M'ranin

M'ranin was the ancient goddess of pain in the extended Grellism pantheon. She was a key figure in the rise in cruelty of the Druinar, and subsequently Vurg culture, and was the central figure of the Emra Gohg cult.

She is the offspring of Rolick and Miker, the deities of war and fear. She is primarily known for giving birth to a litter of six daughters and one son, which are referred to as the Dark Seven, and being banished for it. .

Mythology

She, being the goddess of pain, saw how the mortals experienced terrible pain in the process of creating new life, and was enthralled by this. Because the gods did not produce offspring in this manner, M'ranin created her own offspring in the style of the mortals so she could experience birth. She had a litter of six daughters and one son, which came to be known as the Dark Seven; after giving birth to her progeny, the other deities were repulsed. As punishment, the gods Drend, Helirend, and Orend bannished her and her children to the Shadow Lay for eternity. Her children:

• Gugil - goddess of ritual and order, represented by Emra priests as a markhor
• Jolth - goddess of clarity and focus, represented by Emra priests as a
• Anagas - goddess of blood and breath, represented by Emra priests as a bat
• Disirra - goddess of sobriety and strictness, represented by Emra priests as a
• Iora - goddess of progression and experimentation, represented by Emra priests as a spider
• Serulys - goddess of vengeance, represented by Emra priests as a boneshrike
• Naldreg - god of duty and purpose, represented by Emra priests as a wasp

Emra Gohg

The Druinar elves adopted her as their primary deity, and formed a religion around the characteristics in both her and the Dark Seven. They were known for their excessive brutality, especially in the form of ritual sacrifices.

Originally the Druinar worshipped the gods of the Grellism pantheon, like the elves from other nations. During a particularly harsh winter on the mainland of Antival, they were threatened with starvation. They began making animal sacrifices from what little livestock they had to the goddess Gerna. When this did not work, they made more sacrifices, each to a different deity in the full pantheon of 33. Matters became worse as the winter bore on, and they began eating slaves for survival. With nowhere left to turn, they sacrificed a child to M'ranin, the goddess of pain, who had been banished to the Shadow Lay; this seemed fitting, as they were deep into the portion of the year when the sun did not rise for two months. Shortly after, fortune turned in their favor, and they found wildlife for sustenance, which they took to be a sign from M'ranin. Embracing her as their new prime deity, they began to culturally appreciate pain, and took up raiding campaigns to gain captives for ritual sacrifice to M'ranin. This new religion came to be the cult of the Emra Gohg, which was dedicated to M'ranin and her likewise bannished progeny, the Dark Seven.