Asura is a Hyborian god, worshipped by a secret order of monks located in Aquilonia during the Hyborian Age. Rivaled by the god Mitra and the Stygian serpent-god Set, Asura is only worshiped by a small number of devoted servants.
Many Vendhyans include Asura in their worship. He teaches how life itself is only an illusion and the final truth comes after death, in the light of one's soul. His priests devote themselves towards "penetrating the veil over the illusion of life".
According to his priests, Asura has no true form. Instead, he is one with all of the cosmos. When the god wishes to send messages for his followers, he does so by the reincarnation/birth of an exceptional mortal.
Asura's doctrine explains how all beings reincarnate, and the purpose of life is the paying of the karmic debt against one's soul. Each evil act extends this cycle of reincarnation, while each good act shortens it. The people who suffer earned their trials in previous lives; they are not to be pitied.
Some priests of Asura wander the land as beggar-priests, while others are members of the upper caste of Vendhyan society, the Brahma (scholars and rulers). Everyone participates in rituals of meditation and purification, including ceremonial baths in the holy rivers of Vendhya.
The priests have command over the lowest caste, the Untouchables. During cremation ceremonies, where the dead are burned to ash on great funeral pyres, their remains are blessed and spread with the wind. Anyone who isn't properly cremated may wander the earth as an undead monster.
Appearances[]
Gods | ||
Aquilonian | Asura • Mitra | |
Cimmerian | Crom | |
Stygian | Ajujo • Derketo • Ibis • Jhil • Set | |
Other | Xotli • Ymir • Erlik • Zath • Dagoth • Bardisattva • Nebethet • Yezud • The True Gods • Al'Kiir • Ilas • Ailing • Ahriman • Thog • Bel |