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.
Divine Domains
God of the Forge; Fire, Artisans, Obsession, Creation
- Alignment: Usually chaotic, often neutral
- Suggested Classes: Barbarian, bard, cleric, fighter, sorcerer
- Suggested Cleric Domains: Forge (described in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything), Knowledge
- Suggested Backgrounds: Acolyte, entertainer, guild artisan
Tenets of Faith
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 brought bronze to Theros, 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.
Holidays
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 on Theros 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.
Divine Goals & Aspirations
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.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
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.
Divine Classification
God
Religions
Realm
Church/Cult
Children
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