Thulgard

Fleeing while others defend, or abandoning one’s post in a crisis, is among the greatest shames.

Withholding food, tools, or shelter during times of need is a betrayal of communal strength.

Conspiring with outside forces against one’s own town or kin is punishable by excommunication.

Building shoddy homes or defenses for profit—especially when safety is at risk—is a grave insult to Thulgard.

Every follower is expected to train others in self-defense, organize patrols, and stand watch during threats.

Contribute to community infrastructure: walls, roads, wells, and defenses that will outlive generations.

Even children are taught Thulgard’s tenets—how to brace a door, warn of danger, and stand with their kin.

Villages and homes under Thulgard’s banner are bound to offer temporary sanctuary to refugees and the displaced, particularly if they’ve suffered from war or natural disaster.

Worn by clergy during rites of defense and construction, these robes are made of layered wool and leather in muted earth tones, often with stitched patterns of stonework or shields. They are functional, designed for both battle and labor.

A short cloak worn over one shoulder, clasped with a circular brooch shaped like Thulgard’s holy symbol. The fabric is thick and waterproof—used historically during sieges to keep defenders dry and warm.

Blacksmith-style gauntlets worn by high-ranking clergy during construction blessings or when consecrating weapons and walls. They are symbolic of unity between builders and defenders.

Each initiated cleric receives a simple iron ring or armband called an Oathband, engraved with the name of the settlement they swore to protect. If the band is ever broken or lost, it is a sign of failed duty.

This sect focuses on post-disaster relief. Members are trained in siege repair, architecture, and crisis logistics. They travel to ruined settlements after war, plague, or storm and help locals rebuild walls and reestablish defenses. They believe that every stone laid is a prayer to Thulgard.

Dedicated to preserving the memory of fallen defenders, this sect builds and maintains defender memorials and watchtowers where no active threat remains. They believe Thulgard’s protection extends beyond death if names are remembered and deeds honored.

The most militant sect, these followers train communities in phalanx-style defense and town-wide coordination. Known for turning even children into lookouts and elders into planners, they believe no one is useless in defense of home. Many town militias adopt Shieldline practices, even if they do not formally join the faith.

A halfling farmer who led the defense of his town with nothing more than a spade and improvised barricades during a sudden raid. His refusal to flee and coordination of neighbors became the foundation of Thulgard’s earliest worship. A statue of Garlan stands in the temple of every Wallwarden-founded settlement.

A dwarf priestess known for rebuilding five villages destroyed during the Orc Wars. Her hammer bore the names of every family she helped rehome. Her body was never recovered after she vanished in a rockslide while rebuilding a collapsed tunnel. Her final prayer became a hymn of the faith:

A teenage blacksmith's apprentice who held the broken gate of Coldfield Keep for seven hours while civilians fled. He died on his feet, buried in rubble. His act is commemorated in the annual Gatewatch Fast, where villagers hold a silent vigil at the gates of their homes or towns for seven minutes in his honor.

The year begins with a reaffirmation of Thulgard's protection. On this day, townspeople bless their doors and windows, and children carry wooden shields in small parades. New militia members are sworn in at sunrise.

A somber dusk vigil remembering lost towns and fallen defenders. Families place a lantern in their window or at their gate. If any lantern goes out, the household must deliver food to a neighbor the next day in atonement.

Celebrating community labor and reconstruction, this springtime holy day features barn-raisings, wall repair, and group projects. Participation is considered sacred.

Performed when a family moves into a new home or returns after displacement. A cleric carries coals from the temple’s hearth to the new home and uses them to relight the household fire.

A community-based vow made during times of imminent threat (war, storm, famine). Participants link hands around a settlement’s perimeter (or symbolic boundary) and swear to defend it, come what may.

Observed by militia or grieving families, this ritual involves standing watch for seven minutes at a home or town gate without speaking. Often performed on anniversaries of attacks or natural disasters.

A smooth, fire-colored stone said to have been carried in Garlan Mudspade’s toolbelt. It never cools entirely. Temples place it at the center of their hearths to symbolize unbroken vigilance.

Forged from melted nails taken from destroyed homes, this ceremonial hammer is said to ring loudest when striking unsteady foundations—both literal and moral.

This cracked but unbroken shield was recovered from the ruins of Coldfield Keep after Jon's sacrifice. It is said to glow faintly when danger is near a defenseless civilian. It’s carried only during Holdfast Eve.

Belief: Only those born within a structure (not in the wild, traveling, or on the road) are worthy of Thulgard’s blessing.
Opposition: Rejects Thulgard's open protection for all who seek shelter. Deems the homeless, nomadic, or displaced as “unrooted” and thus spiritually lesser.
Impact: Leads to neglect and exclusion of refugees or disaster victims—completely contradicting Thulgard’s obligation of sanctuary.

Belief: Preemptive violence is the best form of protection. Followers train children in weaponry and promote striking first before threats arise.
Opposition: War is used as a tool of aggression rather than as a shield. This turns Thulgard from a guardian into an oppressor.
Impact: Villages aligned with this heresy are often feared more than revered, and escalate conflicts rather than contain them.

Belief: Only self-sufficiency brings divine favor. True devotion means building a life without help, even rejecting neighbors or community.
Opposition: Undermines the core Thulgard ideal of interdependence, mutual aid, and collective strength.
Impact: Leads to antisocial behavior, abandoned communities, and families living in constant fear and solitude.

Belief: The hearth is literally divine. These zealots believe fire from a blessed hearth is a fragment of Thulgard himself.
Exaggeration: Elevates the symbolic hearth into a holy relic. Emberbound hoard coals, wear fire-scorched robes, and even brand themselves with hearth runes.
Practice: Stealing hearth ashes from temples is seen as a rite of passage. They insist fire be kept burning at all times—even risking danger or starvation.

Belief: Thulgard's true will is expressed through walls. A community without a perimeter is spiritually vulnerable.
Exaggeration: They turn defense into obsession. Towns aligned with this cult build excessive walls, turning villages into fortresses—even around single homes.
Practice: Outsiders are viewed with suspicion, and even travel between homes is regulated. Any unprotected space is “blasphemy made manifest.”

Belief: Thulgard values sacrifice above all, and thus, no shield should ever remain unbroken.
Exaggeration: A twisted veneration of martyrdom. Shields are intentionally damaged before combat. Repairing a shield is seen as spiritual cowardice.
Practice: Followers often rush into danger without regard for self-preservation. They consider dying while protecting others to be the ultimate holy act—sometimes even arranging unnecessary risks to attain this “blessing.”