In my third age campaign the PC's are founding a new temple to Humakt and a new legion of warriors. Figuring this should entail a short heroquest, I shopped around for the appropriate myth but could find nothing about how Humakt started sharing the power of death. The myth below fits into the saga of Death towards its end:
Humakt and the First Centurion
Long is the story of the sword called Death, and long were the travails of our lord Humakt to retrieve the pieces of the sword. When the trickster stole the sword for the second time he used his magic to make copies of it, many copies, which fell into the hands of many gods. We have told the tale of how he ventured into the world to retrieve these pieces and fix the damage done by Eurmal. He never found all of them, but in the end he sat in his hall before a pile of one hundred and one swords. Humakt wished to re-forge these fragments into one sword but did not know how. He went to Gustbran but the redsmith said his arts could not weld the metal of Death. The dwarves refused to help him, and the members of the fire tribe would not touch the pieces for fear that they would die. So he sat in thought, trying to find another way.
Many of his enemies were at the gates; they had raised armies to fight Humakt and reclaim a piece of death. Humakt's many followers manned the gates and the watchtowers and held them at bay. Their leaders, Humakt's sons, went to beg their father to help. "Please give us these swords so that we may wield death against your enemies." "No," the god replied, "nobody but me can wield death impartially." "But we are your sons, and we fight in your name to defend your hall." "I am not your father any longer," Humakt replied, "I severed myself from my family so that I would not be tempted to spare you."
The sons retreated from the hall and discussed what to try next. They staged great tournaments and gladiator contests in Humakt's hall to prove they were fit and strong and skilled enough to wield death. They offered him prayers and incense. Animals were slaughtered in Humakt's name, and when that did not move him, they sacrificed captured enemies. "Stop!" Humakt exclaimed. "You do not offer the proper sacrifices. You've grown strong at arms because you fear death and seek to avoid dying. Do you offer prayers because you seek to die or because you seek to avoid dying? Neither is the correct answer. Your sacrifices died needlessly. Do you offer them in your own place? I will not let you wield Death, for you misunderstand the truth of it, like the gods I took these from."
His sons left the hall and tried something different. They severed themselves from their families, declaring themselves dead to them. Funerals were held for these warriors, and they stood beside their own funeral pyres to light them while their mothers and widows cried for their loss. Then they entered the hall and told Humakt. The eldest son stepped forward to argue. "We have done this in emulation of you, so that we will also be impartial." Humakt grimaced. "This is wise, but I have given you my answer. Do you think that your truth is greater than mine?"
The eldest son stood and drew his sword. "Yes, my truth is greater than yours. I challenge you in the ancient way." Humakt stood and drew Death from its sheath. "What prize do you claim?" "A piece of Death if I win. If I lose, I offer you my sword arm. I will live and breathe your will. I will fight when you wish me to fight, rest when you wish me to rest, die when you wish me to die. The duel will be to the first blood." Humakt looked down at his weapon. "If this sword touches you then you will die. Do you not fear that?" The son replied, "I am ready for death. But you will not kill me for it would deprive you of your prize."
The ancient ceremonies were conducted and the duel was begun. It lasted only a second. Neither Humakt nor Humakt-son hesitated, or parried, or dodged the blow that came. They both thrusted at the left side of the chest to impale through the heart. Had the duel not been to the first blood, they would have both struck a fatal blow. Humakt drew only a single drop of blood from his son, while the son cut his father at exactly the same moment.
Humakt, surprised, asked "who has won?" Humakt-son replied, "let us say that we both won, and both claim our prize. Give me the sword and I will wield it for you at your orders, in both life and death." "This is the other way I have sought," Humakt declared, "I had hoped to re-forge the sword out of metal, but instead I will re-forge it out of warriors." The rest of Humakt's sons stepped forward and swore oaths to serve the god in exchange for a piece of Death, then the rest of his followers swore the same oaths until one hundred had stepped forward. Humakt appointed the eldest son as their commander, the first centurion of the sword legion. Then Humakt led them out of the hall where they hewed through his enemies until they had all died or fled.
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