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  1. Characters

Borsimer

God of War
Deity

"Sound the Drums of War!
Drums of War!
War! War! War!
Tonight we ride,
Tonight we burn!
Burn! Burn! Burn!
Borsimer be our guide!
For victory we yearn!
Yearn! Yearn! Yearn!
Swords be made to swing!
Bows be made to sing!
Sing! Sing! Sing!
In battle we draw righteous blood!
'Til red be mixed with mud!
Mud! Mud! Mud!"

- Hobgoblin Chant to Borsimer


Borsimer the Warbringer also known as the Challenger, the Closed Fist, and the Lord of Fire, he is the god of war, valour, and fire. Among the young gods of Aranor, he is said to have been a mortal who usurped his seat in the heaven from Khagarus and now rules over the Plane of Fire.


History

One of the few things generally agreed about Borsimer is that he was once a mortal, commonly accepted to have been a human of Fjallur descent but many other peoples of Aranor would and have claimed him as one of their own. At the point of some long-distant era in the Forgotten Age Borsimer was a warrior at the zenith of mortal prowess, his valour alone attracting an army of followers to challenge the oppression of the creator god Khagarus' perfected creations, the hobgoblins and their now-storied, long-lost empire. At the dawn of the penultimate battle Borsimer is said to have looked to the heavens and boomed a challenge to Khagarus himself, so audacious that the god would actually answer, descending as a fiery avatar on the surface of Aranor for an epic clash. Borsimer wrestled Khagarus' own sword from his hands and slashed open his chest, even as he slowly perished in the heat of the god's burning form, he clutched his still-beating heart in one last act of fury and unwittingly drained his fading essence.

Ascended to his former seat on the elemental plane of fire, he asserted himself as the god of war till the day one mortal would rise to challenge and defeat him. Of those few who have had both the courage and strength to see Borsimer answer their summons, each have died gloriously at his hand and been gifted seats by his side. 


Characteristics

Borsimer has been depicted as almost every single race of Aranor that has a conception of war, the gods, and any measure of artistic inclination, taking the form of whatever the perfect warrior would be in that time and place. The chosen form of his avatar in the handful of historic moments where he has descended to accept a mortal challenger's call to duel him for his seat in the heavens, he has appeared as a humanoid wreathed in fire but ever-shifting to the eyes of his witnesses, no longer beholden to his mortal identity and content to appear as however mortal minds imagine him to be. Since an encounter with Acheros and Alissa his right arm is missing but his left holds his flaming greatsword with no less grace and force than he did before. Little true personality remains in Borsimer, consumed by the fires of war and the rush of combat, concerning himself only with the perpetuation of martial prowess on Aranor for the moment he claims it shall one day be put to the ultimate test.  


Worship

Borsimer's faith is seen in all corners of Aranor, most readily accepted by warlike races such as orcs and giants, but present at least in lip service to many warriors of every creed and race. While actual temples and holy sites of Borsimer can be found the rallying points of his worship are far often bound to less permanent fixtures such as sacred standards and holy weapons carried to battle by his most esteemed faithful. As such a true congregation of Borsimer can take the place of anything from a questing, virtuous band of warriors to a roving, rampaging army whose cohesion and favour hinge entirely on one chosen champion. And any true champion of Borsimer is compelled to answer to a challenge of single combat. 

It is accepted by those who worship Borsimer that no amount of prayer or sacrifice alone can earn his blessing, only their actions and courage, and to this end his worshippers may often clash with each other, and his name may be carried to battle on the lips of everything from evil warlords to noble protectors of the realm. In the Fjallur Isles, the monastic orders dedicated to the art of war have created the Way of the Closed Fist in his honour. 

The symbol of Borsimer is the sword, sacred as the personification of mortal conflict that is descended from no tool meant for anything but war, and it is similarly his favoured weapon. Common domains of divinity attributed to Atemar are War and Death.