Template:Greyhawk Deity
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting and the default pantheon of deities for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, 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 spiked arrows.
Hextor was created by E. Gary Gygax.[citation needed]
Hextor was first detailed for the Dungeons & Dragons game in "The Deities and Demigods of the World of Greyhawk" by Gary Gygax in Dragon #67 (1982).[1] Hextor was subsequently detailed in the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting (1983), and [2] in Greyhawk Adventures (1988).[3]
Hextor was one of the deities described in the From the Ashes set (1992), for the Greyhawk campaign,[4] and appeared again in Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins (1998).[5]
His role in the cosmology of the Planescape campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).[6]
Hextor appears as one of the deities described in the Players Handbook for this edition (2000). Hextor's role in the 3rd edition Greyhawk setting was defined in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000).[7]
Hextor is also detailed in Deities and Demigods (2002).[8]
Hextor appears in the revised Players Handbook for this edition (2003). His priesthood is detailed for this edition in Complete Divine (2004).[9]
Hextor and his priesthood were expanded upon in Dragon #356 (2007), in the "Core Beliefs" column.[10]
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.
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 Magazine #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 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.
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, but order is meaningless without the will to enforce it. Tyrants are to be obeyed, and dissenters are to be oppressed or killed. Slaves must obey their masters.
Congregations of Hextorians can be found in Alhaster and especially throughout the North Kingdom, where Hextor's church is the official state religion.
Non-evil worshippers of Hextor embrace the security and order that the Scourge of Battle brings. They believe that only the harshness of Hextor's order can create perfect justice for all, and that these ends justify the means they use to attain them. However, they prefer educating nonbelievers first, and using force only when other means fail. They believe slavery is a necessary evil, the rock upon which civilization is built. They believe in properly caring for their slaves, but insist that slaves obey the will of their master without hesitating or questioning.
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.
The fallen paladin, the blackguard Lindroos, is a servant of the infernal god.
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.
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. Temples of Hextor tend to operate openly, working hand in fist with the laws of the land.
Hextorian services feature chanting, wind instruments sounding discordant notes, shouts and screams, and iron weapons striking against solid objects.
Hextorians swear mighty oaths in battle, such as "Strength in victory!" "Mercy is for the weak!" or "Death to the unworthy!" a not-so-veiled reference to Heironeous and his worshippers.
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.