Saturday, May 7, 2011

Know Your Deities: Heironeous & Hextor, The Basics


The war gods, Heironeous and Hextor, are half-brothers and arch-enemies. In many ways they are the good and evil sides of the same coin, making them both very similar and diametrically opposed.

Heironeous

Title: The Invincible
Home Plane: Celestia
Symbol: A fist holding a lightning bolt
Portfolio: Valor, Chivalry, Justice, Honor, War, Daring
Alignment: Lawful Good
Domains: Good, Law, War, Glory*, Inquisition*
(*From Complete Divine)
Favored Weapon: Longsword

The good war god, Heironeous promotes justice, valor, chivalry and honor. Temples to Heironeous are typically built like fortified castles, particularly in unsettled areas where they double as fortresses. Even in settled areas, a temple to Heironeous will have a large grassy area where soldiers can drill and knights can joust. The interiors are decorated with blue and silver trappings and often feature stained glass and tapestries of Heironeous standing triumphant. They always have well-stocked armories.

Heironeous is most closely aligned with Bahamut, St. Cuthbert and Pelor, though he considers all who stand against evil and injustice to be allies. He finds Olidammara annoying at times, but has been known to enjoy his charm and humor. He opposes all who spread evil and suffering, especially his half-brother, Hextor.

Appearance
Heironeous appears as a tall human man in a full robe of chainmail. He has coppery skin and auburn hair. His skin is said to be impervious to all but the mightiest of weapons.

Dogma(copied from Deities & Demigods)
Heironeous expects his followers to uphold the highest ideals of chivalry and justice and to treat adversity as a challenge to be met and overcome, just as evil should be overcome. The world is a dangerous place where those who fight for justice and who protect the weak and the innocent face a never-ending series of challenges. He exhorts his followers to act honorably at all times, and to uphold the virtues of justice and chivalry with deeds, not just words. Those who face danger with certainty and calm will prevail against evil, Heironeous advises.

Clergy
The religious order of Heironeous is organized much like a military order, with a clear chain of command. When not battling against Hextor, clerics of Heironeous protect civilized lands from threats of evil. Older clerics often serve as strategists, judges and military instructors. Priestly vestments involve suits of chainmail and blue robes or tabards with silver trim.

Clerics of Heironeous are widely admired, though many find their high ideals and intense devotion to their cause intimidating. This admiration stems mostly from the fact that they battle genuine evils with little concern for monetary gain. "Glory is the reward for defeating evil."

Clerics of Heironeus may be lawful good, lawful neutral or neutral good. Heironeous counts many paladins as followers.

Planar Allies
Typically, Heironeous sends Hound Archons, Trumpet Archons, and Hound Archon Heroes as lesser, regular and greater planar allies respectively.

Pathfinder Conversion
Heironeous has access to the Glory, Good, Law, Nobility and War domains.


Hextor

Title: Champion of Evil, Herald of Hell, Scourge of Battle
Home Plane: Acheron
Symbol: A black gauntlet holding six red arrows
Portfolio: Tyranny, War, Discord, Massacres, Conflict, Fitness
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Domains: Destruction, Evil, Law, War, Domination*
(*From Complete Divine)
Favored Weapon: Flail

The evil war god, Hextor commands his followers to reign supreme over all lesser beings. Temples to Hextor take the form of large, forbidding fortresses, built to impress the common-folk of Hextor's power. His temples are typically built at mountain passes, river-crossings or other locations of great strategic importance. These are also often sites where great battles once took place. They often have massive forges to equip entire armies and their armories are always well-stocked.

Hextor has a strong, if often uneasy, alliance with Gruumsh, Nerull, Tiamat and Wee Jas. He utterly despises his half-brother, Heironeous, and has a long-standing rivalry with Erythnul. Otherwise, he opposes almost all other deities (exceptions include Olidammara, whom he finds annoying but tolerates, and Boccob and Vecna, whom he basically ignores).

Appearance
Most of the time, Hextor appears as a horrible, gray-skinned, six-armed humanoid male. He carries a weapon in each hand and wears black scale armor. Sometimes, particularly when portrayed as the god of fitness, he appears as a young, handsome human male with light skin and dark hair.

Dogma(copied from Deities & Demigods)
Hextor seeks to conquer or destroy any that oppose him. He tells his followers that the world is a dark and bloody place where the strong rule the weak, and power is the only reward worth anything. The cruel and unrelenting pursuit of one’s goals is the only reliable path to success. Order must be forged out of chaos and law out of anarchy. Tyranny brings order out of chaos. Dissenters must be oppressed or destroyed lest anarchy reign.

Clergy
Hextor's priesthood is organized in military fashion, with training being very rigorous and harsh (failure is usually fatal). When not battling against Heironeous, clerics of Hextor are often planning or leading attacks against rebels and do-gooders. They are constantly scheming to overthrow regimes that seem likely targets for conquest.

It is often joked that clerics of Hextor know how to say "He must be obeyed!" in every known language.

Hextor's sect is not as secretive as most evil deities, and temples operate openly in many settled areas. Clerics of Hextor may be lawful evil, lawful neutral or neutral evil. They wear scale armor and black or blood-red robes or tabards.

Planar Allies
Typically, Hextor sends Bearded Devils, Barbed Devils, and Horned Devils as lesser, regular and greater planar allies respectively.

Pathfinder Conversion
Hextor has access to the Destruction, Evil, Law, Strength and War domains.

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