Shadow Stalker Vohu

The Zartosht have a saying—"The wilds do not answer; they call those with wildness in their hearts." A richly-historied, itinerant people who have experienced the rise and fall of their great empires, circumstance soon returned the Zartosht to the simple, nomadic ways of their ancestors. They venerate divine spirits known as yazata, and each represents an aspect of their highest deity Ohrmazd, Lord of Wisdom, said to have created all of existence. Vohu, the yazata of the wilds and Master of Beasts, is a dark-skinned, muscular man whose eyes glimmer from beneath pale hair and a feather-crested hood. Many young adults with a streak of savagery in their hearts make forays—indeed pilgrimages—into dark woods, where Vohu is said to roam. Though the Zartosht venerate all yazata in equal measure, Vohu holds a somewhat controversial status among his kin. His dominion over the innate wildness of mankind paints his followers as savage brutes, but in communities where diligence and strength are respected, he is their patron. For Vohu does not merely hunt beasts; he hunts demons. The Master of Beasts willingly walks the precipice where light ends and darkness begins—a formidable vanguard of Ohrmazd's people against the Dark One, Angra Mainyu, and his legion of demons. Yet for all his efforts in this dangerous duty, Vohu is content knowing that most would rather keep him at arm's length; it is better that way, so that they may never know such burdens. Since the recent thwarting of Angra Mainyu, the Zartosht have gained greater insight into their silent protector thanks to the yazata Armaiti. Both guarded the light, and that is a purpose worthy of respect.