Izentor
From Mizahar Lore
Izentor is what those of the Izurdin faith call the god's gift of creation. Izurdin, God of Strength, Patience and Industry, is said to be to the one who gifted the mortal realm with the ability to create things through the use of tools. Forging weapons, armor and other implements as well as making clothing, building structures and engaging in industrial pursuits are all examples of the lesser form of Izentor that people of all races possess at some level. Sometimes, those of surpassing skill and ability are gifted with a greater understanding of Izurdin's Gift and are marked by the God with talents that go far beyond that of mundane constructs. These individuals find that the products of their work are stronger and hardier than their mundane counterparts. Some items may even possess strange, sometimes supernatural qualities.
Note that in order to receive a mark from Izurdin, one must possess a skill that allows them to produce something tangible.
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Izurdin's Gift
While the Isur are intimately familiar with Izentor, it is a bit more uncommon outside of their mountain kingdom. When Izurdin becomes interested in the constructive skill of an individual, he has been known to nurture and build upon the person's natural talent by marking them as practitioners of Izentor. Carpenters and masons find their structures able to withstand the most brutal storms, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Weapons, armor and implements forged by smiths become more durable and the work of tailors and seamstresses never experience wear and tear the same way again. By taking Izurdin's Gift further and acquiring more gnosis marks, the crafter will find that they are able to impart a bit of themselves into their creations. If a crafter is attractive, they may impart this upon their work thus enhancing the object's appearance beyond what it normally may be. If the crafter is especially skilled in the arts of combat, their creation may gain the ability to withstand devastating blows or cause excessive wounding. As one becomes ever more disciplined and skilled with Izurdin's Gift, they may even be able to impart greater abilities such as Healing if they also possess such Gnosis or even djed related abilities. Those with the greatest number of marks and most skill with Izurdin's Gift can attain the ultimate form of creation by imparting an object with sentience. Such a task is reserved for only the most favored of those marked by Izurdin yet those who do attain it are said to have gained immortality through their works since they literally live on through their creations.
The Craft and Imparting
Those possessing Izurdin's marks and practicing Izentor continue to exercise their craft like any other crafter. The tools of each trade remain the same as does the process of creation. It is through the crafting process that the majority of Izurdin's Gift is invoked. The skill, passion and drive that goes into the object's creation is what gives an object the potential for the imparting of greater things. When the craft, whatever it may be, is otherwise complete, the crafter then calls upon the blessing of Izurdin through their mark while making contact with their work. Single marks allow the crafter to impart the foundation of their gift in the form of enhanced physical properties. Those with two marks from Izurdin however may impart those properties as well as gift their creation with a single mundane aspect of their own being. Three marks grant the grafter the ability to impart a single ability upon the creation that transcends the mundane. This may be a single gnosis, magic or other supernatural affect. Four marks allow the crafter to split a piece of their soul and impart it upon the creation thus granting it sentience.
Imparting, even when calling upon but a single gnosis mark, is an exhausting experience as it tests, stretches and tears away at a person's strength and patience. The imparting process has been described as being similar to not sleeping for days before running a 20 mile marathon while being surrounded by hundreds of screaming children but having to focus on a single thing without succumbing to distraction. Imparting requires great focus, patience and strength as even the most simple items being imparted require hours of uninterrupted concentration, unbroken physical contact and unwavering focus upon what qualities are being imparted.
When finished, the strain of the process comes crashing down upon the crafter; leaving all but the most hardy individuals unable to move for at least a few hours as every fiber of their body feels as though it were split apart and hastily put back together again. The final product however is what makes it all worth it. Objects imparted with Izentor, in addition to their imparted qualities, acquire an aura identifying them as carrying a divine touch as well as one identifying the object as being a part of them. Imparted objects can be immediately recognized by their creator. The creator can also sense the object from a distance away depending on how many marks they possess.
The Isur and Izentor
The Isur are unique in that they are all born with the first mark of Izurdin in the form of their metallic arms. For them, this only adds fuel to their claims that the Isur are the mortal descendants of Izurdin and thus worthy of respect and honor due to beings of such stature. While the Isur may be born with a gnosis mark from Izurdin, any race with the skill, strength and patience to build and create may gain Izurdin's favor and become marked.
The Mark
When Izurdin marks those he favors, he does so in a way that does not negatively affect their physical appearance. If anything, Izurdin's marks add to one's natural beauty and sometimes even enhances it. Thus his marks appear upon the body as elaborate tattoos almost always found on the primary arm of the receiver. To Izurdin, the arm is a tool which one uses to create, build and empower. By marking the arms of his favored, Izurdin is blessing the tools used to craft wonders of the world. When invoking the gnosis of Izurdin, the marks on the arm of the favored ignite and a powerful glow of chromatic energy engulfs the entire arm; bathing the immediate area with swirling red, green and blue light. As more marks are granted, the tattoos grow and expand until eventually they spread the length of the arm from the shoulder down to the fingers.
Those who somehow garner Izurdin's displeasure find their experience to be vastly different. Not only do they not receive any sort of elaborate tattoos, they find that themselves feeling progressively weaker, easy to anger and in more extreme cases even lose the use of their primary arm.
Mark Progression
| Marked [Cursed] - 1 Gnosis Mark | |
| Those marked by Izurdin receive an elaborate tattoo on the shoulder of their primary arm. With a single mark, the individual may impart special properties on a single item that they themselves have personally crafted. The item becomes more durable thus resisting even the most devastating sources of potential damage. Blades will almost never break or dull, armor will almost never dent, cloth will almost never tear or fray and structures may withstand the most devastating weather conditions. It is this god granted gift that makes items crafted by an Isur so highly sought after. The marked may always identify their own crafted items on sight. Imparting these items is a highly taxing process both physically and mentally so much that the crafter must rest for an entire day following the imparting.
Those cursed by Izurdin become unnaturally easy to anger. The slightest annoyance becomes a great frustration while mild frustrations become enraging. The individual's aura changes such that even those unskilled in Auristics can sense that the cursed person is quite unstable thus social interactions may be severely affected. | |
| Favored [Despised] - 2 Gnosis Marks | |
| Izurdin's favored have their original mark extended so that it curls and weaves its way down to their elbow. In addition to the imparted properties from their first mark, the favored may now impart a bit of themselves upon their craft. If the person is kind and gentle, the item may cause those who view it or come in contact with it to themselves, lighten-up and become calm. If the person is especially beautiful or ugly, the item may change to reflect that appearance upon itself. Those serving justice and law may grant their items a righteous aura that unnerves those of the opposite agenda while a person holding evil and selfishness in their hearts would cause their item to negatively affect those with opposite thoughts. The favored may sense their own crafted items to a distance of 1 mile in any direction. This works regardless of magical means of concealment or any mundane obstructions. Imparting these items is an extraordinarily taxing process both physically and mentally so much that the crafter must rest for three days following the imparting.
Individuals despised by Izurdin find their physical strength and endurance lacking. They tire after a very short amount of physical activity and their bodies begin to look less defined and even become flabbier. | |
| Priest/Priestess [Adversary] - 3 Gnosis Marks | |
| A Priest or Priestess of Izurdin is capable of crafting legendary works of divine power. Their tattoos extend even further down their arm to their wrist. The priest is able to impart a single supernatural property upon their craft. These properties, like the those imparted with the second gnosis mark, must reflect some aspect of the creator. Thus, building on the previous examples, one may impart the ability to inspire or calm a large number of people at once or even unleash burning illumination against an evil foe or swallow a righteous one in acidic darkness. Whatever the property, it may have only one affect and is almost always temporary though some permanent effects have been known to exist. The priest(ess) may sense their own crafted items to a distance of 5 miles in any direction. This works regardless of magical means of concealment or any mundane obstructions. Imparting these items is a grueling process both physically and mentally so much that the crafter must rest for a week following the imparting.
An adversary of Izurdin loses the use of their primary arm. The arm is effectively paralyzed from the shoulder down to the tips of the fingers and cannot be used for anything until the person somehow atones for their slight against Izurdin; if such a thing is even possible. | |
| Champion [Nemesis] - 4 Gnosis Marks | |
| The Champion of Izurdin is a crafter without equal. Their marks extend from their shoulder down their arm, past their elbow and wrist and wrapping around their fingers. Included in the finished mark is the symbol of Izurdin, the hammer, which is displayed prominently in the center of a circle of glyphs on the top of the hand. The champion is able to impart upon their craft a piece of their soul; an echo of their being. The item gains a form of sentience as if it were the champion's child. It thinks at roughly the same capacity as the champion and may communicate telepathically with anyone though it usually chooses to do so only with its creator. It possesses all of the skills of its creator but with half the skill points. If the champion was able to manipulate djed, so can the item but also at half the proficiency. The item may not move on its own accord with the exception of items that possess moving parts like wheels. Statues or other crafts that may look like they could move, cannot. If the champion dies, their imparted items remain thus it is possible for these individuals to gain effective immortality of a sort. Imparting these items is a dangerous process that can leave the person suffering from a variety of conditions; some permanent. These include but are not limited to severe nightmares, light but frequent headaches, reduced sense of feeling in the off-hand and a variety of other uncomfortable conditions. Though the conditions themselves come and go, they will do so for the rest of the person's life. This is because of the splitting and copying of the soul. The more one does it, the worse the effects will be for them. The items however do not suffer from these affects.
A very rare few of these items are thought to have survived the Valterrian with at least a couple thought to be hidden somewhere in the Isurian Kingdom of Sultros. Izurdin's Nemesis is a pathetic individual to be sure. In addition to being easy to anger, physically decrepit and lacking the use of their primary arm, those gaining the fourth negative mark are struck with paralysis from the waist down. | |