Kratos (3.5e Deity)
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| Greater Deity | |
|---|---|
| Symbol: | a red swirl on an ash-white field |
| Home Plane: | Olympus/Ysgard |
| Alignment: | Chaotic Neutral |
| Portfolio: | War, Protection, Conquest |
| Clergy Alignments: | CN, N, CE, CG |
| Domains: | Audacity, Destruction, Glory, Protection and War |
| Favored Weapon: | Greatsword |
A simple mortal in his origins, Kratos was a Spartan general who led his army to many conquests before a near-fatal clash with barbarians. He was close to meeting his end at the hands of the barbarian warlord when he called out to Ares. Ares responded by granting him tremendous power, elevating him to a hero-diety. He continued on with a great many campaigns and conquests until he reached a small farming community on the outskirts of Athens established to offer prayers up to Athena, Ares' rival and sister. The villiage was an afront to Ares and so Kratos ordered the burnong of the town and execution of all inhabitants. He personally entered the temple, even though his very being told him no to, he slew all within it, ending with a little girl and a young woman. His wife and daughter lay dead at his feet as the fog of battle cleared from his vision, and he could not comprehend what he'd done, or even why they were there. The building burned to the ground, cremating his love and child, and the villiage oracle cursed him to forever bear the ahses of his family on his skin turning it pale white, like marble. He then turned from Ares, and was approached by Athena with the task of stopping her power mad brother. Kratos went on to infiltrate and conquer the myriad traps and monsters of the Temple of Pandora, chained to the back of the titan Kronos, and retrieve Pandora's Box. As he dragged the box out to the entrance, he caught the attention of Ares, who threw a broken column, like some great stone spear, at the temple, through the perpetual sandstorm of the Desert of Lost Souls, impaling Kratos on the back wall of the Temple entrance room. Kratos fell into Hades, the realm of the dead and yet caught himself on the foot of a man he himself had killed who had caught a jagged cliff edge. Kratos climbed over the objecting man, kicking him into the soul-destroying river Styx and proceeded to climb out of Hades. He arrived in Athens as Ares was threatening Olympus with Pandora's Box. Kratos shattered the chain of the box with lightning given to him by Zues and used the magic of it to grow in size to match the titanic Ares. They dueled to the death in the bay of Athens, with Kratos eventually emerging victorious, even after being thrown into a nightmare realm where he had to defeat a flood of himself to protect his dead wife and child. When he had finished, his many sins from his life were forgiven, though the mark of his final one, his ash-white skin, could never be removed, and he was told that someone must be the god of war, and the throne was given to him.
Kratos stands at an imposing height and build, with pale white skin and a large red swirl tattooed onto his body, stretching from his face to his waist, and over the front and back of his left shoulder. He wears brown armour with brass coloured accents and goat's head epaulets, and has two massive greatswords chained to his wrists, which are known as the Blades of Chaos.
Dogma[edit]
Kratos teaches his followers the art of war, and to not lose oneself entirely to it's fog. He encourages conquest and victory, and discourages mindless slaughter.
Clergy and Temples[edit]
Kratos' clergy tends towards more militaristic outlooks and dress, and tend to bear holy symbols in the form of tattoos on their face or body, though the most extreme followers will mimic their god with massive tattoos covering half their body. They often have levels of fighter or barbarian, though levels of Anarch(the Chaotic Neutral paladin) are also common. They frequently train themselves in the best armour they can and wear locking gauntlets or have their blades chained directly to their armour to better imitate their god's fighting style. Temples are often grand affairs with statues of Kratos and many spoils of conquest throughout, from the riches of victory to enslaved enemy soldiers as attendants. Kratos' temples always double as barracks and gyms, with both fresh-faced acolytes and grizzled veterans sharing rings, weights, saunas, bathes, and locker rooms, and always a healthy respect for legitimate authority and experience.
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