Other Deities of Faerun

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Presented now are other deities of Faerun that are not segregated into their own pantheon thread, or apart of the Major Deities. Enjoy!

Pictures courtesy of Wizards website.

www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ag/20020628b2

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Akadi

Queen of Air, the Lady of Air, Lady of the Winds

Greater Faerunian Deity
Symbol: White cloud on blue background
Home Plane: Elemental Plane of Air
Alignment: Neutral
Portfolio: Elemental air, movement, speed, flying creatures
Worshipers: Animal breeders, elemental archons (air), rangers, rogues, sailors
Cleric Alignments: TN, NG, LN, CN, NE
Domains: Air, Illusion, Travel, Trickery
Favored Weapon: A whirlwind (heavy flail)

Akadi (ah-kah-dee) is the elemental embodiment of air. She is one of the four elemental deities worshiped in Faerun but, like all except Kossuth, has a very small following. She cares only slightly for her followers, and then only after she is propitiated (bribed) by burning precious incenses that waft to her on the winds. While appeals to Akadi may change or still the winds, provide good flying currents, or bring rains, she grants no prayers to raise or quell harsh storms, for such lies within the purview of Talos and Umberlee.

The church of Akadi is organized into small sects that follow a particularly charismatic Akadian. All sects follow the Whisper (working behind the scenes), or the Roar (working openly). Listening to the wind, traveling beneath the stars of Faerun, pursuing personal interests of the moment, and speaking to others of the glories of Akadi dominate most clerics’ lives. Some clerics become almost obsessively involved in “life experiments” of a practical or esoteric nature. For instance, some may become deeply involved in breeding faster and sleeker hawks or running hounds, others may decide to see how orcs adapt to fierce and freakish windstorms, and yet others may spend endless hours trying to develop artificial wings for cats.

Clerics of Akadi pray for their spells before dawn so as to whisper them on the morning breeze. The only official holy day of the church is Midsummer. All who are able to gather in the Shaar at the ruins of Blaskaltar, which contains the site of the first known shrine to Akadi in Faerun, now obliterated by the hand of time and seasons of wind and rain. Here the chant of the heroes of the faith is recited by all present and new names are added to the roll commemorating those who have passed on during the past year. Akadi’s clerics often multiclass as elemental archons, rangers, or rogues.

History/Relationships:

Akadi is one of the four elemental lords who seem to stand apart from history, unchanged by the passage of time. She has ties to other gods concerned with the element of air, including Aerdrie Faenya and Shaundakul, but no strong relationships. She opposes obstinate, unmoving Grumbar at every opportunity.

Dogma:

Find your own enlightenment in your interests. As soon as your interest fails, all chance of finding further spiritual growth has left that activity or place. Move from activity to activity, from place to place, pursuing a personal dream or series of interests and growing through the changing experiences each new day brings. Worry not if others of the church do not adhere to this doctrine, for all obstacles wear down over time. Few matters are so important as to require a wholesale commitment. Do not ever let yourself be fettered or imprisoned, for constrained life is little better than death.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 90-91))

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Auril

Frostmaiden, Icedawn, the Cold Goddess

Lesser Faerunian Deity
Home Plane: A white snowflake on a gray diamond (a heraldic lozenge) with a white border
Home Plane: Fury’s Heart
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Portfolio: Cold winter
Worshipers: Druids, elemental archons (air or water), frost giants, inhabitants of cold climates, rangers
Cleric Alignments: CE, LE, NE
Domains: Air, Evil, Storm, Water
Favored Weapon: “Icemaiden’s Caress” [ice axe] (battleaxe)

Auril (aw-rill) is a fickle, vain, evil deity with a heart of ice who is venerated primarily out of fear. She remains untouched by any hint of true love, noble feeling, or honor. She enjoys toying with those who offend her, trapping them in snow storms and then driving them insane with tantalizing visions of warmth and the comforts of home before freezing them to death. Her beauty is cold and deadly, the flower of womanhood preserved forever in a slab of arctic ice--with sensibilities to match the ice.

The church of Auril is very loosely and informally organized, and clergy members wander and are largely independent. They seek to make all folk fear their deity and her clergy (to cut down on the attacks they face) through the fury of the winter weather. They also generate personal wealth and influence by carrying out tasks that others cannot in the worst winter weather and by magically protecting those who pay or obey froom the worst winter conditions. Clergy members make offerings to the deity of some of the wealth they amass by scattering it in falling snow during a storm or throwing it through cracks in river ice or glacial crevasses during the winter. In the cold months, Auril expects each of her clerics to force or persuade someone to pray to her in the approved manner by beseeching Auril for mercy and praising her for the “cold cleansing” she brings. This prayer must last for the length of time it takes a piece of ice larger than the “supplicant’s” hand to melt against his or her bared flesh. It mustbe done out of doors and preferably at night. During the winter, Aurilian clergy are also expected to slay at least one creature with cold. This is often done so as to provide worshipers or potential worshipers of the deity with food or to slay a personal for of the cleric or cleric.

Clerics and druids of Auril pray for their spells at midnight or whenever the temperature drops to its lowest point during the day, lying out in the snow or the coldest stream available all night if possible. Midwinter Night is the most holy time of the year to the clergy of Auril. It is a nightlong festival of ice-dancing that is intended for both enjoyment and recruitment. The Coming and the Last Storm are two enthusiastically celebrated rituals, howling ice storms called up by clergy working as a group to mark the onset or last gasp of winter. Joining the clergy requires undergoing a ritual known as the Embracing, during which one runs through a blizzard all night long dressed only in boots, a thing shift, and body paint depicting the symbols of Auril, without the protective mantle of any magic. Auril accepts those who do not freeze to death. Many clerics and druids multiclass as divine disciples, elemental archons, or rangers.

History/Relationships:

Auril is one of the Deities of Fury, along with Malar, Umberlee, and her superior, Talos. Lately, Talos eroded much of her power, in response, she makes winter an increasingly fierce season in the North. She can call on Umberlee with some degree of confidence. Malar and Auril despise each other. She has begun to siphon power from the slumbering Ulutiu slowly enough to keep him from waking, and in a few years when she has killed him she plans to continue granting spells in his name.

Dogma:

Cover all the lands with ice. Quench fire wherever it is fund. Let in the winds and the cold; cut down windbreaks and chop holes in walls and roofs that my breath may come in. Work darkness to hide the cursed sun so that the chill the Auril brings may slay. Take the life of an arctic creature only in great need, but slay all others at will. Make all Faerun fear the Frostmaiden. Revere the Cold Goddess and sing her praises into any chill breeze or winter wind. Do not raise your hand against any other cleric of Auril.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pg. 91))

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Beshaba

The Maid of Misfortune, Lady Doom

Intermediate Faerunian Deity
Symbol: Black antlers on a red field
Home Plane: The Barrens of Doom and Despair
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Portfolio: Random mischief, misfortune, bad luck, accidents
Worshipers: Assassins, auspicians, capricious individuals, gamblers, rogues, sadists
Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE
Domains: Chaos, Evil, Fate, Luck, Trickery
Favored Weapon: “Ill Fortune” [barbed scourge] (scourge)

Beshaba (be-shah-ba) is a deity who is feared far more than she is venerated, for she is spiteful, petty, and malicious. The Maid of Misfortune is given to random behavior and bouts of extreme jealousy with regards to her sister, demanding equal veneration (or at least lip service) to that given to Tymora. Although the thought of Beshaba actually appearing is enough to make most folk tremble, she is always invited and welcomed formally in speeches or ceremonies of formal functions (such as marriages and coronations), contests of sport or martial prowess, or at the naming of children. If not invited, she may take offense and wreak endless misfortune upon those involved.

Beshaba is worshipped largely out of fear, and it is the task of her clergy to spread that fear by starting talk of Beshaba’s power and latest wickedness and by instructing all in how to make offerings to her or in how to join her clergy if they would prefer to be protected against all misfortune. Along the way, the members of her clergy take care to indulge their tastes for random cruelty and sadism. They enjoy acting mysteriously to manipulate simpler folk into serving them in matters both great and small, from providing them with food, luxurious shelter, and companionship to giving them weapons to wield against their rivals in the church of Beshaba and against the clergy of all other faiths.

Clerics of Beshaba pray for their spells at midnight. Immediately before doing so, if at all possible, they must make an offering to the Lady by setting fire to brandy, wine, or spirits while uttering the name of the goddess and dipping a black antler tine into the mixture. Burning one’s fingers slightly in doing so is looked upon favorably. Devotees of Beshaba observe both Midsummer and Shieldmeet with wild revels of destruction and rudeness. Otherwise, they ignore the calendar, holding special ceremonies upon the deaths of important clergy members and when one of their number ascends in rank. The former ceremony is known as the Passing and is a rare time of dignity and tender piety. The corpse of the departed is floated down a river amid floating candles in a ceremony that transforms it into an undead creature and teleports its to a random location in Faerun to wreak havoc. The ceremony of ascension is known as the Marking and involves drum music, dancing over flames, and either branding or tattooing. No spell or potion is permitted to mitigate the pain. Many clerics multiclass as assassins, auspicians, or rogues.

History/Relationships:

Beshaba was formed when Tyche, the former goddess of luck, split in twain during the Dawn Cataclysm to form her two “daughters”, Beshaba and Tymora. It is said that Beshaba got all the looks and Tymora all the love, as men who have met the gaze of the Maid of Misfortune and either been consumed with lust or driven to carry out her every reckless whim can attest. In women, Beshaba’s gaze inspires mania reflective of Lady Doom. Beshaba has spurned Talos’s recent overtures, seeing them as an attempt to subsume her portfolio. She has no real allies, but is wholly dedicated to the destruction of Lady Luck. She also enjoys toying with Shaundakul, and masquerades under his name in Anauroch while performing malicious and mischievous tricks (such as causing oases to dry out, blinding people, and causing travelers to get lost).

Dogma:

Bad things happen to everyone, and only by following Beshaba may a person perhaps be spared the worst of her effects. Too much good luck is a bad thing, and to even it out, the wise should plan to undermine the fortunate. Whatever happens, it can only get worse. Fear the Maid of Misfortune and revere her. Spread the message across Faerun to obey Beshaba and make offerings to appease her. If she is not appeased, all will taste firsthand the curse that is spreading throughout Faerun: “Beshaba provides!” (misery and misfortune). Make others worship Beshaba and then they will spread the ill luck she can bring. Never falsely advise any being in how to worship Beshaba, or pay the price of being cast out and cursed with misfortune all their days.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 91-92))

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Deneir

Lord of all Glyphs and Images, the Scribe of Oghma

Lesser Faerunian Deity
Symbol: Lit candle above purple eye with triangular pupil
Home Plane: House of Knowledge
Alignment: Neutral Good
Portfolio: Glyphs, images, literature, scribes, cartography
Worshipers: Historians, loremasters, sages, scholars, scribes, seekers of enlightenment, students
Cleric Alignments: CG, LG, NG
Domains: Good, Knowledge, Protection, Rune
Favored Weapon: A whirling glyph (dagger)

In the realm of the ideal, a single work of writing when read, will unlock the secrets of the multiverse, catapulting its reader to the heights of godhood. The pursuit of this work, known as the Metatext, consumes the deity Deneir (deh-neer) and his followers. It is said that Deneir, a servant of Oghma the Binder, first achieved his position among the deities by glimpsing the merest portion of this text, and that the need to read the entire work gives him purpose. Deneir believes that the Metatext is reflected in the Prime Plane through snippets of every written work ever committed to paper. A word here, a juxtaposition of letters there, and (rarely) even entire sentences of particularly enlightened writing echo the ideal work. As patron to artists, illuminators, cartographers, and scribes, the Lord of All Glyphs and Images oversees all written creation, desperately hunting his elusive charge.

Deneir’s church is concerned with the gathering and recording of information so that nothing written is lost. Most keep a journal of their activities, including poems, songs, and stories they hear on their journeys. Each cleric takes a vow of charity, agreeing to write or read letters and transcribe information (this is done for free for the poor, at the cost of materials plus a silver piece for those able to afford it, and a standard scribe’s rates for the well-off). They teach people how to read and most learn the Scribe Scroll feat in order to be able to make magical scrolls.

Glyphscribes, as clerics of Deneir are known, pray for spells in the morning. Glyphscribes retain a written copy of every missive they record, and on the 3rd of Ches each cleric turns over a bundle of the most interesting of such copies to their local temple. High clerics pore over these works, searching for a hint of the Metatext. The most promising morsels, often no more than one or two words, are sent to the Iron Dragon Mountain temple hidden in the Earthfast Mountains, there to be added to Librarian Supreme Haliduth Orspriir’s incomplete, living record of that elusive manuscript. Those glyphscribes who multiclass often do so as loremasters, capitalizing on the unusual knowledge gained while practicing their craft.

History/Relationships:

Whereas Oghma represents the spark of creativity, his scribe concerns himself with recording the epiphanies of mankind. Thus the two share a symbiotic relationship; the Binder appreciates Deneir’s dedication to truth and study. He knows little of the obscure Metatext, suspecting that his servant chases shadows of the mind, following the half-imagined ramblings of a thousand mad scholars. Deneir displays few of the characteristics associated with madness; his stodgy, studious outlook on life (not to mention his interest in magical matters) makes him popular among the deities of magic such as Mystra, Azuth, and especially Savras. Lliira fancies she can scare some fun into Deneir, and gains endless enjoyment from making him uncomfortable. Those who hide knowledge, such as Cyric, Shar, and Mask, or those who destroy it, such as the Deities of Fury, fill the usually calm Deneir with rage.

Dogma:

Information that is not recorded and saved for later use is information that is lost. Punish those who deface or destroy a book in proportion to the value of the information lost. Literacy is an important gift from Deneir; spread it wherever you travel, that it might couch the hearts and minds of all Faerun. Fill idle hours with the copying of written work, for in such a manner do you propagate knowledge and aid the pursuit of the Metatext. Information should be free to all and all should be able to read it so that lying tongues cannot distort things out of proportion.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 92-93))

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Eldath

Goddess of Singing Waters, Mother Guardian of Groves, the Green Goddess

Lesser Faerunian Deity
Symbol: Waterfall plunging into a still pool
Home Plane: House of Nature
Alignment: Neutral good
Portfolio: Quiet places, springs, pools, peace, waterfalls
Worshipers: Druids, pacifists, rangers
Cleric Alignments: CG, LG, NG
Domains: Family, Good, Plant, Protection, Water
Favored Weapon: Net (net or net that does damage as unarmed strike)

Eldath (el-dath) is the guardian of groves, and her presence is felt wherever there is calm. She is a pacifist who avoids hostile action, even if threatened. Although she, quiet, and enigmatic, Eldath is possessed of unknown depths of character and unexpressed resolve that cannot be broken. She meets challenges by strategically withdrawing, a course of action that in time always leads opponents to overextend into an untenable position in which their reinforcements have been converted to her side. Recently she has been suffering many attacks from Malar and his followers, with the People of the Black Blood despoiling several of her sacred pools.

Eldathyn are organized in a simple hierarchy where a dozen or so clerics report to a senior cleric who in turn reports to a grand cleric responsible for a realm or larger region. Most dwell in forest communities with open-air sacred places of worship, spending their lives tending unspoiled places to ensure that they survive and even flourish in the face of human and other depredations. They rarely resort to any sort of open confrontation, instead working subtly. Few Eldathyn live in large settlements, but many dwell in springside cottages within an easy ride of settlements. Clergy of Eldath are all taught to swim, and often teach this skill to nonbelievers in return for small offerings of food and coins. Many learn the Brew Potion feat.

Clerics and druids of Eldath pray for their spells once per day at a time selected after great personal reflection. The only calendar-related holy day of the church is the Greening, a gathering and festival celebrated at Greengrass. It is preceded by the Firstflow, a festival held at varying times when the waters break up and begin to flow at the conclusion of winter. The Chant of the Fastness is performed at the dedication of new open air temples or shrines of the goddess, where the water is blessed and empowered with healing magic for a few days. Many clerics and druids multiclass as rangers.

History/Relationships:

Eldath is a quiet, enigmatic figure who is rarely remembered in the pages of Faerunian history. She serves Silvanus alongside Mielikki, but finds the Oakfather’s robustness intimidating. Mielikki and Eldath consider each other sisters. She also maintains close relations with Chauntea, Selune, and Lathander, for they share common interests. While Eldath opposes all that Tempus stands for, she does not consider him a personal foe. He in turn considers her naïve, but respects her convictions and generally ignores her.

Dogma:

Peace can only come from within and cannot be taught or imposed. Seek stillness and thereby find peace. Plant trees and green-leafed things and tend such things when they need it, wherever they may be. Nurture and aid, and do not to restrict or punish. Work violence only to defend, and slay no thing of the forest except to prevent it from slaying themselves or another under their protection. Swear to take no thinking life except in direst need. Share with all beings the beneficial things that grow in or come from running water that all may know of and praise Eldath.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pg. 93))

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Finder Wyvernspur

The Nameless bard

Faerunian Demigod
Symbol: White harp on gray circle
Home Plane: Gates of the Moon
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: Cycle of life, transformation of art, saurials
Worshipers: Artists, bards, saurials
Cleric Alignments: CE, CG, CN
Domains: Chaos, Charm, Renewal, Scalykind
Favored Weapon: “Sword of Songs” (bastard sword)

Finder Wyvernspur (find-er wihv-urn-spur) is both the deity of reinvention and the example most commonly cited of overweening pride. Finder’s temperament is slowly shifting from that of a vain and selfish man to a deity dedicated toward responsible actions and good deeds. He works not only to spread his songs among bards of Faerun, but to encourage all artists and prod them to grow by changing, transforming, and recreating the medium, a radical departure from his old determinably fixed nature.

The church of Finder is small indeed, consisting primarily of struggling young bards and artists seeking to gain fame. Its existence is seen as somewhat of a threat by the clergies of Oghma, Milil, and Lathander, despite general support from those deities themselves. Among the saurials of the Lost Vale (a hidden valley near the Dalelands), Finder’s church has become well-established, as the deity is respected or venerated by most members of the race. Clerics of Finder, few that there are, spend their days creating and recreating their own art and spreading Finder’s dogma across Faerun. Many make their living by teaching music, a practice strongly encouraged by the deity.

Clerics of Finder pray for their spells at dawn, when the night is reborn into day. The only official holy day of the church is the 20th of Marpenoth, the day Finder destroyed Moander’s physical manifestation and then the deity’s true form in the Abyss. Saurials celebrate this day as a day of emancipation, while humans celebrate it as the day Finder realized even his own music could be improved by change. In both cases, this day is observed with music, dancing, plays, and the unveiling of static art creations. Many clerics multiclass as bards.

History/Relationships:

A founding member of the Harpers, Finder was later judged to have betrayed their ideals when his overweening pride resulted in the death of one apprentice and the suicide of another. After a long period of banishment, he was freed by an adventurer and later became a god at the end of the Time of Troubles by slaying Moander and seizing his divine spark. In doing so, he freed the saurials of the Lost Vale, an act that gained him their worship. As a new deity, Finder is still finding his way, although he has formed strong relationships with Tymora and Selune. In time, he is likely to ally himself with all gods who had a hand in the founding of the Harpers. Many deities and their worshipers work against Finder. Cultists who seek the rebirth of Moander, including elven cultists who are secretly backed by Lolth, oppose Finder. Reptilian deities such as Sebek, Set, and Tiamat attack Finder since he serves as the patron of saurials. Deities such as Talona and Turtrus wish to usurp Moander’s original portfolio (rot) from him, and even Gargauth wants to steal rot as a form of corruption.

Dogma:

Art that is forced to remain immutable is a sign of stagnation and spiritual rot. In order to thrive, people must be willing to change and transform their art so they can be renewed by it. Art has the power to influence people and politics. Although that should not be its sole use, it art can be used to keep people free and independent from social or political tyranny, it is most proper that it be used so. All art is pleasing to Finder. Artistic expression should also be encouraged in all--children and adult, amateur and professional. While those persons who have learned and mastered disciplines of expression are much to be admired, also recognize the importance of natural talents.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 93-94))

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Garagos

The Reaver, Master of All Weapons, Lord of War

Faerunian Demigod
Symbol: A pinwheel of five snaky arms clutching swords
Home Plane: Warrior's Rest
Alignment: Chaotic neutral
Portfolio: War, skill-at-arms, destruction, plunder
Worshipers: Barbarians, fighters, rangers, soldiers, spies, warriors
Cleric Alignments: CE, CG, CN
Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Strength, War
Favored Weapon: "The Tentacus" (longsword)

The goal of every worshiper of Garagos (gah-rah-gohs) the Reaver is to be covered in their enemy's blood at the heart of a conflict they initiated. Once Garagos was an honored deity of war, a being associated more with military victory through fury than perseverance through sound tactical decisions. He eventually came into conflict with the young demigod Tempus, who vied for his dominance over warcraft. The Tome of Foehammer's Triumph, a collection of scriptures held holy by the church of Tempus, tells of a century-long battle in which the Lord of Battle finally defeated Garagos by turning the Reaver's mindless fury against him. Long though slain, Garagos reappeared in the recent past, either awakened from ageless slumber or resurrected by a devoted cult of worshipers. His newest incarnation seems utterly devoid of the craftiness he once possessed. Instead, Garagos is a being of idiot rage, a violent six-armed whirlwind of carnage that seems to exist only to destroy.

Bloodreavers pray for spells in the morning. Ceremonies to the Lord of War typically involve bloodletting as well as anointing the faithful in the blood of their enemies. Though a few well-kept clerics prefer to sow discord through guile in the courts of cities across Faerun, most of Garagos's feral clerics eschew bathing, proudly wearing multiple coats of enemy blood. The blood obsession of the cult of the Master of All Weapons has led many to conclude that services to Garagos involve soome degree of vampirism, but a direct link has never been proven. Indeed, most vampires would be more likely to treat a blood-soaked cleric of Garagos as a particularly hearty meal than consider him an ally. Bloodreavers usually multiclass as barbarians.

History/Relationships:

Though chaotic neutral, the debased, insane Garagos stands on the brink of evil. A nearly elemental force of destruction, the Reaver has no allies in the pantheons of Abeir-Toril--the other gods deal with Garagos simply by staying the hell away from him. Despite his vacant mind, Garagos still harbors deep resentment against Tempus and his catspaw, the Red Knight. Should these deities meet in the field of combat, there's little doubt that the Reaver would come out the worst for it. Eventually, however, Garagos's destructive capabilities might transcend tactical weaknesses, and on such a day, the followers fo Tempus are sure to know true despair.

Dogma:

Peace is for weak fools. War makes all participants strong, and only in head-to-head conflict is honor satisfied. Only cowards avoid battle. Any who strike down a foe from ambush or from behind demonstrate cowardice. Retreat is never an option, even in the face of a greater foe, for it a warrior's heart is focused on Garagos, the deity will provide strength enough to conquer any enemy.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 94-95))

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Gargauth

The Tenth Lord of Nine, the Lost Lord of the Pit, the Hidden Lord

Faerunian Demigod
Symbol: Broken animal horn
Home Plane: Material
Alignment: Lawful evil
Portfolio: Betrayal, cruelty, political corruption, traitors
Worshipers: Corrupt leaders and politicians, sorcerers, traitors
Cleric Alignments: LE, LN, NE
Domains: Charm, Evil, Law, Trickery
Favored Weapon: “Corruptor” (dagger or throwing dagger)

Gargauth (gar-goth) embodies the inevitable decay and corruption that accompanies all self-serving, greedy, and power-hungry leaders and groups. Gargauth’s malevolency and cruelty are made all the worse by the veneer of civility and compassion he wears when first encountered. Gargauth holds to the letter of any agreement, not the spirit, and relishes betraying anyone with whom he forges a pact by twisting the contract to serve his own ends. Gargauth is a master strategist, and his sense of humor moderates his temper. He can be erudite, charming, and genteel, but his true nature always reveals itself eventually. In truth, the Lord Who Watches is utterly depraved, the incarnation of evil most foul.

The church of Gargauth is a secretive faith, although there are some significant exceptions. Clerics work to increase their personal power, the power of the church, and, by extension, the power of Gargauth. Clerics are expected to be Gargauth’s eyes and ears throughout Faerun. They are to entice and corrupt powerful individuals and leaders in communities throughout Faerun and bind them into strict contracts favorable to Gargauth’s goals. They seek to seize positions of power whenever possible and integrate their positions into the secretive hierarchy of the faith. Gargauth has directed his followers to undermine other evil faiths and steal their worshipers rather than waste energy in conflicts with good deities.

Clerics of Gargauth pray for their spells at dusk, when night first begins to corrupt the day. The church of Gargauth celebrates two holy days. The Unveiling occurs each Midwinter night. This horrific ceremony, believed to involve many gruesome sacrifices, heralds the imminent time when Gargauth seizes Faerun as his unholy kingdom and transports it to Baator to form the Tenth Pit of Hell. The Binding is celebrated on the eve of the Feast of the Moon. It is a personal ritual in which each cleric renews his eternal contract with Gargauth, trading absolute fealty for increased power. This unholy ritual is believed to involve personal sacrifices of money, magic, and hoarded knowledge and the casting of many horrific spells. Gargauth’s clergy mark all agreements with signed contracts consecrated in the name of the Lord Who Watches. Many clerics multiclass as divine disciples or sorcerers.

History/Relationships:

Gargauth is a former arch-devil whose foul nature was too much even for others of his ilk. Exiled from the Nine Hells, gargauth took to wandering the planes, returning time and again to Toril. His cult blossomed during the war between the Harpers and the malaugryms. In addition to the Dark Deities, Gargauth is also opposed to evil deities such as Cyric and Shar. He poses a particular threat to Siamorphe, given his interest in corrupting those who she holds up as shining paragons of virtue.

Dogma:

Life is all about the accumulation of power. Civilization is a thin veneer over the base desires that make up the core of every living being. Those who wish to survive and prosper must recognize this truth and concentrate all their resources on the pursuit of power. To achieve power one should use one’s charms and honeyed words or a barbed and bloody dagger as appropriate for the situation. It is more important to rule than to sit on the throne. Keep to the letter of any agreement and the rules established by those more powerful, but be prepared to twist any contract or stricture so as to maximize the benefit you receive.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 95-96))

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Grumbar

Earthlord, King of the Land Below the Roots

Greater Faerunian Deity
Symbol: Mountains on purple
Home Plane: Elemental Plane of Earth
Alignment: Neutral
Portfolio: Elemental earth, solidity, changelessness, oaths
Worshipers: Elemental archons (earth), fighters, monks, rangers
Cleric Alignments: CN, N, NE, NG, LN
Domains: Cavern, Earth, Metal, Time
Favored Weapon: A stony fist (warhammer)

Grumbar (grum-bar) is the elemental embodiment of earth. He is one of the four elemental deities worshiped in Faerun but, like all except Kossuth, has a very small following. He cares only slightly for his followers, accepting offerings of sardonyx, jasper, and other stones without complaint or comment. Grumbar’s gifts are most often protective magics or knowledge of the underearth’s secret places or rich lodes or ore, though he seems to mete them out without determinable reason.

The church of Grumbar is organized into small sects known as Holds, each comprising seven clerics, seven monks, and seven rangers and as many laity as can be supported. There is little dissension within Holds, and little interaction between Holds. Those who follow the Earthlord can often be found in public preaching against the evils of boarding ships and setting sail to uncharted lands, preferring exporation on the continent of Faerun. Many of the clergy members preach that “more than enough problems exist to occupy our time here at home without looking for new troubles.” Grumbar’s clergy members also take stances against changes in the social code, changes in government, the building of new landmarks that change the face of the land (such as dams) and changes in their own religion.

Clerics of Grumbar pray for their spells at dawn while giving thanks that the earth remained stable while they slept. The only official holy day of the church is Midwinter, when a festival is held to celebrate the completion of another year and to plan the faith’s activities for the upcoming year. Once set, such plans never change. Grumbaryn faithful swear an Oath of Landwalking never to travel through air or across water unless their life depends upon it. Grumbar’s clerics often multiclass as elemental archons.

History/Relationships:

Grumbar is one of the four elemental lords who seem to stand apart from history, unchanged by the passage of time. He has ties to other gods concerned with the element of earth, including Geb, Garl Glittergold, Dumathoin, Laduguer, and Urogalan, but no strong relationships. He opposes flighty, inconsistent Akadi at every opportunity.

Dogma:

The eternal Grumbar is perfect and unchanging. Strive to be more like the eternal one, not to change or allow change to happen. One’s given word is the bedrock upon which is stable society is built. To break an oath is to cause a crack in the foundation of civilization. Go forth and spread the word of Grumbar and show through your works the stability and safety he brings.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pg. 96))

[ancientempathy]

Gwaeron Windstrom

Master of Tracking, the Tracker Who Never Goes Astray

Faerunian Demigod
Symbol: White star and brown paw print
Home Plane: House of Nature
Alignment: Neutral good
Portfolio: Tracking, rangers of the North
Worshipers: Druids, rangers, troll hunters
Cleric Alignments: CG, LG, NG
Domains: Animal, Good, Knowledge, Plant, Travel
Favored Weapon: “Flameheart” (greatsword)

Gwaeron Windstrom (gwair-on wind-strahm) is the quiet, reclusive patron of rangers of the North who always appears as a tall and physically impressive human male stripped to the waist with flowing white hair and a long white beard. Taciturn and slow to anger, the Master of Tracking prefers to instruct through example, not words, and his rage, once ignited, is a terrible thing. He loathes trolls, and is known to stalk them across the Evermoors. Although Gwaeron is highly respected by rangers active in the North, his faith is more one of emulation than veneration.

There is not an organized Gwaeronan church distinct from the church of Mielikki, and the existence of his faith is little known outside the ranks of northern rangers. Rather, most shrines of the Lady of the Forest in the North include a small shrine or side altar to the Master of Tracking within their confines. Gwaeron’s followers, known as Stalkers of the Silent Path, work to keep the numbers of trolls, orcs, and other humanoids in check across the North and oppose the followers of Malar at every turn.

Clerics and druids of Gwaeron Windstrom pray for their spells at dusk, when many wild beasts emerge from their dens to forage and hunt. Gwaeron’s followers observe no holy days other than those celebrated by Mielikki. After a successful “stalk,” those who invoke Gwaeron’s name are expected to leave a circle of six footprints in the ground with their right foot, the heel of each print neatly touching and the toes facing outward. Almost all clerics and druids of Gwaeron Windstrom multiclass as rangers.

History/Relationships:

Gwaeron roamed the North as a mortal ranger many centuries ago and is said to sleep in a stand of trees just to the west of the town of Triboar, known as Gwaeron’s Slumber. Along with Lurue and Shiallia, the Master of Tracking serves Mielikki by teaching her rangers the way to read forest signs. He reports indirectly to Silvanus. He has forged alliances with the deities of the elven, gnome, and halfling pantheons whose portfolios most closely match those of Mielikki, Silvanus, and his own. He opposes Malar the Beastlord. Given that his following is so small and so similar to that of Mielikki, he may be accidentally subsumed as an aspect of the Forest Queen or fall prey to Malar if he is not careful.

Dogma:

Intelligent beings can live in harmony with the wild without requiring the destruction of one in the name of the other. Embrace the wild and fear it not, because the wild ways are the good ways. Keep the Balance and learn the hidden ways of life, but stress the positive and outreaching nature of the wild. Do not allow trees to be needlessly felled or the forest needlessly burned. Live as one with the woods, teach others to do so, and punish and curtail those that hunt for sport or practice cruelties on wild creatures.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 96-97))

[ancientempathy]

Hoar

The Doombringer, Lord of Three Thunders

Faerunian Demigod
Symbol: Black-gloved hand holding a coin with a two-faced head
Home Plane: The Barrens of Doom and Despair
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Revenge, retribution, poetic justice
Worshipers: Assassins, fighters, rogues, seekers of retribution
Cleric Alignments: LE, LG, LN
Domains: Fate, Law, Retribution, Travel
Favored Weapon: “Retribution’s Sting” [javelin of lightning] (javelin)

Hoar (hore) is the vengeful deity of retribution invoked by those who seek to repay an eye for an eye. He is a moody deity, prone to violence and with a penchant toward bitter humor. Since the Time of Troubles, the Doombringer has been consumed with bringing about the downfall of Anhur, the Mulhorandi’s deity of war, and to a lesser extent the pantheon that spawned him.

Aside from a handful of temples, the church of Hoar is composed primarily of itinerant wanderers who travel from town to town agreeing to pray for Hoar’s intercession on behalf of one who seeks or fears vengeance for some attack in exchange for a small fee. Charlatans receive a fitting punishment by Hoar’s hand. Hoar’s clergy also seek out victims of injustice, hear their stories, evaluate the veracity of their accounts, and track down the perpetrators in order to inflict a fitting form of punishment. No injustice is too large or too small for revenge to be sought and a fitting punishment meted out, earning the church of Hoar the ire of town watches and Tyrists alike as well as the adulation of the downtrodden.

Clerics of Hoar pray for their spells at midnight, when the bells toll for those deserving of fitting justice. Clerics of Hoar are encouraged to celebrate the anniversary of the most fitting and sweetest act of revenge. Silent or thunderous praises (as appropriate) must be given to Hoar each and every time some form of vengeance is exacted. In addition, the church of Hoar observes two official holy days. On the 11th of Eleint, the Penultimate Thunder is celebrated with feasts of game, bread, fruits, and mead, marking the defeat of the Untheric war god Ramman. On the 11th of Marpenoth, the Impending Doom is observed with daylong ceremonies of rumbling drums, vigorous oaths, and exhausting acts of purification. It celebrates justices yet to be meted out, revenges yet to be carried through with, and good deeds that call to the celebrants to be remembered. Many clerics of Hoar multiclass as assassins, fighters, or rogues.

History/Relationships:

Hoar is actually the ancient Untheric deity worshipped in the eastern Inner Sea lands as Assuran. Centuries ago, he was driven from Unther by Ramman, although his cult remained strong in Chessenta. He eventually slew his rival during the Time of Troubles, but Anhur stole Ramman’s unclaimed portfolio before Hoar could act, earning Hoar’s ire. Both Tyr and Shar contest for Hoar’s tormented soul, as the Dark Goddess seeks to turn him into a servant of blind vengeance and bitterness while the Maimed God seeks to unlock Hoar’s bittersweet humor and shift his portfolio to favor irony and poetic justice. Meanwhile, Hoar conspires with Beshaba in unleashing bad luck on the deserving.

Dogma:

Uphold true and fitting justice and maintain the spirit of law, not the letter of law. Fitting recompense will always accrue for one’s actions. Violence will meet violence and evil pay back evil, but good will also come to those who do good. Walk the line of the Doombringer’s teachings, seeking retribution, but do not fall into the trap of pursuing evil acts for evil’s sake, for that way is seductive and leads only to one’s downfall. Vengeance must be sought for all injustices, and all punishments must fit the crime. Revenge is sweetest when it is sharpened with irony. All attacks must be avenged. Those who do not respond to attacks against their person or that which they hold dear only invite future attacks.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 97-98))

[ancientempathy]

Istishia

The Water Lord, King of the Water Elementals

Greater Faerunian Deity
Symbol: Cresting wave
Home Plane: Elemental Plane of Water
Alignment: Neutral
Portfolio: Elemental water, purification
Worshipers: Bards, elemental archons (water), sailors, travelers
Cleric Alignments: CN, N, NE, NG, LN
Domains: Destruction, Ocean, Storm, Travel, Water
Favored Weapon: A wave (warhammer)

Istishia (is-tish-ee-ah) is the elemental embodiment of water. He is one of the four elemental deities worshiped in Faerun but, like all but Kossuth, has a very small following. He cares only slightly for his followers and is almost predictable in his incomprehensible and alien unpredictability. He represents the essence of water itself, the nature of slow change over time, and the ability of water to enact change. Most mortals consider his actions incomprehensible and like the other elemental lords he is almost indifferent to his own worshipers.

Istishia’s church is organized into several sects that work together in order to accomplish goals for the different aspects of Istishia’s worship. New sects are constantly being created and later reabsorbed into other sects. The church uses a unified ranking system so even members of different sects know their relative positions. Most clerics remain attached to a particular temple or region, but since they believe that doing so for too long results in stagnation they change temples about every five years. The clergy work to keep sources of water from becoming polluted and intercede between land and sea races. Their temples are well-known for crafting excellent pottery.

Clerics of Istishia pray for their spells at dawn while giving thanks for a drink of water. Spring tide and neap tide are celebrated with festivals that involve the boisterous tossing of new converts into water and a great deal of diving. Visitations between surface-dwelling churches and aquatic branches of the faith are common at such festivals. Istishia’s clerics often multiclass as bards or elemental archons.

History/Relationships:

Istishia is one of the four elemental lords who seem to stand apart from history, unchanged by the passage of time. He has ties to other gods concerned with the element of water, including Deep Sashelas, Eldath, Valkur, and Umberlee, but no strong relationships. He opposes destructive Kossuth at every opportunity.

Dogma:

Everything is interconnected and cyclical. Water alyways triumphs, for earth dissolves through water, fire is extinguished even by steam, and air becomes clouds and then rain, completing the eternal cycle. The Water Lord is the great equalizer and leveler of the elements, acknowledging change but holding to his essential nature. Do not try to be what you are not; rather, excel at what you are and carry this message of personal excellence to the world. Be flexible but not unreasonable. As the rains flow down to the ocean in the folds of earth and not up mountains, so do the truths of Istishia spread throughout the land through their natural routes, not through rank force. The mysteries of life are to be enjoyed and puzzled over, but realize that some answers do not come in this world, but rather in the next. Realize that they cycles of life are mirrored by the cycle of fate; be prepared to pay the price of reap the reward for the actions of your past or your future.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pg. 98))

[ancientempathy]

Jergal

Lord of the End of Everything, Scribe of the Doomed, the Pitiless One

Faerunian Demigod
Symbol: Jawless skull and writing quill on scroll
Home Plane: The Fugue Plane
Alignment: Lawful neutral
Portfolio: Fatalism, proper burial, guardian of tombs
Worshipers: Monks, necromancers, paladins
Cleric Alignments: LE, LG, LN
Domains: Fate, Law, Repose, Rune, Suffering
Favored Weapon: A white glove (scythe)

Jergal (jer-gull) is the fatalistic seneschal of the Lord of the Dead who keeps records on the final disposition of all the spirits of the dead. Both bland and excessively formal, he never angers and always speaks with a disembodied, chilling voice that echoes with the dry whisper of a long forsaken crypt. The Lord of the End of Everything strives only for an orderly accounting of the fate of the world as it slowly sinks into death.

The church of Jergal is small and secretive, a rigidly organized, almost monastic order of scribes known as the Scriveners of Doom. Based largely in lifeless stone mausoleums and dry, dusty crypts, its members spend their days maintaining and extending vast archives of scrolls listing how sentients under their purview passed away and their destination in the afterlife. Only in Thay, where death is a daily fact of life, has Jergal’s church undergone a small renaissance. A handful of Jergal’s followers still follow the old ways of the Companions of the Pallid Mask, on order whose members specialized in combating or commanding the undead whose existence was not sanctioned by the church or who had proven to be troublesome.

Clerics of Jergal pray for their spells at dusk, a time of day representative of the end of life. On the last night of the year, Jergal’s clergy cease their endless toil for a full night. On this holy night, known as the Night of Another Year, the clerics read every name whose death they have recorded from the scrolls they have carefully inscribed over the past year. With a cry of “One Year Closer!”, all the scrolls are then filed, and work begins the next day. The only ritual Jergal’s clerics are required to perform is called the Scaling. After recording each and every creature’s demise, form of death, and destination in the afterlife, Scriveners of Doom are required to sprinkle a light dusting of ash and powdered bone over their inscribed words to blot the ink and mark another small step toward the world’s end. Some seek church-sponsored undeath to allow them to continue their archiving careers. Some clerics multiclass as monks or necromancers.

History/Relationships:

Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul inherited most of the portfolios of Jergal when he wearily stepped down from his position and then faded into near-obscurity. The death of those deities left Jergal in service to Cyric and then Kelemvor. Although his nature is that he must be loyal to the office of death, he can subtly undermine the holder of that office if he or she is not true to the office’s responsibilities. Jergal works well with Kelemvor, but retrains his scorn for Cyric and spends much of his efforts combating Velsharoon’s efforts to prolong life into undeath.

Dogma:

Each being has an eternal resting place that is chosen for him or her at the moment of creation. Life is a process of seeking that place and eternal rest. Existence is but a brief aberration in an eternity of death. Power, success, and joy are as transitory as weakness, failure, and misery. Only death is absolute, and then only at its appointed hour. Seek to bring order to the chaos of life, for in death there is finality and a fixedness of state. Be ready for death for it is at hand and uncompromising. Life should be prolonged only when it serves the greater cause of the death of the world.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 98-99))

[ancientempathy]

Lliira

Our Lady of Joy, Joybringer, Mistress of the Revels

Lesser Faerunian Deity
Symbol: A triangle of three six-pointed stars (orange, yellow, red)
Home Plane: Brightwater
Alignment: Chaotic good
Portfolio: Joy, happiness, dance, festivals, freedom, liberty
Worshipers: Bards, dancers, entertainers, poets, revelers, singers
Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG
Domains: Chaos, Charm, Family, Good, Travel
Favored Weapon: “Sparkle” (shuriken)

Lliira (leer-ah) is the perpetually moving maiden of countless ballads, the archetypal dancing ingenue that has inspired poets, songwriters, and any who revel in the experience and wonderment of a life lived gaily and free. Somewhat detached from the everyday events of the mundane world, Lliira speaks to her most devoted adherents in dreams, showing by example that most slights are not worth worrying about, and that few troubles are important enough to draw one away from the Elysian Rigadoon, a philosophy that places joyful movement above all other concerns.

Lliira’s clerics (known as joybringers) range from inattentive flirts to deviant hedonists. All are good-hearted, and value revelry above all else. Theirs is an aerobic devotion, and Lliirans are appreciated throughout Faerun as some of the most physically toned individuals around. Their temples raise monies by hosting grand galas and then spend these monies in seemingly chaotic fashion, perhaps to beautify this or that public place, or to throw a surprise party for a dour lord. Among the easy going of civilized lands, joybringers of Lliira find patronage and encouragement, and are among the most popular clerics in Faerun. In darker lands, or in harsh, uncivilized regions in which frivolity can lead to death from the elements or government, their religion is zealously suppressed. Curious to a fault, this only encourages the Lliirans to seek out such locales, hoping to provide happiness and joy with the step of a jolly jog or the lilting trill of a beautiful song.

Joybringers rejoice at the coming of dawn (among just about everything else) and pray to the Mistress of the Revels upon the birth of each morning. Nearly every single holiday not tied to the worship or some malign being is a cause for celebration. The most holy celebrations begin with Swords Cast Down, a ritual in which two or more weapons are cast to the ground and buried under a mound of fresh flowers. Lliirans frequently multiclass as bards.

History/Relationships:

Lliira’s greatest friend in the Faerunian pantheon is the bard deity Milil, who shares her flare of performance. Once a great friend of the commerce goddess Waukeen, Lliira even went as far as to absorb many of the disaffected clerics of the Merchants’ Friend when that goddess vanished during the Time of Troubles. Upon her return, however, Wauken jealously coveted those clerics who had converted to Lliiranism, and the resulting ill will has formed a sight rift between the former companions. The murder of Selgaunt’s High Revelmistress Chlanna Asjros (whom Lliira had taken as a lover while in mortal form during the Time of Troubles) by forces of a local cult of Loviatar has deeply affected the Joybringer. A militant order known as the scarlet mummers now tours Faerun with her support, dispatching agents of the Maiden of Pain by means of an elaborate and deadly dance utilizing the mummers’ blade boots.

Dogma:

Each day is another movement in the Elysian Rigadoon, the joyful dance of a life lived in rapture and without care or frustration. Seek joy always by working to bestow it upon others. Festivals are for all--gather into celebrations the lost, the lonely, the exiled and outlaw, the shunned, and even your foes. Let folk follow their own desires, and never fail to follow your own.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 99-100))

[ancientempathy]

Loviatar

Maiden of Pain, the Willing Whip

Lesser Faerunian Deity
Symbol: Nine-tailed barbed scourge
Home Plane: The Barrens of Doom and Despair
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Portfolio: Pain, hurt, agony, torment, suffering, torture
Worshipers: Beguilers, torturers, evil warriors, the depraved
Cleric Alignments: LE, LN, NE
Domains: Evil, Law, Retribution, Strength, Suffering
Favored Weapon: "Painbringer" (scourge)

Loviatar (loh-vee-a-tar) is the aggressive, domineering and fearless patron of torturers, sadist, and bullies. She has a cold and calculatingly cruel nature and an icebound heart. The Maiden of Pain has an instinct for inflicting both physical and psychological pain, always striking at the biggest chink in her victim’s emotional armor. Unlike most bullies, she does not feel pain herself, but her plans often inherently rely on the innate selfishness of human nature.

The church of Loviatar, dominated by female humans and half-elves, is the strongest in large, decadent cities, where newcomers are often recruited from the ranks of the bored and wealthy and the authorities are often tolerant of degenerate activity.

Clerics of the Maiden of Pain work tirelessly to cause suffering, both widespread and personal. This work may be as brutal as flogging an encountered band of orcs until they flee or as subtle as breaking heats among young nobles by pretending to falling in love with the gallants (while disguising one’s Loviatan faith), working to break up existing amours and friendships, and engaging in scandalous dalliances before coldly spurning the victims and departing. Being a good actor and of striking beauty (or experienced in using spells to appear so) are very useful traits for a Loviatan, but the most successful Loviatans are those who understand the ways and natures of folk and so know just how to cause them the most pain and to manipulate them toward that end.

Clerics of Loviatar pray for their spells in the morning while kneeling after striking themselves with a whip. (The same ritual is performed in the evening, although without praying for new spells.) Loviatans celebrate all four seasonal festivals with the Rite of Pain and Purity: a circle dance that chanting, singing clergy members perform upon barbed wire, thorns, or broken glass or crystal, where the whips of high-level clerics and the drumming of lay worshipers urge the participants to greater effort. Every twelfth night (unless such a night coincides with a Rite of Pain and Purity, which preempts it) the clergy members celebrate smaller Candle Rites wherein they sing, chant, and pray as they dance around lit candles, passing some parts of their bodies through or over their flames repeatedly until the rite ends with the highest-ranking cleric extinguishing her candle with consecrated wine. Many clerics multiclass as fighters, specializing in the use of the whip, as sorcerers, or as wizards, often specializing in enchantment or illusion.

History/Relationships:

Loviatar is one of the Dark Deities, having served Bhaal alongside Talona, whom she loves to torment and tease. Since the death of Bhaal during the Time of Troubles, both Loviatar and Talona have slowly fallen under the sway of Shar. However, the return of Bane, who was Bhaal’s superior, presages a conflict of her loyalty. Loviatar gets along well with Malar, regarding his stalking of pray as a particularly delightful form of torture. The Maiden of Pain is consumed with hatred for Ilmater, who shields her victims from the torments they deserve, and hates both Eldath and Lliira for the peace and joy they promise without the necessary suffering to achieve it.

Dogma:

The world is filled with pain and torment, and the best that one can do is to suffer those blows that cannot be avoided and deal as much pain back to those who offend. Kindnesses are the best companions to hurts, and increase the intensity of suffering. Let mercy of sudden abstinence from causing pain and of providing unlooked-for healing come over you seldom, but as a whim, so as to make folk hope and increase the Mystery of Loviatar’s Mercy. Unswerving cruelty will turn all folk against you. Act alluring, and give pain and torment to those who enjoy it as well as to those who deserve it most or would be most hurt by it. The lash, fire, and cold are the three pains that never fail the devout. Spread Loviatar’s teachings whenever punishment is meted out. Pain tests all, but gives strength of spirit and true pleasure to the hardy and the true. There is no true punishment if the punisher knows no discipline. Wherever a whip is, there is Loviatar. Fear her--and yet long for her.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 100-101))

[ancientempathy]

Lurue

The Unicorn, the Unicorn Queen, the Queen of Talking Beasts

Faerunian Demigod
Symbol: Silver-horned unicorn head before a crescent moon
Home Plane: House of Nature
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Portfolio: Talking beasts, intelligent no humanoid creatures
Worshipers: Druids, entertainers, outcasts, rangers, travelers, unicorn riders
Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG
Domains: Animal, Chaos, Good, Healing
Favored Weapon: A unicorn horn (shortspear)

Given to wanderlust, Lurue (luh-rue) can be whimsical, but she is infinitely loyal once she takes someone into her trust and never abandons her worshipers in times of need. When faced with no other option but combat, Lurue is a dedicated and intractable foe, but she prefers light banter, clever riddles, new discoveries, and the joyous exploration of life.

The church of Lurue has no formal hierarchy, nor temples dedicated in her name. While some entire species, such as unicorns, pegasi, and talking owls, venerate her as Queen, most of her worshipers (such as those that were the targets of an awaken spell) are outcasts from their own kind due to their unique abilities. Clerics of Lurue spend their days providing aid and comfort to the needy, lending support to dreamers so that they can achieve their aspirations, and rescuing all who need aid from whatever assails them. Few stick to a single duty for any length of time (though they are very good about seeing a single particular task through to the end), and most are periodically struck with wanderlust. Many of Lurue’s clergy are adventurers who travel about Faerun seeking wrongs to right and finding a good balance of merriment, new experiences, and self-improvement in such a profession.

Clerics and druids of Lurue pray for their spells at midnight, in a sylvan glen or moonlit glade if available. Lurue’s twin holy days are Midsummer’s Eve and the Feast of the Moon. The former holiday is celebrated in a night-long festival of revelry, wild antics, and muck hullabaloo. Such events are marked by wild rides through the countryside and sky, numerous theatrical skits, humorous oratories, mock duels, grand songs in which everyone joins in, and romantic declarations. Many unicorns take a mate for life on this night. The Feast of the Moon is a quiet ceremony marking the onset of winter and serving as a time for remembering those who have passed away. Many great works of art and epic song are unveiled during the Feast of the Moon to quiet applause, particularly in the city of Silverymoon, which celebrates its founding on this day. Many clerics and druids multiclass as rangers.

History/Relationships:

Said to be the daughter of Selune, Lurue serves Mielikki as ally, friend, and steed, and through her Silvanus. She works closely with Shiallia and Gwaeron Windstrom, has a long-standing alliance with Nobanion, and considers Chauntea a friend. The Unicorn Queen is an ardent foe of Malar the Beastlord, whom she blames for helping the Red Wizards of Thay create black unicorns. Malar, in turn, would be more than happy to tear out her throat, considering her a prize creature to be hunted.

Dogma:

The Unicorn is a symbol of hope, joy, salvation, and protection for the needy, forlorn, and forsaken. Life is to be relished and lived with laughter. Quests are to be taken on a dare and gifts are to be made on a whim. Impossible dreams are to be pursued for the sheer wonder of the possibility of their completion. Everyone, no matter how unique, is to be praised for their strengths and comforted in their weaknesses. Evil melts quickest in the face of a rapier wit and unshackled joy. Search for the unicorn and in the pursuit find happiness.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 101-102))

[ancientempathy]

Milil

Lord of Song, the One True Hand of All-Wise Oghma

Lesser Faerunian Deity
Symbol: Five-stringed harp made of silver leaves
Home Plane: House of Knowledge
Alignment: Neutral Good
Portfolio: Poetry, song, eloquence
Worshipers: Adventurers, bards, entertainers
Cleric Alignments: CG, LG, NG
Domains: Charm, Good, Knowledge, Nobility
Favored Weapon: “Sharptongue” (rapier)

Milil (mil-lill) is the ultimate performer, self-confident, inspired, possessed of total recall or anything he sets a mind to remember. He is able to improvise facilely out of desire or necessity; well-educated in general theories of conduct and broad areas of knowledge; and masterful in all sorts of performance technique, especially within his sphere of knowledge--music, poetry, and elegant speech. However, he is also self-centered and egotistical and likes to be the center of attention. If not the center of attention, he bores easily, and his mind wanders or he leaves. He is also given to flirtation with both deities and mortals for his own enjoyment, to the deep annoyance of more sober deities.

The church of Milil is organized, with all churches paying heed (or at least lip service) to the Patriarch of Song in Waterdeep. Most clerics of Milil, known as Sorlyn, spend their time learning lyrics, tunes, and how best to perform them on a slowly expanding repertoire of instruments both in their temples and on the road. They take care to write down both original compositions and those they have learned, using magic to record such works for those as yet unborn. Some Sorlyn also work as tutors to all who profess faith in Milil or who pay for the training, as well as judging many bardic contests and adjudicating bardic disputes between individuals, companies, or colleges. More adventuresome clerics roam the roads of Faerun, rescuing or protecting common minstrels and great bards alike when such individuals fall on hard times or into peril and accompanying adventurers of other faiths on deeds of heroism so that they can compose ballads about what befell. Some embark on adventures of their own to recover music, instruments, and the like from old ruins and tombs, or learn of music long gone by using legend lore spells and similar magics.

Clerics of Milil pray for their spells upon awakening at sunrise, calling out to their deity with the Song of Praise, which is also sung after every victory in battle or great thing that benefits them. Other rituals include the solemn, beautiful polyphonic chord-singing of the Song of Sorrowing, performed at the funeral of any faithful of Milil, and the Song of Welcoming, sung when someone is welcomed into the faith. The calendar-related festivals marked by rituals sacred to Milil are Greengrass, when the Call to the Flowers is sung by all faithful, and Midsummer, when the Grand Revel is held. The Revel involves a feast, dancing, and much roistering, and is marked by parodies and wickedly satirical song. All shared rituals of worship to Milil involve a sung or played opening call, a prayer and solo song while kneeling before the altar, a unison hymn followed by a sermon or supplication to the Lord of Song (and the proffering of any offerings), and then a closing song that rises to a thunderous, grand crescendo that typically makes devout listeners or participants weep with joy--and those of other faiths stop and listen in wonder. Most clerics multiclass as bards.

History/Relationships:

Milil and Deneir faithfully serve as the Hands of Oghma, although Milil’s relationship with Gond, who also serves the Binder, is somewhat strained. He is on excellent terms with Mystra, Sune, Lliira, and the Seldarine, and considers Finger Wyvernspur to have some promise, although the feeling is not reciprocated. He has earned the enmity of Cyric for his ridiculing ballad about the period of madness the Prince of Lies experienced.

Dogma:

Life is a song, beginning at birth and only silenced with the final chord. Strive always to make the whole song, not just the lyrics and music, more beautiful. Destroy no music or instrument, nor stop a singer before the tune is done. Listen to the world around as well as filling it with your own sound. One singer’s music is another’s noise, so still no bad music if its making be joyful. Spread the teaching of song and musicianship always. Sing to Milil every day. Music is the most precious thing folk can create--so encourage its training, use, and preservation at all times and in all possible ways. Awaken a love of song in all folk you can, and offer its performance freely around campfire or on the trail. Cease not in your own seeking for new tunes, new techniques, and new instruments to master.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pg. 102))

[ancientempathy]

Nobanion

Lord Firemane, King of the Beasts

Faerunian Demigod
Symbol: Male lion’s head on a green shield
Home Plane: House of Nature
Alignment: Lawful good
Portfolio: Royalty, lions and feline beasts, good beasts
Worshipers: Druids, fighters, leaders, paladins, rangers, soldiers, teachers, wemics
Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG
Domains: Animal, Good, Law, Nobility
Favored Weapon: A lion’s head (heavy pick)

Nobanion (no-ban-yun) radiates both power and gentleness. His roar is deafening, and when he chooses to exert the full force of his charisma, his regal majesty is overwhelming, yet the tiniest creature who approaches him in good faith finds itself comfortable in his presence. Lord Firemane tries to lead his pride to do what is noble and right, but does not force his faithful to pursue that path. He deeply wants those under his rule to willingly choose good over evil, action over inaction, and order over chaos. He does not command from the rear and would never ask someone to do something he would not be willing to do himself, including laying down his life for another.

Worship of Nobanion is scattered throughout the Vilhon Reach, the Dragon Coast, and Shining Plains regions, by Lord Firemane is venerated primarily within the confines of the Gulthmere Forest, in the city of Nathlekh, and among the wemics of the Shining Plains. Aside from his followers in Nathlekh, Nobanion’s followers are strictly ordered in rank but not otherwise organized. The Pride of Nobanion fill leadership roles in many communities where he is revered. Many serve as benevolent monarchs, judges, militia, constables, or as guardians against evil. The vanguard of armies loyal to Nobanion is typically filled with clerics and crusaders of the Lion King. Others teach their hunting or martial skills to the young, while passing along moral instruction and important traditions both by word and deed. Among the wemic tribes of the Shining Plains, Nobanion’s shamans are typically powerful leaders, second only to the chieftain or king. They are responsible for choosing which creatures to hunt, blessing the kill, and confirming the passage of young members of the pride into adulthood.

Clerics and druids of Nobanion pray for their spells at dusk, prior to the nighttime hunt. The Festival of the Pride normally takes place during the first tenday of Ches. This is a time for frolicking, dancing, courting a mate, lovemaking, and generally celebrating the bounty of life and its potential. Religious belief promises that a child (or cub) conceived this night will go on to become ruler of the church (or pride). The Newborn Celebration always takes place during the third tenday of Kythorn, marked by a great hunt or feast. This ceremony celebrates the birth (or rebirth--church teachings are vague) of Nobanion, the prominence of lions in the Vilhon Reach, and the important of the hunt in the region. Newborns undergo the Rite of the First Blooding where their right paw (or hand) is placed in the blood of prey and blessed by a cleric or druid of Nobanion. Lord Firemane’s clerics often multiclass as divine champions, fighters, or paladins. His druids often multiclass as rangers.

History/Relationships:

Nobanion is an interloper deity, having only established a presence in Faerun a few centuries ago. He is responsible for driving most of Malar’s worshipers out of the Vilhon Reach, and the Black-Blooded Pard has sworn vengeance on Nobanion. The Lion King has long been allied with Lurue, as well as Tyr, Torm, Mielikki, and the other benign nature deities.

Dogma:

Hunt only when hungry and do not gorge without need. Waste nothing and all shall have plenty. The cycle of life links all living things into one being, and that being is life itself. The law of th ejungles is that only the strong survive, but they survive best be being leaders, not tyrants, by protecting the weak, not bullying them. All creatures have their strengths in their assigned roles and should be encouraged to find their niche. From cooperation between beings of differing strengths comes the strength of teamwork and community, the strongest force of all. By demonstrating compassion and tolerance and living within the land, all living creatures may find harmony with nature and one another. By staying true to oneself and one’s pride and conducting oneself with the dignity and honor, the respect of one’s peers may be earned.

Wemics reduce this to the following: Only the strong survive. Live and let live unless provoked. Protect the pride and all its members, but if injury or illness bring one of them down, allow him or her a swift and painless end to suffering.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 102-103))

[ancientempathy]

Red Knight

Lady of Strategy, Grandmaster of the Lanceboard

Faerunian Demigod
Symbol: Red knight chess piece with stars for eyes
Home Plane: Warrior’s Rest
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Strategy, planning, tactics
Worshipers: Fighters, gamesters, monks, strategists, tacticians
Cleric Alignments: LE, LG, LN
Domains: Law, Nobility, Planning, War
Favored Weapon: "Checkmate" (longsword)


Calm and logical in demeanor, the Red Knight displays a great wealth of compassion, though she is unafraid to send her worshipers to their deaths when necessary to secure the object of a plan. She rarely raises her voice and is said to love a good joke and have a throaty laugh. She dislikes flighty behavior, and looks unfavorably upon those who switch alliances often or capriciously.

The church of the Red Knight, known as the Red Fellowship, is an offshoot of a monastic order within the hierarchy of the church of Tempus that concentrated on planning and strategy and has only emerged from the shadow of the temple of Tempus since the Time of Troubles. Members of the Red Fellowship serve in armies throughout Faerun, often as high-ranking commanders of elite squads. Others are well-respected instructors in war colleges. A few are quartermasters skilled at obtaining and managing supplies or establishing and maintaining supply lines over hostile territory. Quite a few clerics of the Red Knight have authored tomes on military strategy. When not on duty, clerics of the Red Fellowship are known for their love of gaming. Although they avoid games of chance that require the smile of Lady Luck more than the brilliance of the Red Knight, clerics of the faith strive to constantly improve their skills in abstract games of all sorts to further challenge their development of parallel lines of thought and new stratagems and to sharpen their ability to read an opponent's intentions

Clerics of the Red Knight pray for their spells at night before going to sleep, preparing for the day to come. In addition to observing the holy days and important ceremonies of the church of Tempus, the clergy of the Red Knight honor two important holy days. The Retreat is an annual even held every Midwinter’s Day. During this solemn ceremony, the clergy of the Red Knight assemble for a day-long retrospective on the previous years campaigns. Strategies are discussed, battles are analyzed, and the accumulated lore is integrated into the church’s teachings. The Queen's Gambit is celebrated on the first day of Tarsakh. During this festival, the clergy of the Red Knights unwind with a day of feasting and gamesmanship. Day-long tournaments of chess (also known as Lanceboard) are held, with the tournament victors receiving recognition, titles of merit, promotions, and, sometimes, a precious gift from the temple armory. Many clerics multiclass as divine champions, fighters, of monks.

History/Relationships:

The Red Knight was elevated to divine status by Temps as a natural counterbalance to Garagos. She loyally serves her patron, whom she regards as a father figure, and seeks to undermine both Garagos and Cyric. She works closely to Torm, who holds a similar disposition, and sees Valkur the Might as her best ally in naval combat, even if he is somewhat unreliable. The Red Knight keeps her true name secret from all but the Lord of Battles, as she realizes that if any being, mortal or divine, were to gain any measure of control over her, they would be privy to all the plots and stratagems of rulers throughout Faerun and the deities throughout the planes.

Dogma:

War is won by those with the best planning, strategy, and tactics, regardless of the apparent odds. Any fool can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with fortune's aid. Only a master strategist can ensure lasting victory. War is a series of battles. Losing a battle does not necessarily indicate the war is lost. Seek out your opponent's weaknesses and recognize your own; avoid an opponent’s strengths and play to your own. Only by focusing one's own strengths on the opponent's vulnerabilities can triumph be ensured. In times of war prepare for peace; in times of peace prepare for war. Seek out your enemy's enemies as allies, and be prepared to compromise. Life is an endless series of skirmishes with occasional outbreaks of war. Be ready---and have a contingency plan.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 103-104))

[ancientempathy]

Savras

The All-Seeing, Lord of Divination, He of the Third Eye

Faerunian Demigod
Symbol: Crystal ball containing many kinds of eyes
Home Plane: Dweomerheart
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Divination, Fate, Truth
Worshippers: Diviners, judges, monks, seekers of truth, spellcasters.
Cleric Alignments: LN, LG, LE
Domains: Fate, Knowledge, Law, Magic, Spell
Favored Weapon: The Eye of Savras (dagger)

Savras (sav-ras) speaks in clear, precise statements and rarely says what the listener wants to hear. He always speaks the absolute truth, and, in cases where the truth is a matter of perspective, he reveals all sides of the truth. There is litte compassion or emotion is Savras's actions or demeanor, but sages speculate this seemingly emotionless facade is merely a front for a deity who cares deeply about the fate of Faerun but finds himself relatively helpless to change it's destiny. Savras almost never loses his temper, but when he does his wrath is dreadful. Recently he has become frustrated by events that he did not anticipate, and cannot fathom the meaning of a void in his own divinations of the future.

The church of Savras is small but organized. Many clerics are involved with foretelling the future or studying the past and dealing with the consequences of what they learn. Of necessity, Savras's clergy engage in extended strategy sessions to analyze the implications of future events and plan accordingly. Some followers of the All-Seeing wander Faerun uttering prophecies, while others seek out remote locations to reside and become oracles. A few are employed as truth speakers and serve the legal system of various cities and kingdoms as expert witnesses, magistrates, or judges.

Clerics of Savras begin and end their days with extended periods of peaceful meditation, praying for their spells at night in anticipation of the coming day. The Feast of the Moon is celebrated by the followers of Savras as The Vision. This holy day is observed by every devout follower of Savras with 24 hours of continuous meditation. In some temples the meditation occurs in a sauna or steambath, while in others it occurs amid a haze of incense. Each worshipper who participates in the day long ceremony is rewarded with a vision from the All-Seeing. Beneficiaries of such visions are expected to act in accordance with this prescient knowledge or risk Savras's wrath. Many clerics multi-class as Diviners or Monks.

History/Relationships:

Savras was a long-ago god of arcane spellcasters in the south who shared much of the same portfolio as Azuth: mages in the service of Mystra. The two contended before the Dawn Cataclysm, and Savras fell, although his church claims he did so deliberately after having foreseen the future. Azuth became the one deity of wizards, and the All-Seeing's essence was imprisoned in a staff of Azuth's construction. Recently Azuth freed Savras after extracting an oath of fealty, although Savras resents his position. He is largely indifferent to the actions of Velsharoon, and spends the bulk of his efforts unmasking the lies of Cyric. The All-Seeing seems unsurprised by Shar's actions of late and bitterly opposed her use of the Shadow Weave to disrupt the efficiency of his divinations.

Dogma:

The blindness of mortals is the origin of all folly. Search for the truth in all things great and small and conceal nothing. Speak only the truth, for lies and misdirection, even for benign motives, are the root of all sorrow. Be not paralyzed by indecision, but take no action without analyzing the implications. Hasty actions and decisions are rarely more beneficial than well thought out strategies that are revised as necessary. Mortals who employ only their two common eyes are essentially blind. Savras provides the third blessed eye, allowing both foresight and hindsight, so that mortals can access to omniscience of the gods. It is not wrong to use the knowledge that Savras gives to help yourself and your church, but caution should be used in furthering the goals of others as part of their agenda may be hidden. Seek for the hidden motive before you act, and damage not the whole of the realm in which you live out your mortal life.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 104-105))

((From Magic of Faerun))

//Thank you Darkharp for the information on Savras

[ancientempathy]

Sharess

The Dancing Lady, Mother of Cats

Faerûnian Demigod
Symbol: Feminine Lips
Home Plane: Brightwater
Alignment: Chaotic good
Portfolio: Hedonism, sensual fulfillment, festhalls, cats
Worshipers: Bards, hedonists, sensualists
Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG
Domains: Chaos, Charm, Good, Travel, Trickery
Favored Weapon: A great cat’s paw (claw bracer)

Sharess (shah-ress) is a radiantly beautiful goddess, rivaled only by Sune. Her voice is said to be a throaty purr and to give the listener the feeling he or she is being brushed by the softest fur or velvet when she speaks. She is a fickle, flight deity, who prevents anyone from getting too close to her true spirit. She has the willful independence and pleasure-seeking nature common to felines and is constantly preening and grooming to maintain her appearance. She is often depicted (especially in Mulhorand, where she is known as Bast) as a voluptuous human female with the head of a cat. Sharess enjoys toying with beautiful mortals and she cannot resist casually flirting with anyone she encounters. However, when her ardor cools and her passion is sated, Sharess is easily distracted and quick to move on to new pleasures. She dislikes snakes intensely.

The church of Sharess is casually organized, although its members often work and play together. The clergy of Sharess often run festhalls in large cities or directly serve decadent rulers. These festfalls cater to all the senses and include fantastic feasts, heavenly baths and massages, and every other pleasure imaginable. Wealthy festhalls often employ one or two mid-level Sharessan, and some Sharessan wander the countryside with Sharess’s blessing seeking new pleasing sensations to add to their repertoire.

Clerics of Sharess pray for their spell at dusk, when the lure of the night first beckons. The church of Sharess celebrates more festivals than possible any other faith in Faerûn. They are known collectively as the Endless Revel of Life. The daily rising and setting of the sun, the yearly passage of seasons, the appearance of a full moon, or nearly any other event is cause for celebration and wild revel to which the general populace is always invited. Each such festival has several outlandish titles and new festivals are added all the time as old ones are forgotten. Without comparison, however, Midsummer’s Eve is the time of greatest rejoicing among Sharess’s faithful and an occasion for the most extreme pursuits of boundless pleasure. Many clerics multiclass as bards.

History/Relationships:

Bast was a Mulhorandi deity who served as patroness of cats and Anhur’s lieutenant in the eternal struggle against Set. At the height of Mulhorand’s second empire, when many beast cults were popular, Bast subsumed the portfolio of Felidae, a beast cult deity of felines, sensual pleasures, and nomads. Struck by wanderlust, Bast traveled across Faerun, leaving numerous cults in her wake, many of which knew her as Sharess. Sharess eventually began to experiment with the darker side of pleasure and fell under the sway of Shar. She would have undoubtedly been wholly subsumed by the Dark Goddess if Sune had no freed her during the Time of Troubles. Since that time, Sharess has restored her ties of friendship with Anhur, Hanali Celanil, Lliira, Milil, Nobanion, Selune, and Sune. She now works to oppose the evil of Set, Shar, and Loviatar, and Shar has never forgotten that Sharess escaped her clutches.

Dogma:

Life is to be lived to its fullest, in decadent sensual fulfillment of yourselves and others. That which is good is pleasurable and that which is pleasurable is good. Pleasure is to be sought out at every opportunity and life is to be lived as one endless revel. Spread the bounty of Sharess so that all may join in the endless revel of life and bring joy to all those in pain. Infinite experiences await those who would explore, so try the new as well as savoring the old.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pg. 105))

[ancientempathy]

Shiallia

Dancer in the Glades, Daughter of the High Forest, the Lady of the Woods

Faerunian Demigod
Symbol: Golden acorn
Home Plane: House of Nature
Alignment: Neutral good
Portfolio: Woodland glades, woodland fertility, growth, the High Forest, Neverwinter Wood
Worshipers: Druids, farmers, foresters, gardeners, nuptial couples
Cleric Alignments: CG, LG, NG
Domains: Animal, Good, Plant, Renewal
Favored Weapon: “Forest’s Friend” (quarterstaff)

Shiallia (shee-al-lee-ah) is winsome and earthy, delighting in dancing and frolicking in the woods and playing with woodland creatures when she is not tending to their needs. She has a low, throaty voice, and enjoys retorting with clever (and often crudely suggestive) rejoinders when engaged in conversation. At times she seems to behave like a satyr, but she has a more mysterious quality and unexpressed depths that a satyr would find incomprehensible. She is fiercely protective of her charges, but lets matters outside her purview go unchallenged, since they do not directly involve her, unless she is ordered to act by Mielikki or Silvanus.

The church of Shiallia is casually organized, with little in the way of a formal hierarchy. Shiallia’s followers are husbands of nature, spending their days planting and nurturing, calling upon the weather, and tending to the ill and injured. They are not purely oriented to forest creatures, though that is their focus, and they extend their philosophy and favors to nonevil humanoids who enter or live within the forest, as well. Shiallia’s clergy are sometimes known as the Silent Helpers, and tales tell how they watch over lost children and the foolish who wander through the reaches of the High Forest unaware of the dangers contained within.

Clerics and druids of Shiallia pray for their spells whenever the moon is highest in the sky, for the moon governs the reproductive cycle. Days that mark the passing of seasons are the most important of the year to followers of Shiallia. In particular, Greengrass and Highharvestide are celebrated as holidays of birth and fruition, respectively. On all holy days (including Midwinter, Midsummer, and the Feast of the Moon) the faithful invite all friendly creatures to revel with them in feasting, singing, and dancing. Weddings are welcomed and even solicited upon the change of seasons, and Shiallia’s followers always enliven such occasions with as much faerie charm magic and romance as they can muster, creating a fantasy atmosphere under the stars. Therefore, many nonworshipers set their wedding dates on Shiallia’s holy days in hopes of receiving her blessings and hospitality. Her clergy do not often multiclass.

History/Relationships:

Shiallia is said to be the sister of Tree Ghost (the collective spirit of the High Forest and one of the beast totems of Uthgar) and the daughter of Tapann the Undying Lord of the Korreds (satyrlike creatures). She serves Mielikki, along with Lurue and Gwaeron Windstrom, and through her, Silvanus. Shiallia is also allied with Chauntea and Eldath. She opposes those who seek to destroy the things she protects: Auril, Malar, Talona, and Talos.

Dogma:

The only true goal of any living thing is to procreate. Nature dictates the shape of the world, for good or ill, so the only concern of the creatures that inhabit it is survival. Death is not to be feared, for it is part of the natural cycle of life, but life, particularly the birth of new life, is to be encouraged and nurtured whenever and wherever possible.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 105-106))

[ancientempathy]

Siamorphe

The Divine Right

Faerunian Demigod
Symbol: Silver chalice with a golden sun on the side
Home Plane: House of the Triad
Alignment: Lawful neutral
Portfolio: Nobles, rightful rule of nobility, human royalty
Worshipers: Leaders, lore masters, nobles, those with inherited wealth or status
Cleric Alignments: LE, LG, LN
Domains: Knowledge, Law, Nobility, Planning
Favored Weapon: “Noble Might” [scepter] (light mace)

Siamorphe (sigh-a-morf) is kind and quiet with individuals, but firm and charismatic when dealing with large groups. Her soft voice is tinged with great wisdom, but she brooks no argument when she gives an order. She likes to think of her duty as one of building a sturdy skeleton of continuity in government through a noble infrastructure so that the body politic can grow and develop properly under the leadership of a royal ruler.

The church of Siamorphe is strictly ordered but small, confined primarily to the nobility of Waterdeep and Tethyr. Siamorphe’s clerics are expected to serve as advisers and councilors to noble rulers if not of noble birth and as rulers if of noble birth. When confronted with a ruler of noble birth who does not keep himself or herself fit for the task and responsibilities of rule, a cleric of Siamorphe must either seek to rectify that ruler’s shortcomings through counseling and education or engineer the ruler’s succession by a more fit ruler of noble lineage.

In practice, many Scions of Siamorphe spend their days presiding over various advisory councils, researching genealogies and histories of noble families, coordinating ceremonies of investiture, and determining who is next in line for various titles. Those Scions of Siamorphe who have truly taken Siamorphe’s message of responsibility to the common folk to hear spend their days serving the people, providing advice, arbitrating disputes, giving leaderless folk direction, and preaching the rights and responsibilities of the nobility and the duties and rights of commoners.

Clerics of Siamorphe pray for their spells at noon, when the Chalice of Siamorphe (i.e. the sun) is directly overhead. The church of Siamorphe has lost many of its ancient ceremonies and traditions over time, and clerics of the faith are only slowly rediscovering them, often by exploring ancient castles in which mortal descendants or ancient clergy of Siamorphe or her predecessors served various forgotten rulers. Religious services tend to be simple convocations of nobles discussing the social order and current difficulties in governing the masses. Siamorphe’s name is invoked at the beginning and end of such services with a short prayer. Siamorphe’s clergy have crafted many unique ceremonies for the various noble families of Waterdeep. All the rage among the nobility, the ceremonial baptism of a newborn heir presided over by a Scion of Siamorphe can cost as much as 10,000 gp. In Waterdeep, Siamorphe has a holy day in Sea Ward and North Ward where the nobles take over Heroes’ Walk and Heroes’ Garden and the road from skulls Street and all along the Street of Glances to the Street of the Singing Dolphin and hold a huge festival. Known as the Divine Pageantry, this fashionable revel is always held during the summer, but the date varies according to the will of Siamorphe (and, some critics claim, the year’s current social calendar). Waterdeep’s nobility dress in archaic costumes and wander the area throwing coins (usually copper or silver) to commoners, addressing each other with their full titles and speaking in a highly stylized, stilted speech that has been abandoned for several centuries. Some clerics multiclass as loremasters.

History/Relationships:

The current incarnation of Siamorphe is one in a long line of deities, the last of which was male. Siamorphe has no allies among the gods, but opposes the tyranny and corruption of gods such as Bane, Cyric, and Gargauth. This leaves her in a vulnerable position and she must be careful about openly supporting any act against them.

Dogma:

Nobles are the rightful rulers of the bulk of humankind provided that they keep fit for the task and responsibilities of rule. Nobles have the moral obligation to rule in the best manner possible for the people who serve under them even if their obligations conflict with their personal desires.

The descendants of noble bloodlines inherit their charisma and potential for wisdom from their noble ancestors. Their family fortunes provide them enough leisure time to be properly educated as rulers. The regular inheritance of noble titles by strict inheritance rules reduces the potential for power struggles between rival claimants to leadership. A strong noble class that cares for the commoners of Faerun and looks out for their best interest is the most stable, fair form of government.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 106-107))

[ancientempathy]

Talona

Lady of Poison, Mistress of Disease, Mother of All Plagues

Lesser Faerunian Deity
Symbol: Three amber teardrops on a purple triangle
Home Plane: The Barrens of Doom and Despair
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Portfolio: Disease, poison
Worshipers: Assassins, druids, healers, rogues, those suffering from disease and illness
Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE
Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Suffering
Favored Weapon: A scabrous hand (unarmed strike)

Talona (tah-low-nah) is often depicted as a withered old crone with a scarred, tattooed face in religious texts. Where she walks, misfortune and death follow. She has the personality of a petulant, greedy child trapped in the body of a once-beautiful woman now scarred by horrific disease and ravaged by age. She alternately desires attention at any cost like a small child and becomes aloof like a wounded paramour who has been discarded by her love.

The church of Talona is organized in a strict hierarchy, but riven by factions and sects. Aside from selling poisons, antidotes, and medicines, the Talonites travel Faerun as quietly as possible, constantly seeking out new diseases and afflictions and spreading rumors so as to augment the reputation of Talona. What seems to motivate Talonites in their day-to-day behavior is a quest for respect: respect that is due Talona for her potentially devastating abilities and due them as her representatives in Faerun. Throughout their careers, Talona’s clerics work with magic and study to build their personal immunities to various poisons and diseases. Thus protected, they treat the diseased, take employment as food tasters for paranoid rulers, wealthy merchants, and nobles, and bury those who have died from diseases. Whenever a realm or city-state casts out or punishes any Talonites, for any reason, clerics of Talona work to cause a plague in that place to exact “Talona’s price” for such insults. Rumors have circulated that certain unscrupulous Talonites have occasionally chosen wealthy folk as targets for disease so that wealth and properties can be seized by the church upon the death of these wealthy owners, with the threat of contracting disease keeping rightful heirs and claimants at bay.

Clerics and druids of Talona pray for their spells in the evening, although they observe thrice-daily prayers to the goddess. Festivals are held every 12 and are open to nondevotees, where such visitors are encouraged to pray and give offerings to Talona to spare themselves or loved ones from death, disease, wasting illnesses, and the like. A long symphony of rolling drums, deep-voiced chanting, and glaur, shaum, and zulkoon music proclaims the power and veneration of Talona throughout the day. Younger members of the church busily sell poisons (for eliminating vermin, of course), antidotes, and medicines during the festival, assisted by senior clergy who diagnose conditions (usually with great accuracy) and prescribe treatments in return for stiff fees. Annually at the festival falling closest to Highharvestide, initiates of the faith are formally inducted into the clergy. Horrifying private ceremonies involving ritual scarring and sacred tattoos mark this ascension. Many clerics and druids multiclass as assassins, divine disciples, or rogues.

History/Relationships:

Talona is one of the Dark Deities, having served Bhaal alongside Loviatar, whom she hates for her cruel teasing. Since the death of the Bhaal during the Time of Troubles, both Loviatar and Talona have slowly fallen under the sway of Shar. However, the return of Bane, who was Bhaal’s superior, presages a conflict for both lesser goddesses’ loyalty. With more than a hint of jealousy and bitterness, Talona loathes such benevolent deities as Chauntea, Mielikki, Silvanus, Sune, Lliira, Kelemvor, Tyr, and Shiallia.

Dogma:

Let pain be as pleasure, for life and death are in balance, but death is the more powerful and should be paid proper homage and respect. Death is the true power, the great equalizer, and the lesson that waits for all. If it falls to you to drive home the point with the tip of a dagger, so be it. The Mother of All Plagues works upon you from within, and weakness and wasting is her strength. Talona’s breath is forever and always with you, whomever you or the rest of the world believes in or serves. Let all living things learn respect from Talona and pay homage to her in goods and in fervent worship. If they do so, intercede for them so that Talona will not claim them--this time. Go and work in Talona’s name and let your doings be subtle spectacular, but make them known as the will of the Mistress of Disease.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. 107-108))

[ancientempathy]

Tiamat

The Dragon Queen, Nemesis of the Gods, the Dark Lady

Lesser Faerunian Deity
Symbol: Five-headed dragon
Home Plane: Heliopolis
Alignment: Lawful evil
Portfolio: Evil dragons, evil reptiles, greed, Chessenta
Worshipers: Chromatic dragons, Cult of the Dragon, evil dragons, evil reptiles, fighters, sorcerers, thieves, vandals
Cleric Alignments: LE, LN, NE
Domains: Evil, Law, Scalykind, Tyranny
Favored Weapon: A dragon head (heavy pick)

Tiamat (tee-a-maht) is a greedy, vain, and arrogant goddess who embodies all the strengths of her chromatic progeny but few of their weaknesses. She is entirely focused on the acquisition of personal power and wealth and views mortals as hapless pawns in her struggles with other deities. She can be charming and fey when necessary, but her self-serving, evil, reptilian nature is readily apparent to those who look.

The church of Tiamat is regimented by a strict hierarchy of ranks and titles. Clerics of Tiamat are primarily occupied by the twin tasks of acquiring an ever-increasing hoard of wealth for the faith and sabotaging the faiths of other deities. As a result, they occupy most of their waking hours with an unending series of thefts, assassinations, acts of vandalism, and arson. In Unther and Chessenta they are primarily concerned with seizing as much power as possible, while in western Faerun, the cult’s agents are focused on infiltrating and subverting the Cult of the Dragon.

Clerics of Tiamat pray for their spells at dusk, in hopes she will return the sun the following morning, as part of a ritual known as Tithing. The Tithing requires a small tithe, typically several gold coins or a small gem, which are hidden in the cleric’s cupped hands as the cleric’s prayers are offered, then buried. Tiamat’s clergy also perform numerous other daily ceremonies in homage to their mistress. The Rite of Respect is a complicated ritual of abasement and appeasement that must be performed while approaching any spawn of the Dragon Queen. This ceremony does not provide any ritualistic protection from the dragon’s fury, but failure to perform the ceremony with rigorous perfection is sure to draw the great reptile’s ire. In Unther, the Dark Scaly Ones have proclaimed the day of the first full moon after Midsummer a holy day dedicated to the Dark lady.

Known as the Festival of Vengeance, this day marks the defeat of Gilgeam by Tiamat, Nemesis of the Gods. In Unthalass the day is marked by general anarchy, rioting, and widespread mayhem incited by the clergy and the faithful and is punctuated by the consummation of long-simmering acts of revenge. During this time, the clerics of the Mulhorandi and Faerunian pantheons seek to contain the looting and destruction, but prominent officials must beware of the numerous assassination attempts executed by Tiamat’s worshipers. Many clerics multiclass as divine disciples, fighters, sorcerers, or (if associated with the Cult of the dragon) wearers of purple.

History/Relationships:

Tiamat is an interloping deity, brought to Faerun along with the rest of the Untheric pantheon. Her battles with those deities are legendary in Unther, and the Nemesis of the Gods was blamed for every setback experience by Unther. As a result, her small cult survived as the surviving Untheric gods became increasingly tyrannical, and eventually she regained sufficient strength to destroy Gilgeam during the Time of Troubles. Her foes include Bane and Ilmater, and she has no known allies.

Dogma:

Rival deities of all creeds and from every pantheon are inherently tyrannical. They seek only power, at any cost, despite their honeyed words. The Dragon Queen is the only being powerful enough to defy the gods and overthrow their despotic rule, as demonstrated by her overthrow of the other Untheric deities. Work tirelessly toward the day when Tiamat will banish the gods from Faerun and unite the world under her rule. Toward this goal, follow her commands unquestioningly and be willing to sacrifice yourself in her service. To overthrow the gods requires power, and power is acquired through the accumulation of wealth and magic. Power demands respect. Chromatic dragons everywhere are to be venerated as the spawn of the Dragon Queen and paid homage. When Tiamat assumes her throne, her draconic children shall serve her as dukes, and her clergy as their mortal vassals.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pg. 108))

[ancientempathy]

Ubtao

Creator of Chult, Founder of Mezro, Father of the Dinosaurs

Greater Faerunian Deity
Symbol: Maze
Home Plane: House of Nature
Alignment: Neutral
Portfolio: Creation, jungles, Chult, the Chultans, dinosaurs
Worshipers: Adepts, Chultans, druids, inhabitants of jungles, rangers
Cleric Alignments: CN, N, NE, NG, LN
Domains: Planning, Plant, Protection, Scalykind
Favored Weapon: Tyrannosaur head (heavy pick)

Ubtao (oob-tay-oh) is the patron deity of Chult, endlessly patient and rarely emotional. The Father of the Dinosaurs maintains a palpable emotional distance from both mortals and other deities, and he seems to stand aloof from the daily doings of the world and his followers. Only since the Time of Troubles has he begun to evidence a renewed interest in the doings of his followers. The many jungle spirits worshiped in Chult are all aspects of Ubtao.

The church of Ubtao is split among three wholly independent sects, all based in the Jungles of Chult among the various clans of the humans. Mazewalkers, found only among the inhabitants of the city of Mezro, see to the general spiritual welfare of the clan, while trying to prepare the faithful for their trek through the maze of life. They teach children and adults the history and lore of the Chultan peoples, provide council about important life decisions, such as marriage, and attempt to mediate interclan and intraclan disputes, and help teach and uphold the law of Mezro. Spiritlords, based outside the city, seek to smooth their clan’s passage through the spirit-infested world. They live to insure the clan does not offend an ancient ancestor or elemental deity by missing a ritual or a sacrifice. They can also coax favors and knowledge from the capricious and jealous spirits. Jungle druids attempt to get the scattered clans to learn how best to fit into the web of jungle life. They are often cast in the role of clan healer, and also accumulate and pass on knowledge about animals, animal behavior (including that of dinosaurs), and plants. Jungle druids are often the trainers of the few domestic animals that the humans keep.

Clerics and druids of Ubtao pray for their spells at noon, when Ubtao’s majesty hangs over all Chult. Most native humans consider themselves religious, though they show it in ways that astound travelers from other parts of Faerun. There are seemingly scores of sacred ceremonies and holy days, many of them particular to ancestors that have passed on, the time of year, the location the people are going to hunt at, move to, or pass through next, or necessary before performing certain activities, such as hunting a certain animal or burying the dead. Yet when their small, moveable stone altars are not being used for these ceremonies, they treat them as if they were just another rock. Mazewalkers are usually clerics while Spiritlords are usually adepts. Jungle druids are druids. Many of the clergy multiclass as rangers.

History/Relationships:

Long ago, Ubtao agreed to stand guard over the Peaks of Flame against the day when Dendar the Night Serpent slithers forth and the doom of the world arrives. In exchange, the other gods granted him dominion over Chult and agreed never to extend their dominion into Ubtao’s fiefdom. Over time Ubtao’s essence began to fragment into numerous nature spirits, one of which was a shadow entity called Eshowdow. Shar recently absorbed Eshowdow, and her activity might mark the end of the agreement forged with Ubtao with unforeseen results. Ubtao’s only ally is Thard Harr. Likewise, Ubtao’s chief foe (other than Eshowdow) is Sseth, an aspect of Set acting as deity of the yuan-ti.

Dogma:

Ubtao created the jungle as a test for his people, a maze for them to pass through on their way to a heavenly afterlife. Learn the maze that represents your life, for you must know it when you meet Ubtao in the afterlife. Understand your place in the jungle, represented by your maze. Respect the dinosaur, for they are the Children of Ubtao, agents of his will and gifts of his bounty.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 108-109))

[ancientempathy]

Ulutiu

The Lord in the Ice, the Eternal Sleeper, Father of the Giant’s Kin

Slumbering Demigod
Symbol: Necklace of blue and white ice crystals
Home Plane: Astral
Alignment: Lawful neutral
Portfolio: Glaciers, polar environments, arctic dwellers
Worshipers: Arctic dwellers, druids, historians, leaders, teachers, rangers
Cleric Alignments: LE, LG, LN
Domains: Animal, Law, Ocean, Protection, Strength
Favored Weapon: “Harpoon of the Cold Sea” (longspear or shortspear)

Ulutiu (oo-loo-tee-oo) is a long-quiescent deity who has voluntarily spent the last eon in slumber, adrift in the Astral Plane alongside a dead giant goddess known as Othea. Ulutir is sufficiently alive to continue to grant spells to his few followers scattered across Faerun’s northern arctic wastes. The Eternal Sleeper has shown little interest in Faerun since Othea’s demise. If a way could be found to resuscitate Othea, he would likely return to Faerun (and quickly come into conflict with Auril and Umberlee), but for the time being he seems content to rest in eternal sleep, granting spells and protection only to the few hardy people who survive in his favorite environment and venerate his name.

The church of Ulutiu is locally based, with little communication between villages. In the Great Glacier region, the clerics and druids serve as autocratic rulers of the villages. They govern with harsh, even cruel, edicts, but are rarely motivated by self-interest. The villagers believe Ulutiu’s clergy receives guidance from the Lord in the Ice, and, as a result, their society is orderly, if somewhat staid. Among the Ice Hunters of the Savage Frontier, Ulutiu’s clergy serve as community leaders as well, but they govern more by consensus than edict. Ice Hunter society is more open to contact with outsiders (on a passing basis) and less stratified in its social classes than Great Glacier society. Ulutiu’s clergy are leaders, teachers, keepers of history and wisdom, and defenders of their people. They teach their clans’ children, induct youths into adulthood, and pass along both clan traditions and practical survival knowledge.

Clerics and druids of Ulutiu silently pray for their spells at midday, covering their eyes with their hands and turning their heads to the sky, and offer similar prayers at dawn and sunset. The people of the Great Glacier follow a special set of edicts called kaiurit that vary from village to village and change from year to year, determined from Ulutiu’s dream fragments experienced by the clergy. The Ice Hunters have abandoned the practice of observing kaiurit, but practices a year-long ritual known as the kaitotem in which they capture a totem animal and raise it for a year, then release it into the wilderness to become a servant of the totem spirits. Many clerics and druids multiclass as rangers.

History/Relationships:

Othea was the mother of the giant races of Faerun and wife of Annam, father of the true giant races. She had children with Ulutiu, when they were discovered he voluntarily exiled himself in exchange for Annam’s promise to spare his wife. He sank into the Cold Ocean with his ice necklace, causing it to freeze into the Great Glacier. Othea planned to reunite with Ulutiu but was slain by one of her sons, who could not venture onto the Great Glacier while his mother was alive. He has no allies or enemies.

Dogma:

No person is the superior of another, with the exception of Ulutiu’s clergics, who are his representatives in this world and who are set in positions of leadership to pass on his wisdom to his people. Because animals share the same emotions, thoughts, and morals as people (but express them differently), they should be respected on pain of Ulutiu’s wrath.

The villagers of the Great Glacier also believe that magic from any source but Ulutiu is blasphemous and those that practice it should be shunned and driven away.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pg. 109))

[ancientempathy]

Valkur

The Mighty, Captain of the Waves

Faerunian Demigod
Symbol: Cloud with three lightning bolts on a shield
Home Plane: Warrior’s Rest
Alignment: Chaotic good
Portfolio: Sailors, ships, favorable winds, naval combat
Worshipers: Fighters, rogues, sailors
Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG
Domains: Air, Chaos, Good, Ocean, Protection
Favored Weapon: “The Captain’s Cutlass” (cutlass)

Valkur (val-kurr) can pilot any sailing craft in any conditions, and he never shies away from a challenge. His moods are as mercurial as the weather, but he is always incredibly loyal to his crew. He is usually jolly, always lucky, emphasizes his points by shaking his fist in the air, and has a great belly laugh. Valkur never holds a grudge, but when angered, his voice cracks like rolling thunder. Valkur epitomizes the daring sea captain who can sail his ship through anything the Deities of Fury can unleash.

The church of Valkur is only loosely organized, with clergy members coming together to worship only when serving on the same ship or in port at the same time. Some clerics of Valkur captain sailing ships that sail the length of the Sword Coast or across the Sea of Fallen Stars. Most serve as officers on some ship or other. Few clerics of Valkur serve on pirate ships, but many enjoy serving their homelands as privateers. While in port, Valkur’s clerics provide care and small amounts of monetary support to sailors down on their luck and to families whose chief breadwinner has been lost at sea. Other clerics run shipyards or administer fleets of merchant ships. Valkur’s clerics are also fond of contributing to (if not totally sponsoring) seaborne exploration and long-distance trading expeditions because of the challenges and opportunities they present.

Clerics of Valkur pray for their spells at around dawn, whenever the first hint of a breeze begins to stir. The church of Valkur celebrates only one holy day per year. The Shattering is always held in early spring, but the exact date varies from year to year. The festival is held to mark the end of winter and the beginning of the sailing season in the North and is celebrated even in the South where the winter ice does not block or trouble ocean travel. Valkur is said to communicate to his High Captains the exact date of the festival each year, and it often varies from city to city. The Shattering is marked by the unfurling of many new sails throughout the port districts or coastal cities and the christening of at least one new ship that then departs for its maiden voyage crewed by Valkur’s clergy. Valkur’s clergy regularly perform over a dozen separate ceremonies in the course of their duties. Most of these rituals are related to ships and voyages, including ceremonies at a ship’s christening, before departing on a voyage, when arriving at a new port, and when returning to the home port, among others. Many clerics multiclass as divine champions, fighters, or rogues.

History/Relationships:

Valkur is the sworn foe of the Deities of Fury and looks to Selune to guide hime across the oceans and seas of Faerun. He may have once been a sea captain from Mintarn who dared challenge Umberlee and won. The Red Knight, and through her Tempus, is trying to persuade Valkur to take more of an interesst in the dispostion of naval conflicts, but he feels his primary responsibilities lie the protection of sailors.

Dogma:

There is nothing more invigorating than challenging the elements. The feel of wind and spray on one’s face and the deck pitching beneath one’s feet is the greatest feeling in the world. If humankind is to expand its reach, daring men and women must defy the odds and dare the impossible. The thrill of exploration is sweeter than wine or rum. There is always risk, but without risk life is empty. Life is to be lived and damn the consequences. One’s loyalties are first to one’s mates, then to one’s ship, and then to Valkur, who protects all sailors. Rely not on Valkur’s hand to always extract you from difficulties, for such is coddling and leads to a lack of challenge and the room to grow. Rather, Valkur helps those actively solving their own problems by helping their plans work.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pg. 110))

[ancientempathy]

Velsharoon

The Vaunted, Archmage of Necromancy, Lord of the Forsaken Crypt

Faerunian Demigod
Symbol: A crowned laughing lich skull on a solid black hexagon
Home Plane: Dweomerheart
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Portfolio: Necromancy, necromancers, evil liches, undeath
Worshipers: Liches, necromancers, seekers of immortality through undeath, Cult of the Dragon
Cleric Alignments: CE, LE, NE
Domains: Death, Evil, Magic, Undeath
Favored Weapon: “Skull Staff of the Necromancer” (quarterstaff)

Velsharoon (vel-shah-roon) is a vain, selfish, petty, but very canny deity consumed with vengeance, obsessed with experimenting on living and dead beings, and unconcerned with the fates of lesser creatures. In many ways he continues to act like the mortal he recently was, albeit with far greater power at his disposal than before.

The church of Velsharoon is a new one, and what hierarchy exists is found within individual temples. Many clerics of Velsharoon spend their days in necromantic research, seeking to understand and expand the faith’s collective knowledge of life, death, and undeath. Most have created hundreds of undead servitors, some of them unique. When an undead creation has served its purpose, these self-involved researchers often brand the symbol of their deity on its chest and then order it to wander randomly across Faerun. Other clerics of Velsharoon are involved in “support” activities for the faith--grave robbing, embalming, or teaching. A few of the more congenial low-level clerics sometimes cure the minor ills of the populace to bring in funding or worldly supplies for the church and to more easily gather information about its enemies.

Clerics of Velsharoon pray for their spells at midnight, when the secrets of the night are best unearthed. For a relatively young faith, the clergy of Velsharoon have quickly established a large number of holy days and rituals. The faith has yet to coalesce into a homogeneous creed, however, and widely varying rituals are found not only in different temples but within individual temples as well. Two rituals have become fairly widespread. The Binding of the Crypt and the Pact of the Everlasting are two rituals performed by powerful clerics, allowing them to return as an undead creature or be raised from the dead automatically if they are slain. Both rituals involve numerous other horrible incantations and the foul sacrifice of numerous good-aligned sentients. Prominent theologians of the faith claim that these rituals are merely the two of seven to be revealed by Velsharoon along a path to achieving immortality. Many clerics multiclass as divine disciples, necromancers, or (if part of the Cult of the Dragon) as wearers of purple.

History/Relationships:

As a mortal, Velsharoon was a renegade Red Wizard of Thay whose chief rival was Szass Tam. He discovered a method laid forth by Talos for a mortal to achieve divinity, but quickly realized that the Storm Lord would simply exploit him until he was destroyed. Velsharoon then shifted his allegiance to Azuth, who, with Mystra’s help, blocked Talos from seeking vengeance. Velsharoon has since secretly renewed his alliance with Talos and has begun flirting with Shar, although he still nominally serves Azuth. Velsharoon loathes Cyric, Jergal, and Kelemvor, for all three routinely upset his plans.

Dogma:

Life and death are the twin faces of eternal existence. To surrender to either one is to resign oneself to obscurity. True power lies in the twilight zone between life and death. By seeking to explore and extend the mortal condition and form--even mortal life itself--knowledge of the world and its infinite complexity are extended. Let no one interfere with the pursuit of such research, for the end result will more than justify the necessary sacrifices along the path. Knowledge is power, and knowledge of life and death brings power over all beings, living and unliving.

((This information was taken from the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Accessory: Faiths and Pantheons Manual. Pgs. 110-111))