Karontor
God of fomorians, verbeegs, deformity, hatred, and beasts Lesser god
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Domains: All, Animal, Cold, Combat, Evil, Healing (reversed), Madness, Protection, Strength, Sun (reversed), War
Symbol: Winter wolf's head
Karontor is a wicked, misshapen god whose hatred of giantkind reflects his own deep self-loathing. He associates with the equally wicked and warped fomorian giants, but evil verbeeg also carry his mark and prove superior spellcasting servants, given their higher mental capacity. In fomorian/verbeeg myths, he has a constant form, but other non-evil giants often have myths in which he is a fair and radiant god who grows jealous of Stronmaus, and his bitter envy begins to twist his form into the hideous shape he now possesses. This twisting is often associated with a descent into an underworld where Karontor learns dark magical secrets from a race of ancient subterranean hags. He uses this magic to twist and warp some of the fairest of the giants on his return to the surface world, and they become the ancestors of the fomorians (and the verbeeg to a lesser extent, although his magic twists their nature only).
Karontor is seemingly uncaring of the Prime Material Plane because of his endless introverted reflections. He sends avatars only in unpredictable fits of rage, to slay and murder. He does not send omens to his priests.
Long ago, Karontor actively recruited followers in all the largest verbeeg tribes and directed his priests to force the verbeegs to follow the dictums of the mysterious stranger who occasionally came to visit bearing treasure in exchange for promises of fealty. Only the priests are aware that the stranger, who takes a slightly different form in each settlement he visits, is actually Karontor's avatar. For hundreds of years now, spies dispatched by the avatar have been keeping Karontor informed of the comings and goings in many of Faerûn's most prominent Jotunbrud settlements. Recently, the avatar has also started dispatching some of his verbeeg servants to collect specific artifacts scattered all across Toril's surface. Exactly what Karontor has in mind for the verbeegs and how they are assisting him remains a mystery.
Karontor dwells in the Rack of Injustice, a mausoleum of beast and giant bones in a desolate, frozen wind-swept plain of Minethys, the third layer of Carceri, where his pack of ever-hungry winter wolves await his signal to rage across the miles beyond. Here he grows ever more embittered by his banishment by Annam, which stripped him of his own spellcasting powers. Annam did not truly detest Karontor, he simply grew weary of the endless sibling fights and dispatched Karontor because it was the easiest thing to do. Thus, this evil god's grievance has some justification.
The Beastmaster: Karontor has a pack of ever-hungry winter wolves at his command, and his priests are similarly urged to use trained beasts (especially wolves) for the purpose of fighting all good creatures.
Carry a Big Stick: Karontor carries a humble giantish club.
Ethnic God: Karontor is the patron god of fomorians and verbeegs, two giant-kin races who feel a kinship with this twisted god. Some myths suggest that Karontor created the fomorians by twisting and warping some of the fairest giants using dark magic that he had learned from a race of ancient subterranean hags. Similarly, albeit it to a lesser extent, he is often considered to have twisted the nature of another group of giants to create the verbeegs, while leaving their physical forms unchanged. In reality, the fomorians and verbeegs originated from two sons of the goddess Othea, the wife of Annam, produced through her affair with the glacier god Ulutiu. In his realm, Karontor leads his fomorian petitioners to battle and vengeance for the wrongs done to him. The petitioners also sally forth from their god's realm to take vengeance in his name. By contrast, the verbeegs are considered his superior spellcasting servants, given their higher mental capacity. The verbeegs worship Karontor because they hope he will bring them into the ordning, rather than because of any true faith, and even their priests would abandon him if they found a better option.
Evil Makes You Ugly: Karontor is said to have once been beautiful, but his hatred and envy of Stronmaus was so much that it deformed his body. Averted in fomorian and verbeeg myths, in which he is believed to have always had his current appearance.
The Exile: Karontor was exiled into darkness after he lashed out at his siblings by his father Annam. However, Annam did not truly detest Karontor, but instead had simply grown weary of the endless sibling fights and dispatched Karontor because it was the easiest thing to do.
God of Evil: Karontor is the giant god of hatred and deformity, and is seen as evil first and anything else second. He sends avatars only in unpredictable fits of rage, to slay and murder.
Religion of Evil: Karontor's vicious priests are urged to fight all good creatures, using trained beasts (especially wolves) for this purpose. They constantly urge their own groups to conflict and war.
Spell My Name with an S: In Giantcraft, his name is spelled Karantor.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: Karontor can appear as either a uniquely hideous fomorian giant clad in rotting, stinking furs, or as a huge winter wolf. Changing form takes one round.
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