Hextor
Title(s)
The Herald of Hell, Champion of Tyranny, Scourge of Battle, Lord of Six Blades
Alignment
Lawful Evil
Symbol
A black gauntlet holding a red arrow, symbolizing Hextor's iron-fisted rule and his relentless drive for conquest. His followers often display this symbol on banners, shields, or engraved onto weapons.
Domains
War, Strength, Evil, Law
Followers and Clergy
Hextor’s followers include warlords, tyrants, mercenaries, and anyone who seeks power through conquest. His clergy are often military leaders, battle priests, or enforcers of tyrannical regimes. They wear dark armor adorned with symbols of skulls, chains, or Hextor’s black gauntlet symbol, and frequently wield multiple weapons in imitation of their god. The hierarchy within the church is strict and militaristic, with promotions granted based on strength, cunning, and loyalty. Clerics of Hextor are expected to enforce order and crush any resistance to their rule. His priests often collaborate with orcs, goblins, and other evil humanoids, forming alliances to extend their influence.
Worship Practices
Worship of Hextor is conducted with military discipline, often involving war chants, the rattling of weapons, and ritual combat. His followers observe holy days on the anniversaries of great battles, as well as during eclipses or other dark celestial events. Sacrificial rites are common, particularly involving the execution of prisoners or the bloodletting of dissenters. Ceremonies are held in fortified temples or arenas where warriors can train and test their skills. Hextorian priests often lead troops into battle, offering blessings of strength and invoking Hextor’s wrath upon their enemies. Pilgrimages to the Great Coliseum in Scourgehold, where Hextor’s realm resides, are considered acts of devotion.
Character and Doctrine
Hextor embodies the ideals of tyranny, power, and ruthless order. His doctrine teaches that the strong must dominate the weak and that mercy is a sign of weakness. He values the creation of strict, authoritarian societies where dissent is crushed and laws are enforced without question. Hextor's teachings encourage cruelty and mercilessness as tools to maintain order and subjugate others. According to his doctrine, only through absolute control can true order be achieved. The church of Hextor promotes a harsh view of life, where survival depends on one’s willingness to use whatever means necessary to attain power.
Manifestations and Interventions
Hextor is often depicted as a six-armed, gray-skinned humanoid with tusks and clad in armor decorated with skulls. In this form, he wields a weapon in each hand: a spiked flail, battle axe, battle pick, longsword, mace, and falchion. He may also appear as an athletic young man with dark hair, a form he uses to inspire his followers. Hextor’s interventions often involve empowering his followers during battle, granting them supernatural strength or causing fear among their enemies. His manifestations are accompanied by the sound of clashing weapons and the screams of the dying, inspiring terror and bolstering the morale of his worshippers.
Divine Relationships and Stories
Hextor is the half-brother and mortal enemy of Heironeous, the god of chivalry and honor. Their enmity is ancient and rooted in rivalry, with Hextor’s hatred fueled by his mother’s decision not to anoint him with the meersalm that granted Heironeous invulnerability. Hextor’s resentment led him to seek power from the Lords of Evil, who granted him his six arms. He also has a rivalry with Erythnul, from whom he took the portfolio of War, and longstanding animosities with deities of nature, good, and freedom, including Ehlonna, Pelor, and Trithereon. Hextor is an uneasy ally of Wee Jas, sharing common goals when it comes to law and order, and maintains relationships with the orc and goblin pantheons, often collaborating with their war deities. Myths hint at Hextor’s secret bargains with Tiamat and infernal powers, solidifying his place as a god of tyranny and domination.
Sacred Items and Symbols
Hextor’s sacred items include weapons of war, particularly those used in brutal acts of conquest. The primary holy text, The Book of Hextor, tells of his youth and his decision to seek power from the Lords of Evil to rival his brother. The Celestial Grindwheel, a heretical set of scrolls, suggests that Hextor and Heironeous may be two aspects of the same being, locked in an eternal struggle to maintain cosmic balance. The black gauntlet and red arrow symbol is often used in ceremonies, displayed in temples, or carried as a sigil on war standards. Skulls and chains are commonly used as decorations in his worship, symbolizing death and subjugation.
Temples and Shrines
Temples to Hextor resemble military fortresses or grand coliseums where combat training and worship occur simultaneously. They feature massive halls for prayer, armories filled with weapons, and arenas for martial contests. Statues of Hextor in his six-armed form often dominate the central chambers, and altars are stained with the blood of sacrificial offerings. Shrines to Hextor are typically found near battlefields, within war camps, or in the citadels of tyrants, where his priests offer blessings to warriors and incite soldiers before battle. These shrines serve as places where oaths of loyalty are sworn and rituals of power are conducted.
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