Gaul

Exarch of the Udirkith

Introduction

Gaul was the one true god of the ancient Udirkith, responsible for the uniting of the dwarven people and the creation of their vast and powerful empire. He was the very embodiment of war itself in dwarven society, and in his presence, none could stand against the might of his empire. His rule over the Udrithi Empire as their god-king allowed not just the expansion of dwarven rule and supremacy over the land but the creation of a vast pantheon of lesser gods beneath the rule of Gaul. The aptly named Lord of War could not be defeated as every battle, every wounded soldier, and every enemy slain only served to make him stronger and spread his glory. His name became a cursed thing that struck fear in the hearts of the greatest armies and the bravest warriors across all of Solith.

And in his name, his children waged war against the people of Solith. They slaughtered the weak and bent the very land beneath the might of Dwarves and the rule of Gaul.

— Excerpt from the Book of Ascension, the Rise of Gaul.

Under Gaul's rule, the Udirkith mastered the arcane arts and created inventions even greater than those of Seawatch, unrivaled in their expert manipulation of the mortal world. Yet Gaul's greatest atrocities came in the form of the children he sired to rule his empire in his stead, each formed from the senseless slaughter of mortals. Thus began the scourge of the Udrithi Empire and the devastation of countless cultures, for if you were not of the Udirkith, you were fodder for the great engine of their civilization.

War with the First Men

Gaul was the driving force behind the War of Steel & Smoke and had been preparing for the centuries-long conflict from the moment Lady Death was summoned to Solith. It took centuries of planning and conquest for Gaul to achieve his dreams of war with the only worthy enemy he had ever found but when it began it was a conflict the likes of which Solith will never see again.

General Information

Divine Classification

Exarch

Species

Highland Dwarf

Honorary & Occupational Titles

The Lord of War, Gaul the Eternal, Udrikhan

Year of Birth

5527 3563 Years old

Eyes

Amber

Hair

Long, Sleek, Auburn

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Bronze

Related Myths

• Udrithi Forgehammers

The Fall of War

Centuries before the arrival of the Elves, the Udirkith turned against their god-king and Gaul vanished from the face of Solith causing his empire to shatter and fracturing his once unified people.

Echoes of the Past

Though Gaul has not been seen on Solith for centuries, his children have not been so gracious. Several Gravehunters over the years have reported powerful beings occupying the ancient ruins of the Udrithi Empire that lie beneath the earth and within the Throat of the World .

Divine Domains

Cleric Domains: Order, War.

War

The followers of Gaul were always driven by their god's need for open and continued warfare, it became not just the central pillar of his faith but the fuel of the empire. Gaul had no interest in simple fights but long-lasting conflicts.

Conflict

Among the Udirkith, conflict was an eternal and necessary part of life. Whether it was with steel or words, the ancient dwarves reveled in conflict with others. Gaul's followers were not just warriors but some of the most skilled orators in the empire.

Death

Gaul claimed no dominion over souls or the passage from life to death, his dominion over death was centralized on his ritualistic slaughter of lesser species and the use of death as a tool in service to the empire's grand vision.

Battle

Gaul desired war above all else but frowned upon underhanded tactics, preferring to clash against the armies of his enemies in glorious battles. Overwhelming might became a staple of Udirkith warfare which shied away from gorilla tactics, spycraft, and assassinations.

Civilization

Gaul was the Udirkith symbol of civilization and the engine that drove their people to greater heights. He unified the dwarven people and made their society one of the greatest ever seen on Solith. Their empire's influence would grow to stretch from one side of the continent to the other.

Supremacy

Gaul and the Udirkith built their empire on the belief that only dwarves had the right to rule over Solith as the purest of Solith's children. The Udirkith believed it was their divine right to bring lesser races to heel under their rule and all others were pretenders when compared to their glory.