Strife
Lord of Plots, Ambition, and Conspiracy
"Impress me."
The Lord of Plots
Strife is the Lord of Plots and God of Ambition, Power, Conspiracy, and Domination. Through malice, manipulation, and ruthlessness, they empower their followers to overthrow authority and allow the strong to take their rightful place on top. Unlike most gods, Strife doesn't appear to have any interest at all in virtues, values, beliefs, intentions, hopes, or convictions — Strife values power, deeds, and results. As such, they can be rather egalitarian with their champions, yet their expectations are brutal. They pay no mind to one's conditions of birth but support only those who use what they have to empower themselves for their own purposes. They challenge mortals to take control of their own destiny. A punishing god, Strife despises those who resign to their fate, give up, or believe they deserve something. Among their followers are tactical warlords, master assassins, and mages who dare to shatter the limits of convention. This doctrine of brutality and perfection has resulted in a faithful who are elite... and yet few.The Prince of Dread
While most Infernals have a grim reputation, Strife is especially known for being utterly devoid of empathy, compassion, and mercy. An utterly ruthless deity, they respect competence and have no patience for failure. The Lord of Plots may abandon any follower who fails to adequately serve their own interests, never mind Strife's. That being said, Strife is said to have a genuine degree of respect for those mortals who distinguish themselves through discipline, performance, and demonstrations of power, whether her followers or not. In fact, they may end up favoring an enemy of theirs if they prove more worthy than their own faithful.The Many Faces of Strife
Strife is known by many names — the Lord of Plots, the Deceiver, the Prince of Dread, the Saint of Subterfuge — but also many faces. They have no consistent appearance nor gender identity, being depicted by mortals in myriad ways, including an androgynous horned warlord, an ancient serpentine woman, and even a whale-like monstrosity. As an iconoclastic god, Strife cares not for images. As such, they will wear whichever face they deem necessary for their purposes. They have no attachment to any particular symbol and will quickly grow impatient if their followers fixate on such trivialities.Divine Domains
Power, Death, Lies, Ambition
Artifacts
Mournblade
Also known as Kingsbane, Mournblade is the favored weapon of the Lord of Plots. A wicked, black greatsword of incredible size, it is unweidly yet devastatingly powerful. In addition to its immense scale, it can trap the soul of its victims, empowering both the blade and the ambitions of the wielder. Unlike many Infernal artifacts, Mournblade may fall into the hands of any mortal, whether they know of Strife or not, if they harbor sufficient desire and ambition in their heart. Strife infused their hatred, ambition, and lust for power in the greatsword. Those who kill with the blade are said to hear the whispers of their own weapon, compelling them to crush those in their way and rip renown from their dying hands.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
A sword piercing a heart with a snake wrapped around the blade
Tenets of Faith
Pragmatism. Chase your goals, but be intelligent about it.
Ambition. Rip renown from the cold hands of your enemies.
Deception. Lie and cheat to get what you want.
Power. Might makes right.
Vengeance. Mercy is the way of the weak.
Divine Classification
God
Alignment
Neutral Evil
Church/Cult
Children
Pronouns
Any