Luukos

Luukos Domain Death, Lies, Undeath Symbol a green serpent on a brown field Pantheon Pantheon of Lornon Smite/Bane Bane Critical Puncture

God of Death, Lies and Undeath

Luukos is the god of unending death. Unlike Lorminstra, Luukos shows no reverence for the souls of those who have died. To him they have two uses, either to animate one of his undead minions in his efforts to extend his power, or as sustenance for himself. Luukos' primary foods are the blood of the dead and the souls of the recently fallen.

Luukos' form of choice is that of a large green serpent. It is not unusual for survivors of a large battle to report the sighting of such a creature slithering from corpse to corpse on the recently abandoned field of combat.

Luukos is able to claim the souls not only of those he takes by force through his undead minions, but also of those who have sullied themselves in life. Thus, Luukos is also the Lord of Lies, and his minions always seek to spread misinformation among mortals. Legend holds that Luukos can snatch the soul of one who has died with a lie on their lips even from Lorminstra, and that the only way to be free from his hideous jaws is to renounce the lie.

Luukos' preferred humanoid manifestation is that of a dark-complected man with faintly reptilian features and a forked tongue. In manner, he is persuasive, treacherous and sadistic. His symbol is a green serpent on a brown field.

Shrines, Statuary, and Holy Places

Wehnimer's Landing, Coastal Cliffs shrine

[Underground, Hidden Wing]
This appears to be a small shrine of some sort. Against the east wall is an altar with tarnished religious symbols on it. The covering is tattered and the three pews here are dry and rotted. For the first time you notice that the thick dust on the floor is punctuated by shallow footprints, leading you to think that this place is not as abandoned as you first imagined.
Obvious exits: west

>look altar
The altar stands about waist high and is covered with a tattered cloth.  A rotting book holder, tarnished oil lamps and small sacrificial pots hold their place on the altar top.

>look on altar
On the small altar you see a faded ancient tome.

>look tome
Upon further examination of the tome you realize that disturbing it in any way would cause the pages to turn to dust.  You decide to satisfy your curiosity with just the two pages the book is currently open to.

>look at pages
The ancient script on these pages is faded and barely legible.  From the parts that are still readable you derive that this tome contains various rituals which are used in the worship of Luukos.  The ritual detailed on these pages appears to call for a blood sacrifice of some kind.  You cannot, however, determine exactly what manner of creature is required.

Solhaven, Garden of Death

[Garden of Death]
Blank white marble headstones dot the uneven landscape of red-veined creepers and thick crabgrass, the bulk of which is yellowed and hovering between life and death. An immense brownstone crypt stands at the center of the dying garden. The ancient cypress leaning over it boasts a wealth of gnarled branches, the black, finger-like shadows of which strain over the austere cenotaph. Some reach so far as to brush the bulk of a boulder with a brass plaque set into its surface. You also see a copper-chased black iron gate.
Obvious paths: none

>look crypt
Lacking doors or openings of any kind, the crypt is held aloft by coiled serpents of interleaved copper and brass.  Despite its plain brownstone bulk, sinuous fluting of ivory, ebony, and viridian imflass lends the crypt a darkly majestic appearance.

>look at plaque
The plaque appears to have once been etched with neat letters, but it has been defaced by a jagged scrawl.

>read plaque
In the Common language, it reads:

Serpent whose coils entangle the world,
Master of Death, and Lord of Life Eternal,
We do pledge ourselves unto you.

There are but two paths:
To lead beneath your banners in life everlasting,
Or to serve as soldiers in thy shambling horde.

Cleric Guilds

Displayed in the Prayer Rooms of each Cleric Guild is a statue of Luukos. These prayer rooms are considered a holy shrine to multiple deities.

There is a reptilian cast to the face of Luukos and a graceful, if discomforting, sinuosity to his stance.  Although a smile plays on his lips it does not extend to his eyes.  His smiling lips are slightly parted, revealing the tip of a forked tongue.

>touch Luukos
You reach out and touch the statue of Luukos.

The rasp of scales fills the air, and a hissing voice speaks in your ear.  "There's no harm is a little white lie to save face, to gain power.  One little lie, so many conveniences...."  The cold coils of a reptile's body wrap loosely about you.  "There's no harm in a little tiny lie.  I promise."

Wehnimer's Landing Cleric Guild

Located in the Antechamber of Lornon is a table inset with fist-sized seals depicting all of the Lornon arkati, including one for Luukos. This area is not considered a holy shrine.

A green serpent on a field of brown is painted on the golden seal of Luukos.

Kharam Dzu Cleric Guild

Just inside the entrance to the Kharam Dzu Cleric Guild is a pair of statues depicting Lorminstra and Luukos. This room is not considered a holy shrine.

Two statues, one carved from shimmering glaes and the other from soapstone in a sickly shade of green, glare at each other in the center of the room.  The figures stand on a pedestal of black stone, words painstakingly chipped into the surface.

>look statues
A thin woman in layered robes stands rigid, hatred written into every carved line.  Across from her stands a man of faintly reptilian cast, forked tongue flickering out as if to mock his opposer.  Each glares at the other, obviously distrustful of what one another will do.

>read pedestal
In the Common language, it reads:
"Only in death can we truly understand the Gods."

Additional information

In the first part of the 51st Century, servants of Luukos participated in the Griffin Sword Wars. His chief high priest in the affair was known as Morvule.

Messaging

To add messaging, see deity messaging.

Spell/Ability	Messaging
CHANT (verb)	[1p cleric] You chant a reverent orison, asking for death and eternal servitude to come to your enemies by Luukos' hand. [3p cleric] CLERIC chants a short but reverent orison, asking for death and eternal servitude to come to her enemies. [1p paladin] You bow your head and chant a short prayer to Luukos, causing emerald green and bronze light to momentarily coalesce in front of you. [3p paladin] PALADIN bows his head and chants a short prayer, causing emerald green and bronze light to momentarily coalesce in front of him.
Major Sanctuary (220)	Your ears are filled with a soft hiss as the world around you shifts... [Underground Sanctuary] Sharp stalactites hang from a ceiling riddled with shards of raw emerald, which reflects light throughout the cavern and casts everything in a greenish glow. Shattered and broken, an enormous serpentine mask of copper crawls with lines of verdigris as it sits in pieces on the edge of a small pool. The sound of slithering rises and falls at odd intervals and is randomly punctuated with a soft hiss. Yellowed eyes suddenly flash within the broken mask and your vision suddenly blurs...
Well of Life (308)	As you sense your souls have linked together, a scaly texture rasps slowly over your skin.
Condemn (309)	[Success] The pungent stench of decay fills the air as mist rises from the (floor/ground) around TARGET! [Failure] A nearby rasping hiss gives TARGET pause, but nothing comes of it. [Damage] Skeletal appendages burst from the (floor/ground) and tear into TARGET, inflicting X points of damage! [Debuff end] The scent of the grave around TARGET fades away.
Blind (311)	[1p] As your faith overcomes TARGET's weakened defenses, you sense the cruel malice of the Eater of Souls flowing through you. [2p] CASTER's face shimmers and vanishes, and, in its place, you see the image of a massive emerald green serpent. The snake's golden eyes transfix you with their power as its forked tongue darts out to taste the air. Darkness wells forth to consume the image, and then you see nothing at all.
Prayer (313)	[1p] Turning your thoughts inward, you ask for the will of your deity to protect you. Something smooth yet hard rasps over your cheek, like the pebbled scales of a great serpent, and you sense that your prayer has been granted. [3p] Emerald light glimmers in CASTER's eyes.
Censure (316)	For your transgressions, the mark of the liar shall be upon you. No truth you speak shall ever be believed, setting every ally against you and all friendly blades at your back. In death, you shall be drawn into the service of those lies, and all you ever do will serve the hunger of the Serpent....
Raise Dead (318)	[1p] As you begin to chant the air about you takes on the musty scent of an ophidian being shedding its skin and an emerald light clings to your skin. You feel the ethereal tendrils twining around your arms forming slender asps, which punctuate the words of your prayer with their hiss. Pointing towards TARGET, you feel the mist slither off of your arms and watch them slam into her chest at the exact moment that you feel your energy transfer into her. [2p] This section has not been added yet; please add to it now! [3p] As CASTER begins to chant, the air fills with the musty scent of coiling serpents and a mist of emerald light clings to his arms. The ethereal tendrils briefly seem to coil into the shape of asps, which suddenly strike out at TARGET and infuse her with CASTER's energy.
Intercession	This section has not been added yet; please add to it now!
Divine Wrath (335)	[1p] As you pour your soul into an appeal to Luukos, you know that you are heard. Your skin prickles slightly all over your body, and a deep, resonant hiss echoes through your skull. An agonized, bitter moan echoes through the area from an unseen source, and a dark emerald radiance ripples through the air around you. The power of Luukos has answered your prayer. Long, spectral talons materialize from midair to tear viciously at the body of TARGET! A spectral howl echoes through the air, resonant with pain and anguish. Your skin prickles again as your connection to Luukos lessens. [3p] CASTER's skin shimmers faintly and develops a dark, slightly scaly veneer. An agonized, bitter moan echoes through the area from an unseen source, and, only seconds later, a wave of dark emerald radiance ripples around CASTER. The magic of CASTER's spell unravels violently, spiraling into you and darkening your metallic grey veins to black! Long, spectral talons materialize from midair to tear viciously at your body! A spectral howl echoes through the air, resonant with pain and anguish, and then fades into heavy silence. The scaly veneer covering CASTER shimmers briefly before melting into his skin. [Look Caster] [Manifestation]
Symbol of the Proselyte (340)	[Cast] This section has not been added yet; please add to it now! [Chant]
Miracle (350)	[1p] Punctuating the sudden calm of the area, the sound of slithering is quickly followed by a long, sibilant hiss. Winding a sinuous pattern to your head, an impossibly large copper-head snake with emerald green eyes begins to hiss at you. "There are more liessss to sssspread, and deathssss to ssssteal," it says, and then swiftly raises high into the air to gaze down at you. Faster than the blink of an eye, the serpent dives into your chest and disperses into a shimmering green mist that seeps into your skin. [3p] Punctuating the sudden calm of the area is the sound of slithering quickly accompanied by a long, sibilant hiss. Moving in a sinuous pattern towards CLERIC, an impossibly large copper-head snake with emerald green eyes slithers to a position just above his head and begins to hiss inches from his ear. Moving swiftly, the serpent raises high into the air and dives its head into his chest, disappearing into a shimmering green mist that seeps into his skin.
Aid the Fallen (1613)
Repentance (1615)	[1p] A pillar of brilliant emerald radiance manifests around TARGET. [2p] [3p]
Judgment (1630)	[1p] This section has not been added yet; please add to it now! [3p]
Divine Incarnation (1650)	[Cast 1p] This section has not been added yet; please add to it now! [Cast 3p] [Expiration 1p] [Expiration 3p] [Zeal 1p] [Zeal 3p] [Armor 1p] [Armor 3p] [Smite 1p] [Smite 3p] [Onslaught 1p] [Onslaught 3p]

Return to the top of this page.

Behind the Scenes

The I.C.E. Age precursor of Luukos, who was called Klysus, had a winged serpent avatar. However, Klysus is also a sun god, as well as a lizard god. His emphasis was soul destruction in bloody rituals rather than undeath. This is the version of him reflected in his Coastal Cliffs shrine, which appears to be part of the Etrevion story. There are subtle references to Klysus throughout The Graveyard, undoubtedly partly meant to further spite Eissa (Lorminstra) symbolically.

The sculpture representation of Luukos on Teras Isle was changed over a decade ago. It was reflecting his original appearance, before the gods document was re-written, where his serpent form had a frilly collar.

Resources

• History of Luukos (official documentation)
• The Feast of the Immortals
• Officials folder