LudicSavant
2015-10-19, 01:59 AM
Part of my ongoing series on the mythology of my world, where my goal was to take "classic" D&D gods and remake them into more complete religious ideologies people might actually want to worship. (See Wee Jas (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?450352-Wee-Jas-the-First-Lich), Nerull (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?443831-My-pantheon-s-take-on-Nerull), Corellon Larethian (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?461424-Corellon-Larethian-the-Architect-of-Blood-and-Seed&p=20098734), Olidammara (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?445953-Olidammara-the-Laughing-Rogue), Lolth (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?480130-Lolth-Lady-Luck), Erythnul (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?445290-Erythnul-the-Many&p=19869433&viewfull=1), The Deep Ones (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?448397-The-Deep-Ones-Twisted-Seas-and-Alien-Light))
Also, intended to be readable in any order, and for it to be easy to transplant individual parts into other settings.
Hextor, the Scourge of Battle
https://i.postimg.cc/bvSV47xJ/Saxnot1.jpg (http://roboto-kun.deviantart.com/art/robotic-knight-184683593)
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
- Richard Grenier, discussing the work of George Orwell (typically misattributed directly to George Orwell)
"You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it..."
- William T. Sherman
Expanded Domains: Army, Courage, Deathbound, Destiny, Destruction, Domination, Evil, Fate, Inquisition, Law, Nobility, Pact, Planning, Pride, Protection, Tyranny, War, Wrath
Portfolio: Knights, Generals, Order, Duty, Enforcement, Discipline, Militaries, Tyrants, Fixers, Leadership, Loyalty, Gladiators, War, Organized Warfare, Feudalism, Soldiers, Law, Patriots (Note that Discord is NOT in his portfolio anymore. Discord is pretty much the opposite of what Hextor wants. That's Erythnul's thing)
Theme: http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=nN5yrRRs2EY#The_Chosen_Ones_-_Dream_Evil, http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=TtZK9KCNGlo#Europa_-_Globus
Knowledge (Religion) DC 10:
Hextor, the Scourge of Battle, is the ruthlessly competent general of generals, and often leads armies on behalf of the other gods. He's usually pretty reliable at cleaning up cosmic problems for Moradin and Corellon. Hextor occasionally oversteps his bounds, but hasn't lost his job over it.
Hextor cares about order and control, and is the patron of soldiers. He tends to be frustrated and impatient with civilians, who he feels should just step into line and let the real men do their jobs. He values decorum, and though he is harsh and decisive he presents himself as a gentleman officer. He is highly results-driven, and does not shy away from cruelty if he feels it's necessary to get the job done right.
Hextor is the son of Jehenna and Nerull, and brother of Heironeous, as order and justice are born from vengeance and death. They have quite the sibling rivalry.
In art, Hextor is typically depicted in full armor or ceremonial military regalia, and his face is always concealed. His symbol is the shape of a flag itself (or an iron gauntlet grasping a banner), reminding us that every standard is raised on the back of Hextor. Ceremonial armors of clerics of Hextor are often adorned in flowing flags and pennons.
Knowledge (Religion) DC 15:
The other gods generally don't really like Hextor. They respect his competence and skill, and often consider his work a necessary evil, but resent or fear him for it just the same (kinda like Ares' relationship with the other gods in Greek mythology). Hextor is aware of the things they say about him behind his back, but does their dirty work for them anyways. After all, someone has to do it, or everything would fall apart.
According to his followers, the world is a harsh and unforgiving place, where rosy-eyed idealism is ineffective at dealing with the problems facing the world. Hextor, they say, does not shy away from the cruelty of warfare, for to deny the cruelty of warfare is to simply be in denial. Cruelty and mercilessness are necessary tools, for people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. Strength is required to forge order from chaos. Law is meaningless without force to back its decrees. Hard men who can make tough decisions are needed to make a world worth living in, and those men deserve respect, for it is they who make the land safe for (insert your favored form of government here). Liberty cannot be had without security.
For them, order and the chain of command are sacred, and violating the law is to be met with swift and harsh retribution. War is not pleasurable, so much as it is a necessary evil to be carried out in service of a great good. Formality and decorum are held in high esteem by the followers of Hextor. One should maintain a courteous and dignified bearing, especially towards members of the opposite sex. One should always keep their word of honor, for oaths are the foundation of knighthood. Undue collateral damage is to be avoided, for while destruction is a necessary aspect of war, it is not its purpose. Surrender should be graciously accepted. Worthy foes are to be respected. Officers are expected to discipline their minions harshly if they act out of line with any of these ideals or defy the chain of command. Beyond this, followers of Hextor tend to have few qualms about methods used in war. Cruelty, necromancy, poison, ambush, binding demons, torture for information, forced labor, decimation, and the like are all pretty much okay with many Hextorans. Just make sure to maintain your good manners and aplomb. You're not a savage, after all.
One of the more unique yet consistent provisions of Hextoran dogma is that captured foes are not to be summarily executed, but may be placed in tests of their worthiness that will almost certainly kill them, so long as it's conceivable that a person of sufficient character might survive. This can be carried out in ways ranging from trials (at the end of which one charged guilty may be executed) to gladiatorial arenas to elaborate Bond-villain-like deathtraps.
This doesn't apply to your own minions. For example, a guard who falls asleep on duty or abandons their post may be stoned or beaten by their comrades whom they endangered, the result of which is often death (basically, exactly like the Roman punishment for the same act. Actually, Roman military punishments and honors are great inspiration for Hextor in general. Go nuts). In Hextoran ideology, you give up some of your rights by consenting to become part of the military, hence things like court martials often being separate from civilian courts.
Long ago, Heironeous and Hextor worked side by side, and Hextor was very protective of his younger brother. Heironeous grew resentful of Hextor's methods, and eventually declared war on his own brother, accusing him of twisting and corrupting what it meant to be a knight. When Heironeous's host lay in ruin and the Archpaladin himself lay bested in battle, Hextor found that Heironeous's armor of honor and oaths proved to be impenetrable. In frustration, Hextor tore off Heironeous's wing and cast him down to the material plane in mortal form. There, he performed his Labors, and eventually returned to the heavens.
It is Hextor who lead the divine war against the old god of fire who preceded Joramy. He is also tasked with stamping out the chaos caused by Erythnul, or opposing enemies of the pantheon such as Gruumsh and Lolth.
Knowledge (Religion) DC 20:
Hextor is sometimes criticized as the Champion of Evil, for what is mass organized warfare if not the face of the greatest evil itself? However, some followers of Hextor own this title, as Hextor himself does in some myths. What is a soldier, they say, if not those to whom the necessary duty of evil falls? There is no order without force, and it is the soldier's evil that makes it possible to build and enforce an empire of good. After all, your country was probably built and maintained by soldiers committing cruelties on your behalf, and your country is good... isn't it?
For many adherents of Hextor, formality, beauty, and law are the essence of our humanity, the very things that separate us from beasts. It demonstrates that the demands of duty and the bloodlust of war cannot encroach upon their souls.
Many sects have it that Heironeous is good, but emerges only after the victory, representing the Empire of Good. Hextor is the "necessary evil" aspect which does the required dirty work to build and maintain the empire for the benefit of its citizens. For Heironeous to don a crown, Hextor must first raise a flag. The two are stuck with each other... and Heironeous regrets this side of himself and tries to purge himself of the darker side of his brand of Law and Justice. Cultures with this view may have clerics of Hextor and Heironeous working side by side, though tensions sometimes run high. Indeed, at least one such society even has a system of tyrants of Hextor that take emergency powers during crises, and are expected to turn over power to the priests of Heironeous when the crisis ends.
Some other cultures say that Heironeous is the patron of righteous war and Hextor the patron of foul war. One is the face of the enemy, the other the face of the ally. This can even result in conflicts where both sides believe they are paying homage to the righteous war face, and that the other side is really paying homage to the foul war face. Cultures with this view are careful to conceal worship of Hextor from the warriors of Heironeous.
Hextor defended the pantheon from his father Nerull during the Age of Winter, at terrible cost to himself, his realm, and his forces. His army was knitted back together after each encounter with Death by Jehenna, but Hextor lost something precious each time, for Jehenna's rites demanded a sacrifice. Hextor never appears without armor or some similar covering, because he has been horribly scarred by death itself. A holy book called "The 500 Scars" describes his long vigil.
After Lolth's betrayal, Hextor was charged with the task of keeping fate on the rails in the absence of its Weaver, and tacitly allowed to go to whatever lengths necessary to do so. He can't actually subtly weave fate the way Lolth could, but he can force order upon things.
Knowledge (Religion) DC 25:
Hextor's churches tend to take issue with pacifistic tribal cultures, or any society that is able to function without the threat of force. These examples either aren't acknowledged at all, are argued to only exist as parasites allowed to exist in the shadow of violent societies, or are dismissed as insignificant or wretched compared to the greatness of the civilized world. The mere idea that a peaceful society can function sustainably without violence is often considered a naive heresy by Hextor's followers. Some priests of Hextor have even been known to go so far as to launch crusades to punish pacifist movements that they claim would leave the country vulnerable. (Basically Hextor hates hippies)
Hextor is highly resourceful, and it is said that he collects unique weapons or assets of great power from throughout the multiverse in preparation for whatever great task may lie ahead of him. His legendary Arsenal is said to contain many great secrets. Things coming from the Arsenal of Hextor play a key role in a number of myths, as do stories of procuring something for the Arsenal.
Hextor directly engages and opposes Erythnul, using an iron fist to stamp out chaos. Upon Erythnul's birth, Hextor's reaction is recorded in the Estherian Odyssey as "It has a name now."
Knowledge (Religion) DC 30:
Some scholars maintain that Heironeous and Hextor may be two faces of the same deeply conflicted being, citing as evidence sources like the letters of Bishop Wymond, in which the bishop assuaged a distraught correspondent's concerns about a change in the voice of the godhead that answered their templars' prayers for guidance (divinations) following the Auran Campaign (after which many templars declared themselves unfit to return to their temples due to what they had to do to uphold their deity's vows to Corellon). The bishop is far from explicit in these letters, however, and his words can be interpreted many ways.
When read in its original Iosan, the 500 Scars can be interpreted as showing Hextor talking to his sword (which is referred to by an Iosan word that can mean something similar to "Tsukumogami (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukumogami)"), referring to it as "little brother," and making no mention of Heironeous. Also, it suggests that whenever dire times required Hextor to put his feeling aside for the sake of the job, he placed his feelings within his sword. This is usually interpreted as metaphorical...
Organization: The Quartermasters
http://img13.deviantart.net/2511/i/2015/114/5/e/thief_by_jasontn-d8qv7hx.jpg (http://jasontn.deviantart.com/art/Thief-528855477)
The Quartermasters are a secretive government organization charged with procuring artifacts for the state's arsenal, be it by dredging them up from forgotten ruins or by covertly liberating them from other kingdoms. They follow Hextor's example of endless preparation, ever stocking his own Arsenal so that he may be ready for the next challenge that awaits the pantheon. They are an elite team of thieves and explorers, adept at spiriting away objects of power from amidst seemingly impenetrable defenses with elaborate heists.
While many patriots serve the Quartermasters, the very best thieves often come from unlawful corners. As such, many agents of the Quartermasters are not entirely voluntary members. Particularly talented criminal adventurers may find themselves given a choice between execution or service to the Quartermasters. Should they choose the latter, their flesh is engraved with the Mark of Dust—effectively a modified Mark of Justice which can be remotely activated to discipline or slay the bearer—and given a chance to redeem themselves in the service of their country. The organization's leadership takes pride in turning chaos to serve order.
The Mark of Dust represents what all ruins eventually become. As the Mark is actually a magic item sewn into a person's flesh, it is more difficult to remove than a conventional Mark of Justice curse. Moreover, a failed attempt to remove the curse may have sudden and violent repercussions.
While acquisition is the primary (and most publicly acknowledged) job of the Quartermasters, they sometimes receive other kinds of assignments as well, such as sabotage, exfiltration, or suicide missions.
Code of Conduct: Paladins of Hextor
https://i.postimg.cc/cHr1q4D3/1421682263.jpg (https://www.artstation.com/artist/sungryunpark)
"It is our duty to be the means, and yours to be the end that justifies us."
- Ser Malak Eisenwald, addressing his new king.
This code of conduct applies to those who would call themselves paladins of the faith, not just any follower of Hextor.
- Maintain discipline and decorum. Good manners and aplomb separate us from the beasts, so don't be indecorous.
- Always keep your word. Hextoran oaths must be stronger than steel, and your loyalties unswerving.
- Your duty always comes first, and you will sacrifice anything to do your duty if it comes to it.
- Accept the surrender of defeated foes. They are not to be summarily executed. You may, however, place them in tests of their worthiness that are almost certain to kill them, so long as it's conceivable that a person of sufficient character might survive. This rule does not apply to your own minions, who may be disciplined as you see fit.
- Respect the chain of command, and enforce order and discipline within the ranks of your minions.
Also, intended to be readable in any order, and for it to be easy to transplant individual parts into other settings.
Hextor, the Scourge of Battle
https://i.postimg.cc/bvSV47xJ/Saxnot1.jpg (http://roboto-kun.deviantart.com/art/robotic-knight-184683593)
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
- Richard Grenier, discussing the work of George Orwell (typically misattributed directly to George Orwell)
"You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it..."
- William T. Sherman
Expanded Domains: Army, Courage, Deathbound, Destiny, Destruction, Domination, Evil, Fate, Inquisition, Law, Nobility, Pact, Planning, Pride, Protection, Tyranny, War, Wrath
Portfolio: Knights, Generals, Order, Duty, Enforcement, Discipline, Militaries, Tyrants, Fixers, Leadership, Loyalty, Gladiators, War, Organized Warfare, Feudalism, Soldiers, Law, Patriots (Note that Discord is NOT in his portfolio anymore. Discord is pretty much the opposite of what Hextor wants. That's Erythnul's thing)
Theme: http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=nN5yrRRs2EY#The_Chosen_Ones_-_Dream_Evil, http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=TtZK9KCNGlo#Europa_-_Globus
Knowledge (Religion) DC 10:
Hextor, the Scourge of Battle, is the ruthlessly competent general of generals, and often leads armies on behalf of the other gods. He's usually pretty reliable at cleaning up cosmic problems for Moradin and Corellon. Hextor occasionally oversteps his bounds, but hasn't lost his job over it.
Hextor cares about order and control, and is the patron of soldiers. He tends to be frustrated and impatient with civilians, who he feels should just step into line and let the real men do their jobs. He values decorum, and though he is harsh and decisive he presents himself as a gentleman officer. He is highly results-driven, and does not shy away from cruelty if he feels it's necessary to get the job done right.
Hextor is the son of Jehenna and Nerull, and brother of Heironeous, as order and justice are born from vengeance and death. They have quite the sibling rivalry.
In art, Hextor is typically depicted in full armor or ceremonial military regalia, and his face is always concealed. His symbol is the shape of a flag itself (or an iron gauntlet grasping a banner), reminding us that every standard is raised on the back of Hextor. Ceremonial armors of clerics of Hextor are often adorned in flowing flags and pennons.
Knowledge (Religion) DC 15:
The other gods generally don't really like Hextor. They respect his competence and skill, and often consider his work a necessary evil, but resent or fear him for it just the same (kinda like Ares' relationship with the other gods in Greek mythology). Hextor is aware of the things they say about him behind his back, but does their dirty work for them anyways. After all, someone has to do it, or everything would fall apart.
According to his followers, the world is a harsh and unforgiving place, where rosy-eyed idealism is ineffective at dealing with the problems facing the world. Hextor, they say, does not shy away from the cruelty of warfare, for to deny the cruelty of warfare is to simply be in denial. Cruelty and mercilessness are necessary tools, for people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. Strength is required to forge order from chaos. Law is meaningless without force to back its decrees. Hard men who can make tough decisions are needed to make a world worth living in, and those men deserve respect, for it is they who make the land safe for (insert your favored form of government here). Liberty cannot be had without security.
For them, order and the chain of command are sacred, and violating the law is to be met with swift and harsh retribution. War is not pleasurable, so much as it is a necessary evil to be carried out in service of a great good. Formality and decorum are held in high esteem by the followers of Hextor. One should maintain a courteous and dignified bearing, especially towards members of the opposite sex. One should always keep their word of honor, for oaths are the foundation of knighthood. Undue collateral damage is to be avoided, for while destruction is a necessary aspect of war, it is not its purpose. Surrender should be graciously accepted. Worthy foes are to be respected. Officers are expected to discipline their minions harshly if they act out of line with any of these ideals or defy the chain of command. Beyond this, followers of Hextor tend to have few qualms about methods used in war. Cruelty, necromancy, poison, ambush, binding demons, torture for information, forced labor, decimation, and the like are all pretty much okay with many Hextorans. Just make sure to maintain your good manners and aplomb. You're not a savage, after all.
One of the more unique yet consistent provisions of Hextoran dogma is that captured foes are not to be summarily executed, but may be placed in tests of their worthiness that will almost certainly kill them, so long as it's conceivable that a person of sufficient character might survive. This can be carried out in ways ranging from trials (at the end of which one charged guilty may be executed) to gladiatorial arenas to elaborate Bond-villain-like deathtraps.
This doesn't apply to your own minions. For example, a guard who falls asleep on duty or abandons their post may be stoned or beaten by their comrades whom they endangered, the result of which is often death (basically, exactly like the Roman punishment for the same act. Actually, Roman military punishments and honors are great inspiration for Hextor in general. Go nuts). In Hextoran ideology, you give up some of your rights by consenting to become part of the military, hence things like court martials often being separate from civilian courts.
Long ago, Heironeous and Hextor worked side by side, and Hextor was very protective of his younger brother. Heironeous grew resentful of Hextor's methods, and eventually declared war on his own brother, accusing him of twisting and corrupting what it meant to be a knight. When Heironeous's host lay in ruin and the Archpaladin himself lay bested in battle, Hextor found that Heironeous's armor of honor and oaths proved to be impenetrable. In frustration, Hextor tore off Heironeous's wing and cast him down to the material plane in mortal form. There, he performed his Labors, and eventually returned to the heavens.
It is Hextor who lead the divine war against the old god of fire who preceded Joramy. He is also tasked with stamping out the chaos caused by Erythnul, or opposing enemies of the pantheon such as Gruumsh and Lolth.
Knowledge (Religion) DC 20:
Hextor is sometimes criticized as the Champion of Evil, for what is mass organized warfare if not the face of the greatest evil itself? However, some followers of Hextor own this title, as Hextor himself does in some myths. What is a soldier, they say, if not those to whom the necessary duty of evil falls? There is no order without force, and it is the soldier's evil that makes it possible to build and enforce an empire of good. After all, your country was probably built and maintained by soldiers committing cruelties on your behalf, and your country is good... isn't it?
For many adherents of Hextor, formality, beauty, and law are the essence of our humanity, the very things that separate us from beasts. It demonstrates that the demands of duty and the bloodlust of war cannot encroach upon their souls.
Many sects have it that Heironeous is good, but emerges only after the victory, representing the Empire of Good. Hextor is the "necessary evil" aspect which does the required dirty work to build and maintain the empire for the benefit of its citizens. For Heironeous to don a crown, Hextor must first raise a flag. The two are stuck with each other... and Heironeous regrets this side of himself and tries to purge himself of the darker side of his brand of Law and Justice. Cultures with this view may have clerics of Hextor and Heironeous working side by side, though tensions sometimes run high. Indeed, at least one such society even has a system of tyrants of Hextor that take emergency powers during crises, and are expected to turn over power to the priests of Heironeous when the crisis ends.
Some other cultures say that Heironeous is the patron of righteous war and Hextor the patron of foul war. One is the face of the enemy, the other the face of the ally. This can even result in conflicts where both sides believe they are paying homage to the righteous war face, and that the other side is really paying homage to the foul war face. Cultures with this view are careful to conceal worship of Hextor from the warriors of Heironeous.
Hextor defended the pantheon from his father Nerull during the Age of Winter, at terrible cost to himself, his realm, and his forces. His army was knitted back together after each encounter with Death by Jehenna, but Hextor lost something precious each time, for Jehenna's rites demanded a sacrifice. Hextor never appears without armor or some similar covering, because he has been horribly scarred by death itself. A holy book called "The 500 Scars" describes his long vigil.
After Lolth's betrayal, Hextor was charged with the task of keeping fate on the rails in the absence of its Weaver, and tacitly allowed to go to whatever lengths necessary to do so. He can't actually subtly weave fate the way Lolth could, but he can force order upon things.
Knowledge (Religion) DC 25:
Hextor's churches tend to take issue with pacifistic tribal cultures, or any society that is able to function without the threat of force. These examples either aren't acknowledged at all, are argued to only exist as parasites allowed to exist in the shadow of violent societies, or are dismissed as insignificant or wretched compared to the greatness of the civilized world. The mere idea that a peaceful society can function sustainably without violence is often considered a naive heresy by Hextor's followers. Some priests of Hextor have even been known to go so far as to launch crusades to punish pacifist movements that they claim would leave the country vulnerable. (Basically Hextor hates hippies)
Hextor is highly resourceful, and it is said that he collects unique weapons or assets of great power from throughout the multiverse in preparation for whatever great task may lie ahead of him. His legendary Arsenal is said to contain many great secrets. Things coming from the Arsenal of Hextor play a key role in a number of myths, as do stories of procuring something for the Arsenal.
Hextor directly engages and opposes Erythnul, using an iron fist to stamp out chaos. Upon Erythnul's birth, Hextor's reaction is recorded in the Estherian Odyssey as "It has a name now."
Knowledge (Religion) DC 30:
Some scholars maintain that Heironeous and Hextor may be two faces of the same deeply conflicted being, citing as evidence sources like the letters of Bishop Wymond, in which the bishop assuaged a distraught correspondent's concerns about a change in the voice of the godhead that answered their templars' prayers for guidance (divinations) following the Auran Campaign (after which many templars declared themselves unfit to return to their temples due to what they had to do to uphold their deity's vows to Corellon). The bishop is far from explicit in these letters, however, and his words can be interpreted many ways.
When read in its original Iosan, the 500 Scars can be interpreted as showing Hextor talking to his sword (which is referred to by an Iosan word that can mean something similar to "Tsukumogami (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukumogami)"), referring to it as "little brother," and making no mention of Heironeous. Also, it suggests that whenever dire times required Hextor to put his feeling aside for the sake of the job, he placed his feelings within his sword. This is usually interpreted as metaphorical...
Organization: The Quartermasters
http://img13.deviantart.net/2511/i/2015/114/5/e/thief_by_jasontn-d8qv7hx.jpg (http://jasontn.deviantart.com/art/Thief-528855477)
The Quartermasters are a secretive government organization charged with procuring artifacts for the state's arsenal, be it by dredging them up from forgotten ruins or by covertly liberating them from other kingdoms. They follow Hextor's example of endless preparation, ever stocking his own Arsenal so that he may be ready for the next challenge that awaits the pantheon. They are an elite team of thieves and explorers, adept at spiriting away objects of power from amidst seemingly impenetrable defenses with elaborate heists.
While many patriots serve the Quartermasters, the very best thieves often come from unlawful corners. As such, many agents of the Quartermasters are not entirely voluntary members. Particularly talented criminal adventurers may find themselves given a choice between execution or service to the Quartermasters. Should they choose the latter, their flesh is engraved with the Mark of Dust—effectively a modified Mark of Justice which can be remotely activated to discipline or slay the bearer—and given a chance to redeem themselves in the service of their country. The organization's leadership takes pride in turning chaos to serve order.
The Mark of Dust represents what all ruins eventually become. As the Mark is actually a magic item sewn into a person's flesh, it is more difficult to remove than a conventional Mark of Justice curse. Moreover, a failed attempt to remove the curse may have sudden and violent repercussions.
While acquisition is the primary (and most publicly acknowledged) job of the Quartermasters, they sometimes receive other kinds of assignments as well, such as sabotage, exfiltration, or suicide missions.
Code of Conduct: Paladins of Hextor
https://i.postimg.cc/cHr1q4D3/1421682263.jpg (https://www.artstation.com/artist/sungryunpark)
"It is our duty to be the means, and yours to be the end that justifies us."
- Ser Malak Eisenwald, addressing his new king.
This code of conduct applies to those who would call themselves paladins of the faith, not just any follower of Hextor.
- Maintain discipline and decorum. Good manners and aplomb separate us from the beasts, so don't be indecorous.
- Always keep your word. Hextoran oaths must be stronger than steel, and your loyalties unswerving.
- Your duty always comes first, and you will sacrifice anything to do your duty if it comes to it.
- Accept the surrender of defeated foes. They are not to be summarily executed. You may, however, place them in tests of their worthiness that are almost certain to kill them, so long as it's conceivable that a person of sufficient character might survive. This rule does not apply to your own minions, who may be disciplined as you see fit.
- Respect the chain of command, and enforce order and discipline within the ranks of your minions.