Exaban

the Battle-Lord, Master of Games and holy Scale of War

by Aramander the Sage

Classification

Exaban is classified as a major god, and a part of the Martial pantheon, often associating himself with the other gods of weaponry, war spirit, and of course Autar, leader of the war council. As a part of the martial pantheon, Exaban takes responsibility in overseeing fair rulings in war.

Divine Domains

Battlefields, Strategy
As the patron of the battlefield, Exaban oversees that all wars are fought according to his holy rulings. In the many tens of thousands of years that he has taken this position, Exaban has developed new laws and codes that all mortals are expected to abide by to ensure that wars will be fought with just hearts, ensuring that only righteous causes win their successes.
As a consequence of this, most nations observe the precepts of Exaban during wars for fear that breaking the rules of engagement could threaten to turn Exaban against their forces. These beliefs are not without historical precedence, as even small skirmishes have turned tides on the battlefield when soldiers draw Exaban's attention.
Despite the strict expectations that Exaban has placed on wartime convention, his actual intervention favors the invisible hand over obvious displays of power. The reason for his decisions can be left to the diviners of his will to argue, but common thought has suggested the impetous of this approach is in line with the relative involvement of the other gods, and can likely be traced back to On's declaration, the Reign of Free Will. Other than that some of the Witnesses believe that this is simply Exaban's personal preference: less intervention is better.

Divine Intervention

As a rule, Exaban is reticent to intervene in any battle. Like a grandmaster watching two novice chess players, he chooses to instead wait and watch each move made, judging the wit and strategy of each player. Because he has been witness to conflicts throughout countless ages, winning has taken a focal back seat to simply making excellent moves. This suggests that even when one side is less formidable, if they are able to do more with less, or otherwise show that they are worthy of Exaban's favor, he will do more to push the scales for them than if they were otherwise less capable.
When Exaban does intervene in battles, it is a clear and immediate sign of his favor of one side or another. Intervention can take many forms, with common ones being supernatural strength and speed, divine insight into tactical advantage. Minor manifestations may include a soldier feeling drawn towards making a certain crucial decision (a sort of divine "hunch").

Holy Books & Codes

see Stirrik-mithi

Tenets of Faith

The tenets of Exaban are split into two sepearate groupings of edicts, respective to his followers: The Witnesses and the Observers.
The Witnesses are commanded to watch, record, and supplicate Exaban on behalf of their numbers. They play the role of judge, seeking reason to merit or demerit the acts of the soldiers they oversee.
On the receiving end of this judgement, the Observers are considered so because they do not necessarily ascribe to the church nor established a formal commitment to Exaban. Nevertheless, they may still recieve acknowledgement from Exaban for their actions.

Divine Classification

major deity