Maylar
Maylar is the archetype of the barbarian at the gates and the creeping chill wind seeping under the door representing both obvious dangers and quiet ones. Maylar embodies many negative aspects of masculinity including the darker sides sides of self reliance and the competitive drive.
Maylar believes that surviving hardships makes one stronger and often claims to be "testing" mortals when he inflicts misery upon them. Maylar's priests, priestesses and holy warrior commonly say they "Maylar's Testers of Strength", and in common parlance, their shortform nickname is the Testers.
The Testers are extremely decentralized and prone to infighting, so they don't wield a lot of political influence but they are quite wide spread and diverse. Some are hostile to civilized folk and some are not, but all Testers are expected to be strong and self sufficient.
Even among barbarian tribes, Maylar is often worshipped at arm's length. Maylar may actually be less hated than Greymoria, but Greymoria's Children still wield a fair bit more institutional power and political influence than Maylar's Testers.
Accomplishments and Failures
Maylar struck the death blow against Turoch. He crafted the very first Divine Trophy and claimed the first spot on the Zodiac. He is respected and feared throughout Scarterra. His followers are self-sufficient and formidable warriors. Unlike Greymoria, Maylar likes being feared more than he likes being loved. That said, Maylar has to deal with a relative dearth of power and influence in the mortal plane. Throughout Scarterra, Maylar worship is ore tolerated than accepted and encouraged.Maylar may decry the weakness inherit in civilization, but the priesthoods of civilized nations routinely defeat his mortal followers being generally numerous and almost univerally more organized.
Maylar's worshipers are usually howling in the wilderness as opposed to sitting on thrones. Sometimes they do managed to seize a throne by force, but they seldom manage to keep it very long themselves, let along pass it on to some kind of heir or successor.
Divine Domains
Maylar's Portfolio includes but is not limited to: Disease, decay, hunting, animal husbandry, murder, debauchery, cunning in battle, war, strength, toughness, Darwinism, terror, orcs
The favored spheres of Maylar's theurgists are Animal , Hexing , and Wrath.
Maylar's Testers prize versatility so Maylar's spell casters are likely to develop a wide variety of divine spheres outside of Maylar's favored spheres. Healing and Augmentation are especially popular.
Artifacts
Maylar's symbol of power and Divine Trophy is a spear forged out of Turoch's spines. That is the main reason why spears are used in Maylars symbology so much.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Most common symbol is two crossed spears, but almost any weapon can work as a symbol of Maylar.
Tenets of Faith
-Test the limits of your strength and those of others.
-Elevate yourself by any means necessary, and never grow complacent regards to your own strength.
-Those who can endure your testing will become stronger, those who cannot endure it should serve those who can in some way.
-If the weak cannot be used, destroy them. Thus the cycle of life can be renewed.
Holidays
Apex of Maylar Maylar 20/Afternike 20: Most Scarterrans just make some simple offerings and prayers and leave it at that, taking less than 30 minutes observing this. The Testers of Maylar make a big raucous party out of this with feasting, boasting, and ceremonial combat.
Maylar's Solace Maylar 40/Horning 10: Observed almost exclusively by the Testers of Maylar. This is when they memorialize their honored dead and reflect on the previous year.
Winter's Eve (Hallisan 21/Blooding 1 or Phidas 10/Blooding 30) This ceremony observed by most Scarterrans honoring Maylar as livestock is culled for the Winter.
Divine Goals & Aspirations
by me with Midjourney
Maylar wants to make himself, the rest of the Nine, and Scarterra as a whole stronger through conflict. Maylar may delight in destruction and pain but he prefers constant small level conflict rather than sweeping extinction level events that leave nothing alive behind. Maylar may be okay with many of his followers being psychopaths but any Maylar aligned theurgists that deliberately tries to start a new Unmaking will find themselves Excommunicated quickly.
Maylar represents death and decay, but also renewal. He wants defeated parties to survive and have the opportunity to lick their wounds and get revenge, or perhaps their heirs can get revenge.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Like most of the Nine, Maylar's outlook on life and his relations to the rest of the Nine are based on his actions during the the Divine Rebellion.
Maylar was the one who struck the death blow against Turoch. He did this by playing possum after taking a glancing blow, then he sucker punched Turoch when his back was turned. Maylar and his followers may crow about being bold and direct, but Maylar is not afraid to be a hypocrite. Cowardly tactics are permissible if they ultimately lead to a victory.
Maylar is deeply in love with Nami. Or whatever passes for “love” with a being like Maylar. “Unhealthy obsession” is more accurate than “love”. Nami is the only one of the Nine that Maylar considers his true equal. On the mortal plane, their followers work together fairly often, usually on terms dictated by Nami's Rovers
Maylar admires Greymoria for her utter ruthlessness. He is perhaps a little scared of her. Maylar’s only real complaint is that Greymoria is not very direct or prone to taking risks at least as far as Maylar can see. Still, on the mortal plane, their followers work together a lot. The Children and the Testers have so many shared enemies they cannot really afford to fight each other though that doesn't mean fighting never occurs between these groups, because it does.
Do you know in kung fu movies how the quiet shy guy is often secretly a badass? This kind of how Maylar feels about Korus. Maylar is pretty sure Korus is a lot stronger than he lets on. Maylar is surprisingly gentile when he “tests” Korus, afraid of literally invoking nature’s wrath.
Maylar finds the fact that Phidas believes his injuries suffered means he deserves more power laughable. Maylar respects that Phidas is seeking power but believes his methods are foolish and cowardly. Maylar views Phidas as more of annoyance than a true threat.
Zarthus and Maylar are very often at odds. Maylar is a horrible person, and generally has no shortage of enemies. What makes Maylar and Zarthus slightly different is that Maylar views Zarthus as a worthy foe. Sure Zarthus must die, but at least Zarthus deserves to die on his feet and not on his knees. This worthy foe attitude carries over when the Lanterns and Testers meet in the mortal plane.
Maylar believes the trappings of civilization are a crutch the weak use to appear strong. Khemra devotes herself to propping up this crutch, so Khemra must be removed. The Keepers and the Testers fight a lot in the mortal plane.
Mera is a weakling who has based her entire life’s mission to coddling the weak. Maylar’s followers seek to destroy or at least traumatize Mera's followers at every opportunity.
Hallisan embodies Mera's flawed principle of coddling the weak while utilizing Khemra's weakling tool of civilization to create false strength. Like Zarthus, Hallisan is capable of holding his own in a fight. The Testers and the Guardians often fight each other on the mortal plane with no provocation necessary. They hate each other on principle.
It’s a poorly kept secret that Maylar would love to slay or dominate the rest of the Nine. He’s not sure how to go about it though. He thinks Mera is the weak link in the Nine, but he cannot touch her with Zarthus or Hallisan always ready to defend her. Maylar thinks he can kill Zarthus or Hallisan in single combat, but he would be tired and weak from the fight, so if he kills Zarthus or Hallisan the other one will destroy him while he is vulnerable. And that’s assuming all the rest of the Nine stay out of the fight. which seems unlikely.
Composite Display of the Nine's portraits by Zeta Gardner
Maylar in Scaraqua
In Scaraqua, Maylar is known as Bellusk, goddess of all sea predators, especially sharks. Bellusk is vitally important in the spiritual lives of Karakhai via her priests and priestesses the Samearu, but she is only rarely worshiped by other Scaraquans. There are a few exceptions such as the Cult of the Shark.
by me with Midjourney
Divine Classification
god
Religions
Alignment
Chaotic Evil
Current Location
Realm
Church/Cult
Children
Sex
male
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