Rorthos:
Bringer of Flood and Blood, Venerable Provider, Vengeful Father, Lord of the Great Lifeblood, King of Serpents

Rorthos is a main god of the pantheon of a long fallen desert-dwelling civilisation known as the Urnu. The lands of the Urnu were nourished by a mighty river, though it often flooded, killing hundreds. At times invaders would sail down the river, pillaging and destroying, while at other times the churning waters would smash apart fleets. Fish teemed in the river, but it was also populated by immense, venomous snakes that could eat a man whole.

The god Rorthos holds dominion over the river, and the Urnu worshipped him, both fearing and respecting him. As a guardian god he protected the Urnu, when properly appeased with tributes and sacrifices, destroying invaders on the water and sending snakes at invading armies. The river is his to command, giving him the position of father figure in the Urnu pantheon, though not king, for he is content to rule the river as true master of his domain. He cared for his children with a firm hand, punishing them if they fell from worship and granting years of plenty for their diligence. The golden age of the Urnu were marked with his care, but it was for naught when they fell to invaders not from the water but from the sands, where he could not protect them. Though saddened by their passing, he endured and lives on today. He is as ancient as the river itself, having lived for aeons even before the Urnu arrived, and their civilisation has been but dust for centuries. In epochs past he battled other gods, both of the Urnu and of other cultures, but in his older, less vital state he grows slightly weaker, and more bound to his river.

Despite his age he maintains much of his strength, and his golden eyes burn with fury, his millennia of experience easily a match for younger, more active deities, despite his battle scars. Tattoos of his sacred animal and holy emblem, the great serpent of blood and water, wind their way across his body, representing his rage and generosity in equal measure. In battle, against other gods, undead abominations or upstart mortals, Rorthos attacks with the power of the rushing river, overwhelming opponents; he is accompanied by the spirit-serpents that dwell within his tattoos, who he rips from his flesh to join him in combat. Their deadly venom and furious bite adds to his own ancient strength in battle, and they act as his spies and messengers when he is not fighting, though he rarely leaves his territory these days.