Church of Garagos

The Church of Garagos was a collection of clerics, crusaders, shamans, and specialty priests called bloodreavers devoted to Garagos, the Reaver. Collectively, Garagos' worshipers were dubbed the Garagathans. 
==Organization==
The faithful of Garagos were organized into individual churches that had their own hierarchies. Rivalries were common among those within close proximity to each other. 
The oldest church was found in Westgate and suffered splits into warring cults. Garagos claiming and rebuilding a new temple in Gosra in Chondath during the Spellplague spurred all of the other churches to send representatives to the new location. 
Garagos' shamans were found outside of the organized churches where berserker raiding was practiced.
=== Titles ===
Titles among the faithful included Bloodbrother, Bloodsister, Supplicat, Priest/Priestess of the Blood, Reaver Lord/Lady, and Favored. 
==Activities==
Followers of Garagos sought battle to help spread strife and satiate their bloodlust. Garagathans were forbidden to act against the churches of Shar, but also could not be an ally. 
==Celebrations==
Seven or more Garagathans could host a Blood Festival, celebrating Garagos and consuming part of their meal bloody and undercooked. Also occurring during a Blood Festival was the Full Blood–an initiation of a novice priest into the priesthood where they painted their faces with the blood of a dangerous creature that they slew alone. 
==Base of Operations==
The strongest collection of Garagos' faithful as of 1368 DR was within the Vale of the Reaver north of Ankhapur. Ounadar the Blood-Drenched gathered a large host of brigands and berserkers to his camp. Chaless the Cruel lead the historical House of Steel temple in Westgate, but abandonment occurred by the late 15th century DR. Another Garagathan site was Godswalk Keep, where an avatar of Garagos sometimes appeared. 
==Dogma==
Garagathans believed peace was for the weak. War and battle made them strong, particularly in head to head clashes. A warrior's word was their bond and your shield companion was your most trusted ally. They were expected to challenge, and defeat, a foe greater than themselves on a yearly basis. 
==Orders==
The crusaders of Garagos were grouped into the Brothers of Blood whose sole mission was to destroy the Enemies of Garagos, most often followers of Tempus, wherever they could find them. During the era of Targus, the Brothers of Steel and Honor existed for military organizations.
== History ==
=== Netheril Empire's Targus ===
The Church of Garagos, then known as the Church of Targus, was acknowledged as the top military religious site of the Netherese. The Reaver's faith was also widespread in Jhaamdath and throughout the Inner Sea. The largest Netherese temple was the Temple of Targus in the martial style Netherese enclave Akintaer.
=== War Gods of Faerûn ===
Unknown when, after the fall of Netheril with Karsus's Folly, the Church was renamed the Church of Garagos and became eternal foes with the Church of Tempus because an unknown conflict sparked by their gods, Tempus and Garagos.
=== Westgate's King ===
The House of Steel, the oldest temple of Garagos and the site of the Reaver's religion in Westgate, rose to prominence with the crowning of Gostaraj. After his death in 927 DR, the Templeban Edict issued by Altarl Campion forced all religious temples outside the streets of the city. The House of Steel forcefully became a subterranean temple and cult to Garagos ever since.
=== Time of Troubles ===
The Reaver rampaged throughout Westgate before leaving for the sea with a blood red water following him afterwards in 1358 DR during the Time of Troubles, indirectly further alienating the Church from the populous, thriving city. He foe Tempus appeared in Battledale of the Dalelands.
=== Post-Godswar ===
In the , various Garagathan temples had to innovate to reverse the decline of faith for their Church. The Reaver suddenly manifested in full body during this year to violently rectify and slay a marilith named Glackzana who was building a temple to herself in his guise in the village Gosra, located in the Fields of Nun of central Chondath. He ordered this temple to be reconstructed in a more grand manner and rededicated to his worship.
=== Abandoned Temple ===
By the late 15th century DR, the underground temple House of Steel of the Church in Westgate had became abandoned for over a century. As of 1480 DR, it was commandeered as a lair by the vampire lord Kirenkirsalai of the Night Masks.
== Members ==
Due to the God of War favored as Tempus in DR, the Church of Garagos had limited temples of worship and Garagathans by the 14th century DR. The membership further decreased with fewer temples by the late 15th century DR.
=== Notable Members ===
* Favored High Reaver Chaless the Cruel, a Garagathan priestess who was head of the House of Steel subterranean temple of less than ten clergy in Westgate in 1368 DR.
* Dynarth Bloodcowl, a Garagathan priest and brutal Westgate assassin of the Night Masks in 1370 DR.
* Gostaraj the Reaver King, a mercenary lord and priest of the public House of Steel who ruled Westgate as King from 900 to 927 DR and launched a bloody rebellion to become King.
* Ounadar the Blood-Drenched, a notable Garagathan priest who in 1368 DR operated in the Yondath's Vale of the Reaver, the largest center of Garagathan faith in the 14th century DR.
* High Priest Santhro, a Garagathan warrior and innkeeper of Santhro's Rooming House in Bezantur in 1368 DR who converted the Temple of Garagos of few followers into an inn to earn money for the Church.
=== Notable Believers ===
* Sunbright Steelshanks, a Rengarth barbarian warrior of circa −700 DR and owner of the greatsword, Harvester of Blood, during the age of Netheril.
==Appendix==
===References===
===Connections===
Category:Religious organizations
Category:Garagathan organizations
Category:Organizations in the House of Steel
Category:Organizations in the Vale of the Reaver
Category:Organizations in the Temple of Garagos (Bezantur)
Category:Organizations in Bezantur
Category:Organizations in Westgate
Category:Organizations in Interior Faerûn
Category:Organizations in South Faerûn
Category:Organizations in Faerûn
Category:Organizations on Toril
Garagos