Cinarus

(a.k.a. The Cleansing Flame, The Unbreakable)

Portfolio

Cinarus is the Fragment of Combat, Fire, and Purpose and one of the The Twelve Progenitors created by The First Five. He embodies the idea that the fires of war shape men like a sword on an anvil. Beyond that he represents the cleansing properties of fire and his clergy hunt Undead with a religious fervor.
Fire is a primal force that does not discriminate, it is honest. It will burn those that play with it, and strengthen those that learn to overcome and control it. Whether that is the fire within yourself, e.g. emotions like passion and anger, or the fire outside yourself, e.g. the dangers of the outside world like war and conflict. Never allow a fire to rage out of control, for all flames that burn should do so for a specific purpose. And seek out the fire within others and yourself.
While Cinarus is a God of war, this is different from wanton bloodshed. His followers consider themselves far above addled barbarians or cloistered mystics. Instead, they view themselves as true warriors. Soldiers, armorers or bodyguards - masters of conflict, having honed it to something approaching an art form. Protectors of their families, flags or ideals. They are His chosen instruments, the fire that burns away all, until only the righteous are left.

Worshipers

He is worshiped by many races and cultures, however none worship him with such zeal as the Gnolls of The Broken Plains. They view the volcano Mount Cinaro as an aspect of Cinarus himself and any eruption or rumbling as a divine sign.
Smiths, metallurgists and other metalworkers also routinely honor Cinarus for the heat of the forge, but he rarely responds to them. While he considers the forge a valuable tool, it is just that, a tool and nothing more.
His priests and Paladins both are rather war-like, and they thrive in conflict like no other. But they do not do so out of any kind of malice or bloodlust. Rather they see these conflicts as an opportunity to kindle the fire within themselves and others, and to temper themselves to become an even stronger blade - filled with purpose, disciplined and efficient.

Description

He is usually depicted as a gigantic fire elemental in the shape of a bear, with skin made of magma and molten rock. Far taller than a normal bear, with limbs larger than a man he stands in a regal pose. Ancient obsidian armor, caked with blood and gore hangs on his body and broken weapons jut from his back. Many renditions have him standing on his fallen enemies, who were no match for the invincible God of War.

Divine Domains

Portfolio: Combat, Fire, Purpose
Domains (5E): War, Forge

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Bear claw totem.

Miscellaneous

"Never let thy trials burden thee, for in thy struggle thou shalt be tempered.
The eternal flame will burn away thy weakness.
Purification shall be thine, the fire of thy god shall be the vessel.
Embrace the strife, but let it not break thy spirit.
Keep thyself strong against the forces that would crush thee.
Keep thy soul fortified against the trials that would overtake thee.
Take heart in thine own strength.
Take comfort in thine own power.
Take control of thine own path.
Let the fire guide you.
Let the fire transform you.
Let the fire purify you.
Let the fire consume you."

— Excerpt from a Cinaran prayer book

Circumstances of Birth

Created by the The First Five