Saren

Title The Tusked God, The Untamed, The Great Warden
Portfolio Forests, animals and lust
Typical Worshipers Druids, foresters, sylvan creatures
Typical Worshiper Alignment Chaotic Good
Domains Animal, Charm, Chaos, Plant
Subdomains Azata, Fur, Lust, Growth
Favored Weapon Greatclub
Favored Animal(s) Boar

Legends

Saren, the Tusked God, usually takes the form of an enormous warrior with skin the color of treebark, whose lower body is that of a boar‘s hindquarters, with a thick mane of bristly hair. The tusks in his lower jaw sparkle like scimitars of starlight; His avatar has been seen dancing in the faerie rings’s forests. Saren is a fierce protector of the forests and wilderness of his adopted planet, and patron to all who respect nature without attempting to tame it. He is not a cruel god, and grants his blessing to all those who respect his domain, whether they worship him or not. He shelters those who dwell in deep forest and encourages growth of all. Many forest peoples consider him a fertility god, and rituals to Saren often evoke lust in the participants; faerie rings in the grass surrounding a single stone are best to be avoided at night. Saren’s wrath is reserved for those who burn and despoil forests, and leave them a wasteland. Freedom is the ultimate virtue for Saren, and escaped slaves are said to find succor in his forests. In the Divine Record (for Saren keeps no texts) it is written that in another, ancient world, Saren was an arboreal fertility god, but a vicious war arose between his followers and those who embraced agriculture over wilderness. His primordial forests were burned to ash and cleared for pastures, and his people exterminated, forcing Saren to flee his universe. Upon being called, Saren established himself once more as guardian of the forests, this time gaining the worship of the sylvan creatures. While wounded from his loss and somewhat embittered, Saren is still more benevolent than not and while he is no friend to gods such as Toma Thule or Kamus, he has no vendetta against them, preferring to keep to His untouched wild lands.

Church

As a wilderness god, Saren’s followers typically wear only the hides of the beasts they have caught themselves during consecrated hunts; those newly introduced to the faith are often skyclad. Only fires started by lightning are used in sacred rituals, requiring his shamans to call lightning via magic, or perform rituals during storms. Saren’s faithful also eschew metal goods, except those captured in battle, with day-to-day tools and weapons made from bone, wood, stone, and other natural materials. They do not domesticate animals; participating in hunting, gathering and raiding for sustenance.

Spell Preparation Rituals

Sarenites pray for their spells in the nude, often a trial in the winter. The most important ritual in Saren’s faith is the Great Hunt, in which all the members of a tribe or coven seek out a colossal Dire Boar, supposedly sent by Saren himself to test them. The Hunt endures until the Boar is vanquished, potentially lasting weeks. When the Boar is killed, the hide, bones and tusk are considered holy and are used to make blessed weapons and armor, while the meat is consumed in a feast lasting days.

Religion Traits

The following religion traits may be chosen by worshipers of this deity.

Saren’s Berserk

You possess an inner ferocity like that of the boar, allowing you to stay conscious longer than normal.

Benefit You are still staggered and lose 1 hit point per round when below 0 hp.

Untamed

You embrace the Sarenite philosophy completely.

Benefit You gain a +2 trait bonus to Survival checks; +4 in forests. You do, however, suffer a -2 penalty to Profession checks and are always considered untrained for Handle Animal checks.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

The Gods of Porphyra © 2012, Purple Duck Games; Authors: Christopher Kaiser, Perry Fehr, Mark Gedak, August Hahn, John Hazen, Sean Holland, Sam Hing, James H. Lewis, Chris Longhurst, Scott Messer, Sean O’Connor, David Nicholas Ross, and Jeremy Whalen

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