Tempus (Lord of Battle)
Tempus (pronounced: /ˈtɛmpʌs/ TEM-pus[2][16]), also known as the Lord of Battles, was the god of war. His dogma was primarily concerned with honorable battle, forbidding cowardice and encouraging the use of force of arms to settle disputes
Description
Tempus appeared as a 12 feet (3.7 meters) tall human in battered and bloodied plate mail, his face hidden by a giant war helm, though his gaze remained a palpable force. His arms and legs remained bare (although he did wear gauntlets) and were crisscrossed by wounds oozing with his smoking, wine-red blood, yet he remained unaffected by these injuries.[7]
Personality
Tempus was a being of chaos, distributing his favor randomly. Such was the nature of war that he might side with one army one day and turn against them the next.[7] He was not heartless, however, but exuberant, said to live only for excess, whether it be love for food, drink, hunting, or his greatest passion, battle.[7][17]
Despite his fickleness and what others might think of him because of it, Tempus was also not treacherous. Indeed, he was honorable in battle, and would hate to betray a confidence. The chaotic god simply answered to his own warrior code, carving out his own path and letting none stand in his way. Rather than switching sides, it would be more accurate to say that the Lord of Battle's chaotic nature was on all sides equally
History
Tempus was originally one of many potential war gods who emerged from the primordial clashes between Selûne and Shar. These gods fought constantly with each other, the victors absorbing the essence and power of the defeated. This continued until Tempus stood as the sole god of war in the Faerûnian pantheon, having defeated and absorbed all of his competitors (with the notable exception of Garagos, whom he defeated but spared).[30] The barbarians of Icewind Dale claimed that Tempus' original name was "Tempos".[35]
The Time of Troubles
In the Time of Troubles of the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR, Tempus' avatar appeared in a ruined castle in Battledale, just over five miles southwest of Essembra. Immediately following the Godswar, Eldan Ambrose, an Amnian cleric of Tempus, saw Tempus during a battle in Swords Creek. After the fighting ended, Ambrose followed his god's trail back to Battledale, and found the castle (which originally belonged to Belarus, a long-dead Tempuran). In the ruins of the great hall, Ambrose had a vision confirming the site as sacred to the Foehammer. Ambrose and his allies rebuilt the castle, establishing the Abbey of the Sword
Children
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