[ Eladrin ] [ Aestetica | Paragons | Court of Stars ]
Maahes
The Scarlet Lord, Wielder of the Knife, Lord of Carnage, the Avenger of Wrongs, Guardian of the Horizon, He Who is True Beside Her (planar bralani / ghaele eladrin empyreal lord [he/him] / CG)
Portfolio: Desert storms, knives, swift justice
Realm: Arborea / Pelion / the Horizon Roaring
Maahes (ma-HEES) is a towering figure, even when he’s crouching! He’s got the body of a slender gold-furred elf, and the head of a lion—all wreathed in a mane of golden flames. His eyes twinkle with the amber light of the sun shining through leaves. He wears a kilt woven from rushes. With claws and teeth like his, the blood doesn’t really need a weapon at all, but when he’s fighting all civilised-like, Maahes wields a massive curved khopesh known as the Fang of Truth. He can summon fierce sandstorms, or make the desert bloom with lotus flowers.
Dwelling mainly in the deserts of Pelion, Maahes has taken on the role of justice-bringer and punishment-maker. He’s an ancient cutter for sure—the chant goes he was a defender of the ruins of Pelion before they were ruins. Which if true, surely means he oversaw the downfall of whatever civilisation used to be there. Thing is, he’s not approachable enough to ask questions about it—so that’ll have to remain dark for now. In any case, he still haunts the deserts, defending the crumbling ruins that remain from would-be tomb raiders. His name translates to ‘he who is true beside her’, but who the ‘her’ refers to, that’s dark too. Graybeards have pondered, perhaps Sekhmet? The Cat Lord? Or maybe Queen Morwel? Your guess is as good as mine, cutter.
Maahes is a fiercely loyal to those under his protection, and merciless towards those who’d harm his charges, the innocent, or disrupt the balance of goodness. And you’d better believe it his definition of goodness that counts, berk! In a state of affairs that would make a Mercykiller shed a tear of pride, Maahes acts as judge and executioner of those he deems guilty. And the punishment? Being devoured. Yes berk, good luck coming back from that one.
Philosophy
With a mercurial personality that’ll switch from serenely wise to explosively wrathful in the time it takes you to blink, Maahes is nothing if not unpredictable. To Maahes, freedom is sacred but must be safeguarded by those willing to wield their strength responsibly.
Maahes’ aestetica reflects his primal, leonine nature: His radiant golden aura representing his solar connection and role as a protector. His ferocious elegance is a blend of refined grace that barely masks his raw power. He calls his philosophy Sacred Carnage—the duality of destruction as both a protective deterrent, and an expression of divine will.
The Horizon Roaring
His domain is called the Horizon Roaring, although a basher would be hard pressed to spot where Pelion proper ends and it begins. A sprawling, arid desert where the golden dunes stretch endlessly under a sky that shifts between dawn and dusk. Rolling hills are dotted with the occasional acacia and baobab tree, whose branches provide welcome shade for travellers. Leomarhs roam freely as guardians of this realm. At its heart lies The Pride’s Vigil, a towering mesa crowned by an eternal flame.
Source: Jon Winter-Holt. Canonwatch: Maahes is mentioned in Bestiary 1 [PF1e] as an azata lord with no further comment. Maahes is one of many Egyptian gods, but I couldn’t find out much about him, apart from him devouring captives, which is fun!