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[quote][i]Originally posted by Darkhund[/i]
[br]My cleric's recently written himself a set of books for his attempt to reform part of the Malarite church in order to spread it easier. So, I thought I'd share what he's written. Its not a complete thing, but enough to get the feeling of it. He's taken the title Malar-Anth (Malar's Chosen) in order to set himself up more as a messiah figure.

[b][u]Book One: The Early Hunts[/b][/u]

1.When the world was still newborn,the first of the gods arrived upon Toril. Chauntea, the first, and the Sisters, Selune and Shar. Following the birth of Mystryl, goddess of magic, and the creation of the sun, Silvanus and Chauntea populated the world with its plants and animals, and the races began to arise.

2. As there was animals, there was hunting, and thus, the Hunter, known today as Malar, among other titles was also called into being there.

3. Wandering the world, the Hunter would observe the fledging creatures, and would show the predators some of his methods, and the prey some wily tricks, that they might evade the slower, and less capable animals hunting them, always giving in proportion, keeping the Balance as his guide.

4. When the Hunter felt he had done enough for the animals to set them upon their hunts competantly, the Hunter turned his gaze to the higher races; the elves, the humans, the orcs, and more.

5. Visiting first the elves, the Hunter took the form of his favored creature of the time, the wolf, leading with him a pack of the creatures. Many of the elves, with their golden skin did act out of fear as they saw his approach, and loosed arrows from a distance with their great bows, the impersonal weapons they had been given by the Seldarine.

6. Not all of the elves feared the approach of the Hunter, but with his previous encounter bright in his memory, the Hunter did not reveal his full nature, but instead the darker, wilder elves recieved his blessing when they hunted with tooth, nail and claw; this blessing being the pack of wolves he travelled with, the two gaining a bond lasting to the current day, wolf and elf as one clan.

7. This was not the last that the Hunter would do with the Elven people, but for a time, he prowled the world in his wolf-self, and found the primitive humans. Here, he saw a creature that was ill equipped for hunting, with no talons, no superior eyesight, but with the ability to dream up new ideas, new tools, new weapons. Intriguied, the Hunter watched the humans equip themselves with crude spears, and hunt down and kill a great boar. Here, he found a hunting spirit.

8. As the humans slept, stomachs full with their prey's meat, the Hunter crept into their pitiful village, and took his Wolf-self, and tore it from his being. Dividing it up, the Hunter took his wolf-self's advantages, its power, and blessed these humans with it, with the ability to become as a wolf, to return to their human form, and a step in between. And so, the Hunter created the first Lycanthropes, the Werewolf, as his chosen people. Before he left, he gave a final blessing to his people, allowing their bite to turn others into a blessed being, much as they were, so that others, that proved strong enough to escape being hunted, if not unscratched, would be blessed themselves as reward.

9. Contented with his new people, the Hunter wandered Toril once more, bringing his creed to the Orcs, and the goblin races, encouraging them to hunt.

10. In time, the Hunter approached the Pantheon of the Seldarine, rulers of Arvandor, that great forest of the elven afterlife. He was, he explained, there to be a part of the Seldarine, ruling over the hunt in Arvandor, and teaching the elven peoples the way to hunt cleanly and honourably, without the use of ranged weapons. It was, he argued, only right that the races all learn to respect the Hunt. But no, Corellon Larethian, leader of the Seldarine, decreed, speaking down to the Aspect of the Hunt that had come to him. Solonar Thelandira, elven god of archery, would take up the aspect of Elven Hunting, Corellon decided.

11. At the least, the Hunter, stated, he would teach the elves in the afterlife, as he hunted within Arvandor's forests. Again, Corellon said no, and barred the Hunter from the woods. The two spoke at length, debating and arguing the matter. At the end, in his anger, the Hunter stalked off, but swore to the elf god, that he would hunt in Arvandor one day. Thus begat the great rift between the Hunter's faithful, and those of the Seldarine.

[b][u]Book Two: Hunting[/b][/u]

1. First among the Hunters edicts, is that the young, and the pregnant must not be harmed, but instead protected. Until maturity, all young are safe from danger from any of the Hunter's faithful, though this protection can be discarded in the case of self defense, where the youth should be disarmed, but may be killed if it is necessary. In such cases, a penance and minor atonement must be completed.

2. All of the Faithful must adhere to the holy decree of Garmos Saernclaws. The Gospel of Saernclaws reads: "The Hunt must be clean. If disease or affliction is visited on hunters by a beast, clergy of Malar must do all they can to root out and exterminate the taint, that bloodlines and beasts in the wild remain always strong." Poison, and disease are not to be used in the hunt, and exterminated where it can be found. To do otherwise risks tainting the food chain, sending all of the Cycle out of balance.

3. In all things, the Cycle of the Hunt must be respected. From the plants that the prey animals eat, to the predators at the highest part of the cycle, a change anywhere can disrupt the cycle, and thus the Hunt. One must always be careful to ensure that they do not destroy a food supply, be it plant or animal, or they can bring the Hunter's curse upon themselves.

3. The Balance of the world, encompasses all things, including the Cycle of the Hunt. The Cycle is the most important part of the Balance, that of predator and prey. Any who disrupt the Cycle need to be corrected.

4. To hunt, and strike from a distance is to deny the prey their proper respect. The Hunter's creed demands that one engage their prey in melee, giving the beast a chance to prove itself mightier. To look into the preys eyes, as life leaves them, honours the Hunter and prey both, acknowledging one is superior but not distant. There is little honourable in denying a creature the chance to see whom and what has claimed their life.

5. There is a simple fact that all people should understand; All hunting honours the Hunter. The Hunter needs not be invoked for blessing a clean hunt, for the very act of hunting calls upon his blessing for those that have earned it.

-. Anth-Malar, The Chosen of Malar, and Malar-Anth, Malar's Chosen, are two sides of one coin. Invested with the Hunter's power, Anth-Malar follows the Hunter's will in destroying his enemies, and Malar-Anth leads the Hunter's faithful in his veneration.

[b][u]Book Three: Rites and Rituals[/b][/u]

1. The Feast of Stags: Among the most important of all things the Faithful do, the Feast is to be held every year, before the onset of winter. The Faithful are to hunt, and hold a feast for the city before the snows hit, and a number will pledge to provide fresh meat for the town over the winter.

2. The Dark Hunt; The Dark Hunt is determined to be needed by the ranking Huntsmaster in the region, as levels of the Undead nearby grow too high. The Hunt will last from dawn to dusk, with all who wish to join the hunt being welcomed into the hunting pack. Ranged weapons and spells, while discouraged by all of the Hunter's faithful, may be used against the unthinking undead, to show contempt, that there is no honour in hunting such things, only neccessity. A token, be it skull, bone, or other scrap from each fallen undead should be gathered, and at the end of the hunt, be burnt in a bonfire while blessings are spoken upon all the faithful that are present.

3. The Cleansing: Once a year, most commonly in spring, after the snow has just melted, the ranking Hunstmaster will lead his pack to the hunting grounds, and offer those prayers as are available, or mundane methods to strengthen all in the area against disease, and remove any sicknesses among the animals. In some cases, if the pack is tending to faithful of a village or town, disease and sickness in that place will be the target, instead of amongst the animals.

4. Grand Hunts: The Grand Hunts are called by any member of the pack, at times of great emotion. Celebration, or mourning, are the most common reasons. The Grand Hunt can be personal, or can involve others, set by the Faithful to call the event. The hunters are blessed by the ranking priest, shaman, or druid, and armed with light leathers, and a long blade or axe of their choice enter the wilderness for as long as it takes to find their prey, track it, and slay it close and personally. After a Grand Hunt, those involved in the hunting pack each take a trophy from its antlers, claws, fangs or teeth with the Hunter's blessing, or can mark themselves with a tattoo to symbolize their victory. The prey is chosen by the faithful calling the event, as the most dangerous prey they believe they (and the pack, if they involve them) can face.

5. Atonement: If a member of the pack, should stray and lose the blessing of the Hunter, the most common way to seek atonement for their transgression is to enter a Grand Hunt alone, choosing their prey by the severity of their transgression.

6. Final Hunt: When a hunter is no longer fit to hunt, and becomes a burden upon the pack, by disease, age, or wounds, it is called for them to enter a final hunt, setting themselves against the most dangerous threat menacing the pack that they believe they can possibly handle, and to hunt it down. They can be assisted, but the first and final blows must belong them, unless they are slain. Should they survive this last hunt, they are to be honoured, and remembered among the pack, and live amongst a small community to spread the word of the Hunter.
[/quote]

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T O P I C R E V I E W
Darkhund	Posted - 08 Nov 2008 : 07:27:45 My cleric's recently written himself a set of books for his attempt to reform part of the Malarite church in order to spread it easier. So, I thought I'd share what he's written. Its not a complete thing, but enough to get the feeling of it. He's taken the title Malar-Anth (Malar's Chosen) in order to set himself up more as a messiah figure. Book One: The Early Hunts 1.When the world was still newborn,the first of the gods arrived upon Toril. Chauntea, the first, and the Sisters, Selune and Shar. Following the birth of Mystryl, goddess of magic, and the creation of the sun, Silvanus and Chauntea populated the world with its plants and animals, and the races began to arise. 2. As there was animals, there was hunting, and thus, the Hunter, known today as Malar, among other titles was also called into being there. 3. Wandering the world, the Hunter would observe the fledging creatures, and would show the predators some of his methods, and the prey some wily tricks, that they might evade the slower, and less capable animals hunting them, always giving in proportion, keeping the Balance as his guide. 4. When the Hunter felt he had done enough for the animals to set them upon their hunts competantly, the Hunter turned his gaze to the higher races; the elves, the humans, the orcs, and more. 5. Visiting first the elves, the Hunter took the form of his favored creature of the time, the wolf, leading with him a pack of the creatures. Many of the elves, with their golden skin did act out of fear as they saw his approach, and loosed arrows from a distance with their great bows, the impersonal weapons they had been given by the Seldarine. 6. Not all of the elves feared the approach of the Hunter, but with his previous encounter bright in his memory, the Hunter did not reveal his full nature, but instead the darker, wilder elves recieved his blessing when they hunted with tooth, nail and claw; this blessing being the pack of wolves he travelled with, the two gaining a bond lasting to the current day, wolf and elf as one clan. 7. This was not the last that the Hunter would do with the Elven people, but for a time, he prowled the world in his wolf-self, and found the primitive humans. Here, he saw a creature that was ill equipped for hunting, with no talons, no superior eyesight, but with the ability to dream up new ideas, new tools, new weapons. Intriguied, the Hunter watched the humans equip themselves with crude spears, and hunt down and kill a great boar. Here, he found a hunting spirit. 8. As the humans slept, stomachs full with their prey's meat, the Hunter crept into their pitiful village, and took his Wolf-self, and tore it from his being. Dividing it up, the Hunter took his wolf-self's advantages, its power, and blessed these humans with it, with the ability to become as a wolf, to return to their human form, and a step in between. And so, the Hunter created the first Lycanthropes, the Werewolf, as his chosen people. Before he left, he gave a final blessing to his people, allowing their bite to turn others into a blessed being, much as they were, so that others, that proved strong enough to escape being hunted, if not unscratched, would be blessed themselves as reward. 9. Contented with his new people, the Hunter wandered Toril once more, bringing his creed to the Orcs, and the goblin races, encouraging them to hunt. 10. In time, the Hunter approached the Pantheon of the Seldarine, rulers of Arvandor, that great forest of the elven afterlife. He was, he explained, there to be a part of the Seldarine, ruling over the hunt in Arvandor, and teaching the elven peoples the way to hunt cleanly and honourably, without the use of ranged weapons. It was, he argued, only right that the races all learn to respect the Hunt. But no, Corellon Larethian, leader of the Seldarine, decreed, speaking down to the Aspect of the Hunt that had come to him. Solonar Thelandira, elven god of archery, would take up the aspect of Elven Hunting, Corellon decided. 11. At the least, the Hunter, stated, he would teach the elves in the afterlife, as he hunted within Arvandor's forests. Again, Corellon said no, and barred the Hunter from the woods. The two spoke at length, debating and arguing the matter. At the end, in his anger, the Hunter stalked off, but swore to the elf god, that he would hunt in Arvandor one day. Thus begat the great rift between the Hunter's faithful, and those of the Seldarine. Book Two: Hunting 1. First among the Hunters edicts, is that the young, and the pregnant must not be harmed, but instead protected. Until maturity, all young are safe from danger from any of the Hunter's faithful, though this protection can be discarded in the case of self defense, where the youth should be disarmed, but may be killed if it is necessary. In such cases, a penance and minor atonement must be completed. 2. All of the Faithful must adhere to the holy decree of Garmos Saernclaws. The Gospel of Saernclaws reads: "The Hunt must be clean. If disease or affliction is visited on hunters by a beast, clergy of Malar must do all they can to root out and exterminate the taint, that bloodlines and beasts in the wild remain always strong." Poison, and disease are not to be used in the hunt, and exterminated where it can be found. To do otherwise risks tainting the food chain, sending all of the Cycle out of balance. 3. In all things, the Cycle of the Hunt must be respected. From the plants that the prey animals eat, to the predators at the highest part of the cycle, a change anywhere can disrupt the cycle, and thus the Hunt. One must always be careful to ensure that they do not destroy a food supply, be it plant or animal, or they can bring the Hunter's curse upon themselves. 3. The Balance of the world, encompasses all things, including the Cycle of the Hunt. The Cycle is the most important part of the Balance, that of predator and prey. Any who disrupt the Cycle need to be corrected. 4. To hunt, and strike from a distance is to deny the prey their proper respect. The Hunter's creed demands that one engage their prey in melee, giving the beast a chance to prove itself mightier. To look into the preys eyes, as life leaves them, honours the Hunter and prey both, acknowledging one is superior but not distant. There is little honourable in denying a creature the chance to see whom and what has claimed their life. 5. There is a simple fact that all people should understand; All hunting honours the Hunter. The Hunter needs not be invoked for blessing a clean hunt, for the very act of hunting calls upon his blessing for those that have earned it. -. Anth-Malar, The Chosen of Malar, and Malar-Anth, Malar's Chosen, are two sides of one coin. Invested with the Hunter's power, Anth-Malar follows the Hunter's will in destroying his enemies, and Malar-Anth leads the Hunter's faithful in his veneration. Book Three: Rites and Rituals 1. The Feast of Stags: Among the most important of all things the Faithful do, the Feast is to be held every year, before the onset of winter. The Faithful are to hunt, and hold a feast for the city before the snows hit, and a number will pledge to provide fresh meat for the town over the winter. 2. The Dark Hunt; The Dark Hunt is determined to be needed by the ranking Huntsmaster in the region, as levels of the Undead nearby grow too high. The Hunt will last from dawn to dusk, with all who wish to join the hunt being welcomed into the hunting pack. Ranged weapons and spells, while discouraged by all of the Hunter's faithful, may be used against the unthinking undead, to show contempt, that there is no honour in hunting such things, only neccessity. A token, be it skull, bone, or other scrap from each fallen undead should be gathered, and at the end of the hunt, be burnt in a bonfire while blessings are spoken upon all the faithful that are present. 3. The Cleansing: Once a year, most commonly in spring, after the snow has just melted, the ranking Hunstmaster will lead his pack to the hunting grounds, and offer those prayers as are available, or mundane methods to strengthen all in the area against disease, and remove any sicknesses among the animals. In some cases, if the pack is tending to faithful of a village or town, disease and sickness in that place will be the target, instead of amongst the animals. 4. Grand Hunts: The Grand Hunts are called by any member of the pack, at times of great emotion. Celebration, or mourning, are the most common reasons. The Grand Hunt can be personal, or can involve others, set by the Faithful to call the event. The hunters are blessed by the ranking priest, shaman, or druid, and armed with light leathers, and a long blade or axe of their choice enter the wilderness for as long as it takes to find their prey, track it, and slay it close and personally. After a Grand Hunt, those involved in the hunting pack each take a trophy from its antlers, claws, fangs or teeth with the Hunter's blessing, or can mark themselves with a tattoo to symbolize their victory. The prey is chosen by the faithful calling the event, as the most dangerous prey they believe they (and the pack, if they involve them) can face. 5. Atonement: If a member of the pack, should stray and lose the blessing of the Hunter, the most common way to seek atonement for their transgression is to enter a Grand Hunt alone, choosing their prey by the severity of their transgression. 6. Final Hunt: When a hunter is no longer fit to hunt, and becomes a burden upon the pack, by disease, age, or wounds, it is called for them to enter a final hunt, setting themselves against the most dangerous threat menacing the pack that they believe they can possibly handle, and to hunt it down. They can be assisted, but the first and final blows must belong them, unless they are slain. Should they survive this last hunt, they are to be honoured, and remembered among the pack, and live amongst a small community to spread the word of the Hunter.
17 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
Rinonalyrna Fathomlin	Posted - 22 Dec 2008 : 20:44:13 True enough, I suppose that makes sense.
Darkhund	Posted - 20 Dec 2008 : 20:55:25 quote: Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin quote: Originally posted by Nerfed2Hell Its good... because if they didn't know how to survive, the skills of the hunter would be nothing. Well, that's a very anthropocentric way of looking at things. A predator in nature doesn't care about "being skilled", it cares about eating. True, but going from a god of hunting's perspective, craftier prey means only the best predators can catch them, starving out the weaker examples of the species, leaving a leaner, faster, stronger, smarter animal.
Darkhund	Posted - 20 Dec 2008 : 20:49:06 quote: Originally posted by dwarvenranger Very good, I like it and will use it in my campaign, with your permission, Darkhund. quote: Originally posted by Ionik Knight Wow, really good stuff here. I hope you don't mind if I use it. Thanks Ionik Knight Wouldn't post it if I had a problem with it being used. Go, use it, be good little Malarites!
Nerfed2Hell	Posted - 16 Dec 2008 : 02:14:40 But I was looking at it from a Malarite's interpretation of the dogma, not the typical predator's concerns.
Rinonalyrna Fathomlin	Posted - 16 Dec 2008 : 01:33:33 quote: Originally posted by Nerfed2Hell Its good... because if they didn't know how to survive, the skills of the hunter would be nothing. Well, that's a very anthropocentric way of looking at things. A predator in nature doesn't care about "being skilled", it cares about eating.
Nerfed2Hell	Posted - 15 Dec 2008 : 23:56:51 Its good... because if they didn't know how to survive, the skills of the hunter would be nothing. Its like the whole light means nothing without darkness to contrast.
Arion Elenim	Posted - 15 Dec 2008 : 22:40:03 I love the idea that Malar taught 'the prey' how to survive 'the predator'. Nice bit of lore!
Ionik Knight	Posted - 15 Dec 2008 : 22:21:04 Wow, really good stuff here. I hope you don't mind if I use it. Thanks Ionik Knight
dwarvenranger	Posted - 15 Dec 2008 : 18:38:13 Very good, I like it and will use it in my campaign, with your permission, Darkhund.
Nerfed2Hell	Posted - 13 Dec 2008 : 18:59:40 Good stuff. I've always felt like Malar was given a raw deal when it comes to presentation of lore... just a evil beast god to oppose and be done with to move on to the "real" threats like Bane and whatnot. This treatment, heresy that it is, gives the Malarite faith more depth and character. I like it alot.
Ardashir	Posted - 14 Nov 2008 : 16:19:59 quote: Originally posted by Laerrigan I could just see a large pack of lycanthropes living near an undead-beleaguered town calling a Dark Hunt and inviting townsfolk to join them in it, and then holding a big tent meetin' afterward to spread their gospel and offer the miracle of lycanthropy to any who have felt the stirring of a hunter in their breast..... Oh, now that is a good idea. New werewolves have to mcome from somewhere, after all.
GRYPHON	Posted - 14 Nov 2008 : 14:37:41 Nicely done...
Laerrigan	Posted - 13 Nov 2008 : 23:38:24 VERY good. Thoroughly enjoyable. You did a marvelous job, IMO, of reaching inside a POV to show things from that angle and sympathies (including showing Malar as the one in the right in interactions with the Seldarine, which one would think is how he and his faithful would view it---being in the right and being a victim are two different things). These books could most definitely ignite much wider Malarite conversions, and we'll just overlook a few itty bitty details in the interest of spreading the faith.... I could just see a large pack of lycanthropes living near an undead-beleaguered town calling a Dark Hunt and inviting townsfolk to join them in it, and then holding a big tent meetin' afterward to spread their gospel and offer the miracle of lycanthropy to any who have felt the stirring of a hunter in their breast.....
Brimstone	Posted - 13 Nov 2008 : 23:37:47 quote: Originally posted by Darkhund Its to place the blame on the Elves. They are the evil, self-centered ones. - They did tear a bunch of stuff up back in the day. BRIMSTONE
Lord Karsus	Posted - 13 Nov 2008 : 23:14:13 -Yes, I know. I was going to comment that Malar was portrayed as too much a 'victim', but then I realized that it was a Malarite Heresy to make Malar not all that bad of a guy, and blaming the Elves was really the only way to reconcile that concept with who Malar is, and what he's done.
Darkhund	Posted - 13 Nov 2008 : 23:00:44 Its to place the blame on the Elves. They are the evil, self-centered ones.
Lord Karsus	Posted - 13 Nov 2008 : 22:52:15 -This is some very good stuff. I enjoyed all of it, save the fact that Malar was "the victim" in the interactions with the Seldarine. But, being as that this is a heresy, it accomplishes the concept of establishing a less-than-evil Malar, and a reason for his enmity of the Elves.

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