Slaughter

## Description

Slaughter, and he is the dark brother of the god Zenith, is the horned god of wrath and pain. He is associated with murder, violence, bloodlust, war, and cannibalism. He created the monstrous races, and is thus worshipped by them, and is known to take the form of a minotaur, as well. His "red eye" is used as a profanity relating to violent death, while soldiers are warned of the threat of giving in to his whims.

## Myths

The tales of Slaughter's deeds exemplify his need to unmake, his brutality, and his desire to destroy his hated brother.

### The Endless Feud

One legend claims that Slaughter and Zenith were once a single being, the act of war personified. But the inherent tension between honor and brutality in combat led to a dichotomy of purpose too great for a single god to reconcile. Ripping himself apart, the god split in two, and so did Slaughter and Zenith come into existence, embodiments of the two aspects of war that are forever in conflict. Though no tales of either Slaughter or Zenith's faith speak of such, whispers among the servants of other gods claim that there might be a way to piece the fractured god back together. Doing so would require an incredible feat, though, likely involving the cooperation of both Slaughter and Zenith themselves.

### Slaughter's Warhound

Slaughter generally fights alone, because he often loses control of his temper and strikes allies as well as foes in the heat of battle. Still, Slaughter sought a creature that would go before him, instilling fear in his foes before his mighty axe fell upon them. Slaughter took a ferocious cerberus and bound it together with the fires of his eternal rage. This terrible new creation became his personal harbinger and battle companion. The god of murder didn't name his pet, refusing to do so until the beast had claimed a hundred thousand lives and so proved itself truly worthy of his esteem.

### Origin of the Minotaur

In ages past, a warrior of tremendous strength stalked the battlefield. As a lone combatant, he was unbeatable, but he suffered when groups rose to oppose him. After one such defeat, the warrior was so filled with wrath that he murdered his entire village in Slaughter's true name. The god, delighted by this display, gifted the warrior with his own ferocity, remaking him as a reflection of Slaughter's wrath and an engine of destruction in combat. This warrior became the first minotaur, and many minotaurs still worship Slaughter, as he is their creator and they were made in his image.

### Revel in Ruin

The summer festival of the Megasphagion is a domesticated version of Slaughter's typical rites. It involves the sacrifice of many cattle to avert Slaughter's wrath. The meat is then cooked and distributed among all who attend the festival. The grand feast that follows tends to devolve into a drunken revel. In some tales, individuals or communities with long-held grudges find themselves incensed during the festival, leading them to seek violent ends to their rivalries.

### Wrathbringer

Shortly after his birth, Slaughter decided to create a weapon with which to kill his brother. Slaughter assembled his champions and sent them out to battlefields, where they collected the essences of rage, hatred, and bloodlust. Under a blood-red moon, Slaughter used those ingredients to forge a black iron greataxe of manifest violence, Wrathbringer.