Voynahla¶
Voynahla (pronounced "voy-NAW-la") is the Aspect of Death, and one of four non-Elder/Great Major Aspects. He is a foil to Vayniklah. His primary duty is to ferry souls across the Veil after their death, back to their place of origin, but he also has general dominion over the concept of death itself.
During the events of the Divine Schism, Voynahla took his own life, but as a god of death, did not truly die.
| Titles | Soul-Stealer |
| Classification | Major Aspect |
| Family | Primal Tree (Parent/Creator) Other Major Aspects (Siblings) |
| Gender | Masculine (he/it) |
| Devotion Site | Perishing Well |
Description¶
Voynahla's passage in Theogony Volume II reads:
Soul-Stealer Voynahla, Aspect of Death
Voynahla is a much reviled Aspect with dominion over death itself. During the Divine Schism, Voynahla took his own life. Due to his power over death, however, he has continued to linger in our realm.
Voynahla is often referred to as the personification of death, in addition to his simple powers over it as a major force in the realm.
Voynahla's physical form is not depicted in full, but skulls meant to resemble his are found in some places throughout the map, which appear vaguely like the skull of a bat or similar animal.
Color/Build Scheme¶
Voynahla is associated with black and red, as well as orderflame (soul flame) and related items, including soul sand and souldust.
Role & Powers¶
Voynahla's exact powers over death are unclear, but it seems that he serves a psychopomp role, guiding souls to Drehmal's equivalent of an underworld in the Drehmal universe. Exact interpretations of this afterlife vary; most people on Drehmal seem to believe in some form of reincarnation, with Voynahla's devotees believing that their worship of the Aspect of Death will grant them favorable reincarnation. Others speak of "Voynahla's Domain" referring to a more permanent afterlife, with their loved ones persisting in the realm of death.
History¶
Voynahla is one of the Major Aspects, all believed to have been created by the Primal Tree before the creation of Drehmari and the start of the First Avihm.
In modern Drehmal history (post-Felling), Voynahla was known to be a polarizing Aspect among the Drehmari. Some, particularly in the Casai region, worshipped the Aspect of Death, hoping to gain favorable reincarnation and bringing death to their enemies. Voynahla's followers (and the Aspect by extension) gained a negative reputation in other parts of Drehmal, partially due to Casain wars of conquest and partially due to racial prejudices.
During the Divine Schism in late Av2, Voynahla saw another Aspect die for the first time. Inspired by the realization he did not have to remain alive, Voynahla conducted a grisly ritual, taking his own life and transcending into a permanent state of undeath, no longer bound by mortality. He remains in this state today.
In the late Second Avihm, Voynahla worship began to dwindle through Casai, as forces such as Avsohm pushed worship of Drehmal and Virtuo on the rest of the continent. Virtuo worship phased out Voynahla worship in Casai, followed by Maelihs worship after he conquered the region in the Dune Wars. Casains brought their Voynahla worship to other regions outside of the Empire of Maelihs, most prominently Akhlo'Rohma, where they were persecuted heavily as a racial minority up until the present day.
Devotion Guide¶
Voynahla's devotion site is the Perishing Well, a small altar in western Casai.
Around Voynahla's shrine, his lower-tier offerings can be found, including bones, dead bushes, and rotten flesh. To find his higher-level offerings, players must read the Greeting Death hint book nearby, which states:
Be warned: you may be unable to wield the knife yourself. For this reason, you must always have a funeral plan wherever you go. Be buried at once beneath Death's head with items which will appease Voynahla's spirit. If you show no fear, you may yet be granted mercy.
A small nearby structure is the first of these hints. The large stone skull, decorated with four lit candles, is a representation of Voynahla's own head. Digging beneath it will reveal a chest with a higher-tier offering. These skulls are found throughout the realm, with at least five others known. They are almost always within sight of a graveyard.
Voynahla Skulls
Voynahla skulls are also found in the Athrah graveyard, outside of the Mossfield and Firteid graveyards, at the bottom of the Dusps hill, and near Azaim.
Accepted Offerings
| Value | Items |
|---|---|
| Liked | Dead Bush Rotten Flesh Bone |
| Loved | Poisonous Potato Chthonic Rose |
| Adored | Chthonic Skeleton Skull Music Disc (Ward) |
Increasing devotion to Voynahla will grant players the following rewards:
Devotion Rewards
| Level | Reward |
|---|---|
| Lvl 1 | Mortality +0 |
| Lvl 2 | Runic Book (Soul Speed III) |
| Lvl 3 | 48x Cooked Porkchop |
| Lvl 4 | Mortality +1 |
| Lvl 5 | 64x Souldust |
| Lvl 6 | 64x Bone Meal Banner Pattern (Skull Charge) |
| Lvl 7 | Mortality +2 |
| Lvl 8 | Runic Book (Knockback II & Punch II) |
| Lvl 9 | Lingering Potion of Poison III |
| Lvl 10 | Mortality +3 |
Voynahla's relic is Mortality, a skull which increases attack damage but decreases max health.
Mortality Details
| Relic Name | Stat Modifiers | Lore Text |
|---|---|---|
| Mortality +0 | -5% Max Health +10% Attack Damage | You have been granted the favor of the Aspect of Death himself. Deliver it with certainty and caution. |
| Mortality +1 | -10% Max Health +20% Attack Damage | You have been granted the favor of the Aspect of Death himself. Death becomes more unwieldy the further you go. |
| Mortality +2 | -20% Max Health +30% Attack Damage | You have been granted the favor of the Aspect of Death himself. Your mountain of corpses grows ever higher. |
| Mortality +3 | -30% Max Health +40% Attack Damage | Upon witnessing the death of another Aspect, Voynahla realized the full extent of his domain. Now, he lives in eternal death by his own choosing, never to return to deific mortality. |
Late-Game Info¶
You feel an arcane presence...
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Like the other Major Aspects, Voynahla has a significant footprint on Lo'Dahr.
Voynahla's room in Ytaj is located near the main entrance to the eastern wing, holding his secondary devotion altar and a large black animal skull, possibly the real skull of the Aspect himself.
Voynahla's brazier in the Ytaj entrance is the only one lit with orderflame, referencing the fact that he is not alive like the other Aspects, but is also not truly dead.
Voynahla's Domain in the southeast of the moon is a medium-sized region, dominated by gravestones, deep red water, and a massive black and red chapel in its center. This chapel, guarded by a miniboss named Conservator Ulavahn, holds the Sepelitem artifact and the elegy of death book.
Sepelitem is a celestial shovel which has been used twice: once to bury Voynahla's physical remains, then again to exhume his skull on the Aspect's own orders from beyond the Veil. The elegy of death affirms Voynahla's desire to one day see the destruction of the world.
The community-restored Codex Celestus also mentions Voynahla, stating that he and Vayniklah together concern themselves with the transport of souls from beyond the Veil to their mortal vessels, then back out. This makes Voynahla one of the few Aspects confirmed to have some knowledge of what lies beyond the Veil.