Issek

Religion in NetHack
priests alignment alignment record altars atheism anger gods sacrifice prayer turn undead

In NetHack, Issek is the lawful god of the Rogue pantheon.

Origin

Issek of the Jug is a deity that appears in the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories of Fritz Leiber. He is known as a god of peace and as a symbol of strength and perseverance for those who suffer hardships such as poverty or disfigurement, and his symbol is a man on a broken rack, reflecting his manner of death. Originally a very unpopular god, Issek's worship skyrockets when Fafhrd 'saves' it from decline by becoming an acolyte and writing a poem where it takes eight racks to finally kill the god; even then, the story claims that Issek almost strangled his executioners before relenting, and twisted the jailor's metal collar into the sign of the Jug before expiring.

Issek's worship reaches a peak when Fafhrd unwittingly appears as his avatar and enacts Issek’s second coming before a crowd, after which his church flourished for exactly three years - this is due to the machinations of Pulg the extortionist, who took over the running of the church of Issek and deliberately ground down rival churches with his racket. During the third anniversary, it becomes apparent that Pulg plans on overthrowing even the Gods of Lankhmar; the gods respond by destroying the church of Issek, defiling its temples and overthrowing its shrines, before finally killing the clergy of Issek down to its last member. Fortunately for Issek, he still resides in the Godsland as a minor god, keeping his ear open to all worshipers, especially the now-lapsed Fafhrd.

Issek appears in very early source material for Dungeons & Dragons, such as Deities & Demigods and Legends & Lore. The Faerunian deity Ilmater is explicitly designed by creator Ed Greenwood to resemble Issek.

Variants

dNetHack

In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, Issek is a holy lawful god, and his minions consist of water elementals, Angels and Throne Archons.

Encyclopedia entry

Now Issek of the Jug, whom Fafhrd chose to serve, was once of the most lowly and unsuccessful of the gods, godlets rather, in Lankhmar. He had dwelt there for about thirteen years, during which time he had traveled only two squares up the Street of the Gods and was now back again, ready for oblivion. He is not to be confused with Issek the Armless, Issek of the Burnt Legs, Flayed Issek, or any other of the numerous and colorfully mutilated divinities of that name. Indeed, his unpopularity may have been due in part to the fact that the manner of his death -- racking -- was not deemed particularly spectacular. ... However, after Fafhrd became his acolyte, things somehow began to change.

[ Swords In The Mist, by Fritz Leiber ]