Garus, God of War and Vengeance

"To fight the masters is not to fight against men, but to fight against animals. It is they that caused your woes. It is they that chained you. It is they that tortured you. It is they that slaughtered you. Show no compassion when fighting them, for its only reward is failure. Show no hesitation when fighting them, for its only reward is death. Show no doubt when fighting them, for its only reward is weakness."
-Excerpt from the stone of vengeance.

"The Vengeful Revenant" is an ancient deity of the Khesum from a time when they were just realizing their strength. He is a God born in the fires of rebellion and hatred, who is worshipped by those wishing vengeance on the battlefield for old slights, killed comrades, and wrongs committed.

History

Much of Garus' history is retold through his Cults oral stories and traditions, though parts are recorded in various Dagonic tablets, with mentions of him appearing in Morrs tablets as one of the many ascendants of war from among the Khesumii at that time. "As did vengeful Garus bend to Morr and speak 'I, Garus of the Un Narigi bend to you Morr of the Un Haraki, and offer my sword to you.'" He is written as having a special hatred for their old masters, as did all who followed him, such as after a particularly vicious battle, where he takes nearly 700 enemy soldiers captive and nails them all to the valley walls of a main road. "He killed 3,000 of their fighting men with the sword, [and] with their blood dyed the valley red like red wool. He captured 700 of their troops alive: He cut off of some their legs [and] feet; He cut off of others their noses, ears, [and] extremities. He gouged out the eyes of many captives. With those still living he hammered nails through their hands [and] arms so they might remain upon the cliff walls. These bled their last down its once white walls, [and] their bones later joined their fellows bellow in time."
Such hatred stems from when his community was raided by soldiers of the masters in the very beginning of the Khesum revolt, and he was tortured both physically and mentally for information he did not have. His family was almost all killed in front of him, and after he bit out his own tongue, his hands were tied and he was thrown in a lake. He would survive.
He was believed to have died with his remaining 300 warriors after holding off the masters on a narrow bridge, during their attempts to reach the docks as the other Khesum "fled the land as it destroyed itself". Though it would seem this act ascended him to godhood instead. The names of the 300 were remembered by those that left, and later carved into a stone monolith that would be destroyed many years later. His Cult however still holds the names of these warriors in their oral history, and as their guiding ancestor spirits.

Personality

Garus has become the spiteful embodiment of vengeance on the battlefield. He remembers every slight and insult done against him and his followers, and to this day nurses a burning need to kill and maime his ancient masters somewhere across the sea to the East. He harangues other Khesum deities and his own followers that their ancestors had fought and bled to push back the conquerors and destroyers. And for what? To now give them space and time to regroup, to recover? No. The masters are born oppressors who need to be chained or outright killed in order to avoid committing more damage.
In his pursuits he is not wild and barbaric however. He does not leap the spears and bite the shield like --------, but is ordered, regimented, and a strict follower of old tradition and law.

Appearance

Garus is depicted as a muscled Khesum clad in the white fur of his once Kings favoured pet, Aalva. A huge white tiger that was the matriarch of the pack of eight beasts, said to be the progenitors of the Dagger Cats . Each of Garus' Captains would kill one of these tigers, and take their pelts as trophies.
He wields a viciously curved barig that was put to great effect swinging over the top of shields and piercing helmets with its point, while his face is covered by a freakish mask of leather and metal, something his warband would copy to strike terror into the hearts of the masters soldiers on the battlefield.
Some depictions show him nude but for the pelt of Aava, while others have him clade in anything from the rags bearing the blood of his family, brutally killed in front of him, to a full suit of lamellar armour.

Worship

Divine Domains

Warfare, Revenge, Law

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Garus' symbol is a bloody sword thrust through a screaming skull. Depending on how openly people can worship the Eye taker, this may be emblazoned on a shield or a cloak, or be a simple whittled trinket kept on a neck-chain or in a pocket.
Red trumpet flowers are a more internal symbol of his cult, as it is this leathery flower, when mixed with two other secret ingredients in water and boiled for an hour, that makes the cults "Brew". This brew is used in many rituals within a warband, and through its use, cultists say they can contact the ancestors and ask for guidance.
The seeds of the Red trumpet also have a unique effect on khesum. When mashed into a paste and applied under the tongue, it has an effect similar to that of the mating bond between those using seeds from the same plant. Users can communicate without speaking, and hear one another's thoughts in the form of images and emotions. This is not a permanent effect, with paste needing to be applied perhaps every other day to keep the connection going.

Tenets of Faith

Show no Mercy

Ordinary foes may win your mercy on or off the battlefield, but those who have wronged you, who have taken form you a cherished comrade, a mother, a father, a sibling, cannot be given any quarter. It is to these spirits that you swear your oaths of vengeance to, and no matter what pleas your foe would try to throw at you; hunt them to the ends of the earth. Drag them from their hiding places. Visit your final vengeance upon them.

By Whatever Means Necessary

Morality and qualms are weaknesses for your foe to exploit. Give them no opening to escape.

Fight the Greater Evil

Your vengeance must be held above all other evils, and pursued at the expense of all else. This is how the Khesum won their freedom from bondage, trust that it is how you will also win yours.

Garus

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Divine Classification

God

Honorary Titles

The Vengeful Revenant
Lord of war
Doombringer
Eye Taker

Favoured Weapon

Hooked Barig

Symbol

Bloody Barig piercing a skull

Sacred Animal

Wolverine

Sacred Colour

Deep red