Galstarc the God of Hatred is a powerful, reality warping entity that exerts his will upon the people of Maradul by possessing and enabling those who are consumed by hatred. Galstarc is often seen as something of a bogeyman as his presence is rarely directly observed, and is often reduced to villainous roles in fairytales told by parent to scare their children into proper behavior. Among those that have known his influence, however, a very scant few would have the courage to speak of Galstarc in such a way, lest they find themselves under his gaze once again.
Historical records appear to indicated that Galstarc was once a mortal man, a theory which is backed by rampant rumors and tall tales claiming the same. While his place of origin can dubiously be narrowed down to a older kingdom of Sothon, most stories involving the mortal Galstarc have him as a royal mapmaker for a king, who in some accounts is his brother, and in others an old friend turned bitter rival. Galstarc, as a result of a disagreement with the king, is sent out to the north in small expedition to map the edges of the Great Mist, effectively a suicide mission by most sane estimations. During this journey, various unfortunate circumstances befall Galstarc, often including being seriously maimed by either wild dogs or highwaymen, the loss of one or several limbs, the burning of his hair while he slept, the theft of an amulet given to him by his deceased wife, and in most stories, multiple instances of debilitating food poisoning. In each retelling Galstarc blames his misfortunes on the king, and draws deeper and deeper into a diabolical hatred, which eventually comes to a point as his team, whose numbers have already been whittled down by various tragedies, arrives at the Great Mist. There, Galstarc is torn from his physical form by the chaos of the Mist, becoming an ethereal force of pure hatred that possesses his surviving team, forcing them to tear each other apart. Galstarc then uses his powers to enact revenge on the king, though in different stories this is accomplished in various ways; in some, he uses his power to draw the king's unsatisfied wife into a violent frenzy, killing them both, while in others he forces the king into an obsessive madness that eventually leads to a revolution and the king's head in a basket. A particularly popular retelling introduces a jester character into the story, upset that the king did no find him amusing. Galstarc would then possess the jester to strangle the king, who would see Galstarc in the jester's eyes, letting out a haunting cackle before his death.
Galstarc is an interesting example of mortal ascension to godhood in that many believe him and his story to be undoubtedly real and true, though proof of both his existence and circumstances is extremely limited. Still, it has prompted many to wander into the Great Mist themselves in hope of attaining similar power, though few seem to attain any success similar to Galstarc.