Moros, Mother of Blood

Moros, Mother of Blood

“I have heard some refer to war as being similar to the Nine Hells. Having experienced both, I can say that these ignorant souls are so wrong. Only those suited for it go to the Nine Hells, whereas war spares no one.”

—Illuyin Deileddyf, High Archmage of Wainryn

Alternate Names: Byrnwiga (dwarf), Dusnain (halfling), Gwaeful (elf), Pugnatas (gnome), Veru (orc)

Expanded Domains: Chaos, Evil, Glory, Heroism, Liberation, Revolution, Strength, War

Portfolio: battle, combat, free will, glory, revolution, strength, victory, warfare

Recommended Music: Furious Retribution, Massive Assault

Knowledge (religion) DC 10:

Moros is the goddess of war in all its glory and horror. Twin to Yalma; some say that the two have clashed on every battlefield in every war since the beginning of conflict, for war and justice tend to be at odds to one another. When the gods were first creating the world, it was Moros that made sure that mortals had the freedom to choose their own fate.

     Mercenaries and soldiers will often pray before a battle, offering the souls of those that they slay to the Lady of Battle. Many a warrior has given credit to Moros for their survival in the chaos of battle.

     In art Moros is almost always portrayed in blood-splattered full plate wielding a bloody two-handed sword. Occasionally she is shown with the divine boar Viron.

Knowledge (religion) DC 15:

The priesthood of Moros recruits from mercenary groups and the ranks of armies, finding those that have been blessed by their patron in previous engagements. It is not technical skill that the priests are looking for, but those that have fought a losing battle and survived. They choose those that have experienced defeat, so that they know its bitter taste.

     The holy book Ivgoras, the scriptures speak of Moros entering battle with a boar named Viron. Gifted with size such that his shoulder reaches seven feet in height, with whiskers sharper than any mortal blade, and hide so strong that no weapon forged by mortal hands can scratch it. His tusks are adamantine, and his rage can only be calmed by his mistress’s touch.

     Gifted to Moros by Lyc, the young piglet that grew up to become Viron was the biggest and largest of his litter. So much so that his siblings were all a fraction of his size, for he took up so much space in their mother’s womb. Moros personally reared Viron, and trained him to fight alongside her in battle.

     It is because of Viron that on the fifth day of every new year the church of Moros sacrifices a wild boar. In addition to the smoke from the cooking boar, the hunt itself is a way of honoring the goddess Moros through her companion.

Knowledge (religion) DC 20:

Legends tell of Tharin, the half-mortal son of Moros. Raised as a slave under the Neshnor kingdom along the northern coast of the Green Coast, Tharin was send to the arena pits when only a child. There he excelled, besting trained warriors more than three times his age and twice his size.

     By the time he reached the age of ten, Tharin had more victories to his name than any in the arena’s history and in all his years in the arena, he had yet to suffer a single defeat. Beasts that fell to him include wyverns, lions, goblins, trolls, ogres, and even a six-headed hydra.

     On his fourteenth birthday, Tharin received a vision from his mother. She told him to break his chains and to take control of his life. So he did, escaping the slave pits by punching through the arena walls into the city after ripping the chains on his wrists from the wall. The members of the army barracks located by the arena tried to stop him, but all died from the chains still on his wrists.

     After securing his freedom, Tharin gathered those oppressed by the cruel kingdom and led a revolution. In the span of two years, Tharin smashed the king’s armies and laid siege to the capital city nearly single-handedly. His renown spread through the kingdom and beyond as the son of Moros that slew armies with a few cracks of his twin whips Lightning Lash and Storm Strike.

     Some versions of the story say that his whips were given to him by Tetsuor and were woven from the sinews of beasts that live on the bottom of the ocean.

Knowledge (religion) DC 25:

The Ivgoras mentions that on one occasion, Viron picked up the scent of a sow in heat. Enticed by the smell, he raced away from Moros, following the scent. When he came upon the source of the smell, he was unable to see that his target was not a sow but the goddess Kyrnash. Unbeknownst to Kyrnash or Moros, the god Lyc played a prank on the nature goddess in retribution for a perceived slight by making her smell of a sow in heat.

     Though a goddess, Kyrnash was caught off guard when Viron mounted her. Moros finally caught up with her companion as he finished with Kyrnash. Easily determining that there was some sort of foul play, the two goddesses hunted down the one responsible to make him suffer. The two were about to exact retribution on Lyc when Yalma arrived. Though Lyc’s crime was great, Yalma admitted, to strike him as the two were planning was not justice.

     Infuriated with, in Moros’s mind, Yalma’s defending Lyc, Moros drew her blade and lashed at her sister. Surprised, Yalma was unable to completely evade Moros’s blade, losing her eyes. Moros then ran Lyc through, pinning him to the moon than he called home. For a thousand days Moros kept Lyc pinned, to the point where his moon was forever stained red with his blood.

Knowledge (religion) DC 30:

When the world was young, as is written in the Salvinius, the gods numbered one more. A god forgotten to time wove a tapestry of the past, present, and future for mortals. This tapestry showed a person’s actions, what they would do, and what they would achieve or fail to achieve. Moros saw this, and was infuriated. She was a vicious, cruel, sadistic bitch, but what this god did went against everything that she had in mind for the mortal races.

     Thus, Moros stormed the halls of the god of fate. Her mighty sword Sanguiviar cutting down the inevitables that served as the god’s servants. Hordes of clockwork entities tried to stop the cackling goddess, and hordes were cut to pieces. The scattered remains of these divine servants roam about this day, trying to continue their work in a cosmos that has passed them by.

     When Moros entered the central hall that contained the tapestry of fate, the forgotten god attacked her. After a battle that raged for one hundred days, Moros emerged victorious, and the tapestry dictating everyone’s destiny was destroyed.

Organization: Order of the Hospitar

“Yes, I’m a priest of Moros, now shut up and let me bandage your wound before you bleed out, you stupid fool!”

—Grinas Tallan, Cleric of the Order of the Hospitar

When most think of the clergy of Moros, few think of healers. Yet outside of clerics, the Order of the Hospitar is the largest group devoted to Moros. Named for the weapon of choice of Hierophant Garin Bloodybeard, the Order of the Hospitar was founded not long after the Historical Wipe. The highest ranking member of the Church of Moros at the time, Hierophant Garin earned his name of Bloodybeard due to his habit of wandering battlefields a day or two after the battle and treating the wounds of any survivors.

     When asked about this practice, his words struck a chord in his followers, “I find those with injuries that prevent them from leaving the battlefield, yet possess the will to survive for days in blood, mud, and filth. Any with such a will deserves the chance to fight another day.”

     After his death, the mace with which Hierophant Garin struck down vultures, both bird and otherwise, was used as the symbol that his followers rallied under. Naming themselves the Order of the Hospitar, they wore a silhouette of the mace on their tabards as they combed battlefields for survivors.

     Today the Order of the Hospitar has expanded to treat the wounds and ailments of any that come before them. To this end they work closely with the Alchemist’s Society to find ways to not only reduce disease and infection but to improve treatment techniques. Some such methods include heat sterilization of any tools used while treating patients and washing hands in between patients.

     This partnership with the Alchemist’s Society has had some negative influence on the Order’s own reputation. However, those that harbor distrust of the Alchemist’s Society tend to keep their opinions to themselves when a member of the Order of the Hospitar is treating them.

Code of Conduct: Paladins of Moros

“Philosophers may debate whether or not war is moral or just. Personally, I just need an enemy to be pointed at.”

—Tiana Gregorina, paladin of Moros

The following applies to those that would call themselves paladins of the faith, not just any follower of Moros.

 - Choose your own path. Do not let anyone, not even Moros herself, choose your destiny.

 - Show no mercy in battle. In combat, nothing is immoral. Use any trick, any tool at your disposal.

 - Never run from a fight that you can conceivably win, unless to gain an advantage. There is no shame in retreating from a losing battle, or in giving ground to achieve a better position, but only cowards flee from an enemy that has not beaten them.

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