Irae is the warlord of the Aeternan Pantheon, the patron of everyone from the lowliest conscript to the greatest general.
| Irae | |
|---|---|
| Region | The Empire Aeterna |
| Portfolio | War, Law, Conquest, (special - see below) |
| Pantheon | The Aeternan Circle |
| Symbol | Ouroborus |
Battlemaster, Soldier's Companion, Body of War, let me become as you are, fight as you fight; Lend me your strength and stay by my side as I fight for the glory of the Empire Aeterna.
Appearance
Irae's appearance varies greatly from place to place, as he encourages all warriors to worship him as one of them. So deep within the bounds of Aeterna is is most often shown as a warrior in full plate with sword and shield; but in the sea-bound regions he appears like a mariner, lightly armoured and swashbuckling; in Umbern, as a raging, axe-wielding barbarian. Great halls of war often have a statue or weaving of him in official dress uniform and holding scrolls and maps, and many barracks of conscripts have an effigy of him in tattered uniform, with the low-quality weapons and armour they have to hand. The rare all-female military order will refer to him and present Irae as female.
However, whatever he is dressed in, two things always hold constant. He is always displayed as a paragon of his style, in impressive pose - strong, noble, and forward. And always his face is covered, entirely - whether by a full helmet, mask, wrappings, or otherwise, no part of his face shows, not even eye slits. His priests say that all should imagine their own as the face on the body, for Irae represents everything they could and should be as a warrior.
Irae's Ouroboros is steel grey on red. More detailed representations often have a faceplate or mask within the circle, or have the snake in segmented armour, with the head contained, hiding the eyes.
Teachings
Irae holds that all should fight to the best of their ability for the good of Aeterna, always working to expand and solidify its influence. He also teaches that everyone in war - from the grand generals who may never step upon the battlefield to the most common of soldiers - holds a crucial place in the Aeternan army, and watches over all equally. He will not condone any war within Aeterna, refusing to give his blessing to any warrior who strikes at others within the nation - part of the reason Aeterna so rarely experiences civil strife. Because of this, amongst other reasons, he is rarely worshipped in Maiori, whose soldiers hunt down spellcasters within the empire. In the western regions, however, the war against Storm's Hold and the Myrmelach give him strong support.
Because of his somewhat flexible attitude towards how he is portrayed, it is not unknown for his priests to display wildly different styles of support, depending on their chosen style. As such, the final part of his portfolio tends to reflect the form he is portrayed in - ranging from Wrath to Retribution to Battle to Planning, as the priests worship the concept as much as the god.
Power
Irae holds his power wherever there are soldiers, and thus tends to be well worshipped in regions of battle, especially along the boundaries of Aeterna. His strongest following is in the western regions. Respican, unsurprisingly, has no small following, and Caudala is seeing considerable interest in the war god amongst those who need to hunt down the rangers, and as the threat from the Demonscar becomes ever more clear…
