Jakular

The god of beasts, ferocity, and the untamed. Jakular is the lord of the places in the world that are untouched by civility and order; places where the strong rule and survival is of the utmost importance. Jakular revels in the rule of the strong over the weak, the fierce lengths many go to for survival, and the tenacity of life. Jakular is a brutal god, representing the ferocity of nature, and the refusal to die.
Jakular appears in many forms when he reveals his presence to mortals. He will become anything from a beast to a Biethtìre. As a Biethtìre, he seems to have traits of all Biethtìre kin. This combination of traits makes him seem more beast than not. The god wears a pair of rough trousers, adorned with hunting trophies. He wears a wreath of greenery about his head, but no shirt or footwear. His eyes tell a truth that the rest of his body hides: while he seems brutish and feral, the god hides a fearsome intellect capable of creating frightening creatures.
Jakular believes in the rule of the strong, the tenacity of life, and the survival instincts of all creatures. The god fears what may be coming, and wishes all plants and creatures have reached their peak when the worst comes. Jakular tinkers with the essence of everything, hoping to He knows that whatever comes, life will find a way, he might just have to help it along.

Jakular's Influence

Biethtìre comprise most of the worship base for Jakular. As an elder race, they wield considerable power and have a large population. The Biethtìre also often live in the wilderness, having no nation to call their own. Because of this, they have a vested interest in keeping the wilds safe.
Any who watch over nature, from rangers, to druids, to the occasional warlock, have reason to turn to the god of beasts. While Jakular is a firm believer in power of strength, survival of the fittest, and forging champions through crucibles and trials, he understands that even the strongest need rest. As such, he offers a mark to the strongest of his followers to allow them to go unmolested by the wild creatures of his realms. Even as he respects strength, he respects the wisdom his champions show in accepting it.
Hermits, outlanders, and anyone who has spent time in the wilderness and survived have stories to tell about the value of a few prayers to the god that rules the places they have lived. 

Jakular's Goals

As much as Jakular works to protect the wilds and nature in all of its forms, he tends to threaten it as well. Most of the time, his creations and experiments integrate well into their ecosystems. Once in a while, however, his creations will wreak havoc on their environment. When this happens, worshippers of Jakular are quick to exterminate the threat to their homes. There have been a handful of times, however, that external help has been required; one example being the Wibovites.

Divine Relationships

Jakular reveres Athneron for his power of creation, and has taken after his maker, creating life. The two get along very well, and it has come to be that Jakular is better at creating and modifying life than Athneron.
While Jakular is sided with Quetminook and Halfar, he rarely sees eye to eye with the others. Jakular is convinced that nature will pay the price for the industry that Quetminook provides ideas for, but the Quetminook will occasionally give one of Jakular's followers new and functional ideas on protecting wilderness. While the goblins are like the Biethtìre in their lack of home, and often live in the wilderness, Jakular does not trust Halfar, for he knows that when war comes, all of his precious creations will be weaponized and used as tools of war.
Nekrutan is the god that worries Jakular the most. He fears the god of death will succeed in turning all of the life in the world to undeath. Jakular believes that this can be fought through strength and hardier creatures, but he worries what will happen if Nekrutan is able to bring them back from beyond the grave.
Shaold and Jakular have worked together on several occasions, filling the seas with creatures with destructive potential. She is better at adapting his creations to the sea than he is, which is a sore spot to his pride.
He has a less than cordial relationship with Norentha and Cheznerix. Norentha is the antithesis of what Jakular strives to realize: she is destruction, and with destruction comes death. Her plots and schemes have led to the extinction of more than one of his species. Slights he is unlikely to ever forgive. The god of tricksters has played the god of the wilderness too many times, and as a result, their relationship has become cold and terse in the best of situations.
Jakular is not fond of Balnenet, seeing the young god as one whose reach exceeds their grasp. Despite this, he respects the god, as the balance he strives to uphold often works in the favor of ecosystems. Chenravo, on the other hand is a god Jakular works very hard to impress and work with. He sees their interests as closely bound.

Worshipping Jakular

Jakunon is the 10th month of the year, and is known widely as the Month of the Beast. This is the month where Jakular is celebrated by those in the wilds. Just as there is a variety of life, there are a variety of ways the denizens of his home show their devotion during this time. From large bonfires with dancing, chanting, and drinking, to food or other presents for Jakular's creations left in places they will be easy to find. If someone can think of it and Jakular can recognize it as praise to himself, it will likely be recognized.
The greatest shows of devotion during this month are rewarded when the month draws to a close. It is said that the largest celebrations, and the best gifts draw Jakular's attention more clearly, and that he sends a beast known as the Wamparog to these places as the moon rises on the last night of the month. The Wamparog is a species of beast with strong innate magic, and will grant one wish to each of the greatest devotees of the god.

Aspects of Jakular

The gods often represent more than one facet. The gods' facets are defined by their worshippers, so that the gods suit the needs of the people. No aspect is ever gone, however, and any facet that was created in the past still lurks somewhere in the god's personality, waiting for when it is needed again, or perhaps plotting a situation that might make it relevant once more.
Jakular is not only an old god, he is one of the 7 First Ones. As such, time and worship have given him a number of aspects. The ones listed here are not the full extent, only a sample to show the form of Jakular, if not the shape.

Aspect of the Beast

One of the weaker aspects, The Beast seeks to pit himself against challengers. He will often take mortal form, and battle enemies one on one. However, when mortal, it is possible to kill him, so very few encourage this aspect, and the other aspects bully him out of self-preservation. These days, the closest The Beast gets to combat is taking over beasts and fighting with their bodies.

Aspect of Lifecrafting

This was traditionally one of the strongest of Jakular's aspects, but The Lifecrafter took a hit to worship during and after the Wibovites. This aspect is concerned with the creation and deployment of new life, both flora and fauna. Jakular is a wise god, but scheming isn't one of his best features. As a result, it will likely be some time before this aspect becomes powerful again.

Aspect of the Biethtìre

This is the oldest of Jakular's aspects, this was formed with the god himself. This aspect is concerned with the wellbeing of his followers, and is angry at those who would do them harm. The Biethtìre argues against many of Jakular's more ambitious projects. The Biethtìre aren't the only ones who worship this aspect, for while it is named for the Biethtìre, it protects all who follow Jakular.

Aspect of the Wilderness

A strong aspect, The Wilderness seeks to protect all the wild areas from encroaching civilizations. He will send operatives to harry and destroy new villages that have no respect for the land surrounding them, or who try to civilize it. The methods he employs depends on the damage and danger they have put the surrounding areas through. The Wilderness will send anywhere from a few devotees to kill the leaders, to beasts of epic proportions who will leave no survivors or witnesses of the devastation before retreating to wherever it is that Jakular keeps his large pets. The latter is reserved for those who went beyond abusing the land for their use, and crossed the line into doing so joyously.

Aspect of Tenacity

This strong aspect rewards those who persist despite nature's constant efforts to kill them. The Tenacious looks for those who deny their deaths to nature, and often rewards them with boons and strength.

Aspect of Ferocity

This aspect looks for those who fight with all of the ferociousness of animals, with whatever they can do battle with. The Ferocious often tries to make these individuals by challenging them over and over without respite. Those he tests break down over time, and when they become the ideal mix of intelligence and lack of pulled punches, he considers them ready. The Cult of the Ferocious do not understand escalation of violence, they will fight as hard for a slight as they will when their own lives are on the line.

Aspect of Survival

The Survivalist seeks those who live off of nature in a harmonious way on their own. Those who wander in nature, paths only temporarily crossing with those of others. The Survivalist provides for the survivors in hard times, so long as they do not abuse the lands they walk.

Religions

• Wild Elders

Jakular's Champions

Alignment: Usually Chaotic
Suggested Classes: Barbarian, Cleric, Druid, Ranger
Suggested Cleric Domains: Grave, Life, Nature
Suggested Backgrounds: Athlete, Hermit, Outlander

Jakular's champions often work to protect nature from encroaching civilizations, undeath, and other threats to whatever threats exist to the ecosystems. They worship the wild, and in very special circumstances, are able to inspire the god's creations.

Jakular's Favor

Jakular's champions are warriors of nature, protecting and serving it to the best of their abilities. How did you initially attract the god's attention? The Jakular's Favor table offers a few suggestions.

d6	Circumstance
1	You were visited by a strange beast in the wild one day.
2	You were born with a birthmark in the shape of a wicked fang.
3	You defeated the weak, and came to rule them.
4	Despite being weak, you fought your way out of a dangerous situation with pure ferocity
5	You understand the overall harmony of nature, and wish to be a part of it.
6	You have no idea why Jakular showed interest in you, and you might sometimes wish he hadn't

Devotion to Jakular

Worshipping Jakular is a celebration of life's existance and many forms. As a follower of Jakular, consider rolling on the Jakular's Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background.
Jakular's Ideals

d6	Ideal
1	Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what he stands for. (Any)
2	Wildness. Life is short, and I must sample every experience (Chaotic)
3	Ferocity. I will fight tooth and nail; no cost is too high to uphold my beliefs. (Chaotic)
4	Tenacity. I will survive through sheer willpower. (Neutral)
5	Protection. The wilds of the world often come under attack from outside threats, and I will save them. (Good)
6	Power. The strong rule the wilds, and I will bend them to my will. (Evil).

Earning and Losing Piety

You increase your piety score to Jakular when you expand the god's influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:

• Proving your strength against one of his creations.
• Protecting nature from encroaching civilization.
• Putting an end to a source of undeath.
• Presenting ideas for new life.

Your piety score to Jakular decreases if you diminish Jakular's influence in the world, contradict his ideals, or make him look weak and cowardly through acts such as these:

• Wonton destruction of nature.
• Attempting to tame and cultivate the wild places of the
• world.
• Close association with the undead.

Jakular’s Devotee

Piety 3+ Jakular Trait
You can cast Speak with Animals with this trait a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Jakular’s Votary

Piety 10+ Jakular Trait
You can cast Alter Self with this trait, requiring no material components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.

Jakular’s Disciple

Piety 25+ Jakular Trait
As a bonus action, you can transform into a beast of CR 1/4 or lower. You keep your mental stats, but your physical stats become those of the beast you become. This transformation lasts for 1 minute, or until you take damage, whatever happens first.

You can use this trait a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Champion of the Wilds

Piety 50+ Jakular Trait
You can increase your Strength or Wisdom score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2.