WARLORD – The God of Battle and War

Status:  Younger God

Level:  6500

Avatar:  Carint

Also known as “Warmaster” or “Warbringer” or even “The Lord of the Battleground”, this firstborn deity desired only to fight and improve his powers of combat against more and more powerful opponents. He is the consummate Warrior. Warlord hated staying in Bifrost; he longed for adventure and in particular the conflict that would go with it. He is able to fight with any weapon and knows neither fear nor equal in skill and speed, Faster and stronger than any in combat, he is a formidable foe and valuable ally.

Warlord always fights as if he was at play, laughing at obstacle as though they were games or playful challenges, because of his frame of mind Warlord is a poor councillor. He is portrayed as a golden haired warrior, with a gold beard and an imposing figure of health and vitality.

Whilst still a human Warlord took it upon himself to hunt down and slay the minions of Pharastus. He eventually came to Pharastus’ Greatest Temple, which was guarded by the High Priest Gwilion-Bri, a Drow of dark renown. Gwilion-Bri had not only succeeded in being the first Priest to make the Flight into Darkness, but was also acknowledged as the greatest Drow swordsman of the ages, here he wielded his notched and blood smeared Claymore, making short work of the Drow that worshipped there.

As he fought, a tall fiery figure approached and commanded him to stay his weapon, lest he melt it. Warlord wiped the blood-smeared sweat from his forehead and turned to stare at the fiery one, asking who he was to stop him destroying the Pharastus honouring scum.

They stood fast and eyed each for what seemed like an eternity. Slowly a smile played across the Fiery one’s face, he told Warlord that he was Ro’Azarkh and was here to destroy the Drow upon command of Marnarka. He then asked Warlord how he would feel about a battle of Champions, the winner of which would get to enter the temple and destroy the High Priest. Warlord agreed to a contest to first blood. They began the combat, both seeming evenly matched; they had to pause a couple of times in the combat to kill interfering Drow. It seemed that neither could get the better of the other and Ro’Azarkh became angry and the red mist of the battle rage came upon him, this was his undoing for Warlord was still cold and calculating and managed to use Ro’Azarkh’s rage against him.

Warlord had won and Ro’Azarkh conceded to him the temple. Ro’Azarkh stood outside the temple leaning on his flaming swords whilst Warlord laid waste to all who resides within the temple. The fight, which took place, between Warlord and the High Priest Gwilion-Bri is an epic battle tale, often told around army campfires.

Eventually Warlord exited the temple carrying the head of the High Priest Gwilion-Bri. Ro’Azarkh was so pleased to see his young friend (as he now thought of him) was alive, that he immediately announced that he should take the place of the Warlord of the Gods and carried him straight back to Bifrost and Marnarka.

Warlord joined the rest of the young Gods in their adventures, joining with them as they explored Ae. It was while he travelled with them in the ever changing planes that Dauthrman noted Warlord would sometimes loose his senses all together and dive into a combat without thinking of the consequences. The young gods declared that he lived for war and combat and that there was no enemy he could not defeat.  While in the elemental plane of water the Gods accidentally released the five great leviathans, which escaped into Eä.

With the help of Barnardo, Warlord chased and slew four of the leviathans. Each battle tore the seas asunder and the forth battle ended when Warlord took the Leviathan and smashed into the earth. This action resulted in the sundering of Laipris from Pakarios and the partial sinking of the lands in this area, later to become named by men as ‘The Tserin Swamps’.

The fifth and most powerful leviathan swam to Bifrost and took sanctuary in Daunam’s court. Warlord found out from Poseidon that Daunam had hidden the creature so he strode up to Daunam’s gate and banged upon his doors in a rage that could only be rivalled by Ro’Azarkh. Daunam told the great leviathan to stay hidden while he went to Marnarka for aid.

When Daunam returned with Marnarka, Warlord had already cut his way through Daunam’s Elemental guardians and navigated the great maze of underwater caves and was about to enter the throne room where the Leviathan cowered. Marnarka stood in between the Leviathan and Warlord and listened to their tales, Warlord told Marnarka that the young gods released the terrible beasts by accident and he was but clearing up the mess. The leviathan recited its tale of persecution at the hands of the Young gods and begged for justice against their meddling. Despite its vast size Marnarka granted the beast preservation from Warlord but at a cost, the beast could only live in the very deepest of the ocean depths, and must never surface. Marnarka knew the ways of Warlord and knew that he would eventually seek out the beast. So he forbade Warlord entry into the oceans, and with his words he created a pressure so strong that it would crush anybody who would venture too deep into the depths so that only the very mighty may live there.

Eventually as Warlord grew maturer he became more bored and began to judge every combat less before he entered into it. His sudden rages also began to worsen the sudden and unprovoked bouts of aggressiveness happening more and more often and the young gods became more wary of travelling with Warlord. This uneasiness came to a head when the young gods came across a marauding army of storm giants form over the great North Wall and Warlord lost his cool and charged into them, completely decimating them. Rather than stop and revel in his victory however, he continued in a divine frenzy to charge towards the young gods. This action would have cost Dauthrman his other hand had he not been so quick.

From then on the young gods refused to travel with Warlord and it is said that Ishtra, much against her will, was asked to help Warlord to heal his uncontrollable battlerage, but Warlord refused all such offers of help on the grounds that it would make him weaker in combat.

Warlord then became a loner; travelling the world and pitting himself against even more fearsome foes. It is said that he even, on one occasion, tried to attack Pharastus himself when Pharastus was disguised as a leper, but the sight of the lepers’ disfigurement horrified him so much that he left him alone. This was not because Warlord was frightened of death when it faced him but because he saw in the leper of Pharastus the image of a dishonourable death at the hands of an opponent he could not defeat with weapons of steel – disease.

As time wore on Warlord’s reputation began to grow and he gathered around him a band of battle crazed lunatics who wanted to seek a glorious death in battle. It is this core of battle crazed warriors who form the centre of his worship today.

SYMBOL

Warlord’s symbol is that of two crossed swords and a shield representing his prowess in battle.

WORSHIP

There are two factions who worship Warlord, the berserkers and the tacticians, both of whom respect martial expertise above all else. Each cult learns different skills to do with battle, but clerics of both cults still seem to suffer with a form of Warlord’s battle rage that takes them over sometimes in battle.

TEMPLES

Outside Chamwaedd (especially in Pakarios) there are large temples to the Warlord in most towns and cities where military training takes place next to worship and prayer, in large open courtyards. The high clerics of the Warlord are often, if not the leaders of the military, advisors to generals and mercenary captains and councils of war are always, by tradition, held in the Warlords temple if there is one large enough.

HOLY DAYS

The ‘Festival of War’ is held once every year and every other month. On the first day the ‘Contest of the Champions’ is held in which all the best warriors in the area compete for the title and right to be called Champion of Combat.

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

The cult regards all cults who do not base their worship on strength and competence in battle as a waste of time. They respect others, although they hold animosity towards those who do not show the Warlord the respect they believe he deserves.

CULT REQUIREMENTS

All seeking initiation into the cult of the Warlord must already have proved themselves to be fearless warriors. The cult is open to anyone capable of wielding a weapon.

STRICTURES

BERSERKERS:

• Never let yourself be bettered in battle.
• Never let your weapons or armour fall into a state of disrepair.
• Never let what could be better accomplished by battle be accomplished another way.
• The diseased are weak and should be put out of their misery.
• The battleground is your temple.

TACTICIANS:

• Judge every combat before you enter it, but once the decision to engage has been made, retreat becomes dishonourable.
• Never let yourself be bettered in battle.
• Never let your weapons or armour fall into a state of disrepair.
• Never let what could be better accomplished by battle be accomplished another way.
• The diseased are weak and should be put out of their misery.
• The battleground is your temple.

WEAPONS ALLOWED: Any, although missile weapons are seen as cowardly.

ARMOUR ALLOWED: Any, up to and including plate mail.

CREATING SÄ CARDS

Warlord allows his priests to enchant their Sä cards at the apex of the Sun (midday) and the Apex of the moon (midnight).

MIRACLE CASTING RESTRICTIONS

Due to the binding words of Marnarka, Warlord is forbidden to enter the oceans of Eä. This also applies to his vast power. In game terms this means that any priest of Warlord who goes under the ocean’s waves will not be able to invoke Warlord’s name nor be able to use any of their miracles even if the priest has already imbued his cards. The cards will regain their power when the priest leaves the water or pokes his head out. It should also be noted that a Miracle cast above water would not effect any creature below the surface. For example a priest could not attempt a Blast of God on a Shark that swam just below the surface, however he could blast it’s fin should this break the surface when it swims to attack.  

A warlord priest’s miracle would work as expected in lakes and rivers, it is only open seas that Warlord influence is forbidden.