Hextor

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The Herald of Hell
Hextor
Hextor (left) battles his half-brother, Heironeous.
General information
Portfolio:War, Discord, Massacres, Conflict, Fitness, Tyranny
Home:Infernal Battlefield of Acheron
Alignment:Lawful Evil
Gender:Male
Class:Fighter 35/Cleric 35/Assassin 33 (2nd edition avatar)
Cleric 20/Fighter 20 (3rd edition)
Superior:Lords of Evil
Rules items
Domains:Competition, Destruction, Domination, Evil, Law, Tyranny, War

Hextor is the Oeridian god of War, Discord, Massacres, Conflict, Fitness, and Tyranny. The symbol worn and used by the followers of Hextor is a black, spiked gauntlet holding six arrows.

Description

Hextor is often depicted as a hideous, gray skinned, six-armed humanoid bearing two large tusks jutting from its lower jaw wearing armor clad with skulls. He wields a weapon in each hand: a spiked flail, a battle axe, a battle pick, a longsword, a mace, and a falchion. His other form is that of an athletic young male, with dark hair and light skin.

Relationships

Hextor is the half-brother and sworn enemy of Heironeous, and the son of Stern Alia. Another brother, Stratis, is mentioned in literature for the Chainmail miniatures game in Dragon #285, but he is deceased.

Hextor has a long-standing rivalry with Erythnul, from whom he took the portfolio of War. He also has longstanding enmities with Al'Akbar, Allitur, Delleb, Ehlonna, Fharlanghn, Incabulos, Johydee, Kord, Kurell, Llerg, Mayaheine, Obad-Hai, Pelor, Pholtus, Rao, Rudd, Saint Cuthbert, the dragon goddess Tamara, Trithereon, Vatun, Zagyg, and Zodal. Hextor reserves particular animosity for his mother Alia, who failed to annoint him with the meersalm that provided Heironeous with his invulnerability. He has recently helped largely exterminate his mother's church in Medegia. Hextor sometimes finds Olidammara annoying, but tolerates him because of the Laughing Rogue's and sense of humor.

Hextor is a strong, if sometimes uneasy, ally of Beltar, Bralm, Kyuss, Nerull, Wastri, and Wee Jas. He has come to an understanding of sorts with the Lords of the Nine and the orc and goblin pantheons. His priests often work alongside shamans of Bahgtru, Gruumsh, Khurgorbaeyag, Ilneval, Maglubiyet, and Nomog-Geaya. Hextor is believed to have formed bargains with Tiamat.

Hextor gained his extra arms from a group mysteriously known as the "Lords of Evil," and in return he works their will.

Dogma

The church of Hextor teaches that the world is a harsh, unforgiving place. The strong rule the weak, and power is the only reward worth having. Cruelty and mercilessness are necessary tools. Order must be forged from Chaos and law from anarchy. Tyrants are to be obeyed, and dissenters are to be oppressed or killed.

Scriptures

  • The Book of Hextor: This is the primary book of Hextor's church, telling of Hextor's youth and his decision to go to the Lords of Evil for boons that would help him against his unworthy brother Heironeous. The book is very old, most copies scribed in Old Oeridian.
  • The Celestial Grindwheel: This is a very heretical set of scrolls written by a Hextorian monk a century ago, hinting that Heironeous and Hextor are actually two halves of the same being. The scrolls suggest that the battle between the two sides helps balance out the good and evil in the multiverse, thereby preventing the destruction of everything.

Worshippers

Congregations of Hextorians can be found in Alhaster and especially throughout the North Kingdom, where Hextor's church is the official state religion.

Clergy

The traditional dress of the clergy of Hextor are blood-red robes. The titular head of the Church of Hextor is Grenell I, Overking of North Kingdom.

Affiliated Orders

The church of Hextor is supported by numerous religious-military orders, tracing their origins back to the church armies of the Great Kingdom. Some of the better-known orders are the Company of the Twin Shields, the Order of the Six Severed Hands, and the Gray Knights of the Great Skull.

There are also Hextorian fighting-monks, the most famous of which is the Brotherhood of the Gray Hand, which dedicated to the preservation of Oeridian culture and the destruction of an order of Heironean monks called the Order of the Glory Everlasting,

Temples

The faith of Hextor has historically been most concentrated in the Great Kingdom. The See of Medegia was ruled by a Hextorian cleric for a time, and according to legend an early Aerdi kingdom known as the Medegian Bladelands was dominated by Hextor's faithful.

Places dedicated to the worship of Hextor tend to be dark, bloody, and grim. The Cathedral of Hextor lies at the heart of Grenell's palace, the Cyst, in Eastfair. The imposing cathedral features statues of Aerdy warriors and superb stained-glass windows, friezes, and murals featuring scenes of historic battles of Oeridians against orcs, goblins, the Flan, and just about everyone else. Undead guardians have been placed throughout the building. The leaders of Grenell's orcish allies are admitted only rarely.

Other prominent cathedrals in North Kingdom include the Malachite Spires in Delaric, led by Patriarch Krennden, and the Basilica of the Scourge in Bellport, led by Patriarch Halldrem.

Rituals

Hextorian services feature chanting, wind instruments sounding discordant notes, shouts and screams, and iron weapons striking against solid objects.

The Feats of Strength

Before a Hextorian priest can advance in rank, they must demonstrate their martial prowess and fitness to rule. The nature of these feats varies, but they are all revealed through prayer and divine revelation. They can vary from tests of endurance that can be performed within the temple walls to unholy crusades against the forces of Good.

Holy Days

  • Blooding. During the week of Growfest, Hextorians exibit their strength, fitness, and martial prowess, sacrificing the lives of war prisoners to feed their god. Others cut themselves, offering their own blood to Hextor.
  • Discordsmight, celebrated on the 25th of Ready'reat, commemorates the struggle between the Medegian Bladelands and the followers of Heironeous. The church of Hextor teaches that this was a glorious victory in which the faithful pushed their boundaries all the way to the Flanmi River. Worshipers of Heironeous, however, celebrate a parallel holiday of Valormight on the same day, where they celebrate the fact that the Hextorians were unable to push past that river as a great victory for the forces of Good.

Creative origins

Hextor was created by E. Gary Gygax.

Bibliography

  • Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online:[1]
  • Haley, Jason H. "The Allure of Evil." Dragon #361. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007. Available online: [2]
  • Holian, Gary. "Paladins of Greyhawk." Dungeon #104. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2003.
  • Pramas, Chris. "The Armies of Thalos." Dragon #287. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2001.
  • -----. "The Empire of Ravilla." Dragon #285. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2001.
  • Reynolds, Sean K. "Core Beliefs: Heironeous." Dragon #354. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.
  • -----. "Core Beliefs: Hextor." Dragon #356. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.
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