>>5333010Malar, known also as the Beastlord, the Black-Blooded Pard, and the Stalker, is the god of the savage wild. Hunters, bloodlust, predatory beasts, and stealthy pursuit are his purview, and he is well-liked by those who hunt only for the sport of it. The survival of the strong and culling of the weak are chief among his precepts, and all Malarites wish to die a bloody, violent death, for the challenge between hunter and prey is the most important facet of mortal life. Indeed, he commands that his faithful never kill from a distance and always taste the blood of those whom they have slain.
The church - if it can be called that - is scattered and only loosely bound. Malar is not a popular god, and believers spend their time in the wilderness hunting or harassing roads and small communities. Naturally, the worship of Malar revolves around the hunt. Prayers are to be offered before and during the chase, after which the faithful celebrate with a toast - occasionally, they quite literally drink the blood of their prey. There are but two important rites in the Malarite religion; the Feast of Stags, a festival of gluttony during which even non-believers are invited to dine on hunted animals in peace, and the High Hunt.
The High Hunt must take place once every season by Malar's decree, and all clergy that can walk must participate. A non-believer, equipped with any non-magical weapons and armor they desire, is set loose into a wooded area, surrounded on all sides by faithful. Every Malarite, armed with nothing but a single knife, is tasked with hunting down them down for the glory of their god. Should the prey escape the boundary or survive for a full day and a night, however, they may never be hunted again and can ask any boon of Malar's priests that does not involve the murder of a Malarite.
The god himself appears as a catlike beast, always covered in blood, or a similar black-furred creature, as well as a cloud of darkness surrounding two red eyes. When needed, he can act through predators such as bears, wolves, and lyc-.... lyca-.... lyca-...
