Iroas's Influence
Iroas personifies the glory of victory, honorable combat, and physical competition. He is the unspoken bond between soldiers on the eve of battle, the courage of the standard bearer holding colors aloft in the midst of battle, and the exultation that comes after a hard-won victory. Iroas pushes his followers to excel in their chosen fields, particularly war and athletics, and gain honor through superior skill, training, and dedication.
War is, fundamentally, a terrible experience filled with pain, loss, and fear. Unfortunately, as Iroas sees it, war is also necessary. He sees preparing for and winning life's essential battles as being of paramount importance and the highest calling one can experience.
The true warrior fights with honor, courage, and dedication, and values training, discipline, strength, and esprit de corps. In Iroas's eyes, nothing is more valuable or honorable than a honed blade wielded by a trained warrior loyal to a just cause. This message is ingrained in the ethos of Akros, the polis that claims him as its patron. His precepts and codes of conduct are incorporated in the civil and military laws of Akros.
Iroas values strength and determination in less deadly pursuits, as well. He believes sports are a fine proxy for war, as just as in a battle, superior skill and strength lead to a victory. What Iroas truly loves is a winner.
Lastly, Iroas urges his followers to blunt the advances of his brother, Mogis. This directive inevitably means combat, since Iroas knows of no other way to solve problems. Diplomacy isn't an act of cowardice per se, but because it isn't an activity Iroas is prepared to engage in, it isn't something he expects of his followers.
Iroas's Goals
Iroas sees existence as a series of glorious battles to be won by both him and his followers. War is a testing ground from which only the bravest and strongest emerge. Between battles, there are feats of endurance and physical prowess to perform. Iroas exhorts his followers to hone their bodies and minds just as they hone their blades. He is certain that to slacken his vigilance and grow lazy would guarantee his demise at the edge of his brother's blood-soaked axe. Iroas pushes his followers to be ready at all times to meet conflict head-on.Divine Relationships
Iroas is defined by his opposition to his twin brother, Mogis. Although both love battle, Iroas holds an honorable and valorous view of warfare, whereas Mogis lusts for carnage and butchery. Iroas firmly believes that mortals will always fight, whether in war or in less consequential pursuits. His charge is to ensure that war is waged with a code of honor and to prevent his brother's depravity from spreading through the world. Iroas holds an abiding respect for Purphoros, who girds his warriors in the products of his artifice. Iroas sees finely crafted arms as the highest form of art, sublime and deadly at once. Still, Iroas finds Purphoros's volatile temper and bouts of passion unbecoming of one with such talent at creating weapons of war. Iroas champions the cause of justice and thus seeks Heliod's guidance and counsel from time to time. During Heliod's piques of arrogance and temper, Iroas is the one who advocates restraint and calm. More often than not, the two deities agree where matters of justice and honor are concerned.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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