Handok

Handok is the elemental deity of fire. He represents both the death and pain that fire can bring, and the life it can sustain. His priests' favoured colours are red, black and gold, though opulent robes of patterened white, yellow, orange and blue can also be seen from time to time.

Dogma
Hendok represents survival of the fittest. His worship spreads from the northern Nherazkar to virtually all across the lands. He's worshipped by northern merchants, that believe him to be the guiding fire in the cold, frigid north's wastes.

His worship also consists of hardy warriors, mercenaries, and every tribe that doesn't worship Silvana or the Beast.

His most important teaching is claimed to be that the strong shall forever feast on the flesh of the unfit, the weak. The dogmatics of cruel survival overlap the entire cultural preference of these people; their only goal is to gain more power to survive the coming destruction prophecised by the Fittest. They see the element of fire to be the most important wealth; having your own campfire, you may survive the night.

Hendok's symbol is a flaming hand holding a Bastard Sword, his favoured weapon.

Followers of Hendok are never elves, as elves are deemed weak and unfit by the standards of the Dark Fire.

Hendok's high cleric is currently Holden Ramos, a murderous ex-citizen of solinar. His high cleric changes whenever the previous one is put out of its misery by another cleric, that then manages to win the Deity's attention.

Hendok, He loves strife, loves to put people to tests and enjoys his power more abusively than any other deity. He has the least wisdom of all deities as such and while he's a typical evil mastermind he has zero tolerance for physical weakness such as halflings or elves. He has a diehard sense of honor in a very malevolent way which demands any worshipper to commit self-abuse whenever they fail to complete a task given by the church or government He's an active deity, often appears as a helmed face in braziers, campfires, torches

You can become a high cleric one day by defeating some enemy of the Kingdom, and fall to become a peasant or even slave the other by disrespecting your superior.

Highly structured and regimented, based on respect, with any treachery done from below done silently.

The Lord himself says "Hail me, the only true might, or fall beneath the darkness without my embracing fire. The fit must survive the weak must fall, to shine my glory."

Nherazkar, which translates to Northwind Harbor but it strangely also means Rage's Nest in Orcish, was founded by merchants and sailors meeting in the same valley over years. It only used to be a spring and autumn meeting spot to trade So the Fire itself is very important in their lives, both literally and as a metaphore The fire of warmth, the only thing that helps survive the frigid north, the only thing important. That's how they look at HÃ¤Â®Â¤ok. Their savior, their guidance, their only messiah

Rituals
Flamewalking: Every youngster that's to turn adult must walk five yards on laid out glowing hot cinders, reciting the prayer of the dark fire:

"Where there is light, Darkness shall rise. Where there is faith, there is demise. Let Darkness fall and subdue the light. Let the land tremble beneath Lord Hendok's Might."

Firelighting: Whenever an adventurer of the Dark Faith lights or uses fire, they recite the prayer. (Doesn't apply to mages continuously casting fire spells or striking opponents with flaming weapons though)

To Dust We Return: The dead are burnt ritually, dressed in dark red and black clothing. They believe that enduring the flames of a burning corpse with one's hand may bring favour of the deity himself.

Position
Within a divine pantheon, Handok is sometimes seen as the father of Seleen.