"......Hah."
—Varkanus after a long, heroic monologue from Valkan Zuriel.
One of the most important and worshiped gods, Varkanus the Weavekeeper is the blood god of life and magic. He controls and provides the Weave, allowing access to the power of raw magic to mortals and seemingly gods alike. Generally seen as evil or malevolent despite him representing life, he relishes in suffering and demands sacrifices of blood even from his own followers. He has claimed responsibility for ‘accidentally’ creating demons and the Abyss, but like most of his claims it is hard to tell how much of it is the truth. That being said, he does seem to hold some authority over the infinite layers of the abyss.
Essentially the villain in almost half of the divine stories and legends, Varkanus has been vilified by most of the greater kingdoms following Jakunism. However, many cultures especially in Eqos and Eteru see him as more of a neutral deity and a necessary force, especially the religion of Varkaniyyah. This 'neutral' non-malevolent persona of 'Varkayan' is considered to be as factual as the evil one, as his true nature is enigmatic and eldritch.
His origins and parentage is unknown. He replaced Vark, who was his master and the titan of magic until he was murdered by Varkanus and his 'sister', Aethys. Many assume that Varkanus was simply a minor god created by Vark himself, and call the titan his father. Similarly, Vark's 'adoption' of Aethys makes her a symbolic sister to Varkanus. His name simply means ‘Vark’s Attendant-God’ in Omnikarn, as his original name and appearance are lost. It is said that if you look at Varkanus’ true face under his hood, you would go insane. He also famously wears a necklace of Kalaan to counteract the magical curse of the god-killing metal, Azbaan.
Followers
He is one of the most important gods followed in Aeterism, and is the central figure of the Varkaniyyah religion. Some of these faiths (especially Jakunism) recognise him as an evil god, while some such as Varkaniyyah see him as a neutral god and choose to appease him instead of ignore him since he is necessary to life and magic itself. The holy city of Varkanus is Varkunast on Eqos.
As 'Varkayan', he is also held in high esteem in Ashtadharma, especially on the island of Vanadweep. Varkayan plays a large role in the creation story of the Vedavin race, as he was the one who blessed the doomed race's island with lush life after they sacrificed most of their numbers to him.
The followers of both Aethian Triadism and Sigmism detest 'Varkys' due to his bloodlust and opposition to Aethys.
There are evil fanatical cults who follow Varkanus all over the cosmos, who relish only in his cruelty and evil aspects. These extremists are collectively called the Cult of Varkanus.
Gallery
Varkanus' Common Depiction (Credit: Capproti)
Varkanus and his Champion, Zaniv (Credit: Aaron)
Varkanus Doodle (Credit: Rana)
Varkanus Thinking Emoji (Credit: Aaron)
