Ekriathae
The harpy Ekriathae was an ancient Iblydan hero-god who protected Iblydan monsters from those who would seek to hunt them. Her legacy spawned a cult of reincarnation that seeks beings believed to be her successors.1
Background
Cyclopean myth-speakers granted the powers of divinity to mortals, transforming them into hero-gods, by telling prophecies which the prospective hero-god must first fulfill. Many of the earliest such prophecies involved the slaying of creatures that most humanoids considered to be monstrous, such as hydras, minotaurs, and wyverns.
As attacks on monstrous beings increased, Ekriathae pursued her own myth-speaking by luring three cyclopes with her song and compelling them to grant her a prophecy to fulfill. After fulfilling this forgotten prophecy and becoming a hero-god, Ekriathae sought vengeance on behalf of Iblydos' monsters and hunted down their hunters.1
Death
Ekriathae died of old age in -422 AR. She requested that her followers present for her death consume her body so that she could be reincarnated to assist them in times of need.1
Cult
Ekriathae's cult of Ekrian Revival maintains their faith that her deceased spirit would be reincarnated and watches for her return. In the millennia since her death, the cult has designated six unique monsters as her successors, each of whom bore the supernatural powers of a hero-god.
In 4702 AR, the cult named its most recent of Ekriathae's successors, the infant half-fiend Iapholi. She was raised largely in the cosmopolitan Iblydan city-state of Dhuraxilis, where she became a champion of empowering monstrous beings aligned with the city's ideals.1
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 . “Developer Showcase” in Midwives to Death, 75. Paizo Inc., 2019