In the setting of The Old Divinity, many gods have existed, are yet to exist, and currently exist. The New God Ildanach is a New God – a fledgling deity, far stronger than a demigod but unable to rival any god such as Ilmater or Selune. And, as such, each New God is personally invested in gaining more followers and exercising control over newly-claimed domains.
Even though Ildanach is a New God, he is one of the older New Gods. His portfolio is that of Promises, Obligations and Contracts. And, as such, his followers are expected to not make promises they do not intend to keep, unless said promise is made under duress. Followers of Ildanach are typically lawyers or have other administrative duties, as they are more often trusted to be dutiful as a result of their belief.
Ildanach, like many other New Gods, is jealous and haughty. With apotheosis, many find themselves in a contradiction: both vulnerable – to the craving of other deities – and unmatched, claiming a power that surpasses imagination. Ildanach is not worshipped for his love or kindness – though some of his followers do stay for the perception of love and kindness – but for what he embodies. Ildanach is the betrayer’s worst foe; the bane of scoundrels. He is also the building blocks on which organizations and communities are formed atop – a contract or promise made in the name of Ildanach holds great weight, and emboldens those involved to act as they mutually agreed to, free from concerns of double-crossing or other trickery. Even the liar and cheat understand the power that a contract sworn in Ildanach’s name carries, no matter how they may otherwise personally feel about it.
Ildanach and the New Gods, unlike many other Gods, have the ability to freely manifest themselves physically, but are typically restricted to one or two different forms. Ildanach’s appearance is that of a shining dark blue cloak, and to gaze at him is to be periodically hindered by the hundreds of tiny white stars strewn upon the cloak. The hood of the cloak, when lowered, shows only a swirling, inky blackness.
There is a caveat to manifesting as they do – while New Gods cannot be conventionally killed, their essence can be appropriated by other New Gods. This process diminishes the New God and causes a spontaneous loss of power and followers, the very concept of the New God vanishing from their minds. This is the core explanation to their general disposition: to be loud and to be present in the lives of their followers is to cement their existence. And this sometimes requires direct intervention by means of manifestation – as the New Gods have not yet demonstrated the ability to bestow Chosen status upon a champion of their choice.
The Scions of Ildanach are a group primarily organized around him as a method to allow his followers to proselytize through their presence and works, while acting as an extralegal body. This group is responsible for investigating the most egregious of crimes from Ildanach’s perspective: that of betrayal and promise-breaking in all forms. While the actions of a single murder or instance of theft may not warrant his response, a pattern of such behaviour – with no adequate response from those who administer the law – is more than likely to garner a response. And this is where the Scions of Ildanach come in: to be a Scion of Ildanach is akin to being employed as a laborer – you owe nothing to your employer except for what you were hired to do. Which means that it is not necessary to worship Ildanach to work for him, but being the New God of Contracts, Obligations and Promises often leaves you beholden to some of those ideals, as both your failures and successes reflect upon Ildanach in turn.
That being said, an organization like the Scions of Ildanach is inherently vulnerable to corruption, given their status as an inherently reputable group. Within the Scions operate a myriad of different groups that work to hold the organization to the high standards that Ildanach himself demands it to operate as. One such group is Internal Affairs – a group of Ildanach devotees who, tasked by Ildanach himself, seek to rout corruption and hold accountable any individual who abuses their position. Though such group is a rumour within the organization with few, if any, who can attest to their existence. But such a rumour has its own purposes as well.
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