Louhi and the Sorcerer Gods of Hyperborea



LOUHI & THE SORCERER GODS OF HYPERBOREA ''Hyperborea is in the grip of horrific changes. The faith of Bori is giving way to grim sorcerous cults worshipping death-goddesses, thunder-gods and other sorcerers made divine. There are many sorcerer-gods rising in Hyperborea, each with legions of Witchmen. The most famous of the sorcerer-gods is Louhi, who styles herself as a death-goddess.'' 

Pantheon
Chief Deity:
 * Louhi

Lesser Deities of Worship:
 * Ukko (weather sorcerer)
 * Ajattara (a sorceress-druid who lives in a foreboding forest)
 * Akka (the consort of Ukko)
 * Pekko (a sorcerer infamous for his sorcerous garden and taste for barley-beer)
 * Nyyrikki (a sorcerer huntsman)

Regions of Worship

 * Hyperborea

Divine Relationships

 * Bori (enemy)

Representation
Although Louhi is a mortal sorceress, she is considered to be the living avatar of the Hyperborean death-goddess Loviatar. She teaches magic, warping her followers’ bodies, minds and souls in exchange for their obedience. Louhi has many daughters; those who wish to court one of those daughters are usually sent on suicide missions by Louhi to prove their worth.

Gender representation: female

Symbolism

 * Ravens
 * White Hand
 * Skulls

Spheres of Power

 * Sorcery
 * Necromancy
 * Immortality
 * Weather
 * Control
 * Death
 * Divination

Rituals & Beliefs
Sorcerers teach that they are gods, that the world was created when the egg of a god-like bird exploded. The sky is the shell of the egg, suspended on a pole located far to the north. The shell rotates, creating the motion of the stars. The sorcerers teach that the soul is brought at the moment of birth and taken away when a person dies. Many Hyperboreans sleep with wooden carvings of birds in order to secure the safety of their souls. Many sorcerer-gods in Hyperborea keep flocks of birds or use Nature Magic in order to appear as though the birds bring and take souls from them.

The Priesthood
Hyperborean scholars are a fearsome lot, gaunt and tall, with white hair and immense endurance. They summon great air elementals to defend their nation, swat at mortals from a distance, alter the nature of humanity and live forever. Many also learn divination and necromancy, able to see the past just by holding a skull. Others are capable of corrupting creatures, remoulding them in the vats of life to create gurnakhi, giant slave soldiers. They live lives of luxury and decadence, dependant upon their slaves for all their basic needs.

Even the brooding Cimmerians in their forested ridges and misty hills know the infamous sigil of the Witchmen, the White Hand. The sight of it often sends the bravest men trembling. Members of this order are known as Witchmen or Witchwomen, all of whom are virtual devils in human guise, without the taint of compassion or any other constraint that limits other men to sensible or moral behaviour.

The White Hand is a weird cult of pale wizard-assassins that holds power in Hyperborea through the terror of their horrible arts. They kill without leaving a mark and fight only with their strange, platinum-tipped rods. Those who serve in the White Hand undergo strange mortifications of body, mind and will. They are considered the deadliest fighters in the world, immune to fear and pain.

Implementation IC & In-Game
Vanilla religion of Ymir as placeholder.

More Information

 * Faith and Fervour (Conan RPG Book)
 * Return to the Road of Kings (Conan RPG Book)