My oath is not one of fealty, nor is it for petty devotion or praise...it is an oath of passion, of righteous purpose and hungering flame. A flame that hungers to be fed so that its light can shine brighter, forever more. I am that flame, and my followers are my caretakers, and this oath you swear to me sustains me puts breath in my lungs, and strength at my fingertips. But do not fight for my cause, fight for your own cause, I implore you...no, I empower you! Fight for war waged in honour of your nation, fight to protect your loved ones, fight to spill needless blood for all I care. Take weapon in hand, or just brandish your fists, and cast yourself into endless battle and conflict. I will grant you purpose...power...power and the strength to never falter or fall. You will fight another day...and another day...and another day...and another day...I will ensure that...Fight until your blade rusts with the blood of your enemies. In my name. — Hadrian - The Iron Fist of Blood and Rust
Tenets of 'Faith'
Hadrian does not have a strict structure for his chosen to follow, he allows much more freedom of expression in how his devout can express their faith. However, he does still level three key tenets upon his 'flock', and his chosen warriors and as long they adhere to these three guidances he is happy to bolster their lives with his blessings. As he is much more giving than his brethren, and will gladly share his boons with as many chosen ones as he can as long as they adhere to his ways. If his followers adhere to all of the below; he promises them great personal power and sway, in whatever way they wish. Whether it be personal, political, etc. it matters not. Hadrian will provide.
Passion is the key tenet that all of Hadrian's followers must adhere to, if one of his own does not have passion then they are truly not one of his chosen. Passion is empowering and grants inner strength and motivation to all that possess it. Even those without Hadrian's embrace benefit from passion. But, all of Hadrian's followers must be passionate to the highest points of possibility. Whether that be in their personal pursuits, or in their devotion to him, as long as the passion is true, strong, and acted upon as frequently as possible Hadrian will accept it.
As Hadrian gains much more through the actioning of his follower's passions than mere prayer or word. This passion can be aimed towards anything as long as the follower does everything in their power to uphold it. It could be living a wealthy life of indulgence, pushing yourself as a warrior and throwing yourself into any and all combat, or being passionate about another whether those feelings are of love or hate. It matters not to Hadrian. A passionate and flame-filled heart often leads to Hadrian's other two tenets which the deity values as a potent source of sustenance.
Conflict often follows when two passionate forces collide, and Hadrian encourages his own to not shy from it. Hadrian believes that conflict only emboldens and strengthens those that survive. If two or more passionate forces collide the ensuing battle can act as bolstering wind to each side's flame, emboldening them and granting themselves more than before. Even without Hadrian's interference. And if one flame is snuffed out then that only means their passion wasn't strong enough to keep their life's fire alight, and the surviving victor engulfs the remains and benefits from the conflict anyways.
Regardless Hadrian sees no use for those that have lost their passionate souls and is happy to discard those that have become spent husks. Hadrian is happy to grant those that engage in frequent conflict with special boons, rewarding them for enacting his tenets. Granting increased physical and mental prowess, and sometimes even elongated life to those that he finds truly devoted and useful to his cause.
War is the ultimate form of passionate conflict, and Hadrian teaches his followers to seek it out and engage in it whenever they can. Most of the divine do not encourage their followers to seek out a violent resolution, but Hadrian encourages it as the purest form of testing the resolve of his followers and to weed out those that do not hold within them enough desire and strength to live to their fullest potential and use. Those that come out of the war the winner are the strongest and are thus worthy of his praise and empowerment.
And while full-blown war is not common, it is the most potent form of energy for the conflict-thirsty god and he is most pleased when his chosen wage it in his name. Even when it isn't in his name he benefits from wars waged. And while many citizens of the world are unaware of his machinations, Hadrian has started wars between small groups and nations alike. All so he can benefit from his often violent portfolio being enacted.
Hadrian's Purpose
Many of the gods of Fyria seek a goal, whether it is to better the lands of people or to ensure a more personal act. Hadrian falls in the latter category and has always sought to bolster his own strength, he has always had a large ego and lofty goals. Seeking to be the best and most powerful even amongst his siblings, including the desire to have the strongest followers amongst the others.
Prayer and enaction of a deity's portfolio translate to strength and life for a god, and Hadrian seeks a great well of strength far beyond what he needs to sustain himself. And for the majority of all time, he gathered strength only as a sort of contest against his siblings, one that only he was truly aware of or participating in. But recently, in the context of a god's lifespan at least, Hadrian has prophesized a conflict of grand proportion between the gods. And while conflict of epic proportions would normally be something Hadrian would seek, direct conflict amongst his own brethren is something he does not wish for, as even he realizes it could spell the end for all.
But regardless of his feelings on the matter, what he has prophesized will one day occur and he must be as prepared as possible for when that day comes. Hadrian worries that this inevitable time is approaching as his sibling
Keldrin - Lord of the Unfallen has made recent steps towards his own passions of having a physical presence amongst his own devoted, the
Unfallen, a species of undead that Keldrin himself breathed life into.
Physical presence amongst the realms of a deity's followers has always been prohibited and it was generally agreed upon by the sibling gods that under no circumstance this rule to be broken. As the effects of a permanent godly presence upon the realm of man are unknown and potentially hazardous to all parties. But, despite this agreement, Keldrin has established a presence amongst his people and intends to join them physically as soon as he is able.
And while Hadrian begrudgingly respects his sibling for following his passion, he views him as the greatest threat to all of the god's power amongst men and to his own personal immortality and strength. Hadrian has tried to speak to his fellow siblings but has fallen on deaf ears. Lathos believes their brother has a right to conduct his business as he pleases, Eeavarin is too busy with her own projects on the material planes, and Ildyr is too sanctimonious to even bless Hadrian with a reply as per usual. The final outcome of Hadrian's prophecy is still yet to be determined.
Physical Appearance
Like all of the gods of Fyria, Hadrian can take any form he wishes when presenting himself to his followers or those he deems worthy of viewing his visage. Hadrian currently has two forms he frequently takes, though he currently prefers to present himself most often in his masculine form.
Though regardless of the form Hadrian decides to take, he always appears with smears of blood and rust across his face and body. It is said that this depiction is the blood and rust that has been spilled by the bodies and accrued by the weapons of all of his warrior followers that have enacted war and conflict in his name over the generations. And it is a small gesture of respect from the god of conflict and war towards these devoted chosen.
While his primary focus is on the humans of Fyria, as they tend to be the most aggressive and prone to war, Hadrian does occasionally take the form of other creatures and humanoids. He has taken the forms of a large boar in the past, as well as the form of a giant ogre, in order to inspire the humanoid 'monsters' of Fyria.
Though Hadrian has discovered that many of these 'monstrous' sorts are nowhere close to their reputations, and are either far more reasonable in sense or are hesitant to enact conflict and war to Hadrian's lofty standards. As most know they do not stand a chance against the combined forces of the humans of Fyria.
In the past, Hadrian has dabbled with following in Ildyr's footsteps and taking on no physical representation. And instead symbolized himself as the manifestation of nerves and excitement that arrive before a battle or confrontation.
But Hadrian found that this alone was not enough to inspire his flock, instead discovering that a physical representation that resembled one of a soldier or warrior was far more effective for his purposes. He discovered that his followers were easier to inspire towards his cause if there was something familiar in physical form to aspire to be. And as such he has stayed within the forms of humanoid creatures for the past several thousand years.
Prayer of Conflict - Warcry
In the midst of conflict and war, let our warcry be heard
Let the sounds of war reach your ears and please you
We do not strive for hatred only for the proliferation and expression of passion
We ignite our passionate flames with the conflict of life and battle
Through war, we unearth our true selves and our innermost strength
May these flames enlighten our lives to their brightest potential
And bring us truth and strength to our temporary presence
May our collective fire bring you eternal warmth and health as a small gesture of our gratitude
May our warcry reach your ears Hadrian, and may our conflicts please you
Common Views on Hadrian
Hadrian, despite his persuasive nature, is not commonly liked amongst the general public of Fyria and much like his brethren Keldrin is viewed as a generally evil and nasty deity only prayed to by the wicked and desperate. But, like much in this world that is not the entire truth, both in Hadrian's disposition and in the scope of his followers.
The God of Conflict and War is not evil, though his actions may be viewed as such by common folk, his worshipers for the most part know better and are more akin and understanding of his reasoning.
A depiction of an enraged and battle ready Hadrian
His followers view him as a deity with a goal though, one that they can become invested in assisting with, as it is simple and attained in nature.
It is common knowledge among devout people that Hadrian is a giving god, that will actually gift his followers with frequent boons and encouragements.
Hadrian is, in fact, the most likely amongst his siblings to grant boons of strength and empowerment to his followers and is less strict with whom he grants a piece of his godhood too. And happy rewards his followers when they serve him proudly.
While he does view most of his followers as simple tools for his own purposes this does not mean he discounts their value on the material planes in which they worship him upon. Many of his followers know this fact all too well and accept it as part of their devotion to him.
There are very few organized religious sects devoted to Hadrian however, due in part to his extreme views and actions conducted via his followers. Most organized political organizations don't even allow for large organized churches devoted to Hadrian, as they view them as potentially dangerous. As a large group of Hadrian priests could potentially grow into a freestanding militia force, empowered by a god nonetheless. Most cities don't like this potential, and hence ban large permanent gatherings of Hadrian's devout. But, many places still allow for small shrines to Hadrian, as long as there are no permanent buildings or residences associated with it.
Of the few permanent organized churches devoted to Hadrian, most lie well outside of any city or town walls. Instead lying secreted away in hidden locations only shared between the Hadrian devotees. Many of these locations are highly mobile and commonly resemble large war encampments with dozens of large canvas tents stretched across fields and strewn about trees deep within a forest.
Conflict between Sibling Nations
Two vastly different nations, that were once allies in arms and supporters of each other's wealth and prosperity turned bitter enemies all due to a few whispered words in the ears of a passionate few. Bastion and Estrua are two central nations on the continent of Fyria which have long held a land border with each other.
For a thousand years they worked, hand in hand towards continued prosperity, at one point, even sharing a capital within the twin cities of Estrua's Taex and Bastion's Tafn which were connected via the Brother's Bridge across the Gofric Valley below. Now the two cities have been nearly abandoned and the bridge lies destroyed, its remains sitting on the floor of the valley below.
Tafn and Taex, former capitals of warring states Bastion and Estrua
When the citizens of Bastion began to suffer due to their own nations' mismanagement of their crops and slim natural resources instead of seeking help from their brethren to the south in Estrua, Bastion's elite and ruling family turned against them and began to blame them for their misfortunes. Striking out and accusing them of not offering enough support, and not allowing them to expand or share in Estrua's bountiful resources; which Estrua only gained through careful management and patient caretaking.
Before long the once close nations were at war, with skirmishes breaking out even during the most routine or mundane of interactions. And even now, many years after the initial spark of war the two continue to quarrel, fighting over a slim corridor of once-neutral land the two shared for trade purposes to the south of the continent. Now this once lively trade route is riddled with the effects of war and is rarely travelled upon unless for purposes of war and bloodshed.
The forces of Bastion and Estrua clash in one of many skirmishes over the last few years
And Hadrian, wouldn't have it any other way. For his followers were the ones he whispered to, and those that listened slowly but surely spread the discontent that he sought to sow. And while the ensuing conflict and war were created out of this hatred and malice, and caused much loss of familial bounds and life itself, it brought him joy. A joy which only came when his tenets were fulfilled by any of those that fell to the trickery of those few whispers of discontent.
Now, so many years later, he didn't even have to say a word more, the two once-friendly nations spread their own propaganda and continued to spin stories and warnings about the other's discontent and skullduggery. An ever-rolling engine of war with self-perpetuating energy. His favourite kind of conflict, one that had no end in sight.
Very enjoyable read for a god. Great content, great formatting.