Purphoros, God of the Forge

All the world is Purphoros' anvil.

— An acolyte of Purphoros

A god of earth, fire, and intense passion.

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Table of Contents

• Overview
• History
• Holidays
• Planar Encounters
• Temples and Shrines
• Relationships
• Followers

Overview

Purphoros is associated with the forge. He rules the creative force of heat and energy in the souls of sentient beings: this energy is chaotic, something that needs to be harnessed and shaped by labor and passion. For this reason, Purphoros is also the god of artisans, or obsession, and the cycle of creation and destruction. His forge burns in the heart of Mount Velus, protected by an Old Guard of Dwarfs. The mere presence of Purphoros is inspiring. He forges the most ornate and delicate items, only to dash them into flame and start again. Purphoros once loved Nylea. His passion inspired his most astounding works of art. The divine blacksmith is reasonable yet unrestrained, following no rules save his own creative and destructive impulses. Sometimes, this means covering a whole area with lava to make way for something new. Purphoros' main flaw is that he feels himself easily frustrated, limited and constrained. For this reason, he's always pushing against the barriers of mortal imagination, sensing that there is much more to express. This can cause him to plummet into despondency and then lash out at the world with raw destruction.

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Purphoros, God of the Forge by Eric Deschamps

Purphoros

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History

TO KILL A GOD

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Purphoros had a deep rivalry with Heliod. They were the most worshiped of the gods and the most powerful. Their feuds often ended up with battles where neither could slay the other. Their hatred was insatiable and grew as along with their jealousy. Purphoros was more creative and innovative, and through his forge created the Sword of Chaos, a weapon that was capable of damaging the divine and could block out the sky itself in darkness.

SHAKING THE FOUNDATIONS

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Confident in his new weapon, Purphoros set out for a final battle with the God of the Sun. Their battle raged, and the Forge God with his sword managed to achieve many wounds on the once invincible Heliod. Such a fierce battle sent tremors throughout the heavens that woke many foul and powerful beasts that stormed into the mortal realm until they were sealed away by Heliod and Nylea. During the battle Purphoros was disarmed by Heliod where his sword fell from the heavens. It was stolen by a mortal who has kept it within their family ever since. The battle eventually ended with Purphoros only able to claim a moral victory for being able to wound the Sun God.

ERASING HISTORY

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Heliod eventually intructed his champion Daxos to remove all trace of all the other gods from the plane. Purphoros and the other gods, refusing to stand for such an affront, called upon their own champions from the Underworld. Purphoros' chosen warrior was Anax, once king of the old city of Akros. The champion of the gods was just as fierce as their own, but overwhelmed Daxos was defeated and Heliod's plan was put to a stop. Purphoros, tired of these squabbles, set out plans to recast all the world into the fires of his own invention.

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Purphoros's Intervention by Aleksi Briclot

The destruction of a god.

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Worshiped by

Izzet League

Mana Alignment

Holy Weapon

Great Hammer

Divine Symbol

Hammer and Anvil

Sacred Animal

Ox

Religious Colors

Red, Black, Gold

Edicts

Art, Creation, Obsession, Passion, Destruction

Professional Skills

Skills that Priests may teach at major temples and gatherings
Devotion, Exhort, Art, Craft (Art and Craft skills may differ between temples.)

Theism

Clerics of Purphoros are given access to the powers he offers. Some miracles are restricted to more trusted or higher ranking members of this religion.

Initiate

Absorption
Aegis
Behold
Berserk
Endure (Heat)
Fortify
Mending
Perseverance
Reflection
Resurrect
Shield

Acolyte

Beast Form
Consecrate
Disruption

Priest

Awaken
Earthquake
Excommunicate
Obliterate

Commandments

True worshipers of Purphoros follow his commandments carefully, with those who ignore or are ignorant of such laws may find themselves praying to deaf ears, or worse.

• Never hold on to your creations, for it must be recast into the fire and be remade better than before.
• Always strive to improve, never linger and stay content.
• Keep your forges alive, your chisels sharp, and your brushes clean.
• There is beauty in death and destruction, for whatever rises after will surpass it.

"My time will come, when all of the world will be reforged in the fires of my invention."

— Purphoros

Day of Renaissance

The twentieth day of the third month marks the beginning of Spring, and the idea of new beginnings. This day is to honor Purphoros by casting any hand crafted item one has made into his, or any forge to destroy as a sacrifice. Purphoros represents the ideas of passion, labor, creation, and destruction. Therefore, it is tradition to create a personal item for oneself throughout the year to be given to the God of the Forge as a gift on this day, and to create a new object for him for the next year. The more labor and love put into the creation of the object, the more favor Purphoros has for oneself. It is not the intricacy or beauty of the sacrificed object that impresses Purphoros, but the flaming passion one has in their work.

Planar Encounters

Purporos is rarely seen on the mortal plane. He is simply far too busy with creation that he has no need or want to visit the realms outside of his. That's not to say that he has closed himself off from his worshipers. In his stead, he sends his Emissary, a strong and mighty Ox that walks on circles of flame. The Ox speaks for the Forge God with important messages. Some often see the Ox in their dreams carry with it the idea of a new creation. More rarely, the Ox may come to protect devout worshipers in times of terrible need.

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Purphoros's Emissary by Sam Burley

The Emissary of Purphoros

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Temples and Shrines

Many great forges are dedicated shrines to Purphoros where worshipers can pray and create to their god. Even more humble forges and places of work can be described as personal temples and shrines. Bonfires are given homage by warriors when they travel.

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Magmatic Insight by Ryan Barger

The entrance to Purphoros' forge. Open to the public only on the Day of Renaissance.

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“Chief among the tenets of Purphoros is that one must destroy in order to create.”

— Okan, dwarf guard of The Forge.

Relationships

Purphoros had an intimate relationship with Nylea. Though their love has since been broken, they still have a close bond and kinship. Clerics of these two faiths can easily become friends and allies, and even worship the two gods at once.

Purphoros has a bitter rivalry with Heliod. Many fights have broken out between them over dominion, and Purphoros at one point nearly succeeded in killing Heliod. To this day Purphoros continues to scheme and plan to usurp Heliod. Clerics cannot have devotion to both of these gods.

Purphoros has a respect for Iroas and Mogis, for they both employ him to create weapons and armor to clash in a brilliant display of battle.

Purphoros is largely neutral to the rest of the divine.

Followers

Followers of Purphoros brought the secret of bronze to Ravnica, forging stronger objects and armaments than any created previously, and the most sanctified shamans of Purphoros also possess small quantities of a metal said to come directly from the god's forge, iron. Not only smiths worship him. Artists, humans and the satyrs especially, worship Purphoros on altars built on volcanic slopes. Potters inscribe their works with marking meant to honor him, metal smiths chisel a small prayer in his name, and painters give him credit for their work.