The Scared Demi-God

The Scarred God, Lord of Lasting Spite and Suffering

Divine Domains

Areas of Concern: Disease, Spite, Ambition, Endurance Domains: Death, Destruction, Evil, Law, Madness

Holy Books & Codes

Anti-Paladin Code (LE Archetype Only)
1,I Endure until you can return my suffering upon others
2. I do not love any save my god, for love of mortals is weakness, people are only tools to me
3.I gain victory from the suffering of others and only victory for my god matters

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Favored Weapon: Scourge Symbol: A humanoid body lashed to a torture wheel by spiked chains Sacred Animal(s): Stinging Insects, Disease Carriers Sacred Color(s): Dark Red and Black

Tenets of Faith

Aphorisms
“Skars are all we have, Skars are all we carry, The Lord of Scars is our father, our faith, family”
“Endure, suffer, survive, work hard, grow strong and only then topple those who made you hurt!”
“We are made to feel pain, it is the only truth in this life and only scars can set us free!”

Mental characteristics

Personal history

During the Mage Wars Hordaines' great apprentice Old Jack (Then just Jack) was allied to an oracle who gained his powers only after the plague of Red Scars saw most of his village die. A monumental cruel and spiteful man he aided Jack in many horrifying experiments even going so far as to disgust the erudite necromancer with the sheer sickening evil of his displays.
Throughout their rise in the central Teragoth Skarz as he called himself terrorized anyone and everyone including his own allies. Unloved by all and tolerated due to his power and use to Jack he wallowed in the hatred and suffering he caused all around him, so long as he was in control he was happy to be the master of others' agony. As the Mage Wars came to a close he grew bitter that Jack refused to share his secrets with him and Skarz began to look for other avenues to power. Soon he discovered through no small effort that he could steal power from a dead god.
At first he had to curve his malice enough to form a cult of like minded men and women to worship him. Using magic, violence and trickery he founded a cult built on making others suffer and spiteful vengeance. Shortly before the Land shattered he activated a twisted ritual he supposedly gained due to his divine insight (Jack helped him create it eager to see what would happen) and he found the resting corpse of Kalathis.
Skarz fed on the dead gods flesh and body eager to sup and steal the dead gods divine spark.The power overwhelmed his mind and tore at his body and he fell a strange crystal cocoon forming around his body. When he awoke three centuries had passed. His cult had grown and he was now a Demi-god.
Working carefully and slowly to grow his faith Skarz or the Scarred God harbours a secret fear of conflict with older stronger gods going so far as to submit himself to stronger evil gods and promise them faithful service rather than face the very real risk of death now that he has stolen eternity for himself. He even attempts to play off being a lesser and very agreeable evil to neutral and good beings hoping they will ignore him while he gathers power.
The Church
Is mostly scattered misanthropes and backwoods cultists found on the broken isles. They use disease as a threat and punishment and threat to get what they want, most are belligerent and arrogant cowards but the exception to this rule is a sect the god has shown favor and who may shape the entire religion to suit their preaching.
The Red Monks are a flagallent Order who teach that suffering and endurance are strength, that one must accept their lot no matter how painful until they are strong enough to overcome it and visit spiteful revenge on their tormentors. They travel spreading the word of the Scarred god treating him as a Martyr and an ideal of endurance. They still yet consider disease and plague as weapons and tools offering healing and protection from illness in exchange for prayers and money to be given to their growing sect.
The Rite of the Supplicant Scar The first self inflicted scar a member of the faith gives themself is during a profane rite where they swear loyalty only to Skarz and to forsake service or true love of any other being. His more savage faithful mark this scar upon their faces; his newer and more cunning faithful avoid wearing this scar in plain sight and avoid any easily visible marks of their faith. In either case the ritual culminates with an animal or better yet human sacrifice ideally of an animal or person that the future worshiper feels has wronged them and deserves to die for such.
Temples
Skarz desires grand opulent edifices to fuel his ego but his young and scattered faith rarely have had the resources or skills to effect such buildings. The Red Monk Sect are mostly nomadic so he stationary faithful in the Broken Isles who have often degenerated into cannibalism and barbarous savagery do as best their god demands building large stone altars and crude worship sites that they proceed to stain with blood and sacrifice of those infected with illness to Skarz.
A priests role The Clergy do as they wish with the expectation that it will do so within the rigid rules Skarz set down to ensure his cult remained loyal to his vision alone. They preach that all other gods and powers are secretly inferior to Skarz and often blackmail people into praying to him through disease and threats of violence. His more cunning followers often travel to more civilized regions and abuse disease outbreaks or local turmoil to make themselves beloved by the population, such a cleric was the founder of the Red Monks sect.
Adventurers Craving power is second nature to most who turn to Skarz and adventure is often seen as a quick path to power. Many do as Skarz did in life seeking old power and lost treasures to make their dark dreams come true.
Clothing Typically ritual attire consists of the priest exposing themself and the ritual Scars that they mortify their flesh with. Otherwise the clerics may dress as they desire with the red robes of the Red Monk Sect being a well known uniform preferred by the largest growing and favourite sect of his faithful.
Holy Texts My Word is your law The Handbook of the Cult of the Scarred god is ultimately a collection of brainwashing aphorisms and propaganda aimed at the defamation of all other gods and exaltation of Skarz. It is a book of lies regarding his mortal life painting him as champion of the suffering and sick and recounts false tales of his battles against the corrupt and weak champions and heroes of his day. It is also a guide book so that his cult leaders can effectively use and control the faithful with their words, violence and threat of illness. Many also note it contains a healthy dose of lore regarding drugs, disease, poison and the art of using them in blackmail and trickery to earn money for the faith.
Holidays Skarz Day while the faith has daily rites and important days to sacrifice the most important in their holy book is Skarz day. On this day the high priest of a gathering prepares for a grand ritual where the faithful are partake of pain dulling drugs and enter a state of euphoric bliss the high priest claiming the feeling is a gift from their god a taste of paradise at his side. This drug induced joy is often followed by ritual human sacrifice, devil summoning and fiendish orgies to populate the faithful with tiefling and half-fiends to provide stronger servants for Skarz. Undead are also often risen on this day to serve the faith or sent out to murder particularly hated rivals.
Relation with other religions
Most are barely aware of Skarz presence on the world stage and have yet to develop an opinion of him. Gatherions faith has taken notice however and are keeping a keen eye on this upstart god's growth. El’sair has decided she and Skarz are very likely to become bitter foes especially if he continues to grow in power and has secretly started to sabotage his faith when possible. The faithful of Kalathis however few remain hate Skarz above all else and many believe that if he dies that their god may be reborn, thus on savage islands in the Broken Sea do the remaining druid circles of Kalathis often wage bloody wars on the hateful cult of the Scarred god. Insofar the growing faith of Skarz is having difficulty against the experienced agents of Kalathis but where the old god loses more with each dead follower Skarz faith grows by the day.
Realm
The Scarred Gods Palace is built on a volcanic cliff face on the first level of hell; it is a nightmarish effigy to Skarz ego and populated by petitioners suffering into agony when they say Skarz name and speak praises of the demi-god. So paranoid of other gods he refuses to dwell in the city of Dis as most of the other gods who call hell home. He secretly maintains ties with various infernal dukes and it is whispered he and they are both trying to use each other.