Orisis
by Andrew TheisenI just noticed that DM has, indeed, worked Bachraeus into his Immortals' list without any of us seemingly noticing- specifically, he has tied him/her/it into his write-up of Maat So, kudos on catching that way before we even thought to ask!
That being said, I just came across something in the Nithia Gazetteer that I thought was interesting, and fit into a particular place in Immortaldom that clicked for me, even though I see that it doesn't quite mesh with your own take on this Immortal:
Orisis
Patron of Death and Resurrection
Level, Alignment, Sphere: ?, LN, Thought
Symbol:
Portfolio: Death/Rebirth, Secrets
Worshipped in: Known World (White Island), Hollow World (Nithia)
Appearance: A hawk-headed man.
History:
LIKELY THEORY- When the Immortals decreed that Nithia must be destroyed in the Outer World, for all its deadly blasphemy, only the town of Ranak and its people survived. Ranak was removed by distance from the corruption of the rest of the empire, and its ruler, Kepher, was a solitary, secretive man who was untempted by the allure of the Entropic powers that seduced his fellow leaders to evil and insanity.
Alone among his people, Kepher was allowed to remember the story of the Outer World nation of Nithia, that he might keep them from repeating their past mistakes. Too, he found himself elevated to the station of Pharaoh of these people. Thus roused from his innermost solitude, Kepher was able to guide his people in this strange, new world- to survive it, and tame it, and make it their own.
His reign was not fraught with the perils of nature alone, for an ancient artifact of Entropic evil had somehow escaped the notice of the saviour Immortals of Nithia, and threatened to undo all that had been done to preserve the nation. Playing and preying upon the natural rivalry of the followers of Pflarr and Rathanos, the artifact spurred the two sects into increasingly aggressive and violent acts against one another. Civil war threatened the still vulnerable new realm.
After painstaking investigation, Kepher was able at last to identify the true source of impending disaster, and to destroy the Entropic artifact, though at the cost of his own mortal life. As his spirit left his dying body, he was greeted by the Immortals, who ushered him into their ranks, for Kepher had- unknowingly- completed the trial of the Epic Hero.
Personality: Having died and risen to Immortality in spite of it, Kepher became the patron of death and resurrection- the embodiment of the triumph of will and life over Entropy. He adopted the name Orisis and made it his special mission to ensure that the evils that destroyed ancient Nithia would never be allowed to manifest again, just as he did in his mortal life. Orisis' introspective and secretive nature makes him very well chosen to safeguard the dangerous knowledge that led to the destruction of ancient Nithia, and his strong sense of duty ensures that he is ever vigilant and ready to take whatever measures necessary to fulfil his charge.
Patron: Unknown
Allies: Ixion, Kagyar, Valerias. Though nominally allied with Pflarr and Rathanos as fellow patrons of Nithia, Orisis is antipathetically disposed towards them.
Enemies: Thanatos, Ranivorus, Yagrai
Classic D&D Stats:
Followers' Alignment: Lawful or neutral, clerics must be neutral
Favoured weapons:
Clerics' skills & powers: Clerics of Orisis are druids, following the rules for such characters in the Rules Cyclopedia; druids of levels 21-36 may use the spell shapechange in addition to other spells normally available to druids.
Paladins' skills & powers:
D&D 3E Stats
Domains: Law, Protection, Repose
Preferred weapon:
Sources: Gaz4, HWR2
Notes: Gaz4 mentions that "the followers of Orisis... were removed to a remote Outer Plane in the keeping of their Immortal patron", thus implying that Orisis was already Immortal at the time of Nithia's destruction. HWR2 mentions that Kepher was raised to Immortality after dying in the Hollow World. Rather than have two separate Immortals, and because their stories (death, resurrection, combating Entropy in Nithia) tied so closely together, I chose to reinterpret the statement in Gaz4 as referring to the followers of Orisis in his mortal life- i.e., the citizens of Ranak under Kepher, who were removed to the Hollow World in the keeping of their patron (Kepher)- and not to an Outer Plane. A deliberate reading of the text, obviously, invalidates this theory of Orisis' origins, but I thought the symmetry was nice. Also, since DM came up with the Theory part of his Immortal stat block, it gives us some leeway to allow for different interpretations.
As stated above, I realise this version is likely not going to mesh with DM's (which I am looking forward to reading), but I thought I'd offer it up as an alternative.