Thistle Sword, Holy symbol of Brand, god of Competition and Earthquakes

Brand:
Brand is an old god and no race seems to agree what exactly he was before ascension--if he was ever mortal to begin with. He is the patron of warriors both on the battlefield and the ballgame field. There have been documented events where both parties of a two front war have prayed to the deity only to find a massive, bearded, hulk of a man appear on the battlefield smashing his fists to the ground and laughing in manic glee as the foes scrambled in terror. It’s said that when an earthquake occurs, Brand has challenged an army of demons to an arm-wrestling match--one at a time. And won.
He has a Huaxian counterpart named Guan Yu, a legendary warrior and general known for his long, immaculate beard and massive polearm weapon, a guan dao (either a glaive or halberd). He promotes tenets of brotherhood, the warrior code, and strategic planning in war and competitive activities moreso than mere glory on the battlefield, even if it means fighting for the enemy to save those you serve to protect. However, for some gnomes with an eye to the future, he has fallen out of favor, but has gained popularity among Olganthan warriors of all stripes.
For firm adherents of Brand, their blade-brother or thorn-sister is not merely an ally but mutually student, teacher, and lover. For obvious physical reasons, relationships between the same sex are preferred. In lieu of the Day of Radiance, this preference remains but is no longer a point of admonishment.
His orders are few:
 Show no fear on the battlefield as you would on the game field and wipe any cowardice from your heart before taking a single step towards your adversary.
 Like the shifting, quaking earth, keep moving against any obstacle until it relents.
 If you should find defeat upon you, accept it and learn from it. Never prefer death to a life lesson, no matter how humiliating.

Followers of Brand are naturally boastful, but occasionally they can go too far, viewing themselves superior to all-comers, all equally inferior in their sight. Inevitably they will find themselves against a foe they cannot fell and will forget Brand’s third commandment and pay the ultimate price.
The goblins have an analog to Brand they call “The Devourer”, a beastly ogre that sweeps his enemies in his massive hands and tosses them into his maw, crushing them beneath his foul and jagged teeth. He especially has a taste for dwarves.

Brand @
Artwork by PsykoBruttan
http://psykobruttan.deviantart.com/