The Great Serpent, Lord of Poison, the Dead Shadow. This god bears many names — and even more specialities. The reason is simple: if you wish to survive, no skill is ever useless. This is especially true in the dark depths of the underworld, and no one understands “kill or be killed” better than the Lord of Poison.

Thick dark feathers adorn the head of this god, his eyes like two polished black obsidians. Between the feathers along his body grow small bell-like flowers glowing pale blue, as well as countless fungi. He resembles an owl, but beneath what would be his wings are another pair of emaciated human arms, ghostly pale.

Zehir holds a long-standing contempt toward the newer gods — primarily for encroaching upon his domains. Offenders include several deities, among them Umbrus, who claimed the domain of dragons from Zehir’s broader realm of reptiles. Also among them is Shar, god of darkness, hidden deeds, and the underworld.

In the mythology of civilized races, he is often portrayed as an enemy of the “good” gods such as the Thunderer, Sarenrae, or Pholtus. Among more primal races, however, he is revered as the Creator and Earthly Father. To him are attributed the births of many monstrous reptiles — especially great serpents.

The worship of Zehir is generally forbidden in civilized lands, as is the case with most evil gods. In public, it is easy to reject Zehir’s gifts. Yet, alone in the shadows, even people of good heart sometimes whisper desperate prayers to this god of darkness. As the lord of assassins, Zehir blesses those who kill; he cares not for the killer’s motives, nor whether the victim’s fate is deserved. Some whisper that assassins need not even pray to Zehir for aid for him to notice — for he knows when the thought of murder first slithers into a person’s mind.

It is unknown whether Perun was truly the first god of thunder, or if a predecessor ever existed — and if so, how he died. Yet, there are theologians who accuse Zehir of his murder, or at least of his involvement. The blood of Zehir is said to be so venomous that it can kill even a god, and that very blood is most likely the weapon that brought about the Thunderer’s end.