Lozarl is the brother of Yu-Kargzant, the Lord of Below and the master of the Low Fires, the fires that are not within the sky. He is one of the few gods of Pent who is not represented as a horse, having become too impure to manifest in this way. Instead, he is a khulan or ass, close to a horse but full of the Earth’s impurity. He is the lord of the warmth under the earth, a lifebringer and protector of the poor, the half-man and the farmer. He is also the protector of rebels and the jailer of monsters, master of labor and commander of volcanos, and according to his cult, the lover and husband of Oria, though both Kargzant and West King Wind’s cults dispute this.
Lozarl is the brother of Yu-Kargzant and was the first of the sky gods to descend to the earth. At this time, he was a horse, as any god is. He explored extensively, meeting Oria and entering the world beneath the earth. For a long time he explored this dark and terrible place, defeating and binding monsters and building his great house. He traded his light away in exchange for a mastery of stone and clay, for his light had grown dark and tarnished. When he emerged from his new home, he found that he had also traded away his purity. While he could purify himself, he was no longer a horse and could not return to the sky. Instead, he became the khan of the khulans, stubborn and powerful, and used his strength to move the earth.
Lozarl thus is the god that honors the Half-Men most, for his soul also is tarnished. He is mount and rider, but he is not horse and man. Lozarl is the protector of the Half-Man, the laborer and the farmer, who speaks their needs to those above him. When the people are mistreated, his anger manifests, and the Labor Ass becomes the War Ass, unleashing the monsters that Lozarl bound within his house, which is the Underworld. He may have lost his light, but he retained the burning flame in his heart, which warms the earth when he is happy and which destroys when he is enraged.
Lozarl is honored for his fertile seed, and he has many children who taught the people how to labor, to perform the jobs that were not war or hunting. He helped to keep the world alive in the Darkness, for he knew the gods of the Dark of old. He is of an impure nature, but he shows that impurity is not evil. It is a necessary part of life, and some things require one to become impure. Lozarl is forbidden from the purest and holiest places, but even plants cannot survive without his granting of the warmth of life in the soil, and he is what ensures that the Underworld does not drain the life of the world into its cold and hungry depths.
The cult of Lozarl is a vital part of Pentan society, but it occupies a strange place. The Lozarlites tend to be more sedentary than other Pentans, especially those that work the mines that fuel Pent’s hunger for metal. He is patron of the farmers in the Arcos valley and is heavily worshipped among the Half-Men villages that the Pentan nomads keep, both enslaved villages and free subjects of the tribes. While most Lozarl priests belong to Pentan tribes still, they maintain a connected network and hierarchy of their own.
The cult of Lozarl function to keep much of Pentan society connected, in fact. Because their temples are built of stone and exist as part of the Earth, they are known locations which do not move, and frequently hold messages for the tribes that travel the lands around them, who may be harder to track down. They work closely with the cult of Issaries to help maintain permanent trade markets and produce many goods, for the sons of Lozarl make up much of the Brotherhood of Craft, the gods who collectively taught people how to make what they could not simply harvest or hunt.
Lozarl’s cult is also an object of fear, for they rule over Lozarl’s sworn warriors, Oakfed Wildfire and Monster Man. These are unleashed when the farmers and Half-Men beg Lozarl for protection, calling his fury down upon their oppressors. In the worst times, Lozarl even grants his followers the power to awaken the fireblood of the earth, unchaining the volcanic might of the land in a show of terrible and destructive wrath. This has not been done in centuries, but the destruction it has wrought cannot be forgotten.
Lozarl’s Rider aspect is depicted as an earth-brown man with red hair and beard. He wears no shirt and only sometimes pants. He is impressively built and always has hands blackened by soil and labor, and he always bears a large, thick club or a tool of labor. When he is clothed, his clothing is simple and practical. Often his skin is painted with gold or red, usually in the shape of the Warmth Rune. His Mount aspect is not a horse, but a khulam, or wild ass. It is large, brown-furred, muscular and extremely male, with mane the color of black coal and red eyes.
Lozarl is associated with the runes of Heat, Life and Disorder. He wields power over earth and growth and heat, but he cannot command light, having traded that power away. He is warm but not bright, despite being born of the sky’s high fire. He is a lifegiver and a protector, guarding the growing things of the land, and he is both a creator and a destroyer, taking raw materials and breaking them apart and putting them back together in new ways. He is also the patron of rebellious farmers and workers, wielding destructive power as a weapon.
HEAT: Initiates of Lozarl wield the Heat Rune, a rune born from combination of Earth and Fire. He is the broadest wielder of this rune, but can access neither the full powers of Fire nor Earth through it, lacking the power of light and many of the more esoteric or preservative powers of the earth. Initiates have been known to use the Heat Rune, among other things, to make things hot, to wrestle, to awaken volcanos or earthquakes, to hold things fast, to pull things down, to melt metal, to draw strength from the earth, to strengthen people against cold, to fight ice demons, to bless or curse crops, to command workers, to build things, to ride horses or asses, or to turn something into blessed ash and soil. Those strong in the Heat Rune are practical, straightforward, and bad-tempered.
LIFE: Initiates of Lozarl understand the Life Rune through Lozarl’s great fertility. They are joyful if crude lifegivers, making things grow by dispersing their power widely. An incomplete list of things that initiates have used the Life Rune to do includes blessing people or animals with fertility, improving crop yields, enhancing vigor and endurance, inducing lust, accelerating growth, causing animals to go into heat, strengthening muscles, enhancing natural healing, brewing alcohol, and blessing people against disease. Those strong in the Life Rune are passionate, crude, and active.
DISORDER: Initiates of Lozarl understand the Disorder Rune as a means of destruction and renewal, bringing change and new growth by removing the old. For many, this includes the work of craft, a destruction of materials to produce a new thing. Initiates have been known to use the Disorder Rune to, among other things, mine the earth, craft things out of other things, tear down buildings, fight barehanded or with clubs, wrestle, hurl things, find the flaws in things, reduce things to their components, induce rage, or rebel against bad leaders. Those strong in the Disorder Rune are creative, contrary, and violent.
Lozarl is opposed to the Harmony, Death and Water Runes.
Lozarl is the brother of Yu-Kargzant and one of his staunchest allies and servants. When Yu-Kargzant needed anything built, he gave the task to his brother, who ensured it then was performed by the best person for the job - often himself. According to his cult, he is the lover and husband of Orio, though this is disputed by the cults of Kargzant and West King Wind.
Lozarl is a friend of Galana, having introduced her to Yu-Kargzant through Oria, and while Lozarl has given up his purity and thus his full horse nature, he remains close. Likewise, he is friendly with Gor Gorma, whom he understands better than most. They share rulership of the depths of the earth, and they are good neighbors. Gor Gorma is particularly fond of Lozarl’s servant, Monster Man.
Lozarl has relatively few special enemies that survive. He opposes the East Sting Wind, whom he sees as rebelling for bad reasons, and the North War Wind, who strikes at the growing things and innate life of the earth. He opposes the forces of Winter, and Himile has a special hatred for Lozarl, but this is not returned. Lozarl thinks little of the enemy who despises him so. He opposes the Darkness Tribe when they harm his people, but he is much friendlier towards them than most Pentan gods.
Lozarl has many, many sons and daughters, most of whom stand as members of the Brotherhood of Craft, the gods who teach humans how to make things. Every craft has an associated god, but the greatest among them is Lozarl’s favored son: Tepekos, the Smith. Most of these are said to be Oria’s children, but not all, and according to Lozarl’s cult, he has had a child with nearly every goddess - with the exception of dread Gor Gorma.
Every tribe maintains a cult of Lozarl, save for the Pure Horse Tribes, though they are often fairly small. There are also independent monasteries and villages dedicated to Lozarl, which can be much larger, for his worship has spread heavily among the Half-Men of Pent as well as those who forsake nomadic life to produce various goods. Worshippers from different tribes can easily join each others’ rituals, though tribal politics may make this difficult. Most holy sites to Lozarl are not held by any tribe, for they typically have monasteries built atop them, often with associated villages.
To become a priest of Lozarl, one must be a married and have at least one child. Priests of Lozarl are usually men, though there are occasionally women in the priesthood. Priests are known as the Task Masters or the Ass Men, and they perform many duties within a tribe, typically related to aiding fertility of animals, plants and people or overseeing the work of craft. A priest may never wield a bow or lance, as these weapons are too pure for them. Every priest is expected to study and learn a craft as well, with farming and leatherworking being the most common. Many also learn smithing and hold rank within the Smith Cult of Tepekos, Lozarl’s son.
Every tribe has slightly different requirements to become an Ass Man. Typically, however, rank is associated with skill at craft or farming, as well as with age and number of children. Ass Men are not required to be warriors, but many are, as Lozarl is one of the great patrons of wrestling and the master of unarmed combat.
It is typical for Ass Men to seek marriage to the priestesses of Earth goddesses, particularly Oria, but it is not strictly required. The requirement to marry is said to have been imposed by Yu-Kargzant after his brother’s many love affairs brought chaos and trouble among the First Herd, and Yu-Kargzant demanded his brother settle down, or at least try to.
Those Ass Men who are not associated with a tribe typically belong to a monastery or village. Things are very similar for them, save in one respect. By Pentan law, the ranking Ass Man in a settled village or monastery is considered to be its khan for any purposes that would require it. They are not considered able to perform the rituals a tribe requires from its khan, of course, but they are leaders and commanders, and many settled Ass Men lead strong militias to defend their homes.
Every mine is a holy place to Lozarl, an entrance into his divine house. The greatest of these is the Bones of the World, a mine in southeastern Pent that produces vast amounts of superior metal. Most of these mines are managed and overseen by monasteries of crafter-monks, who trade the results to the tribes. Other holy sites include certain caves and buttes which are considered to be outcroppings of Lozarl’s house and are kept clear of trolls and gopher-men. Other holy sites have been lost to trolls or gopher-men, though the gopher-men at least honor Lozarl and will sometimes allow pilgrims to visit.
The Hellcrack is a holy site of Lozarl, but a grim one, for it marks the shattering of his house by the death of one of his kin. The Cult of Lozarl sends yearly pilgrimages to honor the lost god who fell to the earth and died. His name has been long forgotten, but the yearly funerary rites continue.
Initiates of Lozarl must have one of the Earth or Fire runes at 1W or higher, though he may be approached through Life and Disorder once initiated. Once initiated, initiates replace their Earth or Fire Rune with the Heat Rune at equal rating, restricting it to the powers associated with that rune, but also gaining the powers associated with that rune which are outside the purview of their old rune. Initiates may choose to ride an ass instead of a horse as their chosen second soul, but most continue to ride horses.
Initiates are expected to serve their tribe or village as crafters, farmers or miners, and must report to the ranking Ass Man for participation in group labor as needed. They are not required to serve as warriors, but are welcome to do so. They do not get any special exceptions to purity law, however.
The high holy day of Lozarl is the second Fireday of Earth Season, which is called the Emergence. It was on this day that Lozarl finished his exploration and conquest of his home beneath the earth, and the day on which he discovered he had been transformed from horse to ass. It is a raucous day of celebration, and many more conservative Pentans are scandalized by the bawdy ritual displays the cult puts on, but everyone loves the wrestling competitions held in honor of Lozarl.
The second Earthday of Fire Season is the Binding of Monsters, a holy day commemorating Lozarl’s role as the jailor of the terrible beasts beneath the earth. It also is a reminder that he can release them as he chooses, and the rituals of rebinding carry with them a mild threat to the khan, a reminder that warriors survive because of food and tools and obedience - gifts, not rights.
Lozarl has frequent other holidays on Earthdays and Firedays, which most outside the cult neither track nor remember. Within the cult, these are generally celebration days of various crafts or fertility rites. Almost all of them leave those who participate ritually impure when they are over, as well as exhausted.
Lozarl is even fonder of purified ghee than most gods, for it is a taste of the purity he no longer possesses. He welcomes gifts of crops, crafted goods and metals, as well. While most rituals of Lozarl do not concern themselves with purity, he still requires sacrifices to be offered in a purified state. Gold and copper are both particularly valued metals, and metal tools are one of the most valued sacrifices to Lozarl.
Many different subcults of Lozarl exist, between the many tribal cults and monasteries dedicated to him, not to mention the Half-Men who worship him. Many of these revere local heroes or specific crafter gods who are his children, and many hero subcults have only a small handful of adherents. Other subcults are widespread throughout Pent.
Red Mountain (HEAT): The Red Mountain is also known as the Mountain Beneath the Earth, and it is Lozarl’s palace, the true heart of his domain. The Red Mountain subcult reveres it as the last bastion, the heart of fire that cannot be extinguished, for it is made of stone. When Valind’s ice demons tried to snuff out the Tree Daughters, Lozarl hid them in the Red Mountain, where cold could not reach them. When the forces of Unlife sought to claim Oria, Lozarl took her to the depths of the Red Mountain, where she was able to keep herself safe. When Yu-Kargzant passed into the Underworld, Lozarl gave him a home in the Red Mountain, that he might not be alone. Followers of the Red Mountain have been known to use their Heat Rune to render their home impregnable, to keep buried things safe, to move safely underground, to allow horses or donkeys to act freely underground, or to make caves and caverns comfortable to live in.
The Vault of Fire (HEAT DISORDER): The Vault of Fire houses the many monsters and warriors that Lozarl tamed and made safe, buried in the depths of Hell under his palace. It is guarded by Oakfed Wildfire and Monster Man, Lozarl’s two most terrifying warriors…but the secret of the Vault subcult is that these two are also the Vault’s inmates, just as much as the volcanic serpents and the bone-eaters. When the farmers, miners and craftsmen are mistreated and when rulers act without wisdom, the gates of the Vault tremble. The cries of Lozarl’s followers are the key to unlock them, and the fury that is unleashed can devastate the land. Followers of the Vault of Fire are able to use their Heat or Disorder Runes to cause fires to rage out of control, to enflame anger against evil leaders, to empower and command monsters, to fight with berserk frenzy, to curse bad rulers, to tear down anything barring their path, or even, if acting as a group, to create new volcanos. The subcult also grants access to the Bad Ass feat.
Father of Many (LIFE): Father of Many is the aspect of Lozarl that grants fertility and growth, blessing the world with his unending largesse. More conservative Pentans tend to be rather scandalized by the Father of Many subcult, whose rites are often performed nearly nude and for whom purity is quite rare. Still, none can deny their efficacy, even if many find them unbelievably crass. They are particularly beloved by Pent’s gardeners and farmers in the Arcos Valley, where they are most numerous. Members of the Father of Many subcult can use their Life Rune to, among other things, breed strong animals, impregnate animals with a touch, bless pregnancies, empower their children, settle familial arguments, bless children helping their parents, bless soil to restore its strength, grow crops out of season, or prevent killing frosts.
Stone Cutter (DISORDER): Stone Cutter is one of many crafter subcults, a representative of the Brotherhood of Craft. Most of the Brotherhood’s subcults are very similar to it, but focused on different crafts. Stone Cutter is Lozarl’s son who mastered the art of mining and stonecutting, inventing the pickaxe and chisel. Stone Cutter is always depicted bearing a large maul and pickaxe, and like his father, he is typically shown riding an ass rather than a horse, though this is not always the case. Followers of Stone Cutter can use their Disorder rune to, among other things, break stones by fire-setting, cut stone into shapes, create sculpture or stone reliefs, lift and carry heavy stone, detect ores, shape stone, construct stone buildings, seperate ore from water, predict mine collapse, or sense movement underground.
Devotees of Lozarl must have a Heat, Life or Disorder Rune of 11W or higher, with all the normal requirements for giving up initiation in any other cult and any magic that does not derive from Lozarl. Devotees may only belong to a single subcult.
The Big Daddy Ass (LIFE): Big Daddy Ass is the aspect of Lozarl who spreads life, raises children, and loves others. He is free and giving with anything he has, walking among the people and offering of his food and wealth. He is lustful and crass, quick to make dirty jokes, but he does not actively pursue lovers. Rather, they come to him, attracted by his virility. Those who find Big Daddy Ass attractive cannot help but confess their desire to him, and if he accepts, they are never left displeased. Such unions always produce offspring if possible. Anyone who receives a gift from or lies with Big Daddy Ass is empowered and strengthened, and their works of farming and craft are blessed with prodigious beauty and growth. He is kind to children, who see him as a parental figure, and he shows them how to make things, knowing always where their talents lie. Big Daddy Ass wears little clothing, only pants and jewelry, and he walks without fear, for if he is struck down, he will rise again with the touch of a lover. Big Daddy Ass cannot exist in a state of purity, however. When he purifies himself, he is no longer the Big Daddy Ass.
The Bad Ass (DISORDER): When the farmers and craftsmen are mistreated, they beg Lozarl for aid. When it becomes too terrible for them to bear, when there is no option but destruction, it is said that Lozarl opens the Vault of Fire to release Monster Man, the Bad Ass. The priests of the Vault of Fire know the true secret: Lozarl is Monster Man, he is the Bad Ass, and opening the Vault of Fire is what transforms him. The Bad Ass must be in a state of purity to open the Vault of Fire, and can only do so if he is begged for help by those who are too weak to fight. If he identifies their khan that is the cause of their suffering, he may sacrifice his state of purity to unleash and truly become the Bad Ass. The Bad Ass is a monster, shattering anything that brings wealth to his prey. He burns yurts, destroys wealth, slaughters herds. Warriors that stand against him are tossed like rag dolls, savaged and beaten if they are lucky and killed and burned by his terrible fury if they are not. The family of the prey is not safe, for the Bad Ass will track them down and kill them to punish his foe. His cruelty is legendary, a punishment for the misdeeds of those whom he is loosed upon. Only when his target knows terror and loss will the Bad Ass come for the khan himself, tearing the victim’s head from their body with bare hands. The Bad ass cannot be chained again once unleashed, not until his prey is dead. Some have escaped his wrath by delivering the corpse of the hated khan to the Bad Ass, but without death, the Bad Ass cannot be stopped. The Bad Ass cannot enter a state of purity until his hunt is over, for this is the state that returns him to the Vault of Fire.
The Smoking Ass (HEAT): The Smoking Ass is the master of the House of Lozarl, the land beneath the earth. He has passed beneath the sky’s gaze and gone into the dark, and he cannot become lost in the caverns and paths of the Underworld. While he is in a state of purity, he cannot harm any beneath the earth, but neither can they harm him. When he finds something he needs, he may give up his state of purity, trading it away to take possession of his domain under the earth. He owns wherever he is, and all who travel with him after he has laid claim cannot be harmed by natural dangers. Once he has done this, smoke flows from his nose and mouth, marking his domain and floating around its ceiling. The denizens of the earth, even those of the Dark, treat him as friend and neighbor and will not fight him if he does not fight them. He cannot become lost in his domain or along the path back to the surface. He rules wisely, and the denizens of the earth come to him to judge their disputes. As long as they remain beneath the earth, those who follow him find it easy to work with the stone and expand the domain of the Smoking Ass. However, the moment they can see the sky again, this blessing is revoked, and when the Smoking Ass can see the sky again, he rests and ends his explorations, for he must report what he has seen to his brother.
The Builder Ass (DISORDER): The Builder Ass is the Lozarl who creates something new. When Yu-Kargzant came to the Builder Ass with problems, the Builder Ass would nod and accept the problem as his own. He would go out and find old things like stone or wood, gathering his materials. He would find workers and followers, ordering them to the tasks they were best at. Together, he and his workers would use the materials they had, making something new. The Builder Ass creates beautiful things, raising carved pillars, monasteries and yurts. The Builder Ass weaves beautiful cloth, decorates the things he makes, and always knows who is best for any job. He works quickly, faster than any mortal could, and what he makes will always solve the problem he was given, though it may create new ones. The Builder Ass never keeps his creations for himself, giving them to his khan and solving the problem. He does not fight, channeling all of his energy into creating. The Builder Ass does not, however, solve his own problems. He rejects being the khan, and he only takes on the problems given to him by the khan, for he is a loyal brother.
Lozarl is served by many followers, warriors and monsters. Many of them are guards or prisoners of the Vault of Fire - or both. Worshippers who betray Lozarl by deliberately making poor quality goods and deceiving others about them are punished by the release of the Burning Horseflies, spirits born of darkness and fire who bite horses and steal their purity, leaving burning welts in their place. These go after the liar and their horse for a month before they forget what they were doing.
Those who attempt to call on the punishments of the Vault of Fire falsely are attacked by its residents, often the very ones that they sought aid from. Lozarl has little forgiveness for those who try to use his power when they are not oppressed. These attacks come unpredictably, but they always leave false rebels dead and their possessions destroyed.
The most famous gods in service to Lozarl are of course the Brotherhood of Craft, many of whom are his children. They are all craft gods of various types. Beneath them are the lesser craft gods, the Makers, who can be called on for inspiration and summoned to teach secret skills. They appear as donkey-headed or horse-headed people most of the time, but sometimes as donkeys or horses with human heads and hands.
Maglings appear as red serpents that radiate heat. These are the lesser heat gods, the burning serpents who combine fire and earth within themselves. They are burning hot and do not often appear, even for priests trying to call them, as they spend most of their time moving through the Underworld as messengers and heat-bearers for Lozarl’s house. They excel at setting things on fire or moving earth, though.