Malar (Forgotten Realms)

Forgotten Realms Deity|fgcolor=#fff


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name=Malar
title=The Beastlord
home=Fury's Heart/Carceri
power=Lesser
alignment=Chaotic Evil
portfolio=Hunters, Beasts, Bloodlust
alias=
super=Talos

Malar is the Faerûnian deity of the hunt, evil lycanthropes (werecreatures), and bestial savagery and bloodlust in Ed Greenwood's "Forgotten Realms" fictional world of Abeir-Toril. His dogma, such as it is, concerns savage hunts (often of sapient, humanoid prey), the spreading of the curse of lycanthropy (primarily of the werewolf variety), and general contempt for civilization.

Followers

Malarites believe that it is honor to Malar if you make your killing bloody and long. The followers of Malar sometimes form in bands, called Hunts. They are forbidden from slaying the young or the pregnant, and cull the weak and lame from animal groups. In general, Hunts are split into two kinds; there are those who evoke wanton slaughter in his name (they're usually lycanthropes), and those who follow his Dogma a bit more strictly.

Malarites are generally frowned upon by civilization, as they tend to wreak havoc in their wake. One country where Malar's worship is allowed is Cormyr.

The Church of Malar has two major holy days, the first being the High Hunt, a vicious hunt in which a captured humanoid is released, and for the next day and night, his goal is to escape the prowling worshippers of the Beastlord. If he manages to survive, he wins his freedom as well as, perhaps, other things.

The second is the day which has made Malar's worship more tolerable in certain areas, the Feast of Stags. During the harsh winters in the northern parts of Faerûn, Hunts will choose a village in the wilderness. They provide food for the people, and one or two pledge themselves to keeping the village fed through the snows.

There appears to be a similar Deity to Malar called "Zamok the Destroyer." Beodaewn, the leader of a cult of Werewolves in "Icewind Dale II" states that 'We have been persecuted in the past for a *mistaken* association on our beliefs with those of Malar. On the surface, Malar and Zamok the Destroyer look similar, but the Fifth House of the Blood Moon seems... Oh forget it.'

References

*Boyd, Eric L, and Erik Mona. "Faiths and Pantheons" (Wizards of the Coast, 2002).
*Martin, Julia, and Eric L Boyd. "Faiths & Avatars" (TSR, 1996).