Erythnul

Erythnul

Title(s)
The Many, the Horde
Symbol
Red blood drop
Alignment
Chaotic Evil
Portfolio
Hate, Envy, Slaughter
Favored weapon
Mace

Erythnul (eh-RITH-null) resembles a seven-foot tall, brutal-looking man. He is rubicund of complexion, hirsute, and muscular, with knotted muscles and a blocky frame. His dull-green eyes are filled with the madness of war. He typically wears red fur and red-dyed leather, and carries a stone-headed mace. A hole in the head of the mace creates a whistling noise as Erythnul swings it; the keening howl of the mace has been known to send those who hear it fleeing until they collapse from exhaustion.

Erythnul is called the Many, because in battle his features continually shift from human to bugbear to troll to ogre to gnoll and back to human again. His spilled blood transforms into similar creatures. Erythnul delights in panic and slaughter. He can spread fear through his eyes.

Dogma

The chaos of battle is the sacred charge of the worshipers of Erythnul. In all the myriad forms of terror and suffering that war creates, there is a strange kind of unity. This is part of the reason that Erythnul is called the Many. Battle is a test of merit and strength, and living and dying by the sword is the definition of the good life.

Many of Erythnul's worshipers believe that blood spilled in battle feeds their god, increasing his madness and bloodlust. Chaotic neutral worshipers believe that non-combatants and weak opponents are meaningless, and that killing them does nothing to satiate their god or prove their ability; killing those unworthy of a warrior's death even angers Erythnul, they believe. Chaotic evil worshipers, who are far more common, disagree, believing that all slaughter is a sacrament, and that the dying screams of innocents are music to Erythnul's ears, hymns in the church of the battlefield.

Clergy

In civilized areas they may foment rebellion and unrest, while in the wild they may lead groups of bandits.

Clerics of Erythnul get most of their training in large wilderness temple-fortresses. Senior clerics try to frighten would-be initiates into quitting; those who avoid flinching after many tests are accepted into the priesthood.

The ranks of Erythnul's priesthood are, from lowest to highest, Raider, Marauder, Reaver, and Incarnate.

Vestments

Erythnul's clerics wear rust-colored or bloodstained garments. On ceremonial occasions they wear white robes, the better to display the bloodstains on them. They wear stylized masks symbolizing Erythnul's many aspects.

Temples

Anyplace where great bloodshed or a spectacular act of cruelty has occurred is considered a holy site and an excellent place for a temple dedicated to Erythnul. In the countryside, Erythnul's followers build squat, unsightly fortresses in places where battles, ambushes or massacres have occurred. In urban areas, Erythnul's temples are usually hidden in seedy sections of cities, preferably on sites where horrible crimes have happened. Erythnul's profane altars are built on platforms reachable by steep flights of stairs.

Erythnul's priests raise massive altars quickly at battlefields, where their followers slaughter in the name of their god. If the tides of war take them elsewhere, they may abandon their altars, leaving the area unhallowed, desecrated, and a prime lair for other evil creatures.