Talos

Talos

Talos (pronounced: /ˈtɑːloʊs/ TAHL-os), also known as The Storm Lord and long ago as Kozah, is the Faerûnian greater deity of storms and destruction. His dogma is self-serving, demanding utter obedience from his priests and instructing them to spread destruction where they can. His followers are known as Talassans. After the Spellplague, many came to believe that Talos was, in fact, an aspect of the orcish god Gruumsh, but after the Second Sundering the two deities seemed more distinct. Among the Bedine of Anauroch, who descended from the citizens of Netheril, Talos is still known as Kozah by the 14th century DR. In Calimshan, he is worshiped as Bhaelros, and in that aspect he almost utterly destroyed Calimport. In the Underdark, he has an aspect with a small following as Malyk, a god of wild magic.

Description

Talos appears as a broad-shouldered, bearded man with one good eye. He wears half-plate armor over black leather and black leather gloves. His empty eye socket is filled with whirling stars and covered with a dark eye patch. When he appears in Calimshan, he often takes the form of a dusky-skinned, turbaned genie rising out of a sandstorm.

History

The Stormlord was formed from the first battle between Selûne and Shar, near the dawn of the world. The people of ancient Netheril worshiped him as Kozah, and called him The Destroyer and The Raging One, among other titles.

Relationships

Deities 

Talos is close with Auril, has a flirtatious rivalry with Umberlee, and a grudging alliance with Malar, who would kill him if he could. He also hates deities that promote building, learning, nature, and the altering of weather. Chief among his enemies are Chauntea, Eldath, Lathander, Mystra, Sune, Deneir, Gond, Helm, Mielikki, Oghma, Shiallia, Silvanus, and Tyr. Talos is also believed to lead the other Deities of Fury: Auril, Malar, and Umberlee.

Worshipers

The church of Talos is small by the standards of a greater deity, but his followers are fanatical in their love of destruction. The clergy has no formal hierarchy; obedience is enforced through might. Priests of Talos are fond of extorting sailors and farmers, threatening that Talos will bring destructive storms upon them if they do not placate the angry god. They are wont to pursue wealth and luxury, with many indulging in acts of random or spiteful violence, pillage, and banditry. Talossan clerics are also committed evangelists who seek to gain converts through fear or the enticement of raw power. 

Clerics

Clerics of Talos wear black robes and cloaks shot through with teardrops and jagged lines of gold and silver, while high clergy wear blue-white ceremonial robes streaked with crimson. All of them wear eye patches. Talassan clerics generally cross-train as barbarians, sorcerers, wizards, or as stormlords.
Worship of Talos is outlawed in many countries. Most Talossan holy sites are secret because of the church's reputation. Public churches often take the form of castles or fortified strongholds that lay on earthquake fault lines or in the path of storms or lava, but Talos ensures his faithful remain unscathed.

Rituals

Clerics of Talos celebrate Talossan festivals with ceremonies that summon lightning and storms. 

• Calling Down the Thunder: This ritual involves the sacrifice of an intelligent being by lightning.
• The Fury: In this ceremony, the cleric prays, makes berserk attacks to wreak as much destruction as possible in a small amount of time, and then prays again.

Orders

The existence of religious orders affiliated with Talos is shrouded in mystery and rumor. Two speculated groups are:

• Lords of the Tempest: A group of wizards that specializes in combining elemental magic
• Circle of Rust and the Worm: A cabal of insane sages and mystics of various disciplines aiming to destroy the world

Divine Realm

Talos' divine realm is named the Towers of Ruin, the Screaming Towers, or the Towers at the Heart of the Winds, as it is always surrounded by a mighty howling whirlwind. It is located in Pandesmos, the topmost layer of Pandemonium in the Great Wheel cosmology.