Irra Harah
Eternal of Spring
Sobriquets
Irra Harah is known as the Prince with a thousand foes.
It is widely believed that the Eternal itself has never actually made an appearance, and that it always chooses to speak through a Herald.
Otec is a solvakian word that means "father" which is kind of wrong, but I like the sound of it so I'm sticking with it for now. Otec is known as the Guardian of the Young, and the Imperial Orcs who he often favours know him as the Thorn of the Ancestors. He is also known as the White Ivy by those who seek him out.
Appearance
Irrah Harah is invariably young, and takes the form of a humanoid with strong briar lineage. He (or she) is usually dressed in leather armour, and carries a one-handed spear and a shield. Any equipment is woven from briars, vines, branches and leaves - occasionally it will include elements such as stone or polished flint but it rarely includees any metal. On occasion it appears in a less martial aspect, in which case he wears clothing appropriate to that of a slave, outsider or oppressed people.
Scholars are uncertain what Irrah Harah's "true" form may look like - it is speculated that it is a wild expanse of bramble-choked woodland in the same way that Yaw'nagrath is a mighty forest or Llofir is a region of fungus.
Concerns
Irrah Harah is extremely sophisticated - for a Spring Eternal. It is concerned with the oppressed, the silenced and the powerless. Early tales suggest that Irrah Harah's interest in the weak and the conquered has grown throughout history and that initially it's concerns revolved mostly around survival by any means. Even today, Irrah Harah will tend to suggest that the truly weak flee rather than offer armed resistance to overwhelming force.
He has neither interest in nor time for the strong, mighty and powerful; they can look after themselves. His primary concern is with the physically weak who must use tools other than personal strength to survive in a hostile world. As his concerns have matured, he has increasingly encouraged the downtrodden to stand up for themselves and question their lot in life. Some are encouraged to leave dangerous situations - there are a few minor anecdotes that suggest one of the Landskeeper Landskeepers involved in the The Marches Marcher exodus from Dawn spent time communicating with Irra Harrah. Others are encouraged to take up arms against tyrants or rulers who deny them freedoms they themselves take for granted. It appears to not entirely understand the concept of peaceful resistance, but approves of the use of activism, rhetoric and social change by those who are luck enough to live in civillised nations where such things are possible.
He is not concerned about fighting people’s battles for them, but it concerned with giving people the ability to stand up for themselves. He will rarely help those in power or with status, but will often help those who are fighting to survive struggling. Otec is also concerned about defending children and providing for them, and his vengeance about those who abuse or undervalue children is legendary. He is interested in the Empire, however, and was happy to help the Imperial Orcs when they were fighting to be accepted.
The Prince with a Thousand Foes strongly encourages the protection of the next generation and the preservation of the young. Irrah Harah believes strongly that children should be protected at all times; everyone should ensure that children are preserved from physical dangers and raised with the cleverness and cunning to ensure they survive to have children of their own. Anyone who cannot have, hor chooses not to have, children should spend time protecting and strengthening their pack, tribe, clan or family.
During the Orc revolt, several slave-magicians were able to meet with Heralds of Irra Harah and gain boons that helped them support their allies, destroy slaver stocades and the like - one common boon was a cudgel that smashed chains apart. During the Orc revolt, Irra Harah was placed under Declaration of Enmity by the conclave; the declaration persisted through the events of the Freedom heresy - the Eternal made no attempt to hide it's support for the briars and the atrocities they committed in the name of Malign spiritual presences#anarchy anarchy. However the same Eternal offers assistance to communities besieged by barbarians - several Navarr steadings in Liathaven have received aid from the Eternal's Heralds, for example, and there are rumours of it's involvement in helping refugees escape Reikos, Spiral and even Skarsind.
Boons
Gifts from Irra Harah tend to be straightforward; the most common take the form of simple items made of natural materials that contain properties that heal, empower or protect. Weapons are less common boons, and they generally have properites that Combat overview#Shatter smash enemy defences or weapons or Combat#CLEAVE cripple enemy combatants.
Irra Harrah is also known to grant boons that smash structures designed to contain or imprison people, or that enhance Rising_Roots_that_Rend_Stone rituals with similar effects. Likewise, he encourages mortals to fight back by whatever means they can against powerful opponents - poison, VENOM and vicious curses are all appropriate weapons to use to free or protect oneself and one's family.
On occasion, Irra Harrah also offers boons that will help an underdog take the first steps towards prosperity or at least prevent starvation or disaster. There are sporadic tales of sudden bursts of fertility for otherwise barren farm farms that allow a bumper harvest, or a sequence of inexplicable multiple-births in the herd of domestic or hunted animals that allow a group on the verge of starvation to not only survive the winter but sell their surplus to improve their position
This eternal wishes those who are fighting to better themselves and to improve themselves. He generally only helps when the chips are down and people have nowhere else to go.
The curses of Irra Harrah are varied and unsubtle; those who harm children, in particular, will discover their own flesh sloughing from their bones.
If you cannot run, yield.