| Other Names | The Wicked |
| Area Of Control | War, cruelty, evil, power |
| Ethos | Cruelty breed strength. Strength allows war. War is power. |
| Pantheon | Baenite |
| Worshipers | Baenite warriors exclusively. Mostly male. |
| Appearance | Mektor - The red moon. |
| Symbol | Mektor - The red moon. |
Xar's symbol is the blood red moon because the blood of enemies surrounds him. Xar is the epitome of baenite strength of will. He is a strong ally of Morcrya who also believes in strength through force of will. Xar personifies this but in a more physical way. Xar is merciless to his enemies. If killing one enemy will solve a problem Xar wil wipe out that enemy's village. If a single thrust to the heart will kill an enemy, Xar will hack the being to pieces and then burn the pieces. He is nothing if not absolutely thorough.
Physically, Xar is hideous. He appears humanoid, but every inch of his flesh is horribly burned. Dozens of terrible wounds continue to bleed endlessly. His eyes blaze a ferocious violet bright enough to lit a room.
Baenite mythology holds that Xar was the bravest, deadliest, most ferocious baenite warrior of all history. He slew thousands in dozens of clan feuds. Before long, he had his own army. Turning on his own clan, he began a military reign of tyranny which continued for years until finally several clans united against him. In a climactic battle, he was impaled by a lance. Records of the time state that he fought on even though many say he shoud have died. The united clans destroyed his army and surrounded Xar. He received dozens of blows which should have killed him and still he fought on. Finally, by sheer numbers, he was bound and burned at the stake there on the battle field, surrounded by the bodies of his slain soldiers. When the stake and ropes burned away, Xar, scorched beyond anything human, arose, picked up a sword and swung a might blow against one of the clan leaders, taking his head. The united clans fled the battle field in horror. And there they left him, a walking thing of death, killed a hundred times over, shrieking out battle cries amidst a field of corpses.
The astute pupil of religion will note surprisingly parallels between the baenite god Xar and the ogrish god Kael. Most scholars agree that the deity worshiped by these two races is in fact the same god simply worshiped with different trappings. The contiguous geography of the religions (Duthelm, Baen and the Coalition) tend to support this theory. However, even if these two churches are worshiping the same god, there are distinct differences in the practices, laws and rituals of these religions and these differences are worth taking note of.
Xar priests must mutilate their bodies in some way to show their loyalty to Xar. This often involves burning a part of their body, but may also be poking out an eye or severing a hand. Xar priests wear black robes with red runes. They fight with serrated blades and often use spikes, chains, poisons and other unpleasant devices in combat. Xar priests are often appointed high ranking positions in baenite military structures and constantly push the baenites to crush their enemies, to survive against unbelievable odds and more. They are difficult to kill. Ritual ceremonies often involve tortures and ritual sacrifices, games of combat, pit fighting and more. Xarian priests are usually the ones that deal out punishment to prisoners, especially non-Baenite prisoners.
This page last updated Wednesday, December 24, 2008. Copyright 1990-2009 David M. Roomes.