Zarus, The Tryant Dominion
"Order is not a suggestion. It is the only truth that endures."
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Realm of Influence: Tyranny, Mortality, Bloodline Supremacy, Subjugation, the Shadow Realms
Current Status: Bound Servant of Mekhila, Lord of the Lawful Evil Domain of the Shadow Realms
Summary
Zarus is the god of tyranny, divine right, and mortal supremacy—a being forged in the fires of conquest and clothed in the laws he writes. As the Lawful Evil overlord of one of the seven domains of the Shadow Realms, Zarus preaches that order, lineage, and hierarchy are not tools of civilization—they are civilization. He is worshiped as the Firstborn King, a towering symbol of mortal dominion over gods, beasts, and lesser bloodlines.
Originally an unbound force of militant divine law, Zarus rose to power during the chaotic centuries following the Carcosa Catastrophe. Mortals—particularly humans—flocked to his teachings, which promised eternal stability through obedience, bloodline purity, and structured empire. He commands legions of iron-willed inquisitors, judges, and imperial warpriests throughout the more authoritarian states and forbidden bastions of Kol.
Zarus is currently bound to serve Mekhila, the lawful good goddess of stars and fate, following the events of the Age of Citrinitas, where a divine pact forced both Zarus and Det to submit to the coven of goddesses that now rules Kol’s higher pantheon. Though outwardly compliant, Zarus seethes beneath the surface, ever waiting for the opportunity to twist his chains into weapons. His faith, known as the Dominion of the First Crown, operates openly in the Shadow Realms and clandestinely in the mortal world.
Doctrine and Worship
Zarus teaches that order is strength, and strength belongs to the worthy. His commandments are clear, rigid, and without compromise:
Mortal supremacy over all other creatures—gods, monsters, aberrants, and outsiders.
Divine right through bloodline—rulership must flow through pure inheritance, not popularity or merit.
Obedience to law—regardless of its moral weight, the law is holy when written by the worthy.
Conquest is moral—if you can take it, you deserve to rule it.
Rebellion is heresy—even against tyranny, resistance must be punished with extinction.
His worshipers include tyrants, hierarchs, slavers, warlords, lawmakers, and inquisitors, though many wear the mask of civility. His temples are often hidden in stone keeps, blackened chapels, and city courts, doubling as fortresses and tribunals. Statues of Zarus depict him as a tall, armored king with a flaming crown and an iron scepter etched with divine law.
Zarus and the Shadow Realms
Zarus governs the Lawful Evil domain of the Shadow Realms, a brutal bureaucratic empire where souls are categorized, ranked, and judged according to blood, creed, and usefulness. In this afterlife, justice is replaced with obedience, and paradise is a well-oiled machine grinding the unworthy beneath it. Souls who willingly submit may rise as enforcers—Black Adjudicators, Chain-Knights, or Crowned Disciples. Those who resist are reshaped, mind-bound, or cast into eternal servitude.
Though bound by the divine contract to serve Mekhila, Zarus maintains his domain with cold efficiency. His twisted understanding of fate allows him to weaponize order itself, turning destiny into shackles. He despises chaos but fears only one thing: a world where law exists without power. For Zarus, the law is not a guidepost—it is a cudgel.
Rivalries and Alliances
Bound to Mekhila: As part of the divine judgment imposed after the previous divine war, Zarus is magically bound to serve Mekhila of the Silver Temple, along with his counterpart Det, the Neutral Evil god. While Zarus complies, he schemes constantly to reinterpret or bend the wording of his divine leash.
Despises Regean and Yan: Zarus sees gods like Regean, the goddess of dragons and fate, and Yan, the changeling god of freedom, as abominations—creatures who promote instability, impurity, and rebellion. He has tried (and failed) to extinguish their influence from the Shadow Realms on several occasions.
Loathes Ahriman, but respects him: While Ahriman shares Zarus’s taste for power, Zarus views him as untrustworthy, disorderly, and dangerous. Still, he acknowledges Ahriman’s current control over Citragadda and has offered veiled allegiance in the past, hoping to exploit the Yellow Lord’s ambitions.
Tenets of the Dominion of the First Crown
Blood Above All – Purity of lineage determines one’s right to rule and to live.
Law Is the Only Truth – Justice is the execution of law, not morality.
Submit or Be Destroyed – Order must be enforced without mercy or hesitation.
Power Justifies Rule – Those who conquer, lead. Those who serve, must obey.
The Weak Are Tools – Mercy is waste. Use what can be used. Break what cannot.
Zarus in the Age of Ruby
In the current Age of Ruby, Zarus’s influence festers in the shadows—especially where tyrannical empires, fascist theocracies, or “divinely anointed” rulers take hold. He is a whispered name in Patriciate courts, a hidden idol in ancient family crypts, and a divine sponsor to those who preach blood purity and divine absolutism. Though forbidden in many regions of Kol, his cults thrive in secret, often under guises like the Church of Eternal Inheritance or the Order of the Crowned Flame.
His power has been curtailed by Mekhila’s leash, but recent cosmic instability—the spread of Murk, the corruption of the Great Tree, and the silence of sleeping gods—has emboldened his followers. Some say Zarus has found a flaw in the contract, a loophole that may one day free him entirely.
If he escapes divine restraint, Zarus will not burn the world. He will crown it, chain by chain, law by law, until freedom is a forgotten heresy.
Rituals and Dogma
1. The Rite of Binding Will
A sacred ritual performed during oaths of fealty or the subjugation of a new servant, in which both the master and subject carve their names into parchment made from flayed skin or sacred vellum. A drop of blood from both is burned in black flame as the contract is signed. This ritual binds the weaker party to the stronger in spirit and law, punishable by divine torment if broken. It is believed that this pact echoes the original contract Zarus forged when he bound his dominion to the Shadow Realms.
2. The Crimson Census
Conducted once per year, this ritual requires adherents to record the lineage, deeds, and usefulness of every member in their domain—be it a family, fortress, or nation. Those deemed inefficient, impure, or rebellious are publicly judged and sentenced. High-ranking clergy believe this mirrors the Shadow Realm’s spiritual order, where the dead are sorted by their adherence to Zarus’s tenets. It is said that failing to maintain a proper census curses one’s house with spiritual obscurity after death.
3. The Iron Litany
A solemn ritual recited daily at sunrise in Zarus’s temples, courts, or warrooms. It is a dogmatic reading of Zarus’s 99 Laws—scripture-like decrees etched into dark iron tablets. Followers must kneel in silence and bear the weight of a chained yoke as each law is read aloud. It affirms the supremacy of divine law over personal desire, and reminds every worshiper that to question authority is to question the god himself.
Prayers
1. The Chain-Writ Vow
Whispered before battles, judgments, or major rulings, this prayer is often said while gripping an iron chain or binding document.
“Zarus, who measures the blood and writes the law in fire—bind my hand, my tongue, and my will. Let me serve the chain, not the flesh.”
2. Petition of the Worthy
Used by nobles, inquisitors, or warlords seeking Zarus’s blessing for conquest or bloodline continuation. It often accompanies the naming of a child or a decree of war.
“Firstborn King, let my name be carved into your ledger, my lineage not fall to dust. In my house, let your law reign. In my blood, let your purpose burn.”
3. The Suppression Psalm
Recited when interrogating heretics or enforcing order through force. It is spoken in a cold, rhythmic cadence designed to erase fear and enforce control.
“Fear is chaos. Doubt is failure. Mercy is treason. Zarus commands, and in his word, I am stone.”
Hymns
1. “Glory to the First Crown”
A thunderous hymn sung by congregations of soldiers or priests before mass oaths or executions. The refrain is chanted in unison, often while pounding fists to armor or stone.
“Glory to the First Crown, unbroken and high!
Bloodline eternal, beneath iron sky.
Chains are our temple, law is our breath—
All who defy shall be given to death.”
2. “The Iron Shepherd”
This hymn likens Zarus to a shepherd who beats his flock into order for their own salvation. It is considered controversial even among tyrants, but deeply sacred.
“The sheep do not lead, nor speak, nor stray.
The rod is law, and the shepherd, flame.
He breaks the wolves and bends the knees—
And all are safer in tyranny’s peace.”
3. “Throne of Bone and Fire”
Sung only on the anniversary of Zarus’s divine ascent, this dirge-hymn commemorates his coronation over the Shadow Realms. Its melody is slow, ritualistic, and terrifyingly beautiful.
“Upon the pyres of kings and cowards,
Zarus carved his throne from ash.
And in his gaze, the world grew still—
Bound by blood, burned by will.”
Sermons
1. “Law Before Mercy”
This sermon teaches that mercy is the indulgence of the weak, and that law alone guarantees civilization. Delivered to new initiates and military leaders alike, it uses parables of empires destroyed by sentiment and gods betrayed by compassion. The closing line is etched in every temple of Zarus:
“Let the stone strike before the hand trembles.”
2. “The Chain and the Crown”
Often taught to nobles and inquisitors, this sermon explains that true leadership is not born of kindness, but of structure and fear. Authority is not granted—it is seized, held, and protected through tradition and discipline. The metaphor of the “crown” as destiny and the “chain” as law appears throughout.
“The chain binds the strong to the throne, and the weak beneath it. Both ends serve Zarus.”
3. “The Heresy of Choice”
A fiery oration spoken when rooting out rebellion or punishing apostates. It frames personal freedom as a cosmic lie—a whisper planted by outer gods and fey to disrupt the perfection of structure. The sermon culminates in the ritual branding of heretics and a communal chant:
“Free will is the gate. Treason is the door. Law is the lock. Zarus is the key.”
