Arca

Old version of Arca

Arca
Fireheart; Lord of the Games

Symbol: A burning torch clutched by a strong hand
Home Plane: Ysgard
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Cleric Alignments: Any Non-evil
Portfolio: Strength, athletic competition, and sport
Worshipers: Athletes, fighters
Domains: Fire, Glory, Nobility (Leadership), Strength
Favored Weapon: Greatsword

Physical Description:
Arca usually appears as a tall, powerfully-built, dark-skinned human, his body a picture of statuesque perfection. His hair is made of locks of living flame, and his eyes, nostrils, and mouth, when open, blave with the intense heat within his body.

Description of Nature, Personality, and Dogma:
Now that Arca has become a demigod, he is the embodiment of competitive sport, given shape through a human hero widely regarded as perhaps the greatest athlete ever to live, noted for his fair play with both sentient and animal opponents alike. He expects all his worshipers, and all athletes in general, to practice good sportsmanship at all times, to win as well as lose with grace and dignity, and to never cheat. Physical challenges and contests are Arca's love and patronage, and he encourages nonlethal sports as a means for resolving disputes in communities whenever possible. To his followers, bravery is one of the greatest qualities that anyone can have, and the strong and fit should lead and protect those weaker than them.

Clergy, Places of Worship, Important Rituals, and Servitor Races:
The clergy of Arca are expected to be leaders and athletes, strong without being domineering or bullies. Red, white and green are their favored colors. Arca's clergy are expected to be in excellent physical condition, and to train others in as well as participate in various forms of physical activity and competitions. His temples always include a gymnasium and extensive baths, and are adjacent to hunting grounds or else to fields of competition. For all their competition, however, the clergy of Arca do not have a hierarchy, but instead simply acknowledge the ability of their members in different areas, and allow them to take charge accordingly. Arca's clergy are also expected to keep an eternal flame burning somewhere on or around the grounds of their temples. This is usually a natural gas pocket that has been carefully channeled to release slowly, and then lit.

While Arca is still a relatively young god, the Great Games are practiced worldwide. These are a series of physical challenges, most of them based on some practical skill in combat or daily life, though the exact nature of the challenges is decided by a panel of judges and diplomats from each participating nation. Where the Great Games will be held is also decided by this panel, though it must always be in a different place each year. The Great Games have two separate times of meeting, once in the summer and once in winter, all the better for the competing athletes in each challenge to demonstrate their ability to perform in a variety of settings, as well as allowing for different sorts of challenges that would otherwise be impossible. The winner of each individual challenge takes home a gold medal with Arca's symbol on it, which is usually a powerful magic item related to the challenge that was won. While it is unusual for athletes to do so, they are allowed to compete in as many challenges as they are able to qualify for.

Because of his focus on individual accomplishment, Arca does not have any servitor races, though he has many admirers.

History and Relations:
When Arca was still mortal, he organized the Great Games as a means of bringing peace through competetive sport rather than bloodshed. For this, and as he emerged victorious at the end of this first great competition of the most legendary athletes of the day, the Morrigan herself appeared and awarded him a laurel of victory made out of living, eternal flame. Only Arca had the courage to stand in her presence, and as the flaming laurel touched his head, he was transformed into a demigod.

Arca is known for his numerous affairs with various mortals and immortals of both sexes, both before and after his change to demigodhood, and is known to be an incorrigible lecher, though an honest one: he is faithful to only one lover (or group of shared lovers) at a time, and does not cheat in relationships any more than he does on the field of competition. His symbol, the eternal flame, is also the symbol of all competitive sports on Therafim.

Favored Offerings and Justifications for Direct Intervention:
Atheletes and others engaged in some sort of competetive activity (such as sports, races, hunting, or dueling) are expected to offer Arca sacrifices of wild game, or strong and powerful livestock, promising to provide such sacrifices beforehand, and then making good on such promises afterward should Arca's favor be shown and the applicant for his favor is successful. Generally such sacrifices are composed of the fat and offal of the sacrificial animals, while the rest of the animals are eaten in a ritual feast of celebration. He is also fond of offerings of cheesecake, which is also the traditional food of victorious competitors in the Great Games.

Since Arca does not believe in cheating, he seldom interferes in mortal challenges, but he has been known to provide assistance in the form of boosted physical capacity - sometimes greatly boosted physical capacity - to athletes who demonstrate good sportsmanship even when other competitors are cheating or are otherwise failing to live up to Arca's behavioral ideal. In especially serious cases of cheating, Arca may smite the athletes doing such things, causing them to suffer accidents that remove their ability to compete, sometimes permanently.