Dregruk

Dregruk is the Skargh god of war, violence and bloodshed.

As the Battlemaster of Heavens, Dregruk is second in power only to Skaa, the creator deity and the king of gods. He commands a host of lesser deities and spirits of worthy mortal champions in the never-ending battle against demons and alien gods. Dregruk resides in the great palace of Dregrath, the Skargh equivalent to Valhalla, where the souls of Skargh slain worthily in battle go to join his host. In Dregrath, Skargh heroes spend the day training in one of the palace's nine arenas, being reborn instantly whenever they are killed, and feast in one of the nine halls in the evening, being able to eat and drink to their hearts' content without getting sick or having a hangover the next morning. The worthiest of champions are allowed to train in the Circle of Blood, the most sacred of the nine arenas where Dregruk himself observes them in person, and feast in the Hall of Skulls, the most sacred of halls whose walls are built from skulls dedicated to Dregruk by mortals, where Dregruk himself sits on his Skull Throne. Feasting at the war god's own table, these select champions have the finest drinks and foods available, and accompany Dregruk himself in battle.

When Dregruk was born, he would set out to test his strength and find himself a worthy match. He fought many gods and champions, besting them all with ease and causing much destruction, the only god who would prove too strong for even him being Lok, the god of death. Fearing that Dregruk's unbridled adventurism would lead to the destruction of the mortal world, other gods put a curse on him, making Dregruk only able to sustain himself on the blood of mortals. This way, Dregruk would have a vested interest in reining in his destructive urges, if only just enough to keep mortals from going entirely extinct. Consequently, each battle is a feast for Dregruk, and the Skargh see it exactly as that - a religious ceremony. Dregruk cares not whose blood it is, both the enemy's and Skargh own being good enough for him.

Dregruk and his host go into battle often, fighting against alien gods and spirits, and aiding their devotees in battle. Sometimes Dregruk assumes the form of a mortal and incarnates himself in the mortal world. These avatars of Dregruk are invariably legendary warriors who make great conquests or innovations in warfare. These avatars are not necessarily always Skargh - sometimes Dregruk might as well favour an alien race by incarnating in their midst, usually to remind his mortal devotees of paying proper homage when his Skargh have grown lax in their faith in him. The Skargh believe the latest such alien incarnation of Dregruk to be the Emperor of Sidhae, consequently often referring to him as the Avatar.

Although there are temples of Dregruk, usually in the forms of battle arenas, they are mostly relics from past ages, when the Skargh did not yet have a vast interstellar empire. In the present day with it's abundance of enemies to slay, a proper devotee of Dregruk would regard the very idea of raising a temple in his honour blasphemous. Indeed, the god of war would be offended by his followers wasting time and effort to build useless edifices and perform silly ceremonies when they should be busy slaying enemies in his name.

Dregruk's favourite tribute from mortals is skulls, which he builds his throne and palace from. While blood shed on the battlefield is his regular sustenance that he gets regardless of which side wins, mortals seeking his favour must dedicate skulls to him. Consequently, the Skargh will habitually erect bloody shrines of disembodied heads, body parts and flayed skins on the battlefield in honour of Dregruk, so that any willing to ask for his favour have a place to dedicate their tributes. While skulls are preferred, skins or other body parts, or any other trophies that serve as irrefutable proof of a kill, are acceptable as offerings.

Skargh usually offer up the skulls of insignificant foes, keeping the heads of noteworthy and memorable enemies for themselves. While no doubt having to do with the desire to brag and impress one's peers and superiors with a collection of skulls from distinguished foes, this isn't an effort to cheat the war god of the best trophies - any warrior hopes to have an impressive collection to show when he enters Dregrath, so that he can offer it to Dregruk in person and perhaps impress him enough to be selected among his worthiest champions.