Ah Pook (The Destroyer)Source Divine Mysteries pg. 125Also known as the Destroyer, Lord of Night and Fear, and the Twisting Skull, Ah Pook is a cruel and cunning deity who has reveled in the suffering of mortals for as long as anyone can remember. However, rare is the occasion when the Destroyer causes direct harm to his victims. Instead, he relishes in misleading them, offering them apparent relief from their problems and concerns while inflaming their fears and insecurities, prompting them to act in ways that cause them to fall into a downward spiral of self-destruction. Ah Pook never forces someone to take a particular course of action, for their misery is more sublime if they brought it upon themselves.
When Ah Pook manifests, he often adopts the guise of a well-groomed Arcadian man attired in exquisite black clothes and gold jewelry, sometimes with a faint silver aura around his head, as if he were blocking the light of a full moon. Those already doomed can see his true appearance: a humanoid corpse with a bare skull and rotting, maggot-ridden flesh garbed in golden robes. Xibalba, the Land of Dread, is Ah Pook’s primary den of iniquity. This foul demiplane is dedicated to squeezing every drop of terror from the souls who have the misfortune to end there. The
sahkil tormentors who govern the Land of Dread are staunch allies in the Destroyer’s campaign to bring despair to mortals.
Ah Pook’s machinations often put him at odds with deities who cherish community and
protection, such as
Torag,
Cihua Coatl, and
Kazutal. He especially enjoys corrupting the latter’s followers and interfering in her endeavors. For this reason, the Mother Jaguar and her flock consider Ah Pook their greatest foe. Kazutal refer Ah Pook to Ah Pook as Ohachtsik, an ancient Razatlani word roughly meaning “Deceiver of Souls.” The Destroyer also keeps a feud as old as time with
Pharasma, for not only do his servants disrupt the flow of the River of Souls, but if some legends are to be believed, it was he who sowed unrest in the hearts of the first
psychopomps who renounced the sacred mission given to them by the Lady of Graves, becoming sahkils.
The church of Ah Pook is composed of myriad branches and individuals who operate independently. When acting in the open, his priests and champions cover themselves in black paint, wear ornaments made of bone and gold, and carry deadly obsidian swords—an appearance intended to instill unease in whoever sees them. However, the followers of the Destroyer shine the most when working undercover, whispering in the ears of those desperate enough to surrender themselves to their master.
Category Other GodsEdicts nurture the fears and doubts of others, withhold your true intentions, make others realize the weight of their acts
Anathema guide others to overcome their fears and insecurities, provide swift relief to the suffering of others, save someone from a cruel fate brought about by their own hand
Areas of Concern death, destruction, the moon
Religious Symbol skull with a crescent eclipse
Sacred Animal maggot
Sacred Color(s) black, white, gold
Devotee Benefits
Divine Attribute Intelligence or Charisma
Divine Font harmDivine Sanctification must choose unholy
Divine Skill DeceptionFavored Weapon macuahuitlDomains darkness,
death,
destruction,
moonAlternate Domains pain,
secrecy,
sorrow,
trickery