Hesthor, Lady of Pure Waters

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Hesthor, lesser spirit of Pure Waters under Scorthuz

 

Hesthor is a prominent Rah’mun cow deity whose domain encompasses purity. Her domains are often referred to with two singular titles: pure waters and bovine purging. Both aspects of Hesthor are prominent within Rah’mun culture with varying degrees of importance between their use. Hesthor is identified with pure waters in acknowledgment of her ability to wash clean spiritual filth from the soul, such as curses and afflictions. She is identified with bovine purging to recognize the power of her wrath, especially when directed upon the strongest of purity’s enemies, such as necromancers, warlocks, aengudaemonica worshipers, vampires, naztherak, voidal magicians and their constructs, the soul-altered, and others who defy her immaculate image. Hesthor demands that all the impure get carried down the Great River like a rock, and either washed clean of all filth and remade in her image, or reduced to sand and swept away with the waters. In any case, Hesthorian priests call forth the domains of the Cow Mother to cleanse what is unclean, preserve what is pure, and tend towards the perfection of Creation’s order. Hesthor is one of the three original deities who emerged during the start of Creation, the other two being the Ra’tuhmet, who created all things, and Kalthet, who was tasked with defending them with her primordial spear and wit.

 

The Rah’mun peoples often invoke Hesthor’s “Great Immaculate River” or the "River Hesthor" or simply "The Great River" in prayers towards her. This river is said to exist in the Heavens of Ka where the Gods dwell and appears as a winding, wide river consisting almost entirely of milk and honey. This river starts inside the throne room of Hesthor herself within the Great Silver Pyramid, fed by her blessing, and flows across the heavens until it reaches a gateway where the river waters pour into physical reality. Pyramids and temples of Hesthor are believed to be receptacles for the waters of the River.

The beginning of the Immaculate River emerging from the Silver Pyramid of Hesthor

 

Downstream the River Hesthor, close to the entryway into physical reality..

 

Many pyramids and temples of Hesthor have pools of water within them that reflect the milken character of Hesthor’s river. Some have even caused nearby rivers to also reflect the character and prowess of the Immaculate River, causing the areas surrounding it to become a magnet for the righteous and a toxin for the impure.

 

Hesthor’s involvement in Rah’mun civilization has been proactive. Many Rah’muns drink from her waters in everyday life to secure their bodies and souls from diseases and supernatural maladies. Priests of all Gods purify their worship sites with Hesthor’s waters before proceeding with a ritual.  From the first Pharaoh Naseret, who Hesthor helped defeat an Inferic uprising against the Rah’mun empire, Hesthor has demanded absolute purity from every Pharaoh of the Rah’muns who has lived. Legend says that Hesthor also created a race of bovine men - half man, half-cow - and set them upon the world as her emissaries. These men were said to lead the great temples and pyramids of Hesthor as one rank above the human and elvish high priests that normally populated them. They were also endowed with special authority, capable of purging the Isfetians with their mere presence, and striking forth against enemies with the physical force of Hesthor herself. These abilities were not known to even Hesthor’s highest priests, making the bovine men a distinction and a myth within the Hesthorian faith.

 

A depiction of a Hesthorian bovine emissary-priest.

 

A Hesthorian Bovine Priest-Magician atop his steed overflowing with Hesthor’s waters, preparing to cast. 

 

Rah’mun mythos dictates that one day the Isfetian demon general Kazul, who is known as Ixris by some spiritualists, looked upon Hesthor’s emissaries with fury due to her previous offense against him.The legend goes that Kazul was particularly spiteful about Hesthor empowering Naseret to wash his Inferic forces away with her waters.In retaliation, Kazul sent several of his minions to infiltrate Rah’mun societies and corrupt the minds of Hesthorian priest initiates who often labored under more established priests. Through subterfuge and corruption, Kazul managed to provoke the internal destruction of several lower-end Hesthorian temples, which then allowed Inferic raiders to infiltrate major population centers for the Bovine Men and engage them in battle. Due to overwhelming force and a low ferocity of defense, many of the Bovine Men were wiped out by the Inferic onslaught, and several groups of Hesthor priests along with them.

 

From that point forth, it has been the goal of every Pharaoh to recreate Hesthor’s pure herd of Bovine men and weaponize them for war against Isfet. Hesthorian circles mutter with talk of a prophecy that foretells the return of Hesthor’s bovine men at the behest of a determined Pharaoh. It has also been the goal of every succeeding Hesthor priesthood to see Infernalism as the height of evil and to invoke the Great River against it at every turn.

 

In the modern era, Hesthorianism is receiving a resurgence in popularity amongst the Rah’mun peoples. A giant temple of Hesthor sits in the waters of Rah’tuma and boasts a growing priesthood. The Pharaoh and his advisors also take numerous trips to Hesthor’s pyramid and often carry out tasks to expand her reach across the world. Pharaoh Atemu-Ta has declared war against the Azdrazi under Hesthor’s banner and purged their lands with her waters. He also sent forth the Great River against Lich King Iket (Gashadokuro) gravesite and rose a white obelisk of Hesthor in its place. Under his rule, the temple of Hesthor now has several trained warriors who take up arms exclusively for Hesthor’s cause. 

A mighty shrine to Hesthor located in the Temple Hesthor in Rah'tuma

 

 

 

 

The purging power of Hesthor’s waters remains a viable tool for the Rah’mun man’s struggle to defend the law of Ka’tau against the ravages of Isfet. Time will tell if the Cow Mother can face the growing tide of Isfet rising in the distance. 

A Hesthorian priest purging an Isfetian demon with Hesthor’s waters

 

Worship of Hesthor consists of prayer, offering diamonds and other pristine objects to her temple, purifying or cleansing corrupted sites (through mundane means or by directly invoking Hesthor’s waters), keeping one’s dwelling place clean, refraining from practicing foreign magicks and endorsing practices that degrade the body, mind, and spirit, drinking from blessed waters, and so forth. 

Edited November 28, 2023 by Boknice275

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Holy cow!