The “Neutral” Guys | Barasc the Scarab King

"We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will." ~Chuck Palaniuk

The Scarab King is as revered as he is despised. Throughout the history of Fenwrath he has been accepted as a necessity.

Barasc the Scarab King

Barasc is the lord and guardian of the gates of hell within the plane of Limbo.  He is opposite to the Fallen One, who guards the gates into the Upper Planes. Barasc often takes the form of a large mummified corpse coated in gold filigree and dark black robes. Barasc is most known from the book “The Gods: Blatant Liars or Helpful Overseers”, where he is portrayed as a spiteful, corrupt overlord of the gates of hell. Within this book it is explained that Barasc invented a corrupted form of healing magic that would later become known as necromancy. His tampering created the first lich who was a fanatic. Barasc explained that if this lich created zombies its own power would grow along with the power of Barasc. Necromancy is a method of transferring a virus between individuals until their final death at which point a portion of the mortal soul is transferred to Barasc.

—His Followers—

Followers of Barasc worship immortality. Typically, they will wear robes of purple, red, and black signifying the colors of the Scarab King. Devout fanatics believe that becoming a member of the undead is an illustrious honor. Those higher ranking in the church become skilled necromancers, some even mastering the ability to prevent aging or heal from even the most grievous wounds.

—His Rites—

Barasc wants his worshippers to strive for immortality beyond all else. This is a way to thwart the other gods. Barasc also accepts gifts of gold and apples. The apple is placed into a small iron bowl and the gold is melted over the apple and burned. This ritual has been used to communicate with Barasc in various ways.

—Locations of Worship—

Within the country of Fenwrath, there are multiple locations of worship for Barasc. The biggest being within the religious district of Windcrest the capital city of Fenwrath. An organization known as the Forsaken worshipped Barasc within the city of Westhaven. This organization claimed to be using the power of the chaos god Illira. It was later revealed to the council of Fenwrath that this organizations goal was to summon Barasc and mysteriously the Forsaken disappeared leaving behind an empty temple and a lot of occult paraphernalia.

—His Visage and Communication—

Barasc does not appear to his followers. Instead he tends to weave fate into signs. These signs can manifest themselves in quite a few different ways. Asking for direction could lead to a familiar scent leading you down a path, or even a hand on your right shoulder leading you to the right. Doors opening or closing could mean trust someone or do not trust them. There are many ways that Barasc can and may communicate with his devout worshippers. Especially if they perform his rights.

—Harvest End—

Barasc has several goals. The obvious is his obsession with power. Another of these goals stems from his hatred of the other deities. At every opportunity he will attempt to corrupt followers of the other deities or even destroy their religious sites, usually through his own followers.

His overall goal, and singular focus is returning to the Prime Material Plane. Barasc despises the purgatory style plane of Limbo. He also hates the fact that a being of his power is reduced to ferrying souls into the torturous 9 Hells, or the 7 Hells depending on who you ask.

 In modern times, his return is just a myth among most. Some of his more devout followers believe that on the last day of Gaarmun, as the Harvest is ending, the borders between the planes are thinnest and would allow for the perfect time for Barasc to make his return. This has resulted in multiple attempts to summon Barasc over the centuries. All of which have reports of four demons or devils riding across the land, each with their own powers and abilities.

—Barasc and the Calamity—

The Third Era was marred by the Calamity. This was a time in history when the world was thrown into chaos. The planes themselves collapsed around the Prime Material allowing every good and evil thing to wander around. Barasc, along with many of the other deities, provided a portion of their power to an artifact that would be used to correct the Planes of Existence.

Once the Calamity was averted and the demons were forced back into the Abyss, Barasc was given a cozy little spot on the chaotic plane of Limbo. He was tasked by Celeste to protect the gates of hell. This put him far away from his home plane in the Endless Pyramid and in a very unhappy place.