Alignment: Neutral Category: None Domains: War Home Plane: Limbo Pantheon: Faerûnian Symbol: Upright flaming sword Typical Worshipers: Fighters, mercenaries, warriors
God of War and Battle. Tempus is concerned with brave conduct during war, the use of force over words, and the encouragement of bloodshed. His chaotic nature means his favor falls on all sides equally — he may be an army’s ally one day and its enemy the next.
When he manifests before a battle, he appears as a powerfully built warrior dressed in the style of those who see him. If he rides Veiros, his white mare, the army he appears before will succeed. If he rides Deiros, his black stallion, defeat is certain. Most often he rides with one foot in each mount’s stirrup, signifying the unpredictable nature of battle. He may also send a Celestial Berserker to carry his will.
Tempus’s Honor
Over the centuries, Tempus’s priests have spread a code of warfare called Tempus’s Honor — a set of rules designed to make conflict brief, decisive, and as safe as possible for non-combatants. Its tenets include: arm anyone who has need of a weapon; disparage no foe; acquit yourself with bravery; train all for battle; and do not engage in feuds. Those who poison wells, kill noncombatants, or engage in torture in the name of war are considered enemies of the faith.
Priests & Worshipers
Worshipers of Tempus are legion, and his name is carried in the hearts of soldiers across Faerûn. His priests are tacticians skilled in the art of war. Many serve as battlefield chaplains with armies and mercenary companies, encouraging fellow soldiers with word and blade. They teach that war conducted properly is fair — each soldier equally poised for death or glory — and that mortals should see war as a natural force, the storm that civilization brings about by its very existence.
Stormknives
A brotherhood of mercenaries organized around Tempus’s Honor. A warrior becomes a Stormknife simply by declaring it, carrying a dagger at all times, and wearing a patch bearing four drops of blood. Their symbol’s four drops represent four loyalties in ascending order: loyalty to the sword (always choose violence), loyalty to the client, loyalty to the contract, and loyalty to Tempus — whose will supersedes all other obligations.
In the Campaign
Thorkell, the Eternal Warrior is described as an “ascendant” of Tempus — a warrior who has transcended ordinary limits through devotion to the god. He chooses to remain in the Arena of Calimsharn, seeking worthy opponents.