Hitchhiker's Guide to Religion
Siberian

2. ERLIK — Lord of the Lower Realm

Attribute Value
Combat
ATK 78
DEF 82
SPR 88
SPD 76
INT 94

Title: Master of Souls, Keeper of the Underworld, The Other Side of Tengri

Tradition: Siberian Sacred | Altai, Yakut, Mongol

Description:

Where Tengri rules above, Erlik dominates below. He is not evil—he is necessary. Erlik collects the souls of the dead, judges them, and assigns them to his layered underworld domains. A human who dies by violence, sin, or curse falls into Erlik’s jurisdiction, not Tengri’s paradise of blue eternity.

Shamans, in their trance-journeys, must negotiate with Erlik directly. A healing ritual requires the shaman to descend past his guardians, argue for the sick person’s soul, and win its return. Shamanic initiations involve symbolic death—the initiate’s soul is “captured” by Erlik and must be retrieved by elder shamans, proving the novice’s worthiness.

Erlik is ancient, older than Tengri in some tellings. He is a master strategist, a collector, a miser with souls. He respects strength and cunning. Disrespect him and he will claim you forever. Honor him and he may grant passage.

In RPG Context: Erlik is the patron of necromancers and spirit mediums. His domain includes contracts for souls, resurrection mechanics, and underworld politics.


STAT BLOCK:

StatScore
ATK78
DEF82
SPR88
SPD76
INT94

Power Tier: A — Archangelic

Alignment: Lawful Neutral (Cosmic Entropy and Necessary Death)

Domain: Underworld, death, the dead, judgment, contracts

Sacred Symbols: Black stone, downward spiral, skeletal crown, nine-layered realm symbol

Cross-Tradition Parallels: Hades (Greek), Yama (Hindu), Hel (Norse), Enuma (Mesopotamian), Satan as underworld keeper (some gnostic readings)

Vulnerability: Cannot control the living for long. A shaman with sufficient spiritual authority can bind his servants.


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Combat Radar

ATK DEF SPR SPD INT
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