“Then came Vardur, a walking mountain, his eyes smoldering embers, and his flesh made of armor. Vardur strode forth, seeking battle against the horrors, but after a time he returned, his armor dented and torn, one glowing eye gone dark from a terrible wound. He told the other gods of what he had faced, and how the creatures were as endless as their hunger.”

-The Tale of Creation

He shattered a piece from the darkness with one mailed fist and used his teeth and knives to tear a hole big enough to emerge into the welcoming light of Marath’s lantern. Ever since he is said to be the terror that fights against the darkness. His voice is the sound of thunder rolling across an open field, and his gaze causes his foes to wilt and flee before him.

Vardur is said to have fought Marath upon first meeting him, in an attempt to determine who was superior. Their fight endured for quite some time, and in the end, they were at a draw. Marath’s hammer had caused a great glowing welt upon Vardur’s chest, and Marath had lost a hand, which he later replaced with one made of iron. In the north a chasm called Vardur’s Scar is said to have been formed during the fight, when the tip of his sword gouged through the land.

While Marath and Narunae protect against the Outer Darkness, Vardur rides forth against it, clashing with all manner of great horrors. His blade severed the three heads of Yul-Gatha the Serpent, his spears pierced the hide of the Beast of Dathos, and he wrestled the alligator called Khur-Eshak and carved its hide from the creature’s bones to later make a shield.

Appearance

He is the Lord of War. He is often depicted in a suit of armor which is covered in dents and scratches, carrying a sword or lance at his side. He rides a chariot pulled by a pair of massive bulls, known as Gurox and Turesk. Their horns gore as their hooves trample those that would stand in front of the chariot, and their hides are stained crimson with blood.

Stoneborn have a few alternate depictions of him, sometimes calling him the “Lord Beneath” in reference to him ruling all subterranean realms. He is both seen as the ruler beneath the mountain and a personification of the mountain itself.

Followers

Those who walk the path of Vardur are from many cultures, although he tends to have more ardent followers among the Stoneborn and the Ughol. 

Common Practices

Those who venerate Vardur often smudge black paint around one eye before going into battle. 

Even when not in preparation for a fight, his followers will wear a single piece of metal armor, usually a bracer, that has seen the horror of battle and bears dents or gouges.

Adherents who receive terrible wounds in battle and survive will often take steps to make their scars more noticeable, often by rubbing ash and ink into the healing wounds.