Zahir and the Immortal Pear Tree

The people of Lefort worship the common Gods of Shadowdark, but modern mysticism on the island has introduced four new spiritual masters.

The tallest mountain of Shiver grows an immortal pear tree. It's been growing since Lefort was created, and will grow until it's cut down. The pears are entirely ordinary but always juicy and delicious. The bark of the tree, however, is said to be the physical manifestation of the word of God.

Zahir's prophetic dream

Zahir is a Babilanayan human with a pointed beard, his hair shaved close to his head. He wears a loose brown robe, always strangely clean, tied at the waist with rope. Zahir lives on the tallest mountain of Shiver. He's accompanied by 4d6 philosopher-priests (stats as acolytes). After a prophetic dream explaining what he must do, Zahir stripped part of the bark away from the pear tree and wrote the First Book on the back of the phloem, a collection of poems observing the nature of the world.

The First Book's musings on reality accurately describe the macrocosm of the island, but only through extremely careful analysis. Careful analysis being hundreds of years of study. Zahir realized the humanoid body acts as the Second Book, and in conjunction with the First Book can provide a revelatory understanding of the metaphysical construction of reality.

The Second Book

Zahir can predict and accurately interpret the microcosm compared to the macrocosm, and vice versa. He's also a scientist and medical practitioner, with the expanded knowledge of modern experts. Zahir has stats as an archangel, but uses no weapons and rarely flies. Instead he Commands his acolytes to defend him and Commands his attackers to close their eyes and turn away: Zahir isn't against lethal force. 

Zahir and his fellow philosopher-priests form a small commune on the near-impenetrable mountains of Shiver. Zahir studies in silent solitude, acting and speaking through his followers.

Laypeople make the deadly journey up the mountain in hopes of speaking with the master. Others desire the First Book. Or uprooting the pear tree. Or utilizing Zahir's mythical medical skills, viewing his empirical knowledge as magical ability.

Listened to "Dead of Night" by Orville Peck and "Funny Little Frog" by Belle and Sebastian.

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