Ulrek, the Relentless Conqueror

God of War and Conquest, Ulrek is revered as the Blood Lord or the Relentless Conqueror by many who seek to gain power through violence. His name is synonymous with conflict, both as a herald and as a warning. He is the god of battle of course; may it be honourable duels on the battlefield or ignominious ambushes in a dark alley, but beyond even that, he embodies the bloodlust that takes hold of those seeking power, and the easy path that leads to it. Not always ragefull, and often kept deep inside every one of us, a desire to be above. To conquer, to obtain and to win. Ulrek is the god of victory over others, and the power that comes from it.

Sacred Attributes

The Broken Shield (Aspanos) is the most common and recognisable of Ulrek’s symbols, representing the overpowering of those weaker, cowering behind feeble defences. His Favoured Animal is the Hawk, especially Blood Hawks, powerful hunters of the sky striking hard and fast. His Favoured Colour is Red, colour of blood and violence, and his Sacred Weapon is the Great-Axe with which he split open Eina and separated Artus and Eridia during the First Demonic Incursion.

Description

Nowadays, Ulrek most often appears as a massive male orc warrior, the race he is responsible for creating and unleashing upon the Elder Realms, but that was not always the case. Imagery and records pre-dating the War of the Black Sun indicate that Ulrek used to prefer the form of a human or beastfolks in those times. Elements of his appearance not pertaining to his race survived the transition, mostly the distinct warlike appearance, barded in armour and weapons, and bloody warpaint across his body and face. In nearly all representations he is noticeably taller than any other figures, with the exception of some of the other deities, and those who have encountered the deity often recall an oppressive aura around him, reinforcing his already imposing figure.

Personality

Ulrek embodies all aspects of combat. He is violent, of course, and extremely competitive, but he also values bravery and honesty. Ulrek despises underhanded tactics, such as poison, requiring for a combat to be honourable in order to be glorious. However, what he considers as such may not suit everyone. Ulrek is ruthless, and believes that the strong deserve to rule over the weak. He does not care for the target of violence, only that it is direct and not circumvented in any way. He does not care for the old, the children or the sick. To him, they are nothing, too weak to matter. They are not even worth trampling over. Ulrek is nowhere better than on the battlefield, and this is where is can found most of the time. War fuels him, and he fuels wars in return. Conflict is in his nature, and rarely does he has the patience to listen to anyone. He believes that everything must be earned the hard way, through blood and violence. That the worth of a being can only be found in honourable battle, overcoming enemies and coming out on top.

Worship

There is two major poles of Ulrek worship in the Kaladean Empire. The first one is amongst the beastfolks tribes of the Eridian Savanah, whose almost constant state of territorial war is perfectly in line with the values of the war deity. His cult is deeply ingrained in the culture of most beastfolks, especially the predatory tribes such as the Leonin and Gnolls, and religious rites dedicated to Ulrek are often directly linked to battle, through war-dances and ritual duels for example. Warlords fight in his name, and ii’s priest are held in high esteem. In less violent tribes, he is still worshipped, although to a lesser extent, as violence is never near.
The second pole of worship is in the northern parts of Artusia, where the worship was passed down from the Elder Races to the Humans. This worship of Ulrek is less focused on the inherent violence of combat, and more on achieving victory. The aspect of bloodlust exhibited by Ulrek is not as much praised as it is seen as a warning to those that would fall to it, a spectre hanging over the head of every warrior. Of course, that does not mean that this version of the Ulrek cult is not prone to violence, even excessive violence. Ruthlessness is seen as a virtue near-universally amongst the worshippers of Ulrek, and violence is synonymous with the god. Millenniums of military traditions have simply smoothed over the surface of the cult to make it seem more civilized. Nowhere is this more apparent than in its Great Temple in Mithram. Like most of its churches, it resembles more of a military building than a religious one, with this one taking on the function of a military academy. A massive fortress, near impregnable, in which those that dedicate their lives to Ulrek are welcomed to practice their worship through training, prayer and, of course, battle.
Ultimately, no matter where Ulrek is worshipped, combat is the constant. This is how Ulrek is primarily worship, and this is how he rewards those that pledge their life to him. Most of its clergy is made-up of warriors, paladins and war-priests that live their life on the battlefield, with those that do not serving as auxiliaries to it. Support from the backline, and often seen as lesser by their brethren. Virtuous knights, raging barbarian or high-way bandit, all are the same to Ulrek, and all are prone to worshipping him. In a life of violence, he represents a goal, order, a sense of belonging. Be it because war needs a meaning, or because violence is the goal itself.

Divine Domains

War

Madness

Holy Books & Codes

The Sanguine Codex

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Symbol: Broken Shield aka the Aspanos

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Favoured Animal: Hawk

Favoured Colour: Red

Sacred Weapon: Great Axe

Tenets of Faith

It is the right of the strong to impose his will onto the weak

To live without honour is to choose the life of an animal

There is no glory in seeking the weak, for only true challenge elevates the self

Holidays

- Last Week of Uleos: The Red Festivals (A week dedicated to competitions, especially bloodsports such as arena fighting, and military celebrations)

Divine Classification

Deity

Alignment

Lawful Evil

Realm

The Bloostained Arena

Church/Cult

Kaladean Pantheon