Tempus

Lord of Battles, Foehammer

Tempus (TEM-pus) is random in his favors, yet his chaotic nature favors all sides equally. Lord Tempus may be on an army's side on one day, and against them the next; such is the nature of a war. Tempus is prayed to most of all on the nights before battles and regularly venerated by all warriors, regardless of their alignment. As a result, he is a strong, exuberant, robust god—a warrior's god. Tempus sometimes appears at huge battles and important combats—and on rare occasions to individuals who are in a position to cause great strife by their decisions.
Although mighty and profoundly honorable in battle, Tempus answers to his own warrior's code. He is quiet and solitary in relationship to other Faerunian deities, pursuing no long-lasting alliances or brief flirtations. He is known to love food, drink, and the hunt, though he loves battle best. In recent years, he has sponsored the Red Knight into godhood. His relationship with her is one of a fond and protective father to a brilliant daughter who works hard and successfully at the family business—war.
His diametric opposite in portfolio, Eldath, he considers naive and weak. However, out of respect for her convictions, he punishes those of his faithful who abuse her priests, shrines, or temples. Perhaps he feels that war has little meaning without peace to define and highlight it. Sune, who considers him a foe, he regards as irrelevant and flighty, and therefore unworthy of being his foe.

Divine Domains

War

Divine Symbols & Sigils

A blazing silver sword on a blood-red shield

Tenets of Faith

Tempus does not win battles—Tempus helps the deserving warrior win battles. War is fair in that it oppresses all sides equally and that in any given battle, a mortal may be slain or become a great leader among his or her companions. War should not be feared, but seen as a natural force, a human force, the storm that civilization brings by its very existence.
The faithful of Tempus are charged to arm all for whom battle is needful, even foes. They should retreat from hopeless fights, but never avoid battle, and slay one foe decisively and bring battle to a halt rather than hacking down many over time and dragging on hostilities. They are to defend what they believe in, lest it be swept away, and remember the dead who fell fighting before them. Above all, they should disparage no foe and respect all, for valor blazes in all, regardless of age, gender, or race.
Tempus looks favorably upon those who acquit themselves honorably and tirelessly in battle, smiting mightily when facing a foe, but avoiding such craven tricks as destroying homes, family, or livestock when a foe is away or attacking from the rear (except when such an attack is launched by a small band against foes of vastly superior numbers). Tempus believes that warriors should responsibly consider the consequences of the violence they do beforehand and try to not hot-headedly rush off to wage war recklessly.
On the other hand, Tempus teaches that people with smooth tongues or fleet feet who avoid all strife and never defend their beliefs wreak more harm than the most energetic tyrant raider or horde leader.

Holidays

The ritual performed by most of the faithful is a prayer for valiant performance and survival in the fray ahead, made to the war god over the weapon the praying being most often fights with. If a new weapon comes into the believer's possession before a battle— particularly in the form of hard-won booty—it is taken as a sign of Tempus's favor, and this weapon is the one used in worship.
The eves and anniversaries of great battles are the holy days of the church of Tempus, and as such vary from place to place. The Feast of the Moon, honoring the dead, is the most important fixed date in the religious calendar. It is also expected that at least once a tenday worshipers of Tempus spill a few drops of blood (preferably their own or a worthy foe's) and sing the Song of the Sword in Tempus's honor. Regardless of battle anniversaries, clergy perform at least two ceremonies each day: the Feast of Heroes at highsun and the Song for the Fallen at sunset. In most temples, a senior priest also conducts a Song of the Sword ceremony after dark for all lay worshipers desiring to attend.

Divine Goals & Aspirations

Day-to-Day Activities

Priests of the war god are charged to keep warfare a thing of rules, respected reputation, and professional behavior, minimizing uncontrolled bloodshed and working to eradicate feuding that extends beyond a single dispute or set of foes. At the same time, training and readiness for battle must be promoted if civilized human holdings are to survive in Faerun in the face of monster raids and ore hordes—and the power of
Tempus to aid those he favors in battle must also be promoted. Warriors— especially mercenaries—who employ poison or taint wells, sow fields with salt, kill noncombatants, indulge in torture or the wanton slaughter of innocent folk when they are not at war, or commit similar sins against fair battle are to be denied the favor of the god, their crimes are to be publicized far and wide, and they are to be made to atone for their deeds or perish.
War priests must preserve the names of the honored battle-fallen, both on gravestones and other such memorials, in their prayers to Tempus, and in an annual chant at the March of the Dead, wherein priests of the war god go through the streets to call all folk, worshipers and nonbelievers alike, to the local Feast of the Moon hosted by their temple. Priests are also charged to collect and venerate the weapons and armor of famous and respected warriors, even if these are broken or have deteriorated, for they retain something of the battlelust and energy associated with the deeds they participated in.

Priestly Vestments

When not in battered armor, clergy of the war god wear helms or steel skullcaps, though they are careful never to cover their faces, for such close emulation of Tempus is thought to be an affront to the Lord of Battles. Some of the fanatical wandering priests never remove all of their armor at any time, but in the temples of the big cities clergy are rarely seen in armor except at ceremonies held before whelmed armies leave or a siege begins.
The robes of a priest of Tempus always sport trim the crimson hue of fresh blood, but vary in overall color from place to place and rank to rank. Darker-colored robes are worn by those of lower ranks. Most war priests wear ceremonial garments of brown or purple. Red or amber is worn by senior clergy, and yellow or white by those of the most exalted rank.
Specialty priests of Tempus, particularly those of high rank, wear a spiked gauntlet as a symbol of office. The gauntlet costs 10 gp, though more elaborate and expensive ones may be found in more important churches. This gauntlet is size S, a piercing weapon with speed factor 2, and inflicts 1d4 points of damage to creatures of any size. The gauntlet usually is worn only by specialty priests with some sort of authority—those in charge of temples or leading crusades.

Adventuring Garb

Adventuring garb is the same for both clerics and specialty priests of Tempus. Most wear the best armor they can obtain, though it is battle-worn and battered as it is for use, not show. They prefer full plate armor or plate mail. A full helm is usual, but it is worn with either an open face plate or no face plate.

Symbol: A blazing silver sword on a blood-red shield
Home Plane: Warrior's Rest
Alignment: Chaotic neutral
Portfolio: War, battle, warriors
Worshipers: Warriors, fighters, barbarians, ranger, half-orcs
Cleric Alignments: CE, CG, CN
Domains: War
Favored Weapon: “Battle Prowess” (battleaxe)
Allies: The Red Knight, Valkur the Mighty, Nobanion, Gond, Uthgar
Enemies: Garagos

Divine Classification

Greater Power

Religions

• Church of Tempus