#falling through

The God of Mercy, Diplomacy, and Marriage Coitreb deals with all things relational in the Zone. His domain is vast enough to encompass everything from trade agreements, though the duty is shared with the King of the Gods, to managing rivalry between schools or fellowship inside families. Because every mutual agreement comes under his purview, his powers are considered vast and prayers are sent up regularly to govern everything from major agreements between regions and nations to settling petty disagreements among members of the household. The constant prayer suffices the god with power, and as the god of mercy, he acts far more often among the material realm than most of the others.

The most well regarded of the Divine among the Yetis, his worship eclipses even that of Gwrtheyrn, and he’s regarded as the true King of the Gods in Malproksime Frostiĝinta a point of tension between the scientific and magic focused realm and their Arachtalamh neighbors. (The Heraldry of House Frjósimhjøtur takes its use of Arĝenta and its symbols of interlocking knots from Coitreb the same way House Glaurung takes its use of Ora and the Dragon Head’s meaning from Gwrtheyrn.)

Outside the bastion of scientific progress and diplomacy at the edge of the Local Zone, his most ardent worshipers exist among lawyers, international diplomats, and civil servants of all kinds. No one is more pressed to keep the peace than the army of forgotten middle ghosts keeping their countries running behind the scenes and between the glories of war and battle.

Of course, since he rules marriage as well, the God sees worship by everyday people on the occasion, though he shares some of this with Lúthgáir. His name is spoken at every jumping of the broom in tiny villages and state wedding affairs to solidify treaties between major powers. He is even a standard part of the vows throughout the Zone, especially for those marriages that take place for political instead of romantic reasons. This is because he is believed to have the power to make contracts binding, and every being wants a long-lasting marriage.

Another common site of worship is far more morbid. Invoked in criminal sentencing around the Zone by the guilty, he sees devote worship among those in long term imprisonment or who are subject to be executed. Indeed, the final rites for capital punishment in many areas of the Zone include both prayers to Aodh to guide the spirit to the Beyond and to the God of Mercy to forgive them of their sins or relieve them of suffering.

He is also invoked by prisoners of war or when soldiers intend to surrender. Using his name as a means to deceive in times of war or refusing to give quarter to surrendering fighters is one of the few ways to invoke the wrath of the divinely equanimous god.