Targus
TARGUS The Reaver, Master of All Weapons, Lord of War
- Symbol: A five-armed tentacus (a pinwheel of five lack, snaky arms spinning counterclockwise, each arm ending in an identical sword)
- Home Plane: Limbo/Battle Garde
- Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
- Portfolio:War, skill-at-arms, duels, berserkers, plunder
- Worshippers:Targus attracted to his priesthood skilled fighters, especially those with a reckless streak or who enjoyed a one-on-one duel. He was the god whom warriors turned to when going into battle; it was his whim that a general hoped had been properly appeased so that an engagement would go his way and not the way of his foe.
- Favored Weapon:"The Tentacus", a pinwheel of five black snaky arms, each ending in a longsword. (Two- Bladed Sword)
- Cleric Alignment:CN, CE, CG
- NWN Domain: Chaos, Destruction, Strength, War
History Relationships: Targus (TAR-guhs) was the god of war. He was associated more with the rampaging destruction and plundering of war than tactics, strategies, or armies. He was a fierce figure of random and lawless carnage, but his destruction was more mindless than of evil intent. The Reaver was linked with the mad bloodlust that overtook warriors, resulting in horrifying butchery. Targus was repulsed by the corruption and the lack of purity of purpose in Moander. He was totally in smitten with Shar, who he believed to be the most beautiful and gracious being to have ever existed. He would hear no word spoken against her, even when all logic dictated otherwise. While Selûne considered him an enemy because he sided with Shar in most matters, Targus considered Selûne too beautiful in spirit and self to hate, though Shar worked on him constantly to finally firmly turn against her.
Dogma: Targans believed that peace was for weak fools. War made all who fought strong, and only in head-to-head conflict was honor satisfied. Only cowards avoided battle. Diplomatic solutions were for fools, the soft, and the dishonorable; the only true answer was in battle. Anywho struck down a foe from ambush or from behind were to be scorned as the cowards they were. Retreat was never an option, even in the face of a greater foe, for if a warrior’s heart was pure in intent and focused on Targus, he would provide the strength to conquer any foe. A warrior’s word was his bond, and no one could be trusted more than a shield companion. All honorable warriors were to be given respect, even if they were your enemy; however, even honorable foes are still foes. Battle lust was a gift from Targus; with it, the faithful found the focus and the strength to defeat any enemy and refuge from the confusion and pain of the battlefield. The charge given to novices in the faith of Targus was “Bow down to me, and triumph in arms. Always go armed in readiness for the fray. Do battle at least once a tenday for the greater glory of Targus, but do so honorably, face-to-face. Spread fear of Targus, and the message of his power that brings victory to his believers in every land you enter. At least once a year, challenge and slay a greater foe than yourself for Targus so that you test always the limits of your skill and press it to increase.”
Day-to-Day Activities: Most Targan priests were warriors in a militia, army, or guard force, or were raiders who supported their villages, clans, or tribes by seizing booty from others in battle. Many of them led others into battle, and also were responsible for their training and the constant improvement of their unit’s tactics, The honor code of battle meant that Targan warriors were extremely loyal to their leaders, but not necessarily to the cause they were fighting for, and followed their orders even when they seemed suicidal. In exchange, Targan officers never betrayed their units, trying to provide them with small luxuries whenever possible, fought with them to the end, and made heroic efforts to protect them in the midst of the fray. Priests of Targus were charged to keep warfare a thing of honor. They stood in judgment of any warrior who was accused of breaking Targus’s roughly defined honor code of battle. Anywho were deemed guilty of breaking that code met immediate and bloody justice; when circumstances were unclear, those who insisted upon their innocence were allowed to determine the verdict in battle to the death with their accuser.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Targus demanded to be worshipped in two ways: A believer who killed any foe in battle should shout out the power’s name over the body of his victim to dedicate the death to Targus as an offering. The second way to worship him was at a stone Blood Altar in one of his shrines or temples. Prayer to Targus at a Blood Altar began with drops of blood being spilled into troughs in the stone altar. Then the devout entreated the Reaver to hear, promised to perform some act of battle valor involving personal combat and risk or skill-at-arms, however small, and then called on the Master of All Weapons for aid, strength, or guidance. There were no calendar-related Targan religious rituals. Any gathering of seven or more priests could call a Blood Festival. A Blood Festival involved a feast wherein at least some of the food was butchered at or next to the table and subsequently devoured while still bloody (that is, not fully cooked). Initiations of priests to the Full Blood, the ceremony by which novices were made into full priests, were required to take place at a Blood Festival. Initiation into the Full Blood involved dipping the supplicants’ hands into fresh blood and then painting their cheeks with the symbol of Targus with blood. The blood used had to be that of one or more monsters (dangerous creatures) slain by the supplicants to be initiated and full priests of Targus with no other assistance.
Affiliated Orders: Most military units had some affiliation, though it could be loose, with the Targan church. A few especially dedicated priests and warriors of the Targan faith belonged to the Brothers of Blood, an order dedicated to crushing the foes of Targus. Its members tended to die young and violently, however, as making constant attacks upon adversaries tended to make anyone’s life short and bloody. In addition, an order of rangers who pursued martial excellence, known the Brothers of Steel and Honor, served some Targan military units and had pledged their allegiance to Targus.
Priestly Vestments: Priests of Targus wore the best armor they could obtain, though it was usually extremely battle-worn. Many priests wore red boots and gloves, and they often had embroidery or ruby ornaments on their ceremonial robes in the shapes of teardrops of blood. High priests usually wore scarlet or crimson overrobes or tabards. Targan clergy members typically had belt buckles or cloak pins fashioned in the shape of the tentacus of Targus or even bore dagger-like belt weapons sporting a hand-surrounding hilt in the shape of a whirlwind of five blades.
Adventuring Garb: Priests of Targus wore almost the same outfits in the field as they did to ceremonial functions, sporting armor, red boots and gloves, crimson capes, and decorative ornamentation in the shape of the tentacus. They carried a tentacus as their holy symbol.
