Marthell

### Anathema

Contribute, affiliate, not punish or show mercy to law-breakers, impure folks, or enemies of the nation.

### Sacred Animal

Eagle

Marthell is the god of purity, judgement and punishment. He is the youngest god of Cielargent, dating from after the start of the Age of Scarcity.

## History

The age of scarcity brought great pain and fear upon the nation of Cielargent. The population being highly religious, the weakened connexion with the gods caused by the shortage of magic made people uncertain and lost.

To try and find solutions (or culprit) one of the more radical branch of the church of Jeanne started blaming the age of scarcity on the impurity of their land. Their words were that rampant sins, selfishness and sympathizing with the non-human races were at fault, and the creators were punishing them for it.

This mindset attracted more and more people, first from the lower classes, but then even into the nobility. They were seen as reckless fanatics by the others, but everything changed one fateful night. The town of Poiltiers had become one of the most prominent gathering point for the people of this faith. During one of these meetings, a group of mercenaries from the Surin desert attacked the town. The town was taken by surprise, but the attack was short-lived, as a giant red hammer descended upon the intruders and promptly squashed them to a pulp.

This event marked the beginning of the cult of Marthell, the wielder of hammer and punisher of the unfaithful. Poiltiers became a holy city dedicated to him and the number of adepts skyrocketed. Becoming one of the most important religion in Cielargent.

## Appearance

Marthell is generally described as a tall and stern old man with grey hair wielding a hot red metal hammer. He wears long red monastic robes and the back of his head is circled by a half brazier filled with burning ember. Belts and stripes circle around his waist and shoulders, holding tomes bearing his edicts and rules.

## Relations

Marthell is seen with worry by most of the other gods. They can't deny his powers, rivaling those of the most ancient deities.

While their goals align with Jeanne, his methods are much more radical and brutal, and she seems to see him more as a liability sometime. However, scholars seem to agree they are linked in some way, and many followers of his faith say that he may be her brother.

Marthell is in direct opposition to Ranya, which he sees as corrupting and a threat to the purity of the nation.

## Church of Marthell

The church of Marthell is by far the fastest growing in Cielargent. His faith has attracted a lot of people during the Age of Scarcity, and even more so when it ended as many saw it as a sign their devotion and purity had restored the magic to these lands.

Despite many believing the cult of Marthell is just a bunch of holy fanatics, they would be fool-hardy to go against them as they are prone to go out of their way to discredit, arrest or even use violence. It is also undeniable that they accomplish great deeds, seeing as the good of the nation is their top priority, many actions to repel invaders, protect cities from danger and distributing food to the poor are just some of the many things their devotes do. Accomplishing all of these with the same fanatical energy.

The church has many edicts, some of them can be logical and even helpful. However, some can be seen as problematic or too harsh like shunning people who have relations with non-humans or the widespread use of torture to gather information on heretic matters.