Skaen (SKAYN), known also as the Quiet Slave, is the god of secret hatred, resentment, and violent rebellion.
History
Skaen was one of the gods created by the Engwithans. By the 2800s, he is usually depicted as a small, bald man covered in lash scars whose ears and nose have been cut off. He appears outwardly submissive, with downcast eyes. However, his eyes glitter black with quiet hatred, and his fist is clenched. He is known to manifest in a horrific incarnation known as the Effigy to followers desperate enough to perform certain unspeakable rites.
In the most recent confirmed case, around 2720, an Effigy reportedly led a backwoods peasant rebellion during which an entire noble family was captured, flayed alive, and nailed to the roof of its estate to be devoured by birds and flies.
Cult
Skaen is often associated with uprising, the rebellion of the poor against the rich, and the destruction of oppressive forces. The Quiet Slave has no official clergy or temples, and his worship is conducted in secret.
Those who plot the destruction of their superiors while keeping an impassive face will whisper a prayer to Skaen. Political rebels also call upon him for justice, in the hope that he will intercede on their behalf with Woedica, with whom he is associated. However, Skaen is an unforgiving deity. If a supplicant tips his hand or acts too rashly, the god will abandon them. The same goes for those who actually achieve their ambitions and rise to a higher station – they can no longer count on Skaen for aid.
Followers of Skaen have been known to undertake a ritual in which a follower is terribly disfigured in an attempt to create an Effigy - an unrelenting incarnation of Skaen. During the ritual, a follower is chosen to serve as the Effigy, and is shaved, stripped of identity and gender. They are then scourged bloody, their ears and nose cut off, and their eyes gouged out and replaced with shiny black stones. Finally, they are made to drink the "privileged blood" of a person of wealth or high birth. If the offering is accepted by the god (which it often is not), Skaen will manifest in the effigy, becoming an unstoppable force of terror. The Effigy will stop at nothing until the target's oppressors are slain (usually in a gruesome manner), after which the Effigy falls dead.
Understandably, the worship of Skaen is forbidden in some nations, particularly those with large populations of impoverished peasants. In the Dyrwood, Skaen's faithful often double as torturers and executioners, delighting in the fall of high-status prisoners.[1] In these professions, followers of Skaen and their "eccentricities" are tolerated - even encouraged - as long as they follow orders and do their jobs.
Several Effigies were secretly attempted in hopes of ending the conflict with the Aedyran Empire. As Skaen is associated more closely with domestic transgressions as opposed to national uprisings, he is not known to openly take sides in formal warfare. This, coupled with his cruel and malicious nature, has prevented the Skaenite faith from taking a more general hold on the Dyrwoodan populace, despite the country’s strong love of defiance. The possibility of Skaen one day choosing a side in a major conflict is not beyond reason, but the consequences of the Quiet Slave antagonizing an entire nation are too grim to imagine.
Notable followers
Interactions
Pillars of Eternity
- Skaen is unseen for most of the game, but his cultists are, especially at Dyrford. He appears near the end game, interceding on Woedica's behalf and suggesting empowering her.
- Effigy's Resentment - The Watcher can sacrifice a companion to the blood pool to gain a talent. This carries over to Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
- Skaen appears as part of the council of gods trying to figure out what to do with Eothas.
- A shrine to Skaen can be found in Fort Deadlight, Deadlight Court.
- The Wāpau Jungle encounter is a similar interaction to the Skaen blood pool in Pillars of Eternity
- If you sacrifice a companion, you will be given an effigy doll. A trinket which casts Summon Effigy of Skaen
- If you fight and kill the cultists, you will find Pathfinder's Boots.
Gallery
An effigy of Skaen
A shrine to Skaen in Deadlight Court
See also
- Blood Legacy
- Skaenite Scripture
- Final Journal of Jonas
- The History of Eora, Volume X: The Man Who Would Be Skaen
References
- ↑ Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire encyclopedia
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