Ireul (3.5e Deity)

=Ireul=

The goddess of nightmares is a hideous old hag rotted from the inside out, tendrils pouring out of her back like perverse wings, and a black cloud cloaking her form from the world, for it is so horrible to look at that to peer at her true haggish self is to invite death. Her presence breeds fear in others, and hate between others. She is said to send nightmares to those troubled to promote the hardening of their hearts to the world. Yet to her, according to her followers, this is an act of benevolence. For the cruel presence of others brings only true suffering through disappointment and loss. To lose sight of the good things in life is to accept the truth of the world, that existence is defined only in suffering or the lack of it. Her fear of others also brings up intolerance, and racism is brought in her name.

Dogma
Summary::Ireul desires to destroy positive emotions, dragging things into a dreary, "truthful" existence with her. Fear is only natural, and necessary to survive, and her followers often become paranoid in their quests as they grow more and more fearful of everything.

Clergy and Temples
Few willingly follow the nightmare goddess. Usually some event which turns the heart to bitterness begins a slippery slope of decay, where they begin to hate the world and fear those they hate. Racial intolerances is big among them, and they are unable to keep temples for long. The emotionally broken are joined by beholders, who may not worship her per se but see validity in her views of racial hatred down to even the smallest scale. Unfortunately she rarely knows when to stop her follower's decline and many end up joining Oiwa's ranks and committing suicide. It is even rumored that Oiwa is a child of the fearful goddess.

Pantheon
Ireul is a goddess of the Nibiru Pantheon.