Xythr is the god of decay, burials, and rebirth. He is often called the Reaper and the Shepherd of Souls, and many cults teach that he is responsible for ferrying the souls of the dead to the Heavens so they may be eventually returned to the world by [[Alor]]. He is the least worshipped god in the Hand of [[Alor]], feared for his mysterious nature and association with death, and as such he is typically only invoked during times of mourning or great peril. During these rare moments, folk pray to him to ensure their loved ones' safe passage to the Heavens, to ward off restless spirits, and to end the pain of those who suffer needlessly. While Xythr's most common symbol is a scythe with a spinal snathe, many cults consider it taboo to depict him as a recognizable figure. Those that dare to do so typically portray him either as a brooding figure carrying a scythe and wearing hooded robes composed of stitched-together mortal skin, or a fair-featured lowborn [[Men|man]] with piercing blue eyes who holds a shepherd's crook. - **Other Names:** The Shepherd, the Reaper, Íryn Duinn, Veles - **Related Activities:** Funerals; digging graves and preparing corpses; maintaining graveyards; palliative care; managing or ending suffering; hunting graverobbers; communing with spirits. His feast day is Samhain. - **Common Phrases:** Only Death can pay for Life. Ashes to ashes. May the Shepherd guide you. - **Tenets:** - Pray for the departed. - End the suffering of others. - It is blessed to repurpose that which is in decay. - Undeath is unnatural and perverse; purge it to preserve the Great Cycle. - Warden the graveyard, crypt, and tomb against theft and corruption. - Bury, burn or otherwise lay the dead to rest. - **Patron Benefits:** - When you roll a critical hit on a melee attack roll, a living target with equal or less HD than you dies (no save). This is a magical effect and requires a [[Dark and Dangerous Magic|DDM]] check. You may choose not to invoke this effect. - Add the following to Spell like Blessing: *[[Riddle of Bones]], [[Glimpse the True Gods]]*