Ezzhé is the principle deity of the pantheon of Whiterun Clan. He is not worshipped by any other group of Wajahe.
The symbol for Ezzhé
He is often embellished with a list of titles: Great Ezzhé, First God of Mankind, Lord of the Land, Keeper of the Dead, Supreme Slavemaster, Patron of Whiterun, the Just-Tyrant, Great God of the World, Most Venerable Child of Aiokkais, Patron of Their Servants in Life and in Burial, the Earthen God, Great Lord of all Upon and Beneath the World, They To Whom All Souls Are Justly Owed, Guarantor of the Mandate of Hades, the Cold, Slaver of the Deceased, Great Lord of the Earth, the Disciplined, Greater than Iflaukais, Maker of Mowyva, Enlightener of Kzletse, Lord of the Greater Darkness, Who Entombs, Grantor of All Good Stone, Whose Domain Reaches All Seas, Most Loved Child of Aiokkais, the Shadower, Cavernous, They Who Guides Aiokkais’ Blessed Shadow Onto the Deserving and Aiokkais’ Cursed Shadow Onto the Undeserving, They Who Has Held Close All The Virtuous Dead And Brought Them Into Eternal Service, Lawgiver, Lifetaker, Lordmaker, Archon of Archons, and many, many more.
The word Ezzhé is a rare example of a loanword in the Wajahic Languages that breaks vowel harmony and writing conventions.
History
Ezzhé came into existence as a deity in the midst of exchange between the Rivermen and the Whiterun Wajahe. The Whiterunners, who had built their economy off the back of a strong slave trade and quarrying industry, found themselves in need of justifying their peculiar means of success and prosperity on some deeper level than the simple fact that It Worked. Though the Wajahe religion of the period was by no means insufficient for justifying and gratifying a militarily powerful and authoritative state, the extent to which the Whiterun practiced their specific industries had made such things a definitive part of their own way of life. They simply needed their religion to gratify these things, just as their material prosperity did.
They found their answer in the Riverine deity Ezhógha. To the Rivermen, Ezhógha was a fallen deity. Originally an artistic demiurge and creator of the material world, mind and soul, the Rivermen believed that Ezhógha had become corrupted, and that his desire for artistry had instead become an all-encompassing need to control every aspect of the world, going far beyond his rightful domain as a deity, and eventually being killed by Sagéla, the Riverine Warrior-King of the Cosmos and God of Humanity. Ezhógha was certainly not a deity meant to be worshipped, but instead to be feared, or indeed lamented in his fall.
The Whiterun Disagreed. In Ezhógha, the Whiterun found all the characteristics they had been looking for in a deity, and, reasoning that the Rivermen were certainly educated folk who knew many useful things about the ways of the world and metaphysical reality, adopted Ezhógha into their religious affairs.
Initially, the adoption of Ezhógha into the Whiterun pantheon was Confused and Ill-Thought-Out. The Whiterun were sure that Ezhógha was a deity worth emulating and worshipping, but couldn’t figure out what exactly he was a deity of when Iflaukais already existed in their own pantheon, nor if Ezhógha was a Major or Minor God.
It was through the poetic works of one particularly enthusiastic worshipper of Ezhógha that the deity was incorporated into the Wajahic Pantheon and Mythos. Through one great work recounting the creation myth (which is often reprised and rewritten as habit by Ezzhé’s worshippers to this day), Ezhógha was rendered as Ezzhé, the true and original deity of Life, Land, and Fire, and became a fully incorporated part of the Whiterun Pantheon. Their importance only increased from thereon out.
Mythos
Reprisal of the Wajahic Creation Myth
What follows is a reprisal of the wider Wajahic Creation Myth as is generally believed by the Whiterun to this day:
At the beginning of time, there was only the Ocean, of infinite depth and infinite breadth, comprising the waters of the sea and the expanses of the night sky. This Ocean was Osaeuais, the Eternal Darkness, a solitary and shy being.
Within Osaeuais was the capacity for great rage, anger, and contempt. When this anger flared to its greatest point, a burst of energy was released from the Eternal Darkness, out of which arose Aiokkais, the First God. Aiokkais was formed from a honed and studied rage, and thus made with a perfect body, and with the will to explore Their powers, and to create, such that They may dominate Their creations.
Aiokkais swam from the depths of the ocean to the firmament between the waters of the sea and the expanses of the night sky, and found an expanse where They could create without fear of Osaeuais’ interference. There, They made three children - Eafais, Muloffais, and Ezzhé.
To Eafais, Aiokkais granted dominion over the sky, that there would be a barrier between the expanse and the Eternal Darkness, and thus no meddling.
To Muloffais, Aiokkais granted dominion over the expanse itself, which They filled with wind and all manners of energy.
To Ezzhé, Aiokkais granted dominion over the very core of Their creation, where they first created Dirt and Fire.
Together, these Four Gods entered into the Crucible of Creation, to create the Earth. Ezzhé provided the dirt and fire, which formed the pieces of the Earth. Muloffais provided the wind, to move the pieces of the Earth into place. Eafais hid the creation of the world from Osaeuais, that they would work undisturbed. Aiokkais oversaw all things in creation, such that all things would match Their desires. When the Earth was complete, Ezzhé filled the Earth with beautiful things: grass and fresh water, trees and mountains, flowers and dust. But the Earth was empty, and void of life.
The Four Gods each entered into the Crucible of Creation once more, and each contributed to the creation of being that would inhabit the Earth. Aiokkais created the Souls, both Lesser and Greater, for Beasts and for People, so that Their creations would have life. Eafais brought the sky over the Earth so that Osaeuais would not see these living things. Ezzhé constructed each and every body for these souls to inhabit. Muloffais used the winds to bring these Souls and these bodies to the right places. And thus, life was created.
Each of the Gods favoured an animal. Muloffais granted birds the gift of flight, so they could move through Their domain. Eafais granted fish the strength to swim, and hid their existence from Osaeuais. Ezzhé granted horses incredible speed to travel across Their domain. Aiokkais, prizing humans above all others, granted them the gift of Greater Souls, and the knowledge that they, too, could create. Once they had created, Aiokkais would claim dominion over them and their creations, and revel in Their tyrannical glory.
Yet, all living things lived in the darkness of Osaeuais, and could not see through it. So, Ezzhé produced a great hearth, that all living things could see where the flame reached, and all living things gathered around it, scared to journey beyond the light.
Aiokkais, seeing this fear, took the flame that Ezzhé had produced, and wreathed himself in an inferno beyond comparison. Then, using Muloffais’ winds, They flew into the sky, so far up that all things in creation could see the light.
But the Eternal Darkness could also see this light. It saw the light, and was outraged, realising it was not alone as it had believed it was. The Eternal Darkness vowed to destroy the Gods, and all of creation. The Eternal Darkness coagulated in the sky, and from the Darkness charged hordes of demons, each made in mockery of Ezzhé’s creations, each seeking to destroy creation.
Knowing that the Gods alone could not defeat the Eternal Darkness, Aiokkais found the chieftains of the people, and granted them power, that they would be equal to Their children. A great war was fought in the sky, and many died on each side. Yet, when every demon was dead, Aiokkais, the Gods, and the people all still drew breath.
In the peace that followed, Osaeuais made two great platforms. For half a day, the platform closest to the Earth would be Aiokkais’, and Their light would fill the world. For the other half, the farther platform would be Osaeuais’, and a dark peace would fill the world.
The peace would not last between the Gods, however, as without the common enemy of the Eternal Darkness, the Children of Aiokkais would disdain. Aiokkais freely used Their power without restraint, making the people who worshipped them equal to Their Children in Godhood. Muloffais and Eafais were outraged at this favouritism, and raged against their Creator, demanding that Aiokkais cease the misuse of their power. Aiokkais was incensed by their disobedience, and though They knew the two Gods were right, They refused to change their ways.
Later, Ezzhé, who was very wise, would speak with Aiokkais in the privacy of night, and convince their Creator to change their ways. However, Aiokkais refused to make this change public, and Ezzhé understood their Creator’s need to protect their prestige and honor, pleased that They had made peace.
However, when Aiokkais left Ezzhé to fill the world with light again, Muloffais and Eafais found Ezzhé, and demanded Their sibling join Them in humiliating Aiokkais, saying that if Ezzhé did not join Them, They would humiliate the both of Them with Their scheme. When this did not sway Ezzhé, Muloffais threatened to send great winds to ruin all of Ezzhé’s creation, and this coerced Ezzhé into agreeing, though They knew They had already made peace with Aiokkais.
Together, the Three Gods sought to make a new God to replace Aiokkais as the chief deity. They could not hope to best their Creator in strength, and so they instead would rely on wisdom, tactics, and craftsmanship
This new god, Mowyva, was the result. Eafais filled the God’s head with clear skies, so that Their thoughts would always be clear. Muloffais gave the God the power of the wind itself, so that They could shape the world in Their image. Ezzhé gave the God life, and the power to grant life to Their creations. Thus, the Three had made the One, who was more powerful than them in many ways.
Mowyva swiftly became beloved by the people, as They forged the finest weapons, shaped the finest pottery, and weaved the finest saddle. Aiokkais was outraged when They discovered that Their Children had schemed against Them, and that the people had turned their backs on Them, especially those who lived upon the Lakes. Mowyva provoked Aiokkais further, and, spurred on by the people, and by Muloffais, and by Eafais, challenged Aiokkais to a duel. In Their rage, Aiokkais accepted against principle.
Now, every child knows the sword is the greatest of weapons. And in this regard, Mowyva was not even a child, for They did not comprehend Aiokkais as the greatest of the Gods. When the two Gods rode toward each other, and in an instant, Mowyva was slain by Aiokkais’ heavenly lance. But Aiokkais, who loves all creation and the courageous, was filled with mercy, and realised Mowyva had been misled by Their Children. Aiokkais revived Mowyva.
But this mercy would not extend to Aiokkais’ children. Filled with rage, Aiokkais beat each of Their Children in turn. When They struck Muloffais, thunder came into being. When they struck Eafais, lightning came into being.
Yet, when the time came to beat Ezzhé, Aiokkais’ anger reached the very same apex which had caused Their own creation, seeing their Child had betrayed them after brokering peace. Knowing Ezzhé was either a liar or a coward, Aiokkais struck Ezzhé with such force that Their dominion over Life and Fire was lost, along with all of Ezzhé’s passion and love. These things struck a nearby bear, who was set ablaze, and became Iflaukais, the New God of Life and Fire, and so Ezzhé remained only the God of the Land.
Then, Aiokkais told the Five Gods that if they so desired to rule the world, they would do so without their Creator, and They left for Heaven, leaving Mowyva to fill Their seat of power.
Punished Ezzhé, Iflaukais, & the Greater Darkness
Following Their punishment by Aiokkais, Ezzhé was changed. The loss of Their dominion over Life and Fire manifested in the total loss of any affection or compassion that Ezzhé felt towards Their creations. They could no longer love living things as they once had. Yet, they did not hate creation either, for they could no longer feel hatred. All matters of passion and rage were lost to the God, who felt no shame at betraying Aiokkais, yet knew it had been wrong, and yet knew Their punishment had been just.
Instead of warmth, the God was now full of coldness, which surpassed even that of the Eternal Darkness. Indeed, all that within the Earth was now full of this darkness and coldness, which we call the Greater Darkness. So great was the Greater Darkness that no living thing could journey into it, or else they would be killed by the darkness and the cold.
Iflaukais, the newest of the Gods, saw this Greater Darkness, and what it had caused, and They dismayed, for, being the God of Life and Fire, it was anathema to Them. The new God sought out Their siblings, that They would scheme against Ezzhé, yet They could not do this without Aiokkais, for Ezzhé’s Greater Darkness had eclipsed Them in power.
Thus, when Aiokkais returned to the world to confer Godhood over the people of the Lakes to Mowyva, the Gods laid Themselves at their Creator’s feet, and told them of what had become of Ezzhé. Aiokkais was enraged by Ezzhé’s further betrayal of creation, and so convened with Their children to punish the Great God of the Earth.
Aiokkais would ride to meet Ezzhé, and, crashing into the Earth with Their heavenly lance, would gouge a great wound into the Earth, stretching from one great lake of fresh water to one great lake of salt water. And the wound would fill with water, which would abate the Greater Darkness in its place. Aiokkais would demand Ezzhé explain Their actions, wherein Ezzhé would reveal that merely the loss of dominion over Life and Fire had rendered Them this way, with no intent on their part. Aiokkais, realising Ezzhé had not acted in malice, turned from rage to compassion for Their child, who They saw had amended their ways after Their first betrayal.
Yet, Aiokkais could not return dominion over Life and Fire to Ezzhé, for the first betrayal had been to great, and They could not do nothing, for the Greater Darkness was too great. Indeed, Aiokkais came to love Ezzhé very much again, as the power Ezzhé held was very pleasing to Them, even if it had to be constrained. So, with the other Gods, Aiokkais devised a means of abating the Greater Darkness.
Firstly, Muloffais used the winds to push the cold out of the Earth, which causes chill winds in winter time. Yet this was not enough to abate the Greater Darkness.
So, Muloffais brought the cold into the sky, where Eafais commingled it with the rain, which causes snow. And the snow stained the mountain tops, and fell upon the Earth in winter time. Yet this was not enough to abate the Greater Darkness.
So, Aiokkais used Their light, which had been greater than the Eternal Darkness, and with it pushed the darkness itself out of the Earth, and these were called shadows. And all living things, having been made by Ezzhé, also gave off these shadows. And Aiokkais spoke to Ezzhé, such that Ezzhé would know, that, having loved Ezzhé greatly before Their betrayal, Aiokkais would bless the shadows cast by all the Earth in the mornings, yet, needing still to punish Ezzhé further, They would curse the shadows cast by all the Earth in the evenings. And this was enough to abate the Greater Darkness.
And Aiokkais smiled on Iflaukais, the newest of the Gods, and gave Them the power to also push the cold out of the Earth, yet not to bless nor curse the shadows. And so in the day and in the open people knew the warmth and blessings of Aiokkais, yet in the evenings they would retreat from wheresoever the Earth cast its shadows, and in the night, which was not the concern of the Greater Darkness, but of the Eternal Darkness, the fires of Iflaukais would warm them and light their ways.
And as Aiokkais departed for the heavens again, They declared that Ezzhé was the greatest of Their children, for it had taken all the Gods to contain the Greater Darkness.
Practical Worship
Ezzhé is presently only worshipped to a noteworthy extent by the Whiterun Clan of the Wajahe, though some among the Ejee have incorporated worship of the God into their own practices.
Those who worship Ezzhé typically do so for the God’s association with three particular aspects of life, which have proven to be inseparable from the Whiterun way of life. These aspects are Tyranny, Slavery, and Mining.
Ezzhé the Just-Tyrant
The title of “Just-Tyrant” is practically inseparable from Ezzhé as an item of worship by the ruling classes. Whilst the Wajahe already had Aiokkais as a deity to emulate for the purposes of acceptable or admirable tyranny, Ezzhé’s tyrannical nature is regarded by the Whiterun as very much distinct from that of either Aiokkais or Osaeuais, in that it is wholly rational and devoid of emotion.
Ezzhé’s characterization as an emotionless God, both wrathless and ruthless, lends itself to Whiterun’s particular modus operandi. Namely, Ezzhé has been enshrined as a tyrant which all other rulers and leaders ought to emulate. This manifests in the normalization of a style of leadership that cherishes a rational approach to rulership with credence given only to that which is regarded by the Whiterun to be the most materially beneficial outcome, devoid of anger and of compassion. This has resulted in a meritocratic system of seeking leaders who are “well-reasoned”, at least according to what “reason” is to the Whiterun. It has also resulted in a population who are wholly willing to submit to that reason, and to submit to those who are regarded as well-reasoned.
Thus, Whiterun’s ruling classes, both civilian and military, are a cabal of the clever, the cunning, and the callous. The only vigor or fieriness one will find in them relates to their zealous worship and emulation of the Just-Tyrant. Beyond that, there is no vengeful malice in their rule, nor lovesick pussyfooting. Every pursuit is one that seeks to culminate in the expansion of material domination and flourishing, in the demonstration of mastery over the ways of the world, mathematical, political, artistic. For that is what is pleasing to Ezzhé. Not honor, or kindness, but control. Certainty. Tyranny.
Ezzhé the Supreme Slavemaster
Though slavery was never foreign to the Wajahe, it has seen no greater proponents than the Whiterun. It has defined their economy, politics, religion, civic way of life, military, legal system, and more for innumerable centuries, and Ezzhé has played no small part in this.
It is quite plain to see, from an objective perspective, that Ezzhé’s association with slavery was little more than an attempt by the Whiterun to ennoble their reliance on the practice. But that ennoblement redefined the Whiterun themselves, perhaps more so than it did the original Ezhógha. For it has become the case that Ezzhé is not merely an advocate for slavery, but is Themselves the greatest of slavers, for Ezzhé denies Their worshippers the afterlives all others ought to pursue. Just as Ezzhé calls on Their worshippers to enslave and dominate others in life, so too does the God enslave them in death. Burial, once the most taboo of treatments for the dead conceivable by the Wajahe and reserved only for the most horrible of criminals, was made into the expected means of handling a soul owed to Ezzhé. And all souls are justly owed to Ezzhé.
Burial means that the soul can never make the journey up the river. Burial means the soul can never make it to that island upon which all the Gods reside. Burial means that one’s soul belongs to Ezzhé forever.
And they call this just.
Therein, it should be made plain that the emphasis on slavery as a key facet of life is perhaps unsurprising for the Whiterun. They live so that they may die, and in death, they go to serve their God for eternity. So, if they are meant to emulate their God, they ought to bring others into such an inescapable and all-encompassing service, such that it would last their whole lives, such that they would better dominate the world and the people further.
So, slavery is the economic manifestation of the call to tyranny. It has provided the Whiterun with an expansive and expendable servile class, upon whom they can rely for the production of base and unrefined resources, or for fodder in warfare. It has also engrained in the Whiterun the normalization of slave-taking as a completely regular part of civilian and military life - a relatively quick way to escape personal economic hardship, which, given that many jobs are taken up by the slave population, can be quite a common state of being. Still, this society is pleasing to Ezzhé, and so it must be pursued. It is only right.
Ezzhé the Lord of the Land
Behold, something actually relevant to Ezzhé’s current dominion as a God!
With all the talk about tyranny and slavery, one might be tempted to forget that Ezzhé is, on a basic level, just the God of the Earth. But this facet of Ezzhé is impossible to forget for Their actual worshippers. Why? Because Ezzhé’s status as the God of the Earth is so ludicrously integral to Whiterun’s past and present economy, their fundamental tenets of civic planning, and because Ejee mystics think that it’s Super Important.
That Whiterun is called “the Stone City” should hint that quarrying has played a large part in the history of the city itself. Originally responsible for a period of unprecedented economic success for the clan and city after Kzletse destroyed an entire fucking hill, it has never ceased to be important to Whiterun’s economic maintenance. Even if trade from the East were to shut down completely, the quarries could help keep Whiterun running monetarily, though with considerably less power projection. Quarrying and mining are inseparable concepts from the history of the city of Whiterun itself, and Ezzhé, as the Lord of the Land, has this success ascribed to Them.
There’s also the entire diabolical mess of Shadow Feng Shui. Blame Ezzhé for the Whiterun being incapable of building a fucking normal city.
Further Info
Depictions & Manifestations
Ezzhé’s most prolific depiction lies in the Ligature of Their name.
Worshippers had struggled for quite some time to figure out how to adequately depict Ezzhé, given the deity’s nature as an underground God. The imagery of Ezhógha was too direct a reference to how Ezzhé was understood by the Rivermen, with no recognition of how the Whiterun understood them. Unique anthropomorphic depictions were attempted, but were confused and unsatisfactory. Artists could rarely decide on whether Ezzhé looked masculine, feminine, or androgynous, or what age to work with.
The most common solution was thus to represent Ezzhé with intentionally obscured features, so, early art depicting Ezzhé would showcase a vaguely humanoid figure either coloured black or carved with no distinguishing features. There was a tendency to depict the figure as more female than male, as to emphasise the notion that Ezzhé was a birthparent of the world.
However, because this still fell short of the desired effect, poetry regarding Ezzhé continued to be more reliable than artistry. The literary focus on Ezzhé’s depiction is no doubt responsible for the amount of titles the God has, and how thoroughly divergent the Ezzhéic mythos is from the baseline.
When anthropomorphic depictions ultimately continued to prove themselves unsatisfying for conveying the power and majesty artists and priests wished to convey, early artistic representations of Ezzhé tended to draw on simple references to imposing natural features, such as mountains, caves, caverns, and such and so on. So, if one were chiseling some stone for artistic purposes, and wished to depict Ezzhé in the piece, they would often carve these features into the piece.
It was not a perfect solution - the imagery was sometimes unclear, and those who did not know of Ezzhé would struggle to ever connect “a carving of a mountain” to Ezzhé. Eventually, depictions became more abstract, with the focus on natural features instead moving to a focus on the convexity or concavity of those features. As such, once attempts to mimic or evoke the natural world fell away, they were instead replaced by more abstract imagery that contrasted great concavity and great convexity in close proximity. In other traditions, this may be referred to as phallic and yonic imagery, but Ezzhé is genderless, and so it was not regarded in a sexual manner, like the anthropomorphic depictions were.
These styles ultimately fell to the wayside for all but the most artistic with the emergence of the Ligature. The Ligature is used in essentially all official contexts and capacities. Artistry will often contrast the ligature against a much more complex and ornate set dressing, demonstrating the ineffability of Ezzhé alongside the God’s artistic capacity.
Interestingly, even in artwork where Ezzhé is shown alongside other gods, such as the Major Gods or Kletze, the Ligature will remain the preferred means of depicting the deity.
Relationship With Other Gods
The relationship between Ezzhé and the other Gods of the Wajahic Pantheon are typically regarded as rather strained, with key exceptions.
Ezzhé and Iflaukais are almost always regarded as being at odds with one another. Worshippers of the Lord of the Land understand Iflaukais as a thief, or a mistake, and will refer to Them as “the Burning Bear” derogatively. It is prophesied that one day, Ezzhé will defeat Iflaukais, and reclaim dominion over Life and Fire - variably, the Greater Darkness is either overcome by something called the Greater Flame, or the Greater Darkness itself becomes a Greater Flame, or else it simply remains unchanged.
As for Muloffais and Eafais, Ezzhé is typically regarded as not dealing with their siblings after they betrayed Aiokkais, regarding them not only as incompetent, but as utterly incapable. Worshippers of Ezzhé will sometimes mention that no mountains have been moved by the wind in recent history as a sort of weird flex on Muloffais.
Mowyva and Ezzhé are depicted as being on neutral terms. There is some enmity, in that Mowyva blames Ezzhé for misleading them and Ezzhé disdains Mowyva for being an item of their betrayal of Aiokkais, but generally the deities aren’t meaningfully depicted as being at odds. Likewise, Ezzhé is regarded as having no particularly poor nor positive relations with most Minor Gods, regarding them as unimportant.
The most blatant exception to this is Kzletse, who is typically regarded as one of the people Ezzhé cherishes most. Ezzhé is known to have had a hand in all of Kzletse’s works during his life, and to have petitioned Aiokkais to grant godhood to the mortal after the destruction of That Stupid Fucking Hill. Though Kzletse was not buried, and resides on the island with the other Gods, there is perhaps no-one Ezzhé can be said to be closer to.
And as for Ezzhé’s relationship with Aiokkais, it is very, very convoluted. Ezzhé is typically posited as being Aiokkais’ favorite child, because Ezzhé is held to be Aiokkais’ most powerful child by Their worshippers, and Aiokkais cherishes Ezzhé’s power. However, Ezzhé is also regarded as the God who was responsible for the most moral wrong by betraying Aiokkais after having brokered peace, and characterized as submitting wholly to Aiokkais on the matter. Ezzhé believes They did the wrong thing, according to Their worshippers. Yet, this cannot be taken as an obstacle to Aiokkais’ love for Ezzhé, and so even though Aiokkais has not forgiven Ezzhé, and still punishes Them, Aiokkais’ love for Ezzhé in particular surpasses that which they feel for all Their other children. Of course, Ezzhé cannot love Aiokkais in return, but recognizes Aiokkais as the rightful ruler of the Gods, and as a power that ought to be followed. That doesn’t apply to Ezzhé’s worshippers, though. People still ought to submit to Ezzhé, even if Ezzhé submits to Aiokkais, because all souls are justly owed to Ezzhé, not to Aiokkais. Don’t suck up to your boss’s boss.