Tempus

Tempus
Title(s)	Foehammer Lord of Battles
Symbol	{{{symbol}}}
Power Level	Greater deity
Subservient Deities
Homeplane	{{{homeplane}}}
Realm	{{{realm}}}
Alignment	Chaotic neutral
Sphere
Portfolio	Battle War Warriors
Worshipers	Barbarians, fighters, half-orcs, rangers, and warriors
Cleric Alignments	LG NG CG LN N CN LE NE CE
Servitor Creatures	{{{servitor creatures}}}
Domains	Protection, Strength, War Formerly: Chaos
Holy Day(s)	{{{holy days}}}
Manifestations	{{{manifestations}}}
Favored Weapon	Battle Prowess (battleaxe)
'Signs of Favor	{{{signs of favor}}}

Tempus (pronounced TEM-pus), also known as the Lord of Battles, is the god of war. His dogma is primarily concerned with honorable battle, forbidding cowardice and encouraging the use of force of arms to settle disputes.

Tempus is random in his favors, yet his chaotic nature favors all sides equally. Lord Tempus may be on an army’s side on one day, and against them the next; such is the nature of a war. Tempus is prayed to most of all on the nights before battles and regularly venerated by all warriors, regardless of their alignment. As a result, he is a strong, exuberant, robust god—a warrior’s god. Tempus sometimes appears at huge battles and important combats—and on rare occasions to individuals who are in a position to cause great strife by their decisions.

Although mighty and profoundly honorable in battle, Tempus answers to his own warrior’s code. He is quiet and solitary in relationship to other Faerunian deities, pursuing no long-lasting alliances or brief flirtations. He is known to love food, drink, and the hunt, though he loves battle best. In recent years, he has sponsored the Red Knight into godhood. His relationship with her is one of a fond and protective father to a brilliant daughter who works hard and successfully at the family business—war.

His diametric opposite in portfolio, Eldath, he considers naive and weak. However, out of respect for her convictions, he punishes those of his faithful who abuse her priests, shrines, or temples. Perhaps he feels that war has little meaning without peace to define and highlight it. Sune, who considers him a foe, he regards as irrelevant and flighty, and therefore unworthy of being his foe.

Tempus's Avatar (Fighter 40, Cleric 20)Tempus appears as a human giant 12 feet tall, his plate armor battered andbloodied by combat, his face hidden by a massive war helm but his hoodedgaze a palpable force. He bears a great battle axe or a black sword notchedand stained from much use in his gauntleted hands. His legs and arms arebare and crisscrossed by bleeding wounds, but this does not affect him as herides into battle. He sometimes appears afoot but is often riding a white mare(Veiros) or a black stallion (Deiros). Tempus has access to all spell spheres.

Other Manifestations

Tempus sometimes manifests before a battle, appearing to one side or theother. If he rides Veiros upon one side, then that army will succeed in itsbattle. If he rides Deiros, then defeat is in the offing. Most often he appearsriding with one foot on each horse as they gallop across the battlefield, indi-cating the chaotic nature of battle.

Priests praying to Tempus for spells or guidance may see visions of the godhimself, of his mounts, or of a famous dead warrior and must interpret whatthey see as an indication of the god’s intent and favor. Only the images ofdead warriors in visions sent to mortals ever speak the will of the war god di-rectly. Tempus himself only snarls in battle-fury or keeps silent. (In fact, hehas never been known to speak while in Faerûn.) Lay worshipers praying tothe war god usually see Veiros or Deiros. To those requesting aid in battle or self-defense, the favor of Tempus may manifest as a weapon appearing besidethem when they are weaponless.Tempus also uses einheriar (former warriors of all sorts), eagles, badgers,war horses, war dogs, panthers, tigers, special weapons that appear where nonewere before, ghostly figures in the form of lost battle companions, and itemsmade of steel to demonstrate his approval or disapproval or to send aid to hisfaithful. He shows an odd lack of affinity for any gemstones, but sometimesseems to favor those a particular warrior’s culture associates with bravery.

Dogma

Tempus does not win battles—Tempus helps the deserving warrior win battles. War is fair in that it oppresses all sides equally and that in any given battle, a mortal may be slain or become a great leader among his or her companions. War should not be feared, but seen as a natural force, a human force, the storm that civilization brings by its very existence.

The faithful of Tempus are charged to arm all for whom battle is needful, even foes. They should retreat from hopeless fights, but never avoid battle, and slay one foe decisively and bring battle to a halt rather than hacking down many over time and dragging on hostilities. They are to defend what they believe in, lest it be swept away, and remember the dead who fell fighting before them. Above all, they should disparage no foe and respect all, for valor blazes in all, regardless of age, gender, or race.

Tempus looks favorably upon those who acquit themselves honorably and tirelessly in battle, smiting mightily when facing a foe, but avoiding such craven tricks as destroying homes, family, or livestock when a foe is away or attacking from the rear (except when such an attack is launched by a small band against foes of vastly superior numbers). Tempus believes that warriors should responsibly consider the consequences of the violence they do beforehand and try to not hot-headedly rush off to wage war recklessly.

On the other hand, Tempus teaches that people with smooth tongues or fleet feet who avoid all strife and never defend their beliefs wreak more harm than the most energetic tyrant raider or horde leader.

History

Tempus was originally one of many potential war gods who emerged from the primordial clashes between Selune and Shar. These gods fought constantly with each other, the victors absorbing the essence and power of the defeated. This continued until Tempus stood as the sole god of war in the Faerunian pantheon, having defeated and absorbed all of his competitors (with the notable exception of Garagos, whom he defeated but spared).

The Time of Troubles

In the Year of Shadows, Tempus' avatar appeared in a ruined castle in Battledale, just over five miles southwest of Essembra. Immediately following the Godswar, Eldan Ambrose, an Amnian cleric of Tempus, saw Tempus during a battle in Swords Creek. After the fighting ended, Ambrose followed his god's trail back to Battledale, and found the castle (which originally belonged to Belarus, a long-dead Tempuran). In the ruins of the great hall, Ambrose had a vision confirming the site as sacred to the Foehammer. Ambrose and his allies rebuilt the castle, establishing the Abbey of the Sword.

Relationships

Tempus is served by the Red Knight, deity of strategy and war planning, Valkur, god of seaboard warfare, and Uthgar, patron of the Uthgardt barbarians of the Sword Coast North. He opposes and is opposed by Garagos, who was formerly known as Targus and worshipped as the god of war in the now-fallen empire of Netheril until Tempus defeated him and claimed his station, reducing the greater god of war to the demigod today known as Garagos. Tempus slew many other deities aspiring to be the god of war in the past, and it is not certain why he tolerates Garagos' continued existence, having already defeated him once. Some scholars in the Realms believe that Tempus' dislike of mindless slaughter and bloodlust prompted him to spare Garagos so that he could represent those more vicious aspects of war. This is supported by the fact that the Tempuran liturgy stresses honorable combat, not wanton destruction.

Sune sees Tempus as her enemy because of the destruction that wars wreak upon beautiful things and people, but Tempus does not consider her worth the conflict. Despite the fact that Tempus' dogma is diametrically opposed to that of Eldath and that he considers her naive for her pacifist outlook, he has commanded his followers to not harm those of the goddess of peace, seeing that war is meaningless without peace following, and he punishes followers who disobey that command.

Tempus is known as the Butcher to the followers of Eilistraee.

Worshipers

Faerûn is a violent land, and thus from sheer number of worshipers Tempus is one of the mightiest deities in the Realms. Nearly everyone who has drawn a sword or nocked an arrow has fought alongside a cleric of the Foehammer, and just as many have fought against one.

Temples to the Lord of Battle look more like military fortresses than the archetypal temple. They feature barracks, mess halls, armories, and training grounds.

Due to its tendency to have followers and priests on both sides of any engagement, the Church of Tempus has no central authority that might support one side or the other exclusively. Within a given temple or order, however, there is a strict hierarchy and chain of command.

The Church

Tempus is worshiped by those of every alignment and lineage who wage war for all causes. The Tempuran clergy may be found on both sides of a conflict, as none can ever truly know whom the war god will favor. Priests of Tempus tend to be human, male, and of a temperament that enjoys battle, though the clergy is open to all beings who have prayed privately to Tempus and received the blessing of a spell, a manifestation, or direct aid of some sort. In some societies, such as that of the Northmen of the Moonshae Islands and the barbarians of Icewind Dale, Tempus is served by shamans. Temples of Tempus are usually what are more commonly known as walled military compounds than what most picture as temples.

Military ranks within the faith are common. Ranks typical of many temples of Tempus are Warpriest, Swung Sword, Terrible Sword, Lance of the Lord, Shield of the God, Battlelady/Battlelord, Swordmaster/Swordmistress, and Lady/Lord of the Field—but these are often superseded by titles that go with a position, such as Battle Chaplain of a shrine or Trusted Sword (seneschal) of a temple. Ranks are assigned by those in authority in the church in light of service, needs, and situation, and brevet (temporary) commands are common in desperate situations. Special leaders of a temple or crusade are entitled to wear the heavy battle gauntlet of rank.

Orders

Order of the Broken Blade

The Order of the Broken Blade honors those warriors and clergy who are injured in Tempus's service and can no longer fight in the front lines.

Order of the Steel Fang

The Order of the Steel Fang is an elite fighting order within the church of Tempus, whose members are often assigned to the most dangerous duties and led by battle-hardened clergymen. Many mercenary companies and knightly fighting orders of crusaders also avail themselves of a connection to the church. One badge of the god seen among his affiliated mercenaries is a rusty brown dagger, shown diagonally with its point to the upper right, dripping four drops of blood.

Day-to-Day Activities

Priests of the war god are charged to keep warfare a thing of rules, respected reputation, and professional behavior, minimizing uncontrolled bloodshed and working to eradicate feuding that extends beyond a single dispute or set of foes. At the same time, training and readiness for battle must be promoted if civilized human holdings are to survive in Faerun in the face of monster raids and ore hordes—and the power of

Tempus to aid those he favors in battle must also be promoted. Warriors— especially mercenaries—who employ poison or taint wells, sow fields with salt, kill noncombatants, indulge in torture or the wanton slaughter of innocent folk when they are not at war, or commit similar sins against fair battle are to be denied the favor of the god, their crimes are to be publicized far and wide, and they are to be made to atone for their deeds or perish.

War priests must preserve the names of the honored battle-fallen, both on gravestones and other such memorials, in their prayers to Tempus, and in an annual chant at the March of the Dead, wherein priests of the war god go through the streets to call all folk, worshipers and nonbelievers alike, to the local Feast of the Moon hosted by their temple. Priests are also charged to collect and venerate the weapons and armor of famous and respected warriors, even if these are broken or have deteriorated, for they retain something of the battlelust and energy associated with the deeds they participated in.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies

The ritual performed by most of the faithful is a prayer for valiant performance and survival in the fray ahead, made to the war god over the weapon the praying being most often fights with. If a new weapon comes into the believer’s possession before a battle— particularly in the form of hard-won booty—it is taken as a sign of Tempus’s favor, and this weapon is the one used in worship.

The eves and anniversaries of great battles are the holy days of the church of Tempus, and as such vary from place to place. The Feast of the Moon, honoring the dead, is the most important fixed date in the religious calendar. It is also expected that at least once a tenday worshipers of Tempus spill a few drops of blood (preferably their own or a worthy foe’s) and sing the Song of the Sword in Tempus’s honor. Regardless of battle anniversaries, clergy perform at least two ceremonies each day: the Feast of Heroes at highsun and the Song for the Fallen at sunset. In most temples, a senior priest also conducts a Song of the Sword ceremony after dark for all lay worshipers desiring to attend.

Major Centers of Worship

The most prominent Tempuran temple is the High House of Swords and Banners (“the Bloodhall”) in Ormpetarr, which began centuries ago as a meeting house for the many mercenary companies active in the Vilhon and the lands east and became the first shrine of the Lord of Battles. Its original altar, a gigantic bowl over which an enchanted flaming two-handed sword levitates and slowly rotates, still stands in the heart of the vast central hall. The High House now trains warriors for fees (simultaneously instructing them in the worship of Tempus), and also sells warriors mounts, armor, and equipment of superior quality. Several raids on its fortified armories in the past have failed, but such attacks have ceased since the warrior-priests of the High House wiped out an ore horde 20 times their number in the Year of the Sword (1365 DR).

Since the Time of Troubles, a site of great holiness in the church of Tempus has been the Abbey of the Sword in Battledale, which marks the spot where Tempus descended to Faerun during the Time of Troubles. The site was located after a priest of the war god followed Tempus’s backtrail away from his appearance at the battlefield of Swords Creek in Mistledale. The abbey is built on the former site of the hold of the warrior Belarus, a devout worshiper of the war god in times past.

Priestly Vestments

When not in battered armor, clergy of the war god wear helms or steel skullcaps, though they are careful never to cover their faces, for such close emulation of Tempus is thought to be an affront to the Lord of Battles. Some of the fanatical wandering priests never remove all of their armor at any time, but in the temples of the big cities clergy are rarely seen in armor except at ceremonies held before whelmed armies leave or a siege begins.

The robes of a priest of Tempus always sport trim the crimson hue of fresh blood, but vary in overall color from place to place and rank to rank. Darker-colored robes are worn by those of lower ranks. Most war priests wear ceremonial garments of brown or purple. Red or amber is worn by senior clergy, and yellow or white by those of the most exalted rank.

Specialty priests of Tempus, particularly those of high rank, wear a spiked gauntlet as a symbol of office. The gauntlet costs 10 gp, though more elaborate and expensive ones may be found in more important churches. The gauntlet usually is worn only by specialty priests with some sort of authority—those in charge of temples or leading crusades.

Adventuring Garb: Adventuring garb is the same for both clerics and specialty priests of Tempus. Most wear the best armor they can obtain, though it is battle-worn and battered as it is for use, not show. They prefer full plate armor or plate mail. A full helm is usual, but it is worn with either an open face plate or no face plate.

Hierarchy

The hierarchy within the Church of Tempus.

High Priest/Priestess.
Guardian Priest/Priestess.
Swordmaster of Tempus.
Battle-Chaplain.
Warrior-Priest/Priestess.
Priest/Priestess.
Acolyte.

Quote Tempus does not win battles, he helps the deserving warrior win battles. War is fair in that it oppresses and aids all equally and that in any given battle, a mortal may be slain or become a great leader among his or her companions. It should not be feared, but seen as a natural force, a human force, the storm that civilization brings by its very existence. Arm all for whom battle is needful, even foes. Retreat from hopeless fights but never avoid battle. Slay one foe decisively and halt a battle quickly rather than rely upon slow attrition or the senseless dragging on of hostilities. Remember the dead that fell before you. Defend what you believe in, lest it be swept away. Disparage no foe and respect all, for valor blazes in all regardless of age, sex, or race. Tempus looks with favor upon those that acquit themselves honorably in battle without resorting to such craven tricks as destroying homes, family, or livestock when a foe is away or attacking from the rear (except when such an attack is launched by a small band against foes of vastly superior numbers). Consider the consequences of the violence of war, and do not wage war recklessly. The smooth-tongued and fleet of feet that avoid all strife and never defend their beliefs wreak more harm than the most energetic tyrant, raider, or horde leader."

Ritual

The words "Tempus thanks you" are used by the deity's faithful in conjuction with the response "and I thank Tempus" to indicate the completion of a deed that will please Tempus.

We ended up swinging swords alongside a wandering priest of Tempus, a grim and aging man who wore an eyepatch and chainmail adorned all over with welded-on swordtips taken from the weapons of foes he'd slain in battle (embracing him was a rather cutting affair, as I recall :}). When he struck at opponents, he often shouted, "By the bright blood of Thammaera!" or, "By the sweet limbs of Brelindra!" or, "By the proud beauty of Sannandra!"

When we asked him, after the fray, what these phrases meant, he told us he was dedicating this attack or that to lovers he'd had among the clergy of Tempus, who were either dead or now too disabled to fight in the field for the god themselves (Broken Blade), and so could no longer deliver such attacks themselves.

Spells

Tempuran Spells3rd LevelHoly Flail (Alteration, Invocation)Sphere:Combat, CreationRange:TouchComponentsV, S, MDuration:1 round/levelSaving Throw:NoneThis spell allows the caster to transform his or her holy symbol or any non-bladed weapon wielded by another being that the cleric touches into a mag-ical holy flail. The holy symbol or transformed weapon becomes a snakelike,flexible field of force attached to a rigid hand-hold. This invisible, cracklingspectral flail has a +2 attack bonus when wielded in battle and is considereda magical weapon for attack purposes. The spell also conveys proficiency inthe use of the holy flail upon the flail’s wielder, provided this does not violateclass restrictions.A strike from a holy flail inflicts 1d6+1 points of damage. If a holy flail iswielded by a priest of the same religion as the caster, a hit inflicts an addi-tional 1 point of damage per experience level of the caster to all undeadcreatures and to any creature of opposite moral stance (good vs. evil—lawfulvs. chaotic does not matter) to the caster. If the caster is neutral, the align-ment-oriented damage does not apply.A holy flail created from a holy symbol can only he wielded by a priest ofthe same deity as the symbol, or it vanishes. If holy flail is cast upon a weaponheld by a creature of opposite moral stance to the casting cleric (see above),the flail does not form. A holy flail vanishes if it is transferred from onewielder to another unless the recipient is the caster or another priest of thesame deity. A holy flail does not need continued concentration to be main-tained and can be dropped to enable spellcasting or thrown as a weaponwithout vanishing.The material components of this spell are the holy symbol or nonbladedweapon (which are not consumed by the spell) and a pinch of powderedgemstone.4th LevelReveal (Divination) ReversibleSphere:DivinationRange:TouchComponents:V, S, MDuration:4 roundsCasting Time:7Area of Effect:Up to 120-foot range of visionSaving Throw:NoneReveal allows the caster or another creature to which the ointment spellcomponent is applied to see clearly the location and outline of symbols,glyphs of warding, magically concealed inscriptions, and dweomers existingupon surfaces that are viewed even if these are not yet activated (such asmagic mouth, Mordenkainen’s faithful hound, Leomund’s trap, Nystul’s magicaura, hallucinatory terrain, wall of force). No clue as to the precise nature ofthe magic is given by the spell, but protective circles, symbols, and glyphs canall be scrutinized in detail and might well be identified by someone familiarwith them or recorded for later study. (Spellcraft proficiency checks mightbe applicable to determine that a marking is aglyph of warding and what itsidentity is, for instance.)Reveal shows the presence of active or inactive gates or other links be-tween planes, including the presence of an astral silvery cord, but does notreveal astral, ethereal, or invisible creatures or things. Unlike true seeing, theauras of creatures are not shown; nor are polymorphed or magically changedthings shown for what they truly are (although the dweomer of an illusion,for example, would be seen).The spell requires an ointment composed of four drops of wine, two dropsof water, two drops of giant squid sepia, a pinch of powdered eyebright (anherb), a large powdered blue sapphire worth at least 1,000 gp, and a pow-dered carbuncle (a deep-red garnet) worth at least 300 gp. The caster mixesthese in a ceramic or stone bowl, speaks the words of the spell while holdinghis or her holy symbol over the paste, and then applies it to the eyes of therecipient.The reverse of the spell, conceal, masks all the above things from anycreature to whom a different ointment is applied for one turn per level ofthe caster. (This ointment is composed of a pinch of powdered monks-hood,six drops of onion juice, a pinch of dust, and seven drops of water,mixed and enspelled as above.) If during this time the affected being em-ploys true seeing, detect magic, or equivalent magic, these spells appear towork, but the phenomena listed above are simply not seen by the affectedcreature. Awake, mobile creatures unwilling to have the ointment for ei-ther version of the spell applied to their eyes must be touched by the castertwice (two successful attack rolls required), but washing out the eyes orany means short of dispel magic or a limited wish does not prevent the oint-ment from working.

6th LevelDance of the Fallen (Evocation, Necromantic)Sphere:Guardian, NecromanticRange:30 yardsComponents:V, S, MDuration:3 rounds/levelCasting Time: 9Area of Effect:5-foot- to 60-foot-diameter cylinder that is 5 to 20 feethighSaving Throw:SpecialDance of the fallen is often used to capture, disarm, or force to flee or sur-render foes to whom the caster has no wish to do lasting harm. Dance ofthe fallen is very similar to blade Barry, except that it creates a wall ofbody parts, not of edged weapons. A dance of the fallen calls up a whirlingcloud of severed limbs, some bony and some still bearing flesh, but all cu-riously bloodless. These remains are said to be summoned from recentbattlefields, and they rotate at high speed around a central point, formingan immobile barrier. The plane of rotation of the body parts can be hori-zontal, vertical, or any angle in between the two. The area of effect of thedance of the fallen is set mentally by the caster upon casting the spell (fromas little as a 5-foot-diameter cylinder that is 5 feet tall or thick to as largeas a 60-foot-diameter cylinder that is 20 feet tall or thick) and cannot bealtered thereafter.Any creature trying to pass through the barrier suffers 4d6 points ofdamage and must make a Constitution ability check to avoid being strucksenseless. All fragile worn or carried items must make a successful itemsaving throw vs. crushing blow or be destroyed. Beings who insist on try-ing to cross through the dance of the fallen and are not rendered immedi-ately unconscious take ld3+2 rounds to cross through the area of effectand must take damage and make Constitution checks each round.Beings within the barrier’s area of effect when it forms must make asaving throw vs. spell. If the saving throw succeeds, they escape the bar-rier by the most direct route and suffer no damage. If they saving throwfails, they suffer the full damage of the dance of the fallen. Any other in-tended action than leaving the area when the barrier is formed-such asa charge toward the caster—invites the full effects of the dance of thefallen.Only 25% of the damage done by dance of the fallen is permanent; therest is temporary and returns after 1d4 hours are spent resting. Beings re-duced to 0 hit points or lower by this spell are rendered unconscious andelected from the area of effect. They regain consciousness in ld6 turns ormore quickly (1d6 rounds) if a successful healing proficiency check ismade upon them. The cloud of limbs remains until the spell expires andthen fades silently away. It can also be dismissed instantly by the caster atany time.The material component of this spell is a handful of bone shards orhair of any type.7th LevelBladebless (Necromantic)Sphere:CombatRange:TouchComponents:V, S, MDuration:PermanentCasting Time:1 roundArea of Effect:One bladed weaponSaving Throw:NoneBy use of this spell, a priest heals a specific wound by bestowing a blessingon the weapon that caused it. This magic works only upon a nonmagicalbladed weapon, which the caster must touch and hold as he or she in-tones the blessing. After this is done, the last wound caused by that bladeto any living thing within one turn per experience level of the caster in-stantly is fully and completely healed, even if the blade was poisoned, adisease conferred, or a limb or head severed. Such healing occurs even ifthe affected creature is several planes distant at the casting of the bladeb-less. If the wounded creature died because it failed a system shock roll orpoison saving throw caused by this blow, then life is restored; however, ifthe wounded creature died due to cumulative hit point loss, life is not re-stored. The healed creature need not be seen, touched, or even known tothe caster. If such a wound has already healed or been magically healed, itis unaffected, and the bladebless is lost.The material components for this spell are the weapon in question, thecaster’s holy symbol, and a drop of holy or unholy water, depending onthe caster’s alignment.Sacred Link (Alteration, Evocation)Sphere:CreationRange:TouchComponents:V, S, MDuration:SpecialCasting Time:2 roundsArea of Effect:Two identical or nearly identical objectsSaving Throw:NoneTo bring about a sacred link, a priest must hold in his or her hands the twoobjects to be linked and then cast the spell. The two items must be fash-ioned of the same material(s) and be roughly the same size. They cannotbe living creatures, and ideally they should be nearly identlcal (matchingswords, scrolls, statuettes, etc.), The sacred link spell causes an invisiblemagical bond to be created between the two items. After the spell is cast,both radiate a very faint dweomer, and what befalls to one item also mysti-cally happens to the other simultaneously, even if the two are separated bymyriad planes or any distance. For instance, if a scroll joined to a duplicateby a sacred link is sold to an enemy and the match for it is retained, severaldays after the sale the retained copy could be burned and the enemy’s copywould also be consumed, regardless of its location or situation. The linklasts until one of the items is destroyed or until a dispel magic by a caster ofat least 15th level is cast upon one of the items, negating the link.By means of this spell, a weapon could be damaged or destroyed by af-fecting its twin—or conversely, an item could be improved by plating withgold, adorning with gems, or careful carving. This spell can be used to linkidentical magical items. Recharging or activating one linked item wouldthen identically affect the other, but there is a 1% cumulative chance peruse of the link (which is involuntary and not under anyone’s control oncethe spell is cast) that one of the items shatters or explodes (discharging allof its functions or charges) and ends the link.The material components for this spell are the two items, the caster’sholy symbol, and a strand of fine wire, human hair, or spider web