Kamus

Title Father of Creation, The Divine hammer
Portfolio Forge, protection, strategy
Alignment Lawful Good
Worshipers smiths, soldiers, officers, rulers, and scouts
Worshiper Alignment LG,NG,LN
Domains Earth, Good, Law, Protection
Subdomains Archon, Caves, Defense, Metal
Favored Weapon Warhammer
Symbol Iron hammer
Allows creation or rising of undead: No
Favored Animal(s) Badger
Sacred Colors Gold, gray

God of the forge, protection, and strategy

Obedience

After reciting a traditional prayer to Kamus, either work at a forge or strike a small replica of an anvil or a sizable flat stone with a hammer for at least 10 minutes. If the sound of your hammer draws a creature near, encourage it to join in your worship of the Father of Creation. If hostilities become inevitable, leap into the fray with a battle shout in praise of Kamus. Perform some small act toward maintaining your weapon, such as sharpening or polishing it, as you conclude your obedience with another prayer to Kamus’s might and wisdom. Alternatively, if you have created something through this effort, grant it to the next person you meet who strikes you as fair and honorable. Gain a +1 sacred bonus on all attack rolls made with Blunt Weapons.

Dogma

Kamus is an ancient god, and his followers credit him with the creation of the world at his great forge, striking his new work again and again with his hammer to get the shape he desired. A millennia, under his stern eye

As god of the forge, the Father of Creation concerns himself with the art of creating and shaping metal. He believes that shoddy workmanship insults not only the crafter and the wielder of a tool or weapon, but the item
itself, and pushes his followers to continually refine and improve their craft. A devout worshiper makes weapons that don't fail in battle and tools than don't wear quickly under heavy use. Kamus opposes the destruction of well crafted things, and frowns on burying armor and weapons with the dead, as these items can help protect a vulnerable community or bring needed coin to an impoverished one.

Kamus is a shrewd planner, a great advocate of contingencies, and he holds forethought as one of the principal gifts of living well. However, he knows there are times when a Person needs to abandon a failing strategy
and think on her feet, so Kamus respects officers, soldiers, and wardens who demonstrate this quality. He prefers

The Church

Priests create and maintain the armor and weapons of the faithful, build defenses for their settlements, and instruct militias in the use of weaponry and tactics for proper civil defense. Lay artisans garner respect within
the church, especially skilled smiths. Likewise, tactically minded laity of the community are welcome to give their suggestions to the temple priests, though they are not conventionally given any sort of official role in the
religious hierarchy.

Typical worshipers of Kamus include smiths, soldiers, officers, rulers, and scouts. They craft tools and weapons for the community, watch territorial borders, keep streets safe, plan and build defenses, and train others to forge
and to protect their people. They're stable, dependable, conservative, loyal, and diligent.

Temple worship services take place at the central forge, with the high priest leading the ceremony and other priests assisting at the anvils. Services consist of long chants, punctuated by the din of hammers and bellows
to keep time. These services might incorporate actual crafting, the products of which may be sold to traveling merchants to support the temple or given to needy members of the community.

The faithful of Kamus consider burrowing animals and those that dwell in caves and mountainous areas sacred, and eat them only when starvation is the only other choice. Flying creatures that live underground, however-in
particular, bats, mobats, and skavelings-are seen as unclean abominations, and many members of the faith insist on performing ablutions or conducting a minor purification ritual after touching or being touched by
such creatures.

Kamus strongly encourages his followers to marry, and it's common for his servants to marry other priests from the same temple in unions arranged by the high priest. He also encourages his followers to have (or adopt) children. In some communities, it is traditional for an unmarried priest (especially an older one uninterested in a physical marriage or far past reproductive age) to be "spiritually betrothed" to a named celestial servitor associated with that community.

Temples and Shrines

to Kamus, and even his smallest temple includes at least one anvil. Most temples are circular, built around a large, central forge, fully functional and with satellite anvils throughout. The devout use all these workspaces at
various times of the day, and the noise from early morning prayer-work makes it almost impossible to sleep in at a temple-though some churches have a remote chamber, such as an infirmary, for when quiet is needed. Many
settlements build their temples into the outer defensive wall to keep the noise away from residences and to allow the priests to monitor the city's defenses. Priests enlarge temples to meet the needs of their communities, and older settlements usually have grand cathedrals built around or over the original temples. Many contain mausoleums, Every temple is stocked with arms and foodstuffs so it can be used as a fortress and rallying point if the
community comes under attack.

typical shrine-whether public or in a home-is an alcove with an anvil-shaped altar. Miners and explorers may place a small statue of Kamus or sometimes a stone bearing his hammer symbol-in an alcove or niche so the god may watch over them; it is customary to leave the statue in place for others to see, rather than to bring the statue with you when you leave, and therefore devoted explorers carry several statues with them or quickly carve
one when needed.

Taboos

Kamus is by nature a conservative god, and cautions against rash behavior. Making impetuous decisions, flaunting tradition, disregarding proven counsel out of hand, and intentionally crafting items of less than exceptional quality (except under the most dire circumstances) all draw his ire.

A Priest's Role

Kamus is not a god of half-measures. Priests either accept his doctrine as it is. They're expected to remain orthodox in all ways, and offer every action they take in service of their goals: the safety of their people, the defeat of their enemies, and the production of useful and sturdy tools for civilization. Life is a precious gift, and every breath taken should have purpose to it, even if that purpose is simply enjoying the company of friends and a mug of ale.

Though most of Kamus's followers are clerics, fighters, cavaliers, or paladins, the church also welcomes bards, as the faithful need someone to remind them of history and heroes, so they can emulate their examples. There are a few unarmed monasteries dedicated to Kamus, though monks are rare among the clergy most believe the Father of Creation favors the hammer and axe over the naked fist.

Kamus's inquisitors search for weaknesses in the walls and other defenses, root out cheats and thieves that undermine safety and prosperity. They remain alert for the presence of kobolds, goblins, and orcs, and also train common folk in the best tactics for defeating these common enemies. Every priest undergoes at least a small amount of training in some kind of smithing, as well as Knowledge (engineering) to better construct defenses and Knowledge (history) to learn the battle tactics of famous leaders.

Several military orders pledge themselves to Kamus's service.these knights have little use for the needless ceremony common to other knightly orders, and speak only when necessary, though they usually still relax and allow themselves to laugh in the company of friends and family. When the time comes to act, they do so without hesitation, placing themselves between their people and danger, warhammers at the ready. Each morning, a priest rises early to stoke the coals of a temple forge, and then prepares breakfast while the forge reaches a suitable temperature. After eating, the priest does a little short-term work at the forge or anvil as a morning prayer, such as smelting a few chunks of ore or hammering a metal bar into a more useful shape for an apprentice or another priest to use.

The priest prepares spells during this meditative, repetitive activity. After morning prayers, the priest leaves to pursue his assigned duties, which may be at the forge or anvil or elsewhere in the settlement. Acolytes assist smiths when equipment runs short, aid in drilling new soldiers in military maneuvers and weapon training, and carry orders from generals to military outposts Most priests work as smiths for governmental or military organizations. They understand the practical needs of crafting as a necessary trade rather than as a form of artistic expression, and a weapon or piece of armor with Kamus's symbol on the smith-mark might not be ornate or even overly pretty but it was surely tested for quality and durability.

Priests who aren't inclined to work at a forge, anvil, or architect's desk all day gravitate toward leadership positions where they can use their knowledge to direct others on the battlefield or city walls, whipping them into shape and maintaining discipline. In a fortress with a priest of Kamus serving as the steward, guards never sleep on duty.

Kamus's clergy take their responsibilities seriously, and are deeply involved with their communities. When they take up adventuring, it is with the goal of bettering their communities in some way. They expect to lead, or
at the very least to be consulted on decisions, and can be expected to have a contingency plan ready at all times. This need for everything to be properly planned may lead them to act like judgmental parents, or bark at their companions about how a careless act could endanger everyone, but few can argue with the quality of their preparation and organization. They don't like being idle, and prefer to keep their hands busy even while resting, braiding leather cords into thicker strands (perhaps for use as a cover for a weapon hilt) or inspecting a bag of crossbow bolt heads for flawed units in need of reforging.

A typical adventuring priest is familiar with crafting, military hierarchy, and basic troop defense strategies. The church is organized like an army, with clear ranks and a chain of command. The High Defender is the leader of the
overall church. the heads of individual temples serve collectively as his military council, though in practice this means his council is usually composed of temple leaders from the nearest settlements. The church grants promotions and awards for excellent strategic ideas; heroic acts of defense in battle; and innovations in forging, smelting, and other crafting. Many settlements make the priesthood an official part of the city guard, though priests are only required to follow orders from lay officers in times of civil defense.

Holy text

The official holy book of the church is Hammer and Tongs: The Forging of Metal and Other Good Works. As it's meant to be used for reference near forges and in other situations where lesser books might catch fire, it's usually bound in metal, and its leather pages are coated in flame-resistant lacquer. It gives instructions on how to shape stone, build walls, smelt base metals, and forge iron and steel, as well as basic information about various predatory monsters and how to defend against them. The oldest copy of the book in a particular community (typically the one used in the main temple) includes a record of when the settlement was founded, which families or clans were involved in its founding, and other notable events in its history.

Holidays

None

Relation with Other Religions

Kamus has battled destructive deities and their minions since the dawn of the world. Kamus's followers find Eyvra's worshipers too forgiving. The Father of Creation and his craft-inclined worshipers respect Avasir for his adherence to law and commerce, and Irori for his discipline. Kamus likes Gavet's humor and love of ale, and respects Samaria's martial prowess and devotion to order and good. He gets along well with Alaister, perhaps the only deity more curmudgeonly than he is.

his followers largely keep to themselves enough that they need neither know nor care much about other faiths. When they do come in contact with other religions, they see the followers of other faiths as flighty, frivolous, and prone to waste too much of their time on nonessential works. They are most likely to appreciate the attitudes of Alaister's worshipers, who value community and family, and they salute the discipline of Samaria's followers.

Like their god, they find the faithful of Gavet relaxing-there's something about their geniality that loosens the stiff followers of Kamus up a bit. Of course, the Gavetites can take it too far, and affection for them can quickly turn paternalistic and dismissive. Followers of the Father of Creation like to keep busy, and though they'd never admit it, those that do regularly interact with other faiths often find themselves glad of the opportunity to be useful as they improve allies' tools and capabilities.

Kamus's Paladin code

Paladins of Kamus are dedicated to protecting not just the loves but the ways of life for those under their charge, and hold the ways of their chosen people as holy, specially when they are centuries- old works and traditions of an entire race. Their tenets include the following Affirmations.

  • My word is my bond. When i give my word formally, i defend my oath to my death. Traps lie in idle banter or thoughtless talk, and so i watch my tongue.
  • I am at all times truthful, honorable and forthright, but my allegiance is to my people. I will do what is necessary to serve them, including misleading others if need be.
  • I respect the forge, and never sully it with half-heartened work. My creations reflect the depth of my faith, and i will not allow flaws save in direst need.
  • Against my people's enemies, I will show no mercy. I will not allow their surrender, execpt when strategy warrants. I will defeat them, yet even if their dire struggle, i will act in a way that brings honor to Kamus

The following content has been adopted from the god, Torag, created by Paizo. Due to the game's individual setting, races, names and locations may be altered or removed entirely. Please recognize that these gods are not canon to the world of Golarion, so any comments, complaints, or concerns can be directed to the game's admin staff for further inquiry and answers. Thank you in advance.

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