Alignment: Lawful Evil
Portfolios: vengeance, battle, duels
Races: Human, dwarven
Animal Totem: Velociraptor

Physical Description: K'Tath is usually shown in statues as a short, robust man with massive hands and a wide face. He wears strong plate and chains beneath robes of office, and always has a nasty looking battle-axe in one hand. While K'Tath's lips twitch with unreleased anger, there is a certain sadness in his eyes that seems to haunt those that gaze too long upon the statues.

History: During the chaos of the Shaping Wars, a number of peoples and even entire nations were thrown from their homes as each faction searched for relics and artifacts to make it superior to the others. A general air of vengeance settled upon many of the displaced nations, and because they couldn't assault the various factions head on, they were denied an outlet for their rage and frustration. Many peoples took to internal conflicts, and both priests and monks were caught in the exchanges.

At a monastary in the nation of Themistil, bandits forced their way in, searching for gold and rare items to sale. The monks were slaughtered, and in a hidden room, the Relic of K'Tath called forth. The bandit leader, named Ledoleran Qillvard, became the first Chosen of K'Tath. His newfound abilities let him maintain his stranglehold on the bandits, and then lead them into a new era of power. The Church of K'Tath grew, giving many an outlet for their rage and frustration at the indignities of the Shaping Wars.

As the Age of Peace settled over the land, K'Tath and his minions faded into the background of the newer nations. The priests of K'Tath served as arbiters and referees for personal duels, helped fuel gang wars, and generally maintained a strangle-hold on the weaker peoples within great kingdoms. Because they were perceived as honorable and trustworthy, they were tolerated by a great many, even though their intentions were anything but good. Mobsters and mafia advisors and aides, the priests of K'Tath survived the Age of Peace by aiding illegal trade, siphoning off money from the underclass, and keeping the authorities guessing.

The Church of K'Tath made several in-roads among the less civilized dwarves. Those that craved battle and blood lust found K'Tath's teachings quite favorable, and the deep dwarves in particular grew to like the God of Retribution. Real or imagined racial tensions, both between certain nationalities of human, and between the humans and the other races, also served to expand the worship of K'Tath by a small but determined group of followers.

Several centuries before the Storm Wars, it was the priests of K'Tath alone in the northern lands that began to suspect the coming of Nathel. Rather than warn their peoples, the church kept the information to itself. When Nathel's armies invaded, the Church of K'Tath quickly allied itself with the Dark God -- much to the annoyance and disbeleif of its followers. As Nathel's forces advanced with or without the aid of the God of Retribution, the followers of K'Tath began to abandon his teachings in horror and disgust. After the defeat and death of Nathel, and then the defeat of Nabrol, K'Tath's priests were replaced with priests of Samis and Dakis. The Church of K'Tath began to fall out of favor with the majority of the people.

The church held on in small areas, and its greatest conquest was the Alekdan Principalities. The harsh laws and draconian politics of the pirate princes that ruled there was perfect for the church. With its new toe-hold, K'Tath's priests began to expand once again, taking advantage of the new Age of Regret. Though bitterly defeated, the new twist on the Church was one of maintaining the status quo, and this new philosophy helped the rich stay rich, and the dirty stay dirty -- without being caught. The church nearly completely lost the favor of the dwarves, but in recent years, has begun to make considerable inroads with the Ogre Nations, allowing orcs and ogres and kobolds into its midsts.

Relic: The Relic of K'Tath had been kept a secret within the church, held by the reigning Disciple as a balance against the whims of the Chosen. In the aftermath of the Storm Wars, the reigning Disciple was Mavron Keltomath, a pirate and a sailor of some skill. Rebuking the laws of Olorin, he led a small armada on a rampage through the seas south of Galanath for a number of years. Olorin brought in a small navy of zaratans, Sholin vessels, giant squid, and even the giant whales. The battle was over with within a week, and K'Tath's relic fell to the bottom of the seas, still clutched by Mavron Keltomath's skeletal hand. Thereafter, a forcible peace was reached, and the followers of K'Tath would respect the laws of the seas. Ironically, the church was against vengeance on Olorin, and the loss of the Relic allowed the formation of the Alekdan Principalaties, and a resurgence of piracy upon the open seas, as well as a respect of Olorin.

Church: The Church of K'Tath promotes quick and deadly justice for all wrongs, real or imagined. Its rules are hard and swift, but deamed as fair by the cruel and twisted minds that are drawn to it. Because the priests can usually be considered honorable, the church is tolerated in a great many kingdoms. Few can ever link the church with its healings of bandits, its encouragement of duels, and its participation in gang wars. In other places, the church grants aid to those who need revenge, either in weapons or prayers or training. Many people know that, should events in their lives make them bitter, the Church of K'Tath will be there for them with open arms. The church even helps some nations keep their peasants in their 'rightful' place, aiding those nations with healers and combat priests of considerable skill. For others, the Church of K'Tath is best place to learn tactics, dirty fighting, and other tricks of survival found nowhere else.

Clerics: General priests within the church fill in the gaps created between the monks and the Intimos Sect of specialty priests. The clerics wear armor as they need it, and use weaponry where needed -- though they are forbidden to use ranged weapons of any kind. Usually relegated to general religeous performances and the duties of the church, they are the mainstay of worship that the general public sees, and the most common proponents. Held to a higher order of honor than the other priests, the clerics tend to be more Lawful Neutral, but not always.

Specialty priests: Heavily armed and armored, they are among the deadliest of priests to engage in battle. Because of this, they must have Strength, Constitution, and Wisdom scores of at least 12. K'Tath and his archons grant these holy warriors major access to the spheres of All, Charm, Combat, Necromantic, Protection, and Summoning. K'Tath restricts these priests, granting them minor access to the spheres of Creation, Divination, Guardian, and Healing. Though they may not use ranged weapons of any sort, they are permitted melee weapons of considerable power. Additionally, the Disciple that grants them status as members of the Intimos Sect (as the specialty priests are known), gives them the diluted blood from one of K'Tath's archons. This blood grants them: 1) the ability to cast prayers from their major spheres of access with a casting time of one, and maximum die rolls where appropriate, 2) they regenerate 1 Hit Point per round only when engaged in combat, and 3) allows them to 'hide' their arms and armor without expending spell slots; opponents must save versus rods/staves/wands to detect their personal weapons and the armor they wear. The 'charming' abilities of the priests usually makes them just as formidable outside of combat, as in it, even though the major tenants of K'Tath deal with battle, blood, and beer. The Intimos Sect operates independantly of the rest of the Church, led by their own Disciple and his attendant bishops.

Monks: The backbone of the Church of K'Tath is its monks -- men and women who study the teachings of K'Tath in considerable detail. They are master tacticians, capabable of discerning the some way to survive from the grimmest of battle situations. Able administrators, they also keep tabs on local affairs, watching for the right moments to interject the need for vengeance or battle. Poor stategists, they rarely plan for prolonged battles. As well, they rarely carry a grudge from one tactical appointment to another. Master's of dirty fighting techniques, they often duel with one another for positions of importance within the hierarchy of the church, although some are content to merely maintain their positions.

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