Malar

Malar (pronounced MAHL-arr ), The Beastlord, was the lesser deity of the hunt, evil lycanthropes, bestial savagery and bloodlust. His dogma concerned savage hunts, the spreading of the curse of lycanthropy and general contempt for civilization. As of the events of the Spellplague, he was an exarch of Silvanus.

Worshipers
Malarites believed that it was an honor to Malar to make one's killing bloody and long. His followers sometimes formed in bands, called Hunts. While forbidden to slay the young or the pregnant, Hunts typically followed his dogma and evoked wanton slaughter in Malar's name. Malarites were generally frowned upon by civilization, as they tended to wreak havoc in their wake. One exception where the worship of Malar was allowed, was in Cormyr.

One of the most respected servants of Malar was Garmos Saernclaws, who was responsible for the gospel of Saernclaws by which all priests of Malar were bound, ensuring that hunts remained clean and disease-free.

High Hunt
This ritual was a vicious hunt in which a captured humanoid was released, and for the next day and night attempted to escape the prowling worshipers of the Beastlord. If he managed to survive, he won his freedom as well as, perhaps, other things.

Feast of Stags
This day made Malar's worship more tolerable in certain areas. During the harsh winters in the northern parts of Faerûn, Hunts chose a village in the wilderness, providing food for the people, with one or two Malarites pledging themselves to keeping the village fed through the snows.



Relationships
Before the Spellplague ravaged Faerûn, Malar was one of the Deities of Fury, led by Talos. He held a long standing alliance with Lolth against the Seldarine, and other dark deities like Bane and Loviatar. He fought against deities of peace, civilization, and nature, but held particular hate for Nobanion for defeating him in a battle during the time of troubles. Almost every other god hated him, including a number of other evil deities.

Although Malar and Silvanus were not fond of each other and typically viewed each other as opponents, after the events of the Spellplague Malar became subject to Silvanus' rule as a resident of the Deep Wilds. Despite this, Silvanus did not rein in Malar.

Dogma
Survival of the fittest and the winnowing of the weak are Malar's legacy. A brutal, bloody death or kill has great meaning. The crux of life is the challenge between the hunter and the prey, the determination of who lives or dies. View every important task as a hunt. Remain ever alert and alive. Walk the wilderness without trepidation, and show no fear to the hunt. Savagery and strong emotions defeat reason and careful thought in all things. Taste the blood of those you slay, and never kill from a distance. Work against those who cut back the forest and who kill beasts solely because they are dangerous. Slay not the young, the pregnant, or deepspawn so that prey will remain plentiful.

Creative Origins
Malar was first created by Ed Greenwood, mentioned in the "Down-to-earth divinity" article of Dragon Magazine 54 (October 1981, pg 52).