Stronmaus (/ˈstrɔːnmɔːz/ STRAWN-mawz)

Portfolio: Good Storm Giants and Cloud Giant, the sun, sky, weather, and seas. Domains: Life Domain, Tempest Domain

His holy symbol was a forked lightning bolt descending from a silver-lined cloud that partly obscured a sun.

Stronmaus's faith focused on the cleansing and redeeming effects of rain and that freedom is the greatest gift in life. Cloud Giant followers stressed that good-natured merriment was the essence of life. Meanwhile, Storm Giants followers believed life was a test of will, that one must atone for all sins. Their own god's constant smile was seen as a mockery to them, so he was sometimes depicted with a more imperious expression.

When Stronmaus manifested an avatar, it was as an incredibly tall and muscular giant, standing up to 80 feet (24 meters) tall. Forever with a smile on his face, he had blue eyes and auburn-red hair that was wavy and flowing. He wore but a simple white robe of silk with golden edges. A statue of Stronmaus standing in a storm giant temple in the undersea fortress of Maelstrom instead depicted him as a bare-chested storm giant with a beard of foam, an imperious expression, and a lower body that was no more than a massive wave, with a trident in his hands.

The avatar of Stronmaus commanded all weather within a radius of 10 miles (16 kilometers), could call lightning every ten minutes or so, and could hurl a powerful lightning bolt up to 160 feet (49 meters) in length and 10 feet (3 meters) in width and a chain lightning–like effect each thrice a day.   Stronmaus's avatar was immune to all death spells and mind-affecting spells, all effects that could blind or deafen, all energy-draining attacks, and all electrical assaults. Furthermore, no avian or aquatic creature of non-evil nature would attack him, even if the creature was charmed, dominated, or similar and commanded to attack him, in which case the effect broken.

Stronmaus's avatar fought with a mighty +5 hammer of thunderbolts that slew any evil giant dead with a single hit.

Once Stronmaus came of age, he chose the skies as his domain.   It was said that when Stronmaus learned of the arrival of his sister Hiatea, he was elated and celebrated her with epic storms that flooded worlds and washed away enormous evils.   Very rarely, Stronmaus was credited with destroying the massive, near-mindless, world-eating monster from whose carcass was born the god Memnor, but this honor was more often given to his father, Annam.   When Annam challenged Diancastra to prove her worth by circling the world in an hour or less, she simply went to Stronmaus's library and stole an atlas of worlds. She returned, ripped out the relevant page, and drew a circle around the world map. For her daring, Annam made Diancastra a demi-goddess.   According to legend, Nicias, progenitor of the cloud giants, won his first cloud palace from his half-brother Stronmaus in a bet. Built by Stronmaus himself, this cloud palace was enormous, but it was only a smaller version of Stronmaus' realm of Stormhold. Here, Nicias and his descendants floated over Toril before its fall.   Millennia before the 14th century DR, after Lanaxis united the sons of Annam on Toril, Stronmaus gifted the titan with some of the waters of his opal pool. Lanaxis used this to create his own pond like it at the heart of Voninheim.   After the bitter end of the war between the giants and the dragons, Stronmaus taunted Hiatea, calling her useless in the conflict. In response, Hiatea remade herself as an avenging huntress as well as a nurturer. Though Stronmaus later apologized, Hiatea did not forget it nor did she abandon her new path, and proved herself again and again to embarrass her brother.   In one legend, Stronmaus caught a tarrasque in chains and pulled it down to the bottom of the ocean where it would finally drown. To show Stronmaus where the chain-tunnels lay, Skoraeus Stonebones tapped his hammer on the ocean floor.

Stronmaus was a god full of life and energy—the very power of life itself flowed strongly through him. He was joyful and laughing, and always smiling because he simply couldn't help it and he displayed his great energy in dramatic ways. He loved to conjure mighty storms across the Beastlands, rejoicing in the rains and lightning and cheering with the thunder he produced with his hammer. But this could be terrifying for those unready for it and his exuberance, Stronmaus could forget his strength and might. Despite his generally jubilant nature, he was reputed to have times of deep brooding and gray moods. Stronmaus was much like his father, Annam, but younger, more vigorous, good-natured, carefree, and cheerful, which made the All-Father proud and pleased with his son. However, he shared his fickle lusts also.

Stronmaus was the son of Annam All-Father, chief of the giant pantheon. While his mother was unknown with many candidates being put forward, he was almost always regarded as Annam's first-born son. Stronmaus's closest relationship was with his sister (or half-sister) Hiatea, with all the sibling love and rivalry, not to mention feuding, that that entailed. The two were commonly seen as a pair, as the oldest and most powerful of Annam's children. His other siblings and half-siblings in the giant pantheon included Diancastra, Grolantor (Stronmaus was not pleased with his activities), Karontor (said to be jealous of Stronmaus), Skoraeus Stonebones, Surtr, and Thrym. He was also uncle to Grond Peaksmasher. Iallanis, Memnor, and Vaprak were also sometimes named as his relatives, possibly even siblings. Although he got on well with his siblings, Stronmaus despised Memnor above all others and sometimes he and Hiatea had to step in to stop to his and Grolantor's troublemaking.   He maintained friendly relations with the good gods of sky and sea, including the Asathalfinare. He counted many as friends and he enjoyed spending time with them—particularly the ladies, like Aerdrie Faenya, the elven goddess; Syranita, goddess of Aarakocra; Surminare, queen of selkies; and Trishina, goddess of dolphins. He was also a friend of the eagle deity Remnis, who frequently visited and flew with him; of the Dwarf god Marthammor Duin; of the Faerûnian goddess Eldath and many gods and goddess of Toril.