OSIRIS God of Death and the Afterlife (Egyptian)

 

Osiris, God of Death and the Afterlife, is the king of the Egyptian underworld, ruling over it with Anubis at his right hand. He is also the God of Resurrection and Regeneration, having been brought back to unliving life after being betrayed by Set. As he is no longer able to rule the world above, Osiris has instead settled as the Lord of the world below, thus being classified into the Element of Dark, because of his reign and overcoming of Death to be King once more.

 

Although Anubis is more rightfully seen as the God of Death in modern times, ancient religion viewed Osiris as the one true King over the Duat, realm of the dead, and the sole being whom even Anubis revered. Unlike many other Death Gods, Osiris is not truly evil, even if his current state of being might otherwise suggest. Above all, Osiris stands for order and justice, ruling over souls in the Underworld with a (sometimes) severe hand, striking a rigid balance between Life and Death. His gaze compels souls to tell the truth, allowing him to judge if the spirit should be allowed passage into the Afterlife, be resurrected, or obliterated completely.

 

Despite preferring peace to eternal damnation, Osiris is fully capable of defending against anything that might threaten himself or the balance of the Underworld. By combining both ends of his Crook and Flail - Egyptian symbols of kingship and authority - Osiris then obtains a powerful weapon that can be used to whip at his opponents and dissipate the souls of the weak with one end, or stab and pull enemies that are out of reach with the other. In life, Osiris had healthy, tanned skin. In unliving life, Osiris' skin turns a dark hue of green, symbolising his rebirth. This manifests itself in the form of supernaturally quick regeneration, so much so that in battle, Osiris is hard to strike down because wounds he receives are healed so quickly, it is as if he was never hurt at all.

 

Followers of the Element of Dark are often seen as evil. But those who walk the path of truth and justice - especially the Guardian - are blessed and protected by Osiris. Such Necromancers are immune to curses, mind-control and bodily possession, and find themselves recovering faster than usual - even without the use of dark spells and malicious concoctions.

 

But perhaps the greatest gift from Osiris is the ability to travel through the Duat with ease. Skilled followers can utilise this privilege to reach various points in the world above, as well as to commune with the spirits of the dead that linger there. But the Duat also hosts the prison of the great Chaotic serpent Apophis, and Necromancers are warned greatly to never approach it. For those who venture close to the gates of Death and Chaos risk being devoured...