Waran

Perhaps only second to Alreida, Waran is an incredibly popular deity of massive relevance, though some might argue that’s a depressing state of affairs. Waran is a god of war and conflict, but his version of war is not the senseless violence of chaotic creatures, or the aspirations of murder from wandering psychopaths. Waran’s war is honourable and ambitious, meant to be symbolic for a personal drive. Waran holds that war, and indeed any form of conflict, is the apotheosis of the mortal experience, and that in combat, kin may find themselves truly equal to the gods. For warriors, bounty hunters, gladiators, smiths, laborers, and soldiers, such a series of ideals is appealing.

### The Father of Fire

The first of Waran’s manifestations is the simplest: the Father of Fire, a humanoid shape whose skin is made of whirring multicolored flames. The Father encompasses the aspects of fire, heat and adaptation. Worshiped most actively by small communities in Ayisa, inhabited by fumahaires and elves, the Father of Fire demands much from its followers. Devotion is not enough: strife and conflict are necessary. The Father teaches that, through pain, the spirit and body can grow. By seeking conflicts, mortals actually seek self-improvement. Such beliefs are quite radical, but many communities have utilized them to successful degrees.

### The Warrior's Dream

The second, and most famous of Waran’s manifestations, is the Warrior’s Dream, an enormous tower of a man, dressed in soot-black plate armor, wielding a greataxe whose blades are made of fire. The Warrior’s Dream is the embodiment of ferocity, violence, and war, and is said to exist in the heart of every warrior, every soldier. Battleragers, barbarians, and those who use passion on the battlefield worship the Warrior’s Dream, but the most famous of his worshippers are undoubtedly the Deadfyre Knights. Though equally tied to the worship of Aevilok, the Deadfyre Knights view Waran’s vision of conflict and improvement as entirely accurate, and they follow these edicts to the letter. The knights have wielded such influence that their ideals have even sunk into the political zeitgeist of their nation, The Morinfrüe Dominion, who now hold that the only way to improve is to fight. There is something quite unfortunate about the Warrior’s Dream, however: it’s dead. During the War of Suns about four decades ago, the Warrior’s Dream was summoned to the mortal realm to fight Baetric of Rhaedyris, who many believed had been possessed by the god Rhaedir himself. The two deities met on the battlefield and, in an explosion which resulted in the appearance of the Wastes, the two entities were killed. In the intervening years, the Warrior’s Dream has made a scant few appearances, and its worshippers have felt a dwindling of their powers, leading many to believe the manifestation is either dead, or dying. The mechanics of such a thing remain a mystery to all. If a manifestation dies, what happens to the core deity? Can a deity’s manifestation even truly die? Will the Warrior’s Dream be replaced by something new? Only time will tell the answer to these questions.

### The Dragon of War

The final manifestation of Waran is an entity known as the Dragon of War, represented as a massive, five-headed dragon of multicolored scales. The Dragon of War is said to be the patron saint of draconic creatures all over, and also holds dominion over the aspect of ambition and tumultuous change. Hardly ever worshiped by typical mortals, the Dragon of War is a deity alien to most. Only a select few dragons give their visible reverence to this manifestation, and they congregate in a high-altitude temple known as the Aerie of Dragons, far up the side of the Fallen Kings Mountain Range. Very few kin have ever made their way up this temple, but those who have described a magnificent, opulent palace, wide enough for the beasts to congregate and rest together in peace. At the center of the temple is, supposedly, the manifestation’s physical form, taking shape on the material plane. Strangely, the Aeris of Dragons does not call for dragons that shares Waran’s disposition for war and violence: indeed, it is a place of peace, and contemplation, leading many to think some part of the story is missing altogether.

Many of the most ancient fables associated with Waran paint an odd picture of the god. Most would expect him to be a bloodthirsty, violent being. The stories, however, describe him as soft, well-spoken, and slow to anger, with a warm, affable personality. Whether the stories refer to some ancient, abandoned manifestation, or to a hidden face of the core deity himself, none know, for most who have communicated with the god have felt only those things which they expected: violence, passion, and uncomfortable heat. Additionally, the legends themselves have little to do with war: they describe silly pranks, dinners with family, or the treatment of wounded soldiers.