Adad
God of Storms, God of Strength, Lord of Thunder, Lord of the Fist, Patron God of Athletes, the Storm Fury, the Iron Bull
Adad is the storm god and the lord of battle and warfare.
Adad is an unusual god in many ways. He is considered the most headstrong god in the pantheon, and certainly the most mercurial. He pursues his passions first and ponders the consequences later (if ever).
Many people call upon Adad or pray to him. His name is often foremost on the lips of athletes, gladiators, and warriors of all kinds. They seek his favor, his blessings, and an opportunity to earn some glory. They also offer thanks to the God of Strength for their successes and natural talents.
At the same time, many people pray to Adad in hopes of appeasing the God of Storms. Sailors, pilgrims, merchants, farmers, and adventurers all ask for protection from storms. They seek to appease the go's turbulent anger; when Adad rages, the skies eethe with thunder, lightning, and powerful winds. Much like the storm, once it ends, Adad's temper disappears with shocking suddenness, and all is right once more.
Although formal churches dedicated to Adad exist throughout Irion, they are widely divergent, unorganized, with little interaction or communication between one church and the next. There exists no controlling hierarchy or "father church" for Adad's clergy. Each temple is independent, operated by one or more priests and a number of acolytes. Not surprisingly, no two Adad temples are the same; they offer different religious services, they observe different rituals, and they emphasize different aspects of Adad's beliefs.
The clerics of Adad's faith are widely respected by common people. They often admire his clerics for their strength, athleticism, and personable. At the same time, clerics of other religions have little respect for Adad's followers. They look at Adad's clerics as pretenders or amateurs. In their view, Adad's "religion" is nothing more than a collection of athletes and old warriors with no clerical trainning, no perceivable liturgical trappings, and no formal structure.
For their part, clerics of Adad care nothing for the opinions of other religions. If other priests wish to hurl insults, so be it. These clerics are often surprised, however, to learn that Adad enjoy challenges and honor duels (usually to first blood). This is not to say Adad clerics attack every insolent fool, but they enjoy providing free object lessons to those in need of learning.
Although Adad's faith enjoys a measure of respect from people, there is a darker side to his religion and his worship. In Adad's eyes, competition is the only true way to separate the wheat from the chaff, and competition can sometimes become brutal or harsh. Adad encourages the competitive spirit, but he also encourages the passions that can come with ambition. After all, if you cannot summon enough emotion for a contest, you don’t really deserve to win. The focus on competition extends to all avenues of life, not just sporting events or games.
Competition is a fact of life in nature and amongst all living creatures. In nature, animals compete to survive. When resources become scarce, individuals must compete to meet their needs and fulfill their goals. With any clash, there must be a winner and a loser. Adad cares nothing for the loser; such an individual’s only hope of reclaiming his honor is to offer up another challenge and this time score victory.
It is also worthwhile to remember that one aspect of Adad ties directly into the ferocity and savagery of the storm. He can be fickle and moody, just like a storm.
Adad is an unusual god in many ways. He is considered the most headstrong god in the pantheon, and certainly the most mercurial. He pursues his passions first and ponders the consequences later (if ever).
Many people call upon Adad or pray to him. His name is often foremost on the lips of athletes, gladiators, and warriors of all kinds. They seek his favor, his blessings, and an opportunity to earn some glory. They also offer thanks to the God of Strength for their successes and natural talents.
At the same time, many people pray to Adad in hopes of appeasing the God of Storms. Sailors, pilgrims, merchants, farmers, and adventurers all ask for protection from storms. They seek to appease the go's turbulent anger; when Adad rages, the skies eethe with thunder, lightning, and powerful winds. Much like the storm, once it ends, Adad's temper disappears with shocking suddenness, and all is right once more.
Although formal churches dedicated to Adad exist throughout Irion, they are widely divergent, unorganized, with little interaction or communication between one church and the next. There exists no controlling hierarchy or "father church" for Adad's clergy. Each temple is independent, operated by one or more priests and a number of acolytes. Not surprisingly, no two Adad temples are the same; they offer different religious services, they observe different rituals, and they emphasize different aspects of Adad's beliefs.
The clerics of Adad's faith are widely respected by common people. They often admire his clerics for their strength, athleticism, and personable. At the same time, clerics of other religions have little respect for Adad's followers. They look at Adad's clerics as pretenders or amateurs. In their view, Adad's "religion" is nothing more than a collection of athletes and old warriors with no clerical trainning, no perceivable liturgical trappings, and no formal structure.
For their part, clerics of Adad care nothing for the opinions of other religions. If other priests wish to hurl insults, so be it. These clerics are often surprised, however, to learn that Adad enjoy challenges and honor duels (usually to first blood). This is not to say Adad clerics attack every insolent fool, but they enjoy providing free object lessons to those in need of learning.
Although Adad's faith enjoys a measure of respect from people, there is a darker side to his religion and his worship. In Adad's eyes, competition is the only true way to separate the wheat from the chaff, and competition can sometimes become brutal or harsh. Adad encourages the competitive spirit, but he also encourages the passions that can come with ambition. After all, if you cannot summon enough emotion for a contest, you don’t really deserve to win. The focus on competition extends to all avenues of life, not just sporting events or games.
Competition is a fact of life in nature and amongst all living creatures. In nature, animals compete to survive. When resources become scarce, individuals must compete to meet their needs and fulfill their goals. With any clash, there must be a winner and a loser. Adad cares nothing for the loser; such an individual’s only hope of reclaiming his honor is to offer up another challenge and this time score victory.
It is also worthwhile to remember that one aspect of Adad ties directly into the ferocity and savagery of the storm. He can be fickle and moody, just like a storm.
Divine Domains
Strength, athletics, competition, thunder, storms, battlefield prowess
Divine Symbols & Sigils
A broadsword gripped in a fist, with a lightning hilt
Tenets of Faith
- Be strong, but do not use your strength for wanton destruction.
- Be brave and scorn cowardice in any form.
- Prove your might in battle to win glory and renown.
Divine Classification
Deity
Alignment
Chaotic Neutral
Children
by Jason Engle
PRONOUNCIATION:
(aah-dah-d)
(aah-dah-d)