Matir: the God of Darkness (B-Grade Knowledge)

Matir is one of The Nine, the elder gods originally worshipped by the dragons and the avian Aesari. While often described as the God of Darkness, Matir is more accurately described as a god of life, death and rebirth who is aligned with the Darkness element. While often misunderstood, he is not an evil deity – unlike his twin sister Rusolka, the Goddess of the Ocean. 

Darkness is a fertile element in Archemi, and the stories of the dragons have Matir wed to the goddess Veela, the Egg-Giver, who is aligned with the Earth element. Matir is the second-eldest of The Nine, the son of Veles, the God of Magic. Matir and Rusolka were born without a mother, brought into being when Veles first manifested the 87 Names of Darkness by mixing his blood with the shadows cast by the moonlight spilling onto the earth (Matir) and the ocean (Rusolka).

Matir’s domain historically covered all acts of creation and destruction that spring from darkness; mysteries, healing, birth and death. He's not all good, though: one of Matir's domains is corruption, especially physical corruption (mold, leprosy, poison, etc). Despite this, Matir is violently opposed to undeath, a state of stagnation that is offensive to him. 

This means that Matir is affiliated with everything from artists to midwives, surgeons to assassins. The dragons made compacts, treaties, and resolved disputes in Matir’s name. There is a saying in many cultures which translates to ‘Give it to the Black God’ – a reference to banishing rituals to Matir that were enacted to cleanse people of illness or misfortune. One of the oldest rites still performed in his name involves taking the objects of the dead or missing and burning them, then casting the ashes into deep, dry wells dug at the center of stone circles. The dragons would do this with their old nest materials and the shells of their eggs, believing that this would bless their hatchlings with long, healthy lives and gifts of talent and creativity.

Black and dark-colored dragons are considered by other dragons to be naturally affiliated with Matir, and often fulfilled shamanic or religious roles. Dragons born under the Dark Moon who became warriors often specialized in destroying the undead, and were some of the fiercest opponents of the Drachan, the Void Dragons who invaded Archemi 5000 years ago.

Matir is still revered in a number of nations, including the nation of Tungaant, where he is known as Burna, the fly-headed god. Tungaant is one of the few places in the world with a dedicated religious order to Matir - the Order of the Black Moon.

Matir is a consummate shapeshifter with numerous forms, but he commonly takes the forms of a black dragon, a many armed god with a fly's head, or a man with no face.

Like all of The Nine, Matir gave up his power to create the Caul of Souls, a potent magical barrier that contains the Drachan in the far north. He is entombed in the Dragon Gate of Endless Night. His sacred stone is  Chrysanthemum Stone.