HISTORY
After the lands of Vorrijaard became ensared by the Everfrost, the large cities withered and became unable to sustain themselves. They had grown accustom to plentiful farmlands and rich hunting, and were now forced to survive or die.
Praying to Gods in elaborately built temples and offering sacrifices became impossible as the people reverted to either nomadic lifestyles or small communities to lessen the stress of resources. In the absence of Gods, the Spirits returned. While none had worshipped them for ages, they still persisted, embodying the land itself. People were reminded to be in awe of nature, to fear it, and respect it, which imbued these Spirits with greater power.
Now, people of the Everfrost live with a deep reverence of the Spirits, lest they invoke their wrath.
Druvask takes the form of humanoid pigman with tusks stained pink gore and blood. His skin is purple from frostbite inflicting upon him by Anivia for his heinous actions.
Of all the Spirits, Druvask is the most brutal. While Volibear is an unrelenting storm, he acts in stern preservation of the wild. Druvask is a spirit empowered by the worst in people. He is greed and gluttony, brutality and barbarity. All that matters is self-preservation, no matter the cost and regardless of who else gets hurt. He revels in the subjugation of the weak by the strong, especially through violence.
While Ornn values hard work, Druvask values making others work hard in your stead. The only thing Druvask truly excels in is violence. His blessed match the the constitution of the Ursine, but are willing to do anything to win. Clever traps and devious ambushes always prelude their attacks.
Despite the hatred they foster, followers of Druvask still find a place as mercenaries to raid other clans. Many of his followers are Were-Boars, as they propagate without concern or consideration, spreading Druvask's "blessing" through mauling and goring.
The legends of Druvask start with Ornn. He'd made many tools, but during the early days of creation, hadn't yet created a weapon. Druvask, then just a minor spirit, was tasked with disposing of his failed creations.
One such creation was a simple, pointed stick. Its tip was so fine that he pricked his finger upon it. As the ruby droplet fell down upon it, Druvask tested its tip again, this time upon a snow hare.
He pierced the hare, and thus discovered death. Scared of being discovered, he devoured the hare. Thus, he discovered hunger. With his hunger awakened, he hunter more hares. More and more until none remained. Thus he discovered famine. When Anivia noticed the hares absence, she asked him where they had gone. He lied and said that he didn't know. Thus he discovered deceit.
He returned to Ornn, suggesting new things to forge. To Ornn it was just a fun challenge, making things he'd never made before. For Druvask, he fueled his growing bloodlust by inflicting new forms of pain with his new weapons.
Finally, when he grew bored of killing animals, he shared his discoveries with mortals, teaching them violence. He watched in glee as mortals tore each other apart with his creations. Each act of violence and bloodshed made him stronger, making him the Spirit of Iron. Both the iron they wielded and the iron in the blood spilled.
DESCRIPTION
"Stål Valhir" translates to "Metal God". That is the title of Druvask, the Iron Boar.
He is not especially smart, but is wily, cunning, and manipulative. He knows that, while individually powerful, his people are not numerous enough to meet other races in mass battle; thus he focuses on ambush and opportunism to gain the upper hand. His domain, a blood-stained battlefield, is filled with constant howling winds, is arrayed with the severed heads of heroes of a dozen races or more, many of whom are cursed to eternally moan pleas of mercy and praise to the might of the Iron Boar.
While a violent and aggressive god, he is not one to hold a grudge; as such, he holds few particular deities or pantheons as racial enemies due to past slights. He is perfectly happy to see any of them cracked on the head and tossed in his cookpot, although he is willing to work with almost any deity if it furthers his goals.
MANIFESTATIONS
Though he rarely manifests himself in the material plane, when he does, his omens usually take gruesome forms. The most common being guttural utterances from corpses and severed heads. These utterances are short directives and warnings, depending on the situation at hand. More rarely he will send bloody and violent dreams of combat and battle to his priests with messages heard in the warcries and death screams of the warriors.
Occasionally, if a lone, devout follower is surrounded by foes, he transform them into a metallic, iron-bodied boar with petrifying breath.
WORSHIP
Druvask's priests are primarily concerned with the advancement of their tribes’ interests, as well as spreading their affliction to as many people as possible. They use their positions as leaders and advisors to direct the tribe’s activities. Priests frequently command skirmishing and raiding parties, making swift and brutal attacks on other nearby races and tribes. They delight in brutal combat, although they try to ensure victory by not attacking groups that show the potential of being more powerful. If they still seek violence against a more powerful foe, they will coordinate to maim in quick and brutal skirmishes to spread their transmutable lycanthropy to as many people as they can to sow chaos.
DOGMA
Be opportunistic. Use with and wiles to gain victory over your enemies. Avoid mass combat, but when you battle, show no mercy. Work with whoever is necessary to further the interests of your tribe as a whole, but do not hesitate to take advantage of their weaknesses. Hold no grudges, for that limits your options.
RITUALS
The only regular ceremony observed universally by followers of the Iron Boar is the Blood-Letting. During this monthly ceremony, held on the eve of the full moon, priests emulate their deity by ritually beheading a prisoner in order to send Druvask a tribute of blood. Any sentient creature available to the priests is likely to be sacrificed, although there is greater prestige in offering up a more powerful or rare individual. If a creature is particularly unique, there is a small chance the Iron Boar will notice and impart a blessing upon the tribe.
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