Alarath

Alarath is the god of war and justice and the patriarch of the Exiled Pantheon. He is the twin of Amarath, and he is known as the Protector of the Empire, the Patriarch of the Gods and the First Defier. His domains are war, justice, order and revenge, and his symbol is the helmet.¹

The essence of Alarath runs through every bone of The Empire. The Emperor himself stands at the head of the realm as the god's earthly representative, holding secular and divine power at once.²

The Twin Gods

Alarath and Amarath are often called the Twin Gods. According to legend, The Dark One first made them as a single being, then divided their souls out of fear of their power. The two remain alike, yet they hold very different values.³

In the First Age, the twin gods took an interest in the young human race and sent their avatars to walk among them.⁴

The records of the Church of Alarath hold that the Dark One emerged from the void at the end of that age and attacked Teneris. The church teaches that the gods' living among mortals had left the whole world open to him, and that the best way to protect mortals was to watch over them from above.⁴

Teachings

Alarath values courage, valour and principle above all else. His faithful hold that a virtuous person should show what they stand for without weighing the consequences. Cowardice is a great sin, and in this world dangerous victories are paid for again and again. The only way to stop the darkness, they say, is through discipline, violence and ruthlessness; mercy born of the heart rather than the mind breeds sickness and does more harm than good.³

Alarath does not believe in second chances or forgiveness, and before anything else he seeks to vanquish the wicked. It is well known that he is not a forgiving god, and that swearing allegiance to him carries a heavy responsibility.⁵

No evil shall reign unchallenged, there is honor in valiant defeat.³

Worship

Most of Alarath's followers are soldiers, knights and warriors, who pray to him for victory and protection. The weak and those unable to fight pray to him too, but their prayers ask that the warriors who walk his path protect them. Soldiers revere him above all other gods; disciplined members of the military pray to him for strength, while the belief in Korhak is more common among mercenaries.⁶

Within the Empire most churches belong to Alarath and Amarath.⁷

His priests never part with their weapons. They keep them within reach while sleeping, bathing and even dying, because darkness never sleeps and vigilance is always needed. Clerics of Alarath are thoroughly trained in battle tactics, and his followers are known as skilled fighters and generals.³⁸

Imperial tradition expects every man to know how to handle a spear and a bow, and the priests of Alarath encourage the young in this, especially during their ceremonies.⁹

The stereotypical zealot follows the teachings of Alarath.¹⁰

Holy books

The Codex Deus, the most holy book of the High Church, is said to contain the divine word of Alarath. The Magnus Malus, according to the studies of Wolger Voss, records every judgement and punishment Alarath handed down while he walked among humans.¹¹

Knights and paladins

The Empire has many knightly orders, secular and religious, and of all the cults it is Alarath's that embraces knighthood and chivalry most fully.¹²

Paladins of Alarath seldom leave their clergy to go adventuring, especially those trained within it. Once knighted, they usually remain in their religious order and venture into the wild only on divine quests that the clergy assigns them.¹³

Because forgiveness is impossible, paladins who break their oaths are turned directly into undead.¹²

The avenging knights

Service to Alarath does not end with death. When his paladins die, they wait in his domain, and if a sacred struggle on the earth needs them, Alarath can send them down from the sky as a ball of fire. In ancient times a powerful paladin falling like a comet was many times the saviour in the most desperate hour. It can still happen, but since Victory Day it has been seen only once.¹²

A knight who falls from the sky in this way does not remember a past life, only a name, a faith and a mission. Such a knight bears armour masterfully forged in the heavens and a weapon fit for angels, and once the mission is done lives again as a mortal until a second death.¹²

The bone knights hold a belief somewhat akin to this, for they too see their service as reaching beyond the grave.¹⁴

Servants and lesser powers

Angels are the servants of the gods, and the winged warriors are the hand of Alarath.¹⁵

Shamyaza, the Saint of Blades, is an archangel who gained divinity through ascension by Alarath's will. Many in Alarath's clergy follow Shamyaza's guidance and believe the archangel to be Alarath's most powerful lieutenant. Clerics of Shamyaza devote themselves to the angel of war more than to the god it serves, and unlike most clerics of Alarath they wear blood-red robes and carry long swords.¹⁶¹⁷

Agmon, the god of trade, is one of the lesser gods loyal to Alarath.¹⁸

According to the Empire's dogma, Arcaneus was no more than a god whom Alarath charged with protecting the flow of time and the Grand Hourglass.¹⁹

Judgements among the gods

When Rakash taught mortals the art of necromancy, Alarath punished him. At Alarath's command, Zeolet, the goddess of magic, removed Rakash's heart and wore it on her ankle as a piece of jewellery.²⁰

The cults of Apathe and Korhak keep a place among the patriarchs of Sanctuary, though their temples there stand chained and empty. It is believed that if these gods one day kneel and repent before Alarath, they will take their place in the heavens again, and their patriarchs will take their seats on the council.¹²

Heresies

Most people regard the Revived as heresy, the clergy of Alarath above all.²¹

The bone knights' ways are also called heretical by Alarath's priests. One bone knight, Ahman Sareem, is quoted as telling a priest of Alarath that the two serve the same purpose and differ only in the powers they dare to use.²²

Notable followers

• Augustus Brightblade was a prime candidate for the priesthood, but came to feel that a god of war needed a champion who would shout his name as a war cry rather than sing it in hymns. With the high priest's blessing he left the order, vowing to return one day as a true champion of Alarath, and now hunts undead and cults as a freelancer in Vansreik.¹³
• Brother Uldhaeven believes his work with The Scarlet Spears is a holy calling and calls on Alarath's blessing to protect them; he will not heal unbelievers.²³
• Cassedie Uleseus is a cleric of Alarath trained for combat in his temple.²⁴
• Matias Cain is a stern cleric for whom melee combat is a way of praying.²⁵
• Marcus Gaius was a warrior priest of Alarath who fought many battles against the enemies of the church before becoming an apprentice of Lord Dagoth Levain Von’Saldor.²⁶
• Zardrak Throneguard embraced Alarath's faith under the influence of Cassius and fights with the god's blessing alongside the traditional style of his clan.²⁷