not speak except to those who may have some connection to animals.

The greater aspects of Anubis have distinct origin myths, with the Caretaker's past being spoken of at length in Jaernian legend. He is believed to have brought death to an ancient, undying Torandor, which had been choked by unending lives and rampant overpopulation. Once, the only way to leave Jaern was to become someone of greatness and be taken by the gods to the “Cielo:” a plane of peace and beauty.

A young Anubis went against the old gods, and the Cielo would end up being sunken into the ground - becoming the Infero. Anubis would then take up the post of caretaker of the dead and judge of souls.

Anpu's origin is dubious; some say the ancient Dahabi pharaoh ascended to godhood after his long and successful lifetime of conquest, and others say that the pharaoh was always a god, who descended to the earth to bring glory to Dahabu. The actual, historical identity of Pharaoh Anpu-Khasti is mysterious. Though he is referred to with masculine terms today, scholars don't know whether he was actually a man, nor do they know of his appearance or even his race.

Worshipers of Anubis are called Anubians. Followers of Anpu are more specifically referred to as Anpuans, although some people hesitate to conflate the gentle and patient orthodox Anubian temple with the fearsome and warlike Anpuan temple.

Anubian temples are known as Sepulchers, which usually take the forms of relatively simple buildings built with drab materials. Cemeteries surround them more often than not. Sepulchers function as funeral homes and mortuaries, and the dead are brought here to be embalmed and then interred. Sometimes, a Sepulcher will also function as a shelter for stray dogs. It is not uncommon to see packs of (usually tame and friendly) dogs roaming about Sepulcher grounds. Mourners take comfort in the animals, often stopping to pet them on the way to or from a funeral.

Anpuan Sepulchers are not usually standalone buildings, and are built as a wing of an existing garrison where Anpuans live and train.

Due to their connections with death, Anubians are often also asked to assist with solving murders. They make short work of this process by speaking with the deceased or discovering, through their divine magic, the location of various clues to the case. Some Anubians work full-time as detectives.

The orthodox Anubian temple believes that there is only a single correct path to life, although this path differs for each person. Part of Anubian study is finding this path, usually through close study of the Fervun (Book of the Dead), the Anubian holy text. This attention to word and detail has translated to Anubian excellence in bureaucratic matters, so Anubians are often asked to take care of clerical tasks for their home cities. More often than not, the temple gladly accepts this request.

A group of about six elder priests manages each Sepulcher, presiding over the others there. They are referred to as the Recenzisto, and report directly to a region's high priest - and are also in charge of the high priest's appointment.

Most Anubians wear robes of black and white, with accents of red or gold. They carefully apply jewelry and makeup, and some Sepulchers have incredibly complex guidelines concerning the proper application of adornments for their priests.

A Jaernian festival held on the first day of Pim (10/1) each year. Dedicated to all those who have passed on in the previous year, this is a very beautiful and enrapturing ceremony. Thousands of candles are lit, choirs sing sonorous songs about the afterlife, and a rich feast of rare and delicious foods is served.

A spiritual holiday helmed by the Anubian and Anpuan churches across both Jaern and Cahyali, despite being a largely communal effort from those that celebrate. Having originated from the Splintian holiday La Migración, this is a day dedicated to the lives of all those that have passed on, and is said to be a day during which their souls return to their families, just for an evening.

It is traditional for families to set out altars dedicated to the deceased adorned with imagery of butterflies, skulls, and jackal heads. It is also traditional to leave out food, specifically sweet breads, for the deceased as well as personal items of those who have passed to remember them by. Some families who have access to them will also put out photos or paintings of the dead on their altars as well. While most of the time, this tradition is limited to the walls of the family home, some communities in which the celebration of this day is particularly strong will throw community-wide events where food, stories, and celebrations abound.

It is most important to note that this celebration is not a somber one. Yes, it is a day of remembering the dead, but it is most importantly one that acknowledges and celebrates the lives that they got to live and gives families a chance to share in their grief and continue to live in spite of it, for someday they will be reunited again in the Death God's halls.