Worshipers of Gonazh
Gonazh, god of stone, of the forge, and of wealth and warfare. Half the people of Pathruz worship him, while the other half despises his name. A portion of the fruit of the forge is dedicated to him at his great stone temple in Azhron. The priests there receive many swords, shields, jewelry, and fine metalwork at the dawn of every new moon. This ensures Gonazh's blessing upon the forge and a promise of wealth in proportion to the gift.
As a god of war, Gonazh is also the patron deity of every Pathruzan mercenary. At every victory, mercenaries and warriors will bring a portion of the spoil to the temple and hold a great feast. After a defeat they still feast, though slightly less heartily.
Mythology & Lore
As most ancient tales do, this one starts with war. A war no one wanted to fight, actually. A king of a city of Immortals had denied a wandering family of Pathruz passage through his lands. To hear them tell it, the king all but insulted their mothers, but the patriarch of this family took it in stride and moved his family elsewhere. They found a nice mountain to call home and established an enduring mine which still produces ore today.
That should have been the end of the tale, but news of the insulting Immortal king spread among the Pathruz. Some didn't care, but most reveled in reviling the monarch. One of the Great Fathers decided that, if every king decided to refuse them courtesy, the wealth of the Pathruz would become as worthless lead. So Gonazh sent out a call to war to every noble family in every mine of the Pathruz.
And two of them responded. So he took his sword, a legendary blade, and broke it into pieces. Each piece was sent to a different mine. Most of the noble families understood the message, and soon Gonazh commanded the largest army of Pathruz ever assembled.
Victory was as sure as a hammer striking hot metal. The army of the insulting king could do nothing but flee before Gonazh. Every battle was a magnificent rout, for who can stand before the might of a war god? Once the Pathruz had a taste of the fortunes of war, some never wanted to go back. Thus Pathruzan mercenaries became renown throughout the lands.
Gonazh rose above his brothers as the one who brought victory and wealth to his people to become the leader of the gods.
Worship
Priesthood
The strongest warrior is appointed as the head priest of Gonazh. Upon the death of the previous priest, a great tournament is held in Azhron.
The priests are easily spotted by the symbol of Gonazh on their breastplate.
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