Garagos
Cleric Alignments: CE, CG, CN

Garagos: The Reaver, Master of All Weapons, Lord of War (Faerunian Demigod)

Symbol: A pinwheel of five snaky arms clutching swords
Home Plane: Warrior's Rest Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: War, skill-at-arms, destruction, plunder
Worshipers: Barbarians, fighters, rangers, soldiers, spies, warriors
Cleric Alignments: CE, CG, CN Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Strength, War

Favored Weapon: "The Tentacus" [a pinwheel of five black snaky arms, each ending in a sword] (longsword)

he goal of every worshiper of Garagos (gah-rah-gohs) the Reaver is to be covered in their enemy's blood at the heart of a conflict they initiated. Once Garagos was an honored deity of war, a being associated more with military victory through fury than perseverance through sound tactical dicisions. He eventually came into conflict with the young demigod Tempus, who vied for his dominance over warcraft. The Tome of Foehammer's Triumph, a collection of scriptures held holy by the church of Tempus, tells of a century-long battle in which the Lord of Battle finally defeated Garagos by turning the Reaver's mindless fury against him. Long thought slain, Garagos reappeared in the recent past, either awakened from ageless slumber or resurrected by a devoted cult of worshipers. His newest incarnation seems utterly devoid of the craftiness he once possessed. Instead, Garagos is a being of idiot rage, a violent six-armed whirlwind of carnage that seems to exist only to destroy.

Clerics of Garagos, known as bloodreavers, spend their days fomenting strife throughout the continent, knowing that each conflict contributes to Garagos's continuing rebirth. They believe that Garagos eventually will regain his divine strength, unseating the hated Lord of Battles and reclaiming the mantle of Deity of War. They continually create and expand networks of spies, faithful warriors, and other agents to increase the power of the cult, and the leadership of a cult cell is usually determined by the result of power plays between the agents of rival clerics.

Bloodreavers pray for spells in the morning. Ceremonies to the Lord of War typically involve bloodletting as well as anointing the faithful in the blood of their enemies. Though a few well-kept clerics prefer to sow discord through guile in the courts of cities across Faerun, most of Garagos's feral clerics eschew bathing, proudly wearing multiple coats of enemy blood. The blood obsession of the cult of the Master of All Weapons has led many to conclude that services to Garagos involve some degree of vampirism, but a direct link never been proven. Indeed, most vampires would be more likely to treat a blood-soaked cleric of Garagos as a particularly hearty meal than consider him an ally. Bloodreavers usually multiclass as barbarians.

HISTORY/RELATIONSHIPS: Though chaotic neutral, the debased, insane Garagos stands on the brink of evil. A nearly elemental force of destruction, the Reaver has no allies in the pantheons of Abeir-Toril—the other gods deal with Garagos simply by staying the hell away from him. Despite his vacant mind, Garagos still harbors deep resentment against Tempus and his catspaw, the Red Knight. Should these deities meet in the field of combat, there's little doubt that the Reaver would come out the worse of it. Eventually, however, Garagos's destructive capabilities might transcend his tactical weaknesses, and on such a day, the followers of Tempus are sure to know true despair.

DOGMA: Peace is for weak fools. War makes all participants strong, and only in head-to-head conflict is honor satisfied. Only cowards avoid battle. Any who strike down a foe from ambush or from behind demonstrates cowardice. Retreat is never an option, even in the face of a greater foe, for if a warrior's heart is focused on Garagos, the deity will provide enough to conquer any enemy.