Pentalion the Paladin¶
Domains: Death, War
Pentalion the Paladin, the Usurper, served at the right hand of Uther the Callous, aiding him in his ascent to the throne. Uther mastered fell sorceries under the tutelage of a priest of Cyrvis. In public, Uther's illusions kept him hale seeming, but in reality his addiction to sorcery had withered him.
Pentalion was Uther's greatest knight, general, and chief of his secret police. He ferreted out conspiracies and rebellious coalitions. His tactic: infiltrate the rebels with his own agents—give them a taste of success but at the cost of relying on his power. Then, in their moment of triumph, Pentalion's agents revealed themselves and the insurgents found themselves surrounded by enemies without and within.
Eventually serving at the right hand of the conqueror was not enough. Pentalion loathed Uther for his physical weakness and growing dependence on sorcery. After Pentalion helped Uther depose a nearby duke, the paladin helped the dead duke's daughter plot revenge.
He used all his usual tactics. His agents aided the duke's daughter and helped her build her insurgency, but in a critical moment when she confronted Uther with only Lord Pentalion as witness, the evil paladin killed first Uther, then the duke's daughter assuming leadership of both the kingdom and the rebellion.
Savior to all, Pentalion was made a saint of Nikros for this act. He ruled well into old age, always finding new enemies within and without to be cruel to. And the more cruel he was to his invented enemies, the more the people loved him.
Saint Pentalion teaches that one should bide their time and build their power before striking. That treachery in service to growing your own power is no vice.