Thard Harr
| Thard Harr | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Aliases | The Disentangler, Lord of the Jungle Deeps | |
| Alignment | Chaotic Good | |
| Divine Rank | Lesser Power | |
| Pantheon | Morndinsamman (Dwarf) | |
| Portfolio | Wild Dwarves, Jungle Survival, Hunting 5e:Wilderness, Hunting |
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| Domains | 2E: All, Animal, Combat, Elemental, Guardian, Healing, Plant, Protection, Weather, minor Chaos, Charm, Creation, Divination, Necromantic, Sun, Travelers 3E: Animal, Chaos, Dwarf, Good, Plant 5E: Nature |
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| Home Plane | 2E: The Forbidden Plateau (Beastlands) 3E: Dwarfhome |
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| Worshippers | Wild Dwarves | |
| Favoured Weapon | Clawed/Spiked Gauntlet | |
Thard Harr is the least important member of the Morndinsamman, the Dwarf Gods of Dungeons & Dragons. This is because he is the patron deity of the Wild Dwarves; savage, jungle-dwelling, primitive dwarves from the tropical regions who have been mostly pushed out of their limelight for their uncomfortable resemblance to "savage pygmy" caricatures.
One of the very few overtly Chaotic-aligned dwarf gods - a position that he shares with Dugmaren Brightmantle, Haela Brightaxe, Hanseath and Sharindlar - Thard seldom speaks, but instead prefers to purr, growl, snarl and roar like a great cat. He is given to great swings of emotion and grand gestures, and he has no tolerance for pretentious behavior, civilization, or social constraints of any order. He appears as a dark-skinned, potbellied dwarf covered in tattoos and tufts of long, matted hair, naked except for his flowing beard, copious body hair, an ornate copper helm in the shape of a crocodile's head that conceals his face, and his iconic scaled, adamantine, claw-fingered forearm-length gauntlets.
Thard rarely sends his avatars to the Prime Material. Instead, he prefers to manifest himself, in the form of temporarily imbuing a jungle dwarf or a wild beast with his power, signified by a short-lived crawling, pulsing nimbus of cherry-red light.
He demonstrates his favor to his followers through the discovery of wooden carvings, diamonds, emeralds, gold, green spinels, metal weapons and wooden rods. His displeasure is indicated by the recipient of his wrath becoming tangled in a vine so that they trip, a sudden bestial roar echoing out from the jungle that causes gems to shatter, or the sudden onset of rapid decay of rust, wood and leather.
Amongst the wild dwarves, Thard has effectively replaced Moradin and, indeed, the entire Morndinsamman in a monotheistic religion; he used to be a dwarven god of nature, but the cultures that revered him as such fell ages ago, resulting in his own decline into savagery.
Thard's priesthood are known as the vuddor ("those of the jungle"), or else simply as "shamans". They do not construct temples, instead deeming isolated sanctuaries of incredible natural beauty, rich in both plant and animal life, as holy sites of Thard and performing ceremonies of worship there. Shamans are inducted by a dream, in which they are presented with their personal title, always incorporating the name of some jungle beast they are subsequently believed to have power over.
The vuddor's daily tasks revolve around protecting their people and leading them into prosperity; they are the wild dwarves' leaders, generals, and speakers. First and foremost amongst their duties is fearlessly leading attacks against intruders into wild dwarf territory; not only do their clerical powers assist the dwarves in fighting, but they can be trusted to remember Thard's wisdom: one can best defeat an enemy that one knows well.
As such, seasoned wild dwarves always try to capture at least one intruder alive for questioning; such unfortunates are usually sacrificed afterwards, unless their continued survival seems likely to bring future benefits to the tribe. Wild dwarves are not only willing to trade, but quite interested in it - especialy for metal weapons and tools. That said, they only conduct trade on territory of their choosing, so the vuddor can set up traps and ambushes as a precaution against treachery.
Thard is venerated in ceremonies held on the nights of the full and new moon, when wild dwarves gather and offer blood sacrifices of captured beasts and intruders to his worship. Though usually not cannibalistic, wild dwarves rarely exempt intruders from the traditional post-ceremony feasting on the sacrifces.
Priests of Thard tattoo his crossed-gauntlets symbol onto their shoulders or scalp, weave their long hair into braids they tie around their waists and shoulders, and wear the skulls and pelts of jungle monsters and beasts as signs of their office. Cutting their braided hair themselves is a sign of rejecting Thard. Like all wild dwarves, they do not use armor in the traditional sense, but improvise a form of protective covering out of dried mud and insect-repelling grease.
In 2e, Thard's Dogma is presented thus: The jungle is the fullest expression of the earth, the wind, the sun, and the rains. Live in harmony with nature under the wise and benevolent protection of the Lord of the Jungle Deeps. Outsiders seek to pillage and destroy, and their unnatural ways bring misery. Like the great tigers of the jungle, be strong and wary of beasts, whether they walk on two legs or four. Seek to understand that which you do not, but be wary of bringing unknown gifts into your lar. Be one with nature - live neither against it nor apart from it. Honor the ways of your people, but assume not that Thard's way is the only way - just the best way for his children.
3e tweaks his dogma, basically by removing the first three sentences of the above.
Thard Harr first appeared in the Forgotten Realms splatbook "Dwarves Deep", for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition; he was then presented in more detail for that same edition in "Demihuman Deities".
Thard Harr returned in Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition, in FR splat "Faiths & Pantheons", which basically reiterated the lore from Demihuman Deities, but tried to make him seem a little less of a caricature.
He promptly faded into obscurity in 4th edition, but made a surprise return in 5th edition, where he appeared in "Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes". However, this was only in the most basic mechanical outline - enough to run a cleric dedicated to him, but not without actually detailing him. The little info presented seems to be pushing him less from "Wild Dwarf Racial Patron" to more "Dwarven God of Nature".