Purphoros, God of the Forge

Purphoros is the god of the forge, the restless earth, and fire. He rules the raw creative force that infuses sapient minds. Purphoros is also the god of artisans, obsession, and the cycle of creation and destruction.
As a forge radiates heat in the area around it, Purphoros’s influence provides inspiration to mortals. He makes exquisitely crafted objects almost constantly, sometimes absentmindedly working while he holds conversations with the other gods, only to destroy the finished product and begin again. Impulsive and mercurial, Purphoros is prone to bouts of either joyous productivity or frustrated anger. He often feels constrained by the limits of imagination, yearning to realize ideas that seem just out of reach.
Purphoros’s preferred form is that of a muscular man whose coal-hued skin is mostly covered in mutable organic bronze. He might also appear in the form of a fiery phoenix or a bull made of cooling lava, and for that reason, both of those creatures are associated with him. When angered, he might appear as an enormous mass of lava, a blazing fire, or a volcanic eruption. Mortals who see Purphoros in one of those forms seldom live to tell about it.

Purphoros’s Influence

The raw creative force that Purphoros embodies is chaotic, but Purphoros isn’t a god of unbridled chaos. Rather, he shows mortals how to harness that primal energy, shaping it through passion and labor into something usable.
Purphoros is primarily associated with forging, metallurgy, and related activities. It was his followers who first Perfected bronze in Aravikos, and a few of his most favored have begun working with a new metal—iron—said to come directly from their god’s forge-fires.
Though Purphoros is largely interested in physical craft, he has influence over all forms of creation. Keranos also inspires new ideas, but it is Purphoros who oversees the advancement of the craft that brings these ideas to life in the world.
Purphoros is always ready to obliterate what is to make room for what could be, and to start the cycle again when what could be becomes what is. When he is inspired, the night sky glitters with new constellations, and anvilwrought creatures appear in the countryside. When he is wrathful, stars vanish in molten rain, and his hammer blows annihilate whole mountaintops.

Purphoros’s Goals

Purphoros acts not because of grand plans or high ideals, but on the whims of his restless, creative mind. On the rare occasions when he contemplates what he would do if he were ascendant in the pantheon, his most fervent wish is to be left alone. To Purphoros, that would mean spending time by himself in his forge, creating anything he desires. But it also would mean being free to uproot mountains, topple cities, and reroute rivers without any of the other gods interfering.

Divine Relationships

Purphoros has few strong relationships with his fellow gods, considering most of them arrogant ingrates. According to legend, it was he who created the weapons of the gods, asking nothing in return. But his infrequent though memorable bouts of destructive fury have earned him more ill will in the pantheon than he realizes.
Heliod despises Purphoros’s unpredictable impulses even as he envies the forge god’s ability to create grand works. Purphoros resents Heliod's attempts to impose laws that constrain the passion of creation. In many ways, the two gods represent opposing approaches to the contradictions and challenges of mortal life, and they have more than once fought titanic battles in Nyx.
Thassa is Purphoros’s closest ally in the pantheon. Imbued as she is with the malleable, quenching power of water, she knows that he can neither destroy her waves nor reforge them. Because she has no fear of him, she treats him as a friend. Purphoros frequently makes wondrous gifts for Thassa, and her underwater palace holds countless unique creations of the god of the forge.
Purphoros holds Kruphix in contempt for hobbling his mind after he engaged in a particularly destructive battle with Heliod. The forge god spent years addled and incomplete. He has since recovered his faculties, but he mourns the things he might have made during that lost time. Taking revenge on Kruphix would require careful planning, however, and Purphoros is unlikely to undertake such an effort unless another god goads him into it.
Ephara and Karametrat are, like Purphoros, deeply involved in the project of civilization. Purphoros’s desire to overturn the established order with violence stands in stark contrast to their measured ways. As a result, Purphoros stands aloof from them.

Worshiping Purphoros

Purphoros holds dominion over everything that springs from mortal ingenuity. Most artisans say a small prayer to him upon beginning or completing the construction of nearly anything, from swords to fortresses to ships.
Naturally, Purphoros is strongly associated with the forge, and nearly every smithy in Aravikos is a sort of ad hoc temple to him. Charms and idols of Purphoros hang from the walls in such places, intended both to inspire the artisans and protect them against accidents. Regardless of their professions, worshipers of Purphoros often light small fires in the god’s honor, burning wooden crafts or drawings of their inventions to gain his favor.

Earning and Losing Favour

You increase your favour with Purphoros when you expand the god’s influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:

• Fighting against those who would rule over others
• Taking decisive action on impulse
• Destroying something that has outlived its usefulness
• Creating something wondrous in Purphoros’s name

Your favour with Purphoros decreases if you diminish Purphoros’s influence in the world, work against freedom or self-expression, or allow tyranny to take hold through acts such as these:

• Following an unjust law despite your misgivings
• Creating something shoddy or flawed
• Backing down from a fight or a contest

Theros Pantheon

Athreos, God of Passage
Ephara, Goddess of the Polis
Erebos, God of the Dead
Heliod, God of the Sun
Iroas, God of Victory
Karametra, Goddess of the Harvest
Keranos, God of Storms
Klothys, Goddess of Destiny
Kruphix, God of Horizons
Mogis, God of Slaughter
Nylea, Goddess of the Hunt
Pharika, Goddess of Affliction
Phenax, God of Deception
Purphoros, God of the Forge
Thassa, Goddess of the Sea