Tempus Tempus ( pronounced " TEM - pus " ) , also known as the Lord of Battles , was the god of war . His dogma was primarily concerned with honorable battle , forbidding cowardice and encouraging the use of force of arms to settle disputes . History . Tempus was originally one of many potential war gods who emerged from the primordial clashes between Selûne 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 Faerûnian pantheon , having defeated and absorbed all of his competitors ( with the notable exception of Garagos , whom he defeated but spared ) . The barbarians of Icewind Dale claimed that Tempus ' s original name was " Tempos " . The Time of Troubles . In the Time of Troubles of the Year of Shadows , 1358 DR , Tempus ' avatar appeared in a ruined castle in Battledale , just over five miles southwest of Essembra . Immediately following the Godswar , Eldan Ambrose , an Amn ian 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 was served by the Red Knight , deity of strategy and war planning ; Valkur , god of seaboard warfare ; and Uthgar , patron of the Uthgardt barbarian s of the Sword Coast North . He opposed and was opposed by Garagos , who was formerly known as Targus and worshiped as the god of war in the fallen empire of Netheril until Tempus defeated him and claimed his station , reducing the greater god of war to the demigod Garagos . Tempus slew many other deities aspiring to be the god of war in the past , and it was not certain why he tolerated Garagos ' s continued existence , having already defeated him once . Some scholars believed that Tempus ' s dislike of mindless slaughter and bloodlust prompted him to spare Garagos so that he could represent those more vicious aspects of war , rather than Tempus taking them on himself . This was supported by the fact that the Tempuran liturgy stressed honorable combat , not wanton destruction . Sune saw Tempus as her enemy because of the destruction that wars wreaked upon beautiful things and people , but Tempus did not consider her worth the conflict . Despite the fact that Tempus ' dogma was diametrically opposed to that of Eldath and that he considered her naive for her pacifist outlook , he commanded his followers to not harm those of the goddess of peace , seeing that war was meaningless without peace following , and he punished followers who disobeyed that command . Tempus was known as " the Butcher " to the followers of Eilistraee . Worshipers . Faerûn was a violent land , and thus from sheer number of worshipers Tempus was one of the mightiest deities in the Realms . Nearly everyone who drew a sword or nocked an arrow had fought alongside a cleric of the Foehammer , and just as many had fought against one . Temples to the Lord of Battle looked more like military fortresses than the archetypal temple . They featured 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 had no central authority that might support one side or the other exclusively . Within a given temple or order , however , there was a strict hierarchy and chain of command . Hierarchy . All clergymen of Tempus were known as " Hammers " . Each Hammer received their own ceremonial armor , depending on their rank . Hammers were broken down further into ranks : Dogma . Tempus ' s orders to all combatants were simple and direct : 1 . Be fearless 2 . Never turn away from a fight . 3 . Obey the rules of war . Rituals . The words " Tempus thanks you " were used by the deity ' s faithful in conjunction with the response " and I thank Tempus " to indicate the completion of a deed that would please Tempus .