Note: This is a huge WIP, I'm just posting to get early feedback. My god probably sounds absurdly OP, but don't worry. I plan on making a small, weak, and mostly ordinary human kingdom as his nation.

[hider=Ialu, God of the Saranites]
[b]Name(s):[/b] Ialu the Enemy of Sanity, Lord of Near and Far, The Hidden One, He who is Always at the Shoulder, The Pale-Eyed King

[b]Dominion(s):[/b] Illusion, dreams, insanity, mystery, plotting, manipulation, patience

[b]Appearance:[/b] To nigh any being Ialu will appear as whatever he chooses, as his power over the mind allows him to alter even the perception of reality of those near to his physical form. When he manifests himself away from his physical body, whether in the dreams of another or in the real world, Ialu most often takes the form of a strange, speechless mist that has shades of every color men can see, and then some. 

If one were to encounter Ialu's physical form and somehow penetrate through the god's shield of illusions, they would see him for what he truly is: an anemic and ancient man cloaked in robes woven from the softest clouds, with a great beard of white that cascades from his neck. If one were to look into the eyes of the dreamer-god they would see only milky white opals, blind to light and the world yet capable of perceiving intangible things such as dreams and thoughts.

[b]Personality:[/b] It is said that Ialu's heart beats once in a century. His breaths are even fewer and farther between. The god sits in his throne and sleeps while life goes on and those in his dominion go about their business; though just because Ialu is asleep does not mean he is inactive. Rather, he is in the dream world weaving plots and manipulating the dreams and nightmares of mortals and gods alike. Ialu's intentions, motives, and thoughts are unknown even to his closest followers. Some say that his mind is alien and incomprehensible, but they would be wrong. His ambitions are very real, if secret.

In terms of his interactions with others, Ialu very rarely will directly intervene with matters or appear before his followers, preferring to be the puppet master that weaves webs of plots and intrigue to achieve his goals without drawing the ire or attention of others. He ensures that his land is friendly enough to neighboring kingdoms, though he is careful to limit trade so as to not allow his realm to become reliant on foreign resources. Similarly he strives to limit outside influence so that Saru does not become infected with other traditions, ideologies, or worst of all religions.

Rarely does he speak directly to other gods or get caught up in the petty wars between their domains, preferring to remain neutral with all unless acting otherwise would prove very beneficial. This does not mean that he does not get involved in the affairs of other gods, merely that he tries to hide his own involvement and work from the shadows. Rather than fight an enemy nation, he would prefer to cripple it from within, manipulating the dreams of its people and sending his priests to assassinate important people in an effort to create utter turmoil.

[b]Powers:[/b] Within the realm of the sleeping Ialu's power is unfathomable; he can see the every thought and desires of the sleeping, appear before them in their dreams, and plant within their subconsciousness the seeds of whatever thoughts he might choose. In the real, waking world Ialu is much weaker. He is still capable of creating illusions the likes of which most mortals would find unimaginable, though this sort of magic becomes far more difficult if the targets are particularly intelligent or possess magical abilities. He can command almost entire control over the perceptions of those near him, can easily create lifelike hallucinations of all sorts within his own realm. When he manifests himself as mist, his mere presence can induce either a serene and sleepy air, or an aura of paranoia and nightmarish fear. The simple touch of his misty form results in an irresistible need for sleep, and mortals unfortunate enough to inhale the mist can find themselves possessed by Ialu.

However, Ialu holds very little power over the awake outside of his domain. Unless one invites the god of dreams into his mind or Ialu for whatever reason chose to leave his domain and come within the general vicinity of a person, he would be largely powerless to do anything to them. That is, unless they inevitably fall asleep, or enter the lands under his influence. Though it has not happened in living memory, Ialu could awaken from his slumber and travel the world in his physical form. While this would leave the god incredibly vulnerable, it would allow him to unleash his unadulterated and full powers anywhere in the world, if he physically traveled there.

[b]Magic Items:[/b] 

[u]The Lens of Obscurity[/u] - An artifact of incredible power created by Ialu himself, it appears to the untrained eye as a simple hand mirror. Those who merely glance into its depths will find their souls pulled through the glass and into the dream world, effectively causing them to instantly fall into a deep slumber. 

Those who possess magic strong enough to resist the artifact (or who are favored by Ialu) can instead stare harder, and see through the mirror as if it was a mere lens of glass. Through the lens one can peer into the dream world just as the god himself does, penetrating the minds of any people in sight wield great power over them. If one possessed a truly extraordinary amount of magical prowess, he or she would be able to use the lenses to contact Ialu himself, see the invisible traces of the god's work, and even sense the location of Ialu's secret temple. 

The Lens of Obscurity are guarded by the High Prophet of Ialu, an extremely powerful sorcerer and a force to be reckoned with. The High Prophet uses the Lens both as a tool to communicate directly with Ialu while awake, and as a weapon to carry out the god's will.

[u]Tears of the Night[/u] - Not an artifact, but rather a sacred potion with magical properties, made and consumed by Ialu's priests. A strange concoction, it is created by a mixture off many strange ingredients: powdered silver, opium milked from poppy flowers, the fumes of incense burnt within Ialu's holy temples, various herbs, and finally magical gems distilled from pure starlight using an ancient ritual. These components are mixed by alchemists and then blessed by high priests.

The result of all this effort is a strange fluid black as pitch, yet reflective like a mirror. Warriors paint the substance upon their bodies before battle to repel evil and to draw the power and favor of their god. Wise men and philosophers drink small quantities to temper their minds, fortify their health, and increase their magical capabilities. The priesthood boil the tonic over fires and inhale the fumes, which can result in anything from death to personal encounters with Ialu himself, though it usually causes no more than a deep slumber in which the user experiences all manner of strange dreams.

[b]Mortality:[/b] Ialu bleeds like you and I; to slay him would take no more than an arrow true to its aim or a sharp blade. Aware of his own great weakness, Ialu hides locked away deep within his first temple, tucked away in a corner of the world. Only a few beings know the location of this hidden temple, however the High Prophet of Ialu who holds the Lenses of Obscurity could tell you. What guardians or other defenses the temple might have are a mystery not even the High Prophet could know.

Almost always sleeping in the safety of his temple, Ialu will only reveal himself to others by entering their dreams or manifesting before them as mist. When he manifests himself in one's dreams he can be banished with great difficulty if the dreamer becomes aware of his presence and actively fights it, though this rarely happens. When he manifests himself in the physical world as mist, he can be neither banished nor slain. Killing Ialu would be easy, the difficulty lies in finding his secret lair or somehow forcing him to show himself in flesh and blood.[/hider]

[hider=Saran]
[b]Name:[/b] Saranite Kingdom
[b]Terrain:[/b] Most of the kingdom's domain consists of the vast sister-deserts, Sharu and Clysu. Sharu lies to the west and Clysu to the east, with the two split by the great Saran, also known as the Silver River. To the north of the two deserts where the Saran's tributaries originate is a large chain of mountains. Near the rivers are large, fertile floodplains where the vast majority of the Kingdom's population is clustered. Near the delta and sea are large forests, dense enough in some places to be called jungles.
[b]Wildlife:[/b] The mighty Saran river is in many places plagued by hippopotamuses and crocodiles, yet it also has many serene parts inhabited by turtles, ibis, and the like. Many large fish live in the river, enabling the predators to thrive and Saranite settlements to possess substantial fishing industries far upstream from the sea. The deserts themselves are barren, blazing seas of sand rather than mere grassy steppes or savannas, yet there are still hardier animals like jackals, camels, and scorpions. The coastal jungles are home to the most biodiversity, possessing everything from elephants to tigers.
[b]Species:[/b] The Saranite lands are home to two very strange creatures. 

The first is the mighty bone vulture, the filthy king of all carrion animals. Bone vultures are massive, occasionally with wingspans wider than three men are tall. Their plumage is ashen and their eyes as black as the shriveled, dehydrated corpses that are left of those who die in the desert. Bone vultures have been known to attack men and carry grown adults away to devour, yet this rarely happens. The birds have an incredibly keen sense of smell or else some sort of magic, as it is said that one can sense a corpse from a dozen leagues away. In any case, the bone vultures wander the desert skies by night, always in search of food. They carry many foul diseases, and a scratch from their talons or wound from their menacing spear-like beaks will nigh always result in a fatal infection. The Saranites behold the bone vultures with both terror and reverence, for the birds are considered mighty, immortal, and sometimes even sacred, yet they are also associated with death, pestilence, and nightmares.

The second creature is known as the Scorpion Man. Even more obscure than the bone vulture, it is rarely if ever encountered. There are many that declare it to be no more than a myth, yet nontheless, once or twice every decade a band of travelers will claim to have encountered one in the desert. A twisted monster, the Scorpion Man has the head and torso of a man, but rather than legs his form gives way to the horrific, chitinous body of a scorpion. Usually about ten feet tall, the scorpion man has venomous saliva, massive claws, the stinger of a scorpion, and two humanoid hands with which it might equip a spear or similar weapon. According to legend, Scorpion Men are intelligent and malevolent, wield terrifying powerful dark magic, and live beneath the sand, plotting to one day clamber to the surface by the hundreds or thousands and claim the petty kingdoms of men for their own.

[b]Culture(s):[/b] The Saranites are different from most other feudal societies in that warriors are not considered elite, but rather learned men. From bottom to top, their caste system goes: slaves, farmers, warriors/hunters/slavers, artisans, bureaucrats, scholars/doctors, philosophers, alchemists, and finally priests. This seemingly lopsided and rather complicated caste system ensures stability to a greater extent, and has developed due to the Saranites' history of relative peace and isolation.

[b]Capital:[/b] Akkhe
[b]Important Individuals:[/b]
[/hider]