Master of All Thieves, Shadowlord, Lord of Shadows

Lesser Power (previously Intermediate Power and briefly Demipower) of the Gray Waste, NE
PORTFOLIO: Thieves, thievery, shadows
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Niflheim/Shadow Keep
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Bane (now dead), Bhaal (now dead), Leira (now dead), Ibrandul (now dead)
FOES: Helm, Oghma, Torm, Tyr, Cyric, Selûne, Waukeen (missing), Deneir
SYMBOL: A black velvet mask, tinged with red
WOR. ALIGN.: NG, CG, LN, N, CN, LE, NE, CE
Mask (MASK) was the deity of intrigue along with being the patron of thieves, but his disastrous perusal of the Cyrinishad led to Cyric being able to steal this aspect of his portfolio from him. One school of thought believed the god totally destroyed after reading the Cyrinishad and having his Godsbane avatar form destroyed by Cyric, another held that Mask was totally subsumed by Cyric, and a third school believed that Mask, engaged in his own intrigues, faked his loyalty to Cyric and later his own death. The truth is that Mask survived the enslaving effects of the Cyrinishad and the destruction of a major avatar form at great cost, losing much of his godly power in the process.
Mask had allowed his intrigue with Cyric to progress so far that he had neglected his own worshipers and was effectively but a lesser power when hit by the effects of the Cyrinishad. When forced to cut away part of his divine power, leaving it in Cyric’s hands, Mask was temporarily reduced to the status of a demipower. To make matters worse, Mask crossed a powerful extraplanar entity known as Kezef the Chaos Hound, who has sworn eternal revenge. Mask cannot remain too long in one location or Kezef catches up to him, and Mask does not wish to confront the Chaos Hound until he regains the status of an intermediate power that he had just after the Godswar. Such is the price of intrigue, a price that Mask has paid dearly. (The Chaos Hound’s chase has slowed somewhat of late, though, as it becomes distracted by the new-found joys of freedom after so many years of imprisonment.)
Mask’s form is ever-changing in regard to appearance—and his true form is not known for sure. Mask remains the patron of thieves, and there his faith is strongest. After a year of frenzied activity by his priests on his behalf (at his encouragement), Mask has taken shadows into his portfolio and managed to climb to the status of lesser power. However, Mask is still a weakened power and walks (or runs, when the Chaos Hound is abroad) carefully in his dealings with the other powers. For the time being, he wants to remain out of the sight (and hopefully out of the mind) of Cyric, who might still covet his remaining power, but he is already plotting ways and means to regain that which he lost to the Mad God.
Mask is very self-possessed and confident—too confident for his own good. He enjoys erecting convoluted and intricate plots to achieve his ends and then playing them out to his benefit. As he has recently learned, however, such predilections proved a weakness for him, and he is now trying much more direct methods to accomplish his goals than before in order to avoid such needless—and unwanted—plot twists as nearly cost him his life and his godhood in his manipulations of Cyric.
Other Manifestations
Mask sometimes appears as a drifting, amorphous darkness, that may or may not have or grow a cowled human head. He also manifests as whispery, soft, chuckling laughter or an utterly black, nailless human hand that can carry or wield items, point, emit dust and write in it, or grasp and choke beings at THAC0 7, chilling and strangling for 4d4 points of damage and preventing forward movement, speech, or spellcasting, but always releasing the foe at the end of a round. (This hand cannot be struck except by magical weapons of +2 or better enchantment; it has an AC of -1, 14 HD, and 72 hit points.) The cloud of darkness can enter or pass through any known barrier without taking harm, but vanishes if struck by spells dealing 20 points of damage or more. The touch of these manifestations opens locks, causes manacles, chains, and bindings to crumble and fall away, and allows faithful worshipers to be protected for a day by an ironguard spell, just as the touch of Mask’s avatar does.
Mask also acts through the appearance or presence of annis (hags), dopplegangers, ettercaps, kenku, verbeeg, wererats, werewolves, werefoxes, shadow monsters (creatures as from the wizard spell shadow monsters made permanent by the power of Mask), shadow dragons, and undead shadows. More commonly he sends a shadow where there should be none, smoke-gray horses, iron-gray or black cats, gray dogs, gloomwing moths or tenebrous worms, gray goats, vapor flowers, smoky quartz, gray chalcedony, gray and banded onyx, ravenar, rogue stone, common crows, condors, and gray doves to show his favor or displeasure and as a sign to inspire his faithful.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, thieves
CLERGY’s ALIGN.: LN, N, CN, LE, NE, CE
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, if neutral, SP: No, T: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: Yes, if evil, SP: No, T: No
All clerics and specialty priests of Mask receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
The followers of Mask have been reduced to their central core: thieves and thieves. guilds. (However, in addition to thieves and more shadowy individuals, courtiers and diplomats have also been known to evoke the Shadowlord ‘s name in hope of guaranteeing a smooth negotiation.) Many guilds still have their shrines to the god, and in those regions where thievery is not actively frowned upon, temples to Mask survive. The priesthood of Mask is independent in each major city or region to prevent the frequent actions against one thieves. guild or temple from spilling over and affecting others.
The hierarchy makes use of clerics, specialty priests, and thieves in about a 30/40/30 ratio. Clergy of Mask are known as Maskarran. Specialty priests of Mask are called demarchesses (deh-mar-KESS-es) if female and demarchs (deh-MARKS) if male. There has been a significant increase in the number of specialty priests in the faith since Mask lost status as a deity; he feels that specialty priests are the most effective adjunct to the thieves who are his mainstay of worship and so has been furiously encouraging their recruitment and advancement by gifting them with more special abilities than before.
In areas with a single strong thieves. guild, the temple or shrine to Mask is usually connected to the guild hall via underground tunnels. In large cities with competing guilds, the temple is in an underground location and is recognized as neutral ground by all sides. Maskarran strive to keep hidden these days, sometimes holding services of worship in underground shrines (often cellars reached by old sewers) and often keeping hidden inside local thieves. guilds. It is to the advantage of such seasoned conspirators as Maskarran that many folk of Faerûn think Mask is dead, and his worship reduced to scattered, bewildered cults.
Maskarran address each other as .Brother/Sister Shadow,. regardless of rank, and hold the titles (in order of rank): Unproven (novices), Proven Brother/Sister, Veteran Brother/Sister, and Master Brother/Sister, with the leader of a temple assuming the title Lord/Lady Master. The elite of Maskarran are largely specialty priests, but nonspecialty priest high priests are known as Hidden Ones.
Dogma: All that which occurs within shadow is in the purview of Mask. Ownership is nine-tenths of what is right, and if a person happens to currently have something, it is his or hers. Previous ownership does not count. Therefore, the day belongs to the quick, the smooth-tongued, and the lightfingered. Stealth and wariness are virtues, as are glibness and the ability to sound smooth-tongued and conciliatory while taking control of a situation or twisting it to your advantage. (Needless to say, the writings of a true follower of Mask can be read in many ways.)
The Unproven in the church of Mask are charged as follows: .Wealth rightfully belongs to those who can acquire it. Strive to end each day with more material wealth than you began it with, but steal what is most vital, not everything that is to hand. Honesty is for fools, but apparent honesty is a very valuable thing. Make every untruth seem plausible, and never lie when you can cleave to the truth but leave a mistaken impression.a bridge burned means much rebuilding if you need to cross over there again. Subtlety is everything. A bribe is the least subtle of the tools Mask gives to us. Never force someone to do something when you can manipulate them into doing it and thinking the decision and the deed are entirely their own freewilled work. Never do the obvious, except to conceal a secondary or tertiary deed or arrangement. Spin secrets atop secrets, but do so unconcernedly, not with the sly excitement of untutored youth. Trust in the shadows, for the bright way makes for easy targets..
Day-to-Day Activities: Maskarran are perhaps the wealthiest clergy in the Realms, second only to those of Waukeen before the Time of Troubles.
They able to call on untold wealth stolen in the past and hidden away in secret places. Maskarran do not hoard and gloat over their takings like dwarves croon over gold; they actively use it to buy agents, bribe officials, sway agreements, and manipulate folk to do thus and so, working behind the scenes to achieve mysterious ends. The mark of a successful priest of Mask is to state to a superior that this or that end (in international politics or the doings within a realm) will be worked toward and achieved within such-andsuch a time.and then fulfill this promise. Maskarran who fail in their promises seldom rise far in the hierarchy, though several attempts at bringing something about are perfectly acceptable so long as none of them too obviously reveal the priest at work behind the scenes.
From day-to-day Maskarran typically tend to their plots and provide support to and collect tithes from individual thieves and thieves. guilds. Each church of Mask has its own policy about reporting .rogue. thieves to the guild of a region: Some provide aid but covertly inform the local guild, others refuse aid and inform, and still others provide aid to whoever pays the proper tithe and inform no one,
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: There are no calendar-related rituals in the Church of Mask, but at every full temple of the god, the Ritual of the Unseen Presence is celebrated at least once a month. This ritual is an acknowledgment in chanted verse, hymns, and offerings of wealth.coinage stolen by the faithful that is melted down in altar-flanking braziers or crucibles .of the constant regard of Mask, who sees all deeds, however well hidden.
Lay worshipers and Maskarran also participate in daily Sunset Prayers, in which they kneel, proffer coins to the clergy and worship before the Altar of the Masked God. Praying junior clergy members give coins to senior clergy members, and the highest-ranking priest of a holy house of Mask gives his or her coin to the lowest-ranking priest present in recognition of the wry humor of Mask, who so often makes the high low, and the low high. The Altar of the Masked God is always a massive stone block over which floats an enspelled black velvet, fur, or silk mask of giant size (6 feet across or more) or which has a mosaic in inlaid precious gemstones of a similar giant mask behind it.
The Church of Mask has darker rituals associated with the elevation of clergy members in rank known only to the initiated. These secret observances and the Ritual of the Unseen Presence are always guarded by striking shadows spells cast by senior clergy members to slay or keep away eavesdroppers
Major Centers of Worship: The House of the Master’s Shadow in Telflamm, where Lord Master Most Hidden Jalaunther Ithbreeiur leads over 300 Maskarran in worship, is the largest temple to Mask in Faerûn. Jalaunther has initiated several energetic programs designed to build the ranks of Mask’s faithful, including a network of undercover contacts in all major cities of Faerûn who double as information-gatherers and the spreaders of rumors about this or that treasure (to attract the interest of those interested in thievery). These agents, known as .local shadows,. identify important thieves and those rebellious to authority and approach both of these sorts of folk to recruit them to the faith or at least offer them training.for fees.in thievery or intrigue. Jalaunther has also set his clergy members the twin tasks of building their temple magic (including the spells they are currently researching) into a network of powerful, practical stealth and battle magic and working themselves into positions where they can influence the politics of all realms in Faerûn behind the scenes. Needless to say, these ambitious goals are achieving success only slowly.
Affiliated Orders: The church of the Shadowlord has no affiliated knightly orders. Members of the clergy who have pulled off a particularly daring heist or intricate piece of manipulation of people and events are often admitted (voted on by acclamation at a secret yearly meeting of members of the order) to the Circle of the Gray Ribbon. Many thieves. guilds (as well as individual thieves) throughout Faerûn have connections to the church and rely on it for medical and tactical support.
Priestly Vestments: Maskarran wear no badges of rank nor differing vestments, but all senior clergy members strive to purchase, have made, or (preferably) steal such useful items as slippers of spider climbing, teleport rings, rings of shadow (that generate darkness 15. radius at will of a sort that their wearers can see through), rings of invisibility, wands of viscid globs, ropes of entanglement, and protective garments enchanted to provide feather fall protection (as well as a wide array of enchanted weapons and armor).
Ceremonial Maskarran dress consists of tunics and trousers in a bright motley. The tunics sport ballooned sleeves and cuffs and bright embroidery, displaying wealth. The entire outfit is covered with a full-length, hooded gray cloak that can be drawn shut to hide the bright color beneath. A black cloth mask is worn beneath the hood. In some areas where Mask has fallen on particularly hard times, the gray cloak and mask only are worn as a symbol of the Shadowlord’s favor.
Inside a temple of Mask, the masks are of black gauze and do not conceal the identity of the wearer; in public, such masks are usually thick, black wool or heavy, double-thick silk and extend to cover most of the face in an effective disguise. (A bearded priest, for example, would have a mask that extended well down over the chin.) There is a saying that “the degree of law in a town can be seen on the face of a priest of Mask.”
Adventuring Garb: Priests of Mask are encouraged to hide their true nature and masquerade as other priests or commoners. Normal dress for clerics of Mask is similar to that of any merchant, craftsperson, or adventurer in the area or similar to that of any armored battle cleric or itinerant adventuring cleric of any faith. Specialty priests of Mask usually dress as thieves in leather or other light armor or assume the guise of typical peasants one might meet on any town’s or village’s streets.

The Beastlord, Lord of Beasts, the Black-Blooded Pard, the Ravaging Bear

Lesser Power of Tarterus, CE
PORTFOLIO: Hunters, marauding beasts and monsters, blood, bloodlust, evil lycanthropes, stalking
ALIASES: The Stalker (Vilhon Reach), Render (Endless Ice and Great Glacier), Blue Bear (Uthgardt barbarians), Herne (Orcs of the High Forest)
DOMAIN NAME: Colothys/The Land of the Hunt
SUPERIOR: Talos
ALLIES: Auril, Talos, Umberlee, Bane (now dead), Loviatar
FOES: Chauntea, Deneir, Eldath, Ilmater, Lurue the Unicorn, Nobanion, Silvanus, Sune, Gwaeron Windstrom, Shiallia, Uthgar
SYMBOL: A brown-furred, bestial claw with long, curving talons tipped with fresh red blood
WOR. ALIGN.: N, CN, LE, NE, CE
Malar (MAH-larr) is the god of the savage wild. Along with Umberlee and Auril, he is one of the Gods of Fury who revel in the kill or who hunt for sport or to excess, fallen rangers, sentient carnivores, and lycanthropes. Those who suffer the depredations of wild beasts attempt to placate the Beastlord with offerings of freshly killed and bloody meat, but Malar rarely recognizes their entreaties. In his more favorable aspects he is revered by beings who identify with the untamed nature, grace, and amorality of predators.
Malar achieves almost sensual fulfillment from the hunt and the kill. He revels in the fear radiated by the hunted and hungers for the blood of his prey. He speaks only in low growling undertone or vicious snarl. The Lord of Beasts despises the Balance sought by druids and their deities and seeks to overthrow it through the actions of his faithful. He manifests an avatar in Faerûn in an endless hunt across the Realms whenever the mood strikes him—which is almost constantly.
During the Time of Troubles, Malar stalked the length and breadth of Faerûn. He is known to have battled Nobanion in the Gulthmere Forest in a fierce conflict known as the Roar of Shadows. The Beastlord was driven north and west by the Lion God working in an alliance with the Emerald Enclave. When Malar appeared in the North, he was relentlessly pursued by Gwaeron Windstrom and could not shake the Master of Tracking from his trail. The Beastlord did challenge and defeat Herne, a corrupted incarnation of the Master of the Hunt brought to the Realms by an ancient wave of immigrants along with Oghma and other powers. Herne was venerated by the orcs of the High Forest, and Malar has since assumed his portfolio.
In the aftermath of the Time of Troubles, Malar has been weakened by the growing strength of Talos. As a result, he has been forced to seek new worshipers among the nonhuman tribes, and now numerous humanoids have begun to venerate the Beastlord as an adjunct to their traditional pantheons. Malar has also acquired additional human worshipers from the ranks of a few beast cults by slaying their totem spirits and assuming the animal spirits' portfolios as aspects of his own. One of the first beast totems to fall to his bloody talons was Blue Bear, an Uthgardt beast cult corrupted by pervasive contact with lower planar beings and venerated in other lands as Render, the Bear God.
Other Manifestations
Malar prefers to manifest as a cloud of darkness in which two large, red, feral eyes gleam. From this cloud may issue forth his voice, bestial roars or snarls, or (most often) deep, snarling laughter.
Malar may also manifest as, or change in one round to, a disembodied, animated furry beast limb (akin to that conjured up by the beast claw spell, described below) that can point, draw symbols or write in the air in letters of floating, blazing blood, carry or manipulate items, or fight (raking for 3d4 points of damage, striking twice per round at THAC0 -8, and having AC 0, MV Fl 21 (A), and 101 hp). An impossibly deep, bone-shaking snarl usually accompanies this latter manifestation.
Malar acts frequently through all sorts of predators, particularly bears, wild hunting cats of all sorts, displacer beasts, fang dragons, jackalweres, gargantua, leucrotta (greater and lesser), evil lycanthropes, owlbears, perytons, wolfweres, wolverines, aurumvorae, wolves, and even (very rarely) the tarrasque. He has been known to place appropriately seeded deepspawns in regions where predators and/or prey are scarce so as to ensure the hunt never ends.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, fighters, wizards
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LE, NE, CE
TURN UNDEAD: C: No, SP: No, F: No, W: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: No, F: No, W: No
All clerics and specialty priests of Malar receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency. Malar's clergy are required to take the hunting nonweapon proficiency, and animal lore and tracking are both highly recommended. Clerics of Malar are allowed to use daggers.
Malar is not a popular god with many devoted followers. Like Umberlee, he is invoked usually to prevent his intercession (usually heralded by wild beasts) as opposed to beseeching it. Groups devoted to following him are present, however, terrorizing civilized areas and surviving by poaching what they need.
Temples of Malar are simple affairs. Typically they are inwardly curving, fang-shaped stones arranged in a ring in shadowy forest glens. Many temples, particularly those located in more civilized settings where the activities of Malarites are viewed with loathing by the local populace, are built above extensive limestone caverns and accessed via a sinkhole in the circle's center. The twisting subterranean passages serve as hunting grounds through which ruthless Malarites stalk sentient prey (particularly humans and demihumans) captured from the surrounding region.
The church of Malar is loosely bound and without a central hierarchy. This makes it all the more difficult to counter or remove, for as soon as one den of Malarites is contained, another arises. The church organization is built around the concept of the hunt, and consists of local, independent cells or "Hunts." The leader and most powerful individual of each hunt is known as the Huntmaster, who may be a priest, warrior, wizard (very rarely), or shapechanging predator (such as a wolfwere or evil lycanthrope). If human, the Huntmaster can be identified by his or her headpiece: usually a bear, great cat, or other creature the leader has killed with his or her bare hands. The office of Huntmaster is won by challenge—a fight to the death if the incumbent does not resign—and the Huntmaster decides the locale, time, and prey to be stalked in the ceremonial hunts of the faithful.
Malarite priests are known as Lords of the Hunt or Huntlords (to distinguish them from lay followers, who are merely "of the Hunt"). No individual titles are used, except "Old Hunter" as an address of respect to senior clergy, but clergy members are often known by names such as Brother Stag or Sister Wolf in recognition of the most powerful beasts they have slain along with only their daggers, their bare hands, or claws of Malar. Specialty priests of Malar are known as talons.
Dogma: Survival of the fittest and winnowing of the weak are Malar's legacy. A brutal, bloody death has great meaning: "May you die an old man" is an insult among Malarites. The hunt is the fulcrum of life and death, and the focus point of life is the challenge between the hunter and the prey, the judgment of who may live or die. Malarites are expected to view every important task as a hunt and to remain ever alert and alive. They must walk the wilderness without trepidation, as Malar does, and must show no fear in the hunt. By being bold, they expect to win the day.
Malarite novices are charged as follows: "Savagery and strong emotions defeat reason and careful thought in all things. The strong must slay as frequently as possible and exult in the doing if they are to survive and achieve dominance of the pack that society truly is under the polite veneer it maintains. Taste the blood of those you slay and never kill from a distance. The glory and danger in the hunt should be told to all in grand tales. Work against woodcutters, farmers, and all fools who seek to cut back the forest and slay beasts because they are dangerous. Suffer no druid to live, for they believe not in survival of the strong, but in a weak-minded balance that allows the inferior to survive and often to rule. Slay not pregnant wild creatures, young wild creatures, or deepspawns so that dire beasts to hunt may always be plentiful."
Day-to-Day Activities: Priests of Malar indulge in hunting as often as possible and strive to route the hunt to make it as dangerous as possible, so that its finale (the killing of the quarry) takes place in a settled area (so that the Malarites can demonstrate their superiority, of course). Common folk who do not appreciate having desperate leucrotta, wolves, displacer beasts, and the like chased through town tend to hate and fear Malarite clergy members—which is the whole idea: Those who do not venerate the Lord of Beasts should respect him out of fear.
Malarite clergy members also preach the joys and the bountiful yields of the hunt and work to thwart the expansion of farms and settlements so as to preserve as much wilderness as possible. They work against the priesthoods of Chauntea, Deneir, Eldath, Silvanus, and Ilmater, staging raids and vandalism much as outlaws nad bored young noblemen indulge in.
Malarite clergy seek to slay druids of all faiths whenever possible, for they see the natural Balance that druids promote and maintain as the true foe of all who love to hunt. They believe it interferes with the rightful triumph of the strong over the weak. Consequently, druid organizations, those with druidic connections, and those sponsored even partially by nature deities (including the Harpers) also seek out and destroy Malarite strongholds at any opportunity.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Worship of Malar centers around the hunt and tends to consist of personal prayers to the Beastlord offered before the chase, during pursuit, and while drinking a toast over the slain quarry (sometimes a toast of the blood of the very animal killed). The droning Bloodsong is intoned over the bodies of all creatures slain during a hunt—and specific ritual prayers and chants should accompany feasting on any beast slain duringa hunt.
The only high rites of the faith are the Feast of the Stags and the High Hunts. The Feast is celebrated at Higharvestide, when Malarite clergy parade through settled areas bearing the heads of the beasts they have slain during the previous tenday (a frenzied orgy of killing) and lead all who desire to eat to a feast. The beasts hunted down by Malarite hands are the main dishes at this two-day-long revel of gluttony, and all folk are invited (even druids may come and dine in safety, protected by "the Peace of the Table"). At this feast, clergy publicly undertake to hunt throughout the winter ahead for the tables of specific widows, aged folk, infirm individuals, and orphan children. This day marks the annual high point of regard for the faith of Malar in most communities.
By Malar's command, every hunt (religious ceremony) of his worshipers must celebrate at least one High Hunt in each of the four seasons of the year. A High Hunt is a sporting event attended by all Malarite clergy members able to walk. They wear boots and headpieces made from the skulls or heads of beasts they have personally slain, and each wields only a single knife or the claws of Malar. Their quarry—a sentient humanoid, usually a human male—who is set free in a wooded area (or extensive cavern complex if necessary) ringed by Malarite clergy members. The quarry is armed and armored with all the nonmagical items he or she desires that can reasonably be obtained—and then hunted to death for the glory of Malar. However, if the prey escapes the boundaries of the hunt (set up at its beginning) within a day and a night or survives until the sun has cleared the horizon on the morning after the hunt begins, he or she wins freedom, can never be so hunted again, and can ask any boon of the Huntmaster that is within his or her power and does not involve killing a Malarite.
The prey is often a druid and cannot be a worshiper of Malar. (Huntmasters cannot use the High Hunt to eliminate potential rivals within the clergy.) When slain, victims of the hunt are wholly burned to ashes as a meal for Malar.
Major Centers of Worship: The Divine Den in Bezentil, where High Huntmaster Skith Tsornagar leads a congregation of 70 or so Malarite clergy members and twice as many lay worshipers who are avid hunters, is the center of Malar's faith in the Great Dale and all of Faerûn east of the Dragon Reach and north of Thay. The clergy members of the Divine Den mount many hunting expeditions to remote and perilous regions of Toril in pursuit of exotic prey. A dozen skilled smiths among them make the True Talons of the God (approved claws of Malar).
The Deep Hunting Grounds in Undermountain beneath Mt. Waterdeep is a powerful and rapidly growing temple located amidst a subterranean forest known as the Wyllowwood. Led by Benita Darkwind, the congregation of 60 or more priests and as many warriors, rogues, and lay worshipers is actively expanding its influence through the streets of Waterdeep.
Affiliated Orders: The church of Malar also includes lone priests unaffiliated with any particular hunt. These solitary women and men, known as Beastmasters, exhibit an amazing rapport bordering on telepathy with animals and other predators, and they are rumored to command fearsome powers resembling those of powerful druids. Beastmasters resemble savage beasts in disposition and lifestyle and exert control over most predators in large swaths of wilderness through the use of multiple, concurrent find companion spells. (Other clergy can only have one animal companion at a time.) Beastmasters only rarely call upon the aid of other Malarites in their territory, but when they do, few local Huntmasters defy their requests. There is a loose correlation between the geographic areas of influence of Beastmasters and circles of druids in the wild. Individual Beastmasters and their servitors contest in an endless cycle of violence with nearby druids.
Malar is also served by a few rare Beast Lords. These lone spellcasters breed unnatural monsters like bulettes, stegocentipedes, owlbears, perytons, and so forth. While most Beast Lords are human, a few are drawn from the ranks of other races such as illithids and beholders. One prominent nonhuman Beast Lord in the North is an illithilich, believed to be based in ruined Dekanter, who seeks to conquer part of the dark realms of the Underdark with an army of beasts.
Priestly Vestments: Huntmasters wear headpieces made from the pelt and head of the most impressive beast they have been able to slay with their bare hands (usually a bear or great cat, but sometimes an owlbear, leucrotta, or peryton). Malarites carry hunting horns as their belts and are never without at least three daggers (usually one sheathed in each boot, two in belt sheaths, one strapped to either forearm, and another hidden in a nape-of-the-neck sheath under the hair or in an armpit sheath). Woodland garb of red or brown is the favored dress for hunts. By day, red hunt clothing is often concealed by a woodcloak of mottled black, gray, and green. Necklaces of animal bones, fangs, and claws, and a variety of pelts are often worn in addition to normal hunt clothes when priests desire to impress.
Adventuring Garb: When adventuring, priests of Malar dress practically, but most favor armor constructed from the hides of living creatures that allows flexibility and rapid movement. Necklaces of claws and fangs and a variety of pelts from predator animals are often worn to quietly demonstrate a Malarite's hunting prowess to the members of a community.
Talons of Malar and Huntmasters are allowed to employ the weapons known as claws of Malar. Claws of Malar are metal weapons gripped in the fists that resemble brass knuckles studded with rows of sharp, jagged edges along the top like lion's claws. A priest must allocate a weapon proficiency for these weapons in order to use them. A priest trained in their use can strike once per round with each fist without disadvantage. Claws of Malar weight 1 pound total (a half pound each), have a speed factor of 2, are size S, and inflict 1d6 points of piercing and slashing (Type P/S) damage to size S or M targets or 1d4 points of damage to size L or larger targets.
Although crude local specimens of these weapons exist, the best True Talons of the God come from one source: the Divine Den in Bezentil, the most important temple to the Lord of Beasts in all Faerûn. Clawsfrom this source are blessed in the blood of beasts slain in the hunt, enchanted to never rust (even if touched by rust monsters or assaulted by spells that should make them rust), and bear tiny markings that allow the smiths who made them to identify each pair. Other individuals can try to use the claws, but a nonbeliever or a nonpriest of Malar suffers the wrath of the church if she or he does so, and said wrath translates the the Malarites hunting down and slaying the individual as a warning to others.

The Unicorn, the Unicorn Queen, the Queen of Talking Beasts and Intelligent Monsters

Demipower of the Prime Material Plane, CG
PORTFOLIO: Talking beasts and intelligent nonhumanoid creatures
ALIASES: Silverymoon, Lurae, Yathaghera the Winged Queen
DOMAIN NAME: Toril/Faerûn
SUPERIOR: Mielikki
ALLIES: Chauntea, Gwaeron Windstrom, Mielikki, Nobanion, Shiallia, Selûne, Silvanus
FOES: Malar
SYMBOL: Unicorn head against the background of a silver crescent moon or a white unicorn rampant against a silver crescent moon
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN
Lurue (Luh-RUE) the Unicorn, also known as "Silverymoon," is the goddess of talking beasts and good intelligent monsters. She is venerated by many sentient beasts who have inherited or magically acquired the ability to speak human and demihuman languages. While some entire species, such as unicorns, pegasi, and talking owls, venerate her as Queen, many of her worshipers are outcasts from their own kind due to their unique abilities.
Worship of the Lion and the Unicorn, as Nobanion and Lurue are often called, is frequently lumped into the catch-all category of "beast cult." These two deities, however, differ from the tribal totem great spirits of the Uthgardt and the Ice Hunters of the North, as those spirits are not divinities in their own right, serving rather as conduits for the actions of Uthgar or Ulutiu, respectively. Lurue is a deity in her own right, and always has been to the knowledge of her faithful. However, her primary group of worshipers is not human, or even humanoid, and most of them do not maintain written histories or even many oral traditions. Their religion is a personal and direct faith, and until Lurue began attracting human worshipers, her nature and the ways of her religion went unattended, unrecorded, and essentially unnoticed.
Lurue is said to be the daughter of Selûne, Lady of Silver and goddess of the moon. Some say she is also related to one of the Earthmother's children, Kamerynn the Unicorn, of the Moonshae Isles. Travelers from other crystal spheres have attempted to link her to Eachthighern, a male deity of unicorns and pegasi who is not worshiped on Toril, but she reacts only with puzzlement to mention of his name and claims no relationship to him. Lurue is revered by the elves as Yathaghera, the Winged Queen, the nominal ruler of the pegasi and unicorns of Evermeet. Lurue serves as Mielikki's ally, friend, and steed when the Lady of Forests needs her services. Lurue and Nobanion have a long-standing alliance and deep friendship that has stood for many centuries. Lurue detests the dark deity Malar, and battles with his avatar or his servants at any opportunity. Some indications seem to show she is preparing a realm on Karasuthra in the Beastlands in the Outer Planes to be relatively close to Nobanion.
The Queen of Talking Beasts and Intelligence Creatures is often taken with wanderlust. She can be whimsical but is infinitely loyal once she takes someone into her trust, and she 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.
Lurue's greatest sorrow is the existence of the black unicorns created by the Red Wizards of Thay. These malevolent creatures are the offspring of true unicorns tainted with the blood of feuds. Lurue blames Malar for secretly assisting the Red Wizards in their magical research, and she seeks a method of redeeming their corrupted souls.
Other Manifestations
Lurue often manifests at night as a silvery nimbus around Selûne visible to a few lucky individuals. Such individuals are said to receive Lurue's blessing, a +1 bonus on all saving throws until the following dawn.
The Unicorn Queen sometimes appears on the horizon as a ghostly silver unicorn leading the Silver Herd—12 unicorn stallions of maximum hit points—in a spirited run. If a devout worshiper of the Queen of Talking Beasts and Intelligent Creatures is under attack, the herd bears down on the attackers in a thunderous stampede led by their ghostly queen. This ghostly charge is usually enough to scare off most antagonists, but if not the unicorn stallions attack until their opponents are driven off. If any of the unicorn stallions is slain, he immediately evaporates into morning dew. If the entire Silver Herd is vanquished, Lurue's avatar calls the other nature deities to her aid, solidifies, and attacks without mercy.
Silverymoon is served by courage, hope, temperance, and wisdom minor incarnates, unicorns, faerie dragons, firestars, ki-rin, pegasi, pseudodragons, talking owls, giant lynxes, tressyms, and a wide variety of sentient, talking beasts. She is said to love flowers, from romantic white and red roses to simple daisies, and to have a persistent sweet tooth with a special fondness for mint and for honey wine.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, crusaders, mystics
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: NG, CG, CN
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: No, Cru: No, Mys: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: No, SP: No, Cru: No, Mys: No
All clerics, specialty priests, crusaders, and mystics of Lurue receive religion (Faerûnian), land-based riding (horses), and land-based riding (unicorns) as bonus nonweapon proficiencies. All of Lurue's priests must be female and may be human, half-elf, or elf.
Lurue is well-loved by the goodly races throughout the North and wherever else she is known. Sightings of any unicorn are considered lucky, and the appearance of the Unicorn Queen is a blessed event. Dour guardians of order and discipline view her as flightly and mischievous, but most sentient creatures admire her free spirit and unrestrained, rollicking joy.
Lurue is worshiped in sylvan glades and moonlit glens wherever unicorns tread. She has no temples dedicated in her name, choosing instead to be worshiped at sacred natural sites and holy groves. The banks of the Unicorn Run, the river which winds through the southern reaches of the High Forest, are representative of her holy sites. Unicorns are known to cavort and gambol along th Unicorn Run's banks, and they are an example of woodland nature in its purest and most unspoiled incarnation.
Priestesses of Lurue have no formal hierarchy of titles. Junior clergy are known as Sisters of the Moonlit Sky, and senior clergy are known as Sisters of the Silver Moon. Those priestesses lucky enough to have ever ridden a unicorn are forever after known as Ladycorns. The clergy comprises clerics, crusaders, mystics, and specialty priests, known as silvermaids. The breakdown of classes within the clergy is approximately 40%, 10%, 5%, and 45%, with little differentiation between the types in the respect they accord each other or their responsibilities.
Lurue has many beasts in her clergy as well. Most unicorns could be considered lay priests of Silverymoon, as might quite a few pegasi. Lurue grants any unicorn who worships her to cast one beneficial priestly spell of any sphere or level per day.
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.
Day-to-Day Activities: Priestesses 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 the Realms seeking wrongs to right and finding a good balance of merriment, new experiences, and self-improvement in such a profession.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: 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 much 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 and now "dance with the unicorns." Many great works of art and epic song are unveiled during th Feast of the Moon to quiet applause, particularly in the city of Silverymoon, which celebrates its founding on this day.
Major Centers of Worship: Lurue's worship is scattered throughout the North, but her namesake, the city of Silverymoon, serves as the spiritual heart of her faith. The city is built along the banks of the River Rauvin at a site sacred to both Lurue and Mielikki. According to legend, these shallows were the site where Mielikki first encountered Lurue ages ago. The Unicorn Queen appeared on a shaft of moonlight, the newly foaled child of Selûne, while the Lady of Forests was quenching her thirst. Mielikki befriended the unicorn filly and taught her to run through the forests of the North chasing the moon, but the site remained holy to Lurue. Thereafter Lurue was seen on occasion in the vicinity of the Silver Ford as a glowing unicorn whose appearance was considered lucky.
The pair of goddesses returned centuries later disguised as a female ranger and her steed. They fell in love with the Moonsilver Inn and Silverymoon Town, which had been built on the site, since the inhabitants chose not to plunder the forests and destroy, but rather build in harmony with the land. The goddesses blessed the inn with their power, promising safety to all who kept goodness in their hearts.
Today, Lurue has no specific shrine or glade within the city. Rather every copse in the city is considered sacred to Lurue, and her avatar has been spotted in nearly every coppice, at least according to legend. Lurue's priestesses in Silverymoon commonly worship the Unicorn Queen in Mielikki's Glade or the Silverglen, sacred to Silvanus, but they may be found throughout the city ministering to the less fortunate. Almost all of the city's inhabitants venerate the Unicorn Queen as the sacred protector of their city and all they hold dear about it.
Lurue occasionally appears in a sacred grove that can only be found at night, located in the hills northeast of Leilon. It is known as the Place of the Unicorn. Wizards of the Sword Coast believe that it lies in another dimension, reached only by a moongate (a magical gate that operates only in moonlight). The Place is sacred to the Unicorn Queen and consists of a stand of trees whose leaves are brilliant blue, surrounding a bluegrass meadow. Beings who rest therein are healed of all diseases, poisons, curses, and insanity; unicorns (only) are healed of physical damage. Beings who have no faith or are wavering in their beliefs often see Lurue herself in the trees, and their reaction may reshape their lives.
Affiliated Orders: The Knights of the Unicorn began as a romantic, whimsical group of high-born adventurers from Baldur's Gate who roamed across the Sword Coast North seeking excitement and adventure wherever they wandered. Relatively early in their career, the Knights explored the legendary elven castle of El'lahana Raikeil at the heart of the Moonwood. During their explorations, the band confronted and overcame a series of puzzles with aplomb seasoned with a dash of whimsy. As they overcame each riddle, the image of a silver unicorn shadowing their progress slowly solidified. When they reached their goal, the long lost Crown of Joy and Tears, the Knights each in turn placed it on their brows and found themselves cavorting with elves and unicorns along the banks of a silver stream. When all had partaken of the crown's delights, the band returned the crown to its setting and took their lave of the elven castle in search of new adventures.
As the company strode through the gates into the moonlight, the leader of the knights, Javalar Roaringhorn, declared, "May none again find the Crown of Joy and Tears unless they enter with the heart of a child and the laugh of a dryad or wish to regain that which they have lost." Enchanted by the sense of whimsy and romance displayed by the Knights, an avatar of Lurue appeared to the adventurers outside the castle accompanied by the Silver Herd. The Unicorn Queen and her noble retinue took the Knights for the most exhilarating ride of their lives the length and breadth of the Moonwood that night. After their encounter with Silverymoon, the Knights chose their now-legendary name and pledged themselves in the service of Lurue. The Unicorn Queen found favor with their laughter and has gifted them ever since with an unending series of adventures to be had and wrongs to be righted.
Shoftly after the Time of Troubles, the Knights had the opportunity to ferret out a group of bandits that operated along the Sword Coast. When the time came for the final assault on the bandit stronghold, the Knights gathered a small corps of mercenary infantry, including a number of rangers and rogues. After the successful raid, the Knights kept much of the band together (perhaps 50 people), most of whom worshiped or at least revered Lurue. The group operated as a mercenary company for a while doing good deeds, but eventually began to fragment as wanderlust, the desire to pursue individual goals, and the whimsical nature of the original Knights began to reassert itself. During an expedition into Shilmista, Forest of Shadows, the Knights caught sight of Lurue's avatar once again and gave chase. The Unicorn Queen led them on a merry ride for one enchanted eve until she vanisehd by racing up a shaft of moonlight. The winded Knights vowed to "chase the Unicorn until they could see the moonlight in her eyes."
Immediately thereafter, the senior knights reorganized the group into a loose collection of affiliated adventuring bands known as the Order of the Unicorn. Reaffirming their dedication to Lurue, each company of Knights wanders the realms "chasing the Unicorn." On the way, they right any wrongs they discover and spread the tale of the chase. Each company of Knights is led by one of the original members or their henchmen, and Knights shift from company to company as needed or desired. Companies of Knights have begun to extend the range of the original group and have been seen as far afield as Tethyr, Myth Drannor, and Starmantle. Senior members include Javalar Roaringhorn (CG hm F19), Iallanara Moondust (CG hf P[Lurue]18), Plomdar the Bombastic (CG hm Enc18), Balanta Whiteshield (CG hf F16), Ventar Halfhuman (CG hem R15), Penegala Sashenstar (NG hf B14), and Jolboss "Stoutguts" Twylar (CG hm F14, of impressive girth and pompous manner).
Priestly Vestments: When priestesses dedicate themselves to Lurue, their irises change color to a deep shade of blue or purple. Priestesses of Lurue garb themselves in simple white robes of cotton, linen, or silk woven with threads of pure silver, often in form of Lurue's symbol. Most wear their hair long and free, dyed silver or bleached white. (Some say this is not artifice, but another manifestation of their holy calling.)
Adventuring Garb: Lurue's clergy garb themselves in relatively light armor, typically gleaming silver chain mail (or elven chain mail, for those so lucky) and a shield polished mirror-bright, and wield a lance and a long sword when expecting combat. The Lady Knights of the Silver Moon, as they are often called, rival Silverymoon's fabled defenders in martial skill and argent luster.

Maiden of Pain, the Willing Whip, Patroness of Torturers

Lesser Power of Gehenna, LE
PORTFOLIO: Pain, hurt, agony, torment, suffering, torture
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Mungoth/Ondrland
SUPERIOR: None (formerly Bhaal)
ALLIES: Malar, Bane (now dead), Bhaal (now dead)
FOES: Ilmater, Eldath, Talona, Lliira
SYMBOL: A black nine-stranded whip, the ends bloody and barbed, or (in elder days) a chalk-white, slim, female human left hand, fingertips downward, with three drops of blood dripping from each of them.
WOR. ALIGN.: LE, NE, CE
Loviatar (Loh-VEE-a-tar), one of the Dark Gods, appears in her religion's art as a pale maiden dressed in white, pleated armor and carrying a bone-white wand, a whip, or a scourge that she uses as a weapon against her foes. She is venerated by torturers, sadists, and other twisted and evil people and creatures, including some nonhumans who love to bully other nonhumans. While he lived, Loviatar served Bhaal along with Talona, though the two goddesses are heated rivals. Loviatar loves to torment and tease Talona and has more than once expressed the opinion that by all rights Talona ought to and eventually will serve her.
Loviatar is aggressive, domineering, and fearless. She has a cold and calculatingly cruel nature and is also almost unreachable emotionally-toward love, fear, or even hatred. It would have to be a miracle for any deity or moral to make a dent in her icebound heart. She has an instinct for inflicting both physical and psychological pain, and she always seems to know what to say and the way to say it to inflict the most hurt and raise the biggest self-doubts in someone, mortal or deity. And unlike most simple bullies, she does not fear pain or hurt herself and laughs at attempts to physically damage or verbally humiliate her. The only possible weakness one might use against her is her very calculating nature, which relies on her assumption of the innate selfishness of human nature-beings acting in a self-sacrificing or heroic manner can sometimes snarl her carefully knit plans.
Other Manifestations
Loviatar manifests either as a flying black whip that moves as her avatar does and has the same properties as the whips her avatar can create or as a floating, disembodied human female head that laughs maniacally as it flies about, platinum blond tresses streaming behind it. In either form, Loviatar can use her kiss ability, speak, write (with the top of the whip or as an animated lock of hair, in either case leaving behind letters written in black blood), or cast illusions.
Loviatar also acts through the appearance or presence of baatezu (exiles), imps, and tieflings (mages and warriors who are all cruel, veteral adventurers, and skilled torturers). More commonly she sends inquisitors, nightmares, hell hounds, black rats, black poisonous spiders, wolf spiders, jet, ivory, snowflake ivory, snowflake obsidian, webstone, black violets, and black and red poppies to show her favor and as a sign to inspire her faithful.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, monks, mystics
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LE, NE, CE
TURN UNDEAD: C: No, SP: No, Mon: No, Mys: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: No, Mon: No, Mys: No
All clerics, specialty priests, monks, and mystics of Loviatar receive religion (Faerunian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
Worship of Loviatar tends to be strongest in large, decadent cities such as Athkatla, Calimport, Mulmaster, Saerloon, Selgaunt, Telflamm, Waterdeep, and Westgate. Newcomers are often recruited from the ranks of the bored and wealthy or the desperately hungry beggars through large revels where much drugged wine is drunk and dancing and more intimate pursuits go on for several days and nights.
Priests of Loviatar are few in number, but widespread in power. Opponents tend to avoid them, since murder is the least that they will do in revenge again insults to their goddess. Women-both humans and half-elves-dominate the ranks of the priesthood both numerically and in rank and have alsways done so. Loviatar's tightly organized priesthood is composed primarily of clerics. Her specialty priests, called pains, operate as a separate arm of the faith, moving from place to place and ensuring that the goddess's will is carried out; they serve as the envoys and secret agents/inquisitors of the church. The clerics hold the pains in great regard, since they are often the tools of Loviatar's punishment. If an organized temple or shrine of Loviatar is present in a city, clerics make up the bulk of the organization, but one to three pains are also able to be called upon by the clerics. Mystics often are attached to small groups of pains, and monks, while living only with other monks in monasteries and abbeys, usually owe fealty also to the temple to which their abbey is hierarchically attached.
Priests of Loviatar are known as Loviatans (pronounced "Low-VEE-a-tans" and in old texts are sometimes referred to as Lovites (LOH-vites). They tend to be cruel and sadistic. They enjoy bestowing pain upon others (and receiving it) within a hierarchy of strict rules and discipline. Junior clergy members are often ordered to do tasks in a needlessly difficult or painful way to reinforce this iron discipline. Those who stay faithful usually develop truly awesome self-control, and in battle can carry on thinking and acting calmly even when dying from wounds or lacking limbs. They become very used to pain and are usually much scarred from self-inflicted injuries and hurts dealt by their superiors. To increase the agonies they receive and inflict, handfuls of salt are often rubbed in open wounds.
Loviatans always pray for battle spells before going out in public and are admonished to be alert. Although they boldly walk dark streets alone, their reputations sometimes land them in trouble with drunken sailors or dock workers or into ambushes from adherents of goodly faiths. Such attackers rapidly discover that most devotees of the Maiden of Pain are vicious in a fight. Since they do not fear pain or disfiguring wounds, they strike boldly where a more prudent combatant might withdraw. Some priestesses even go into taverns when bored or restless and deliberately start fights, though Loviatans rarely resort to such public methods of spreading mayhem in civilized areas for fear that they will be thwarted, slain, and the faith outlawed or adherants harassed in the future.
Novices or postulants to the Faith of Pain are known as Kneeling Ones. Confirmed priests used the titles (in ascending order): Taystren, Adept (in Pain), Sister/Brother (in Torment), Supremar, Caressor (of Terrors), Whiplass/Whiplar, Paingiver, Whipmistress/Whipmaster, High Whipmistress/Whipmaster, Branded (of the God), and Truescar. Words in parentheses in the precending list represent parts of the formal title seldom used except in rituals, disciplinary hearings, or documents. The last two titles are applied to all Loviatan clergy members who have served as the head of a temple, abbey, or monastery of the goddess or who have personally distinguished themselves in their service and taken up a life of wandering to further Loviatar's will and influence, often sponsoring or leading bands of "dark adventurers" to spread torment.
The church of Loviatar is currently relatively independent, though its members id other evil churches when it suits them. They particularly hate the church of Ilmater, which teaches that strength comes out of suffering, and the church of Eldath, which teaches of peace, the banishment of fear, and living in harmony with nature, since the specialty priests of these deities are resistant to Loviatar's pain-inflicting abilities.
Most Loviatan temples feature extensive dungeons beneath their above-ground facilities. The surface temples are usually built of stone or thick wood and resemble nothing so much as a combination monastic cell complex and prison. Even the windows of priest's rooms often sport bars.
Dogma: Loviatar teaches that the world is filled with pain and torment, and the best that one can do is suffer those blows that cannot be avoided and deal as much pain back to those who offend. They (chillingly) believe that true pleasure is only won through pain. In the Loviatan faith, the strong are those who taste pain and strive on.
Novices in the Loviatan faith are charged as follows: "Kindnesses are the best companions to hurts, and incrase the intensity of suffering. Let mercy of sudden abstinence from causing pain and of providing unlooked-for lealing come over you seldom, but at 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 my teachings whenever punishment is meted out. Pain tests all, but gives strength of spirit to the hardy and the true. There is no true punishment if the punisher knows no discipline. Wherever a whip is, there am I. Fear me-and yet long for me."
Day-to-Day Activities: As one of the Dark Gods, Loviatar likes to be feared, and her clergy members are ordered to whisper of her ever-present power in the darkness after they have inflicted pain. Their Prime Charge is to tirelessly 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 hearts among young nobles by pretending to fall 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. The activities of prudent worshipers of Loviatar should never be so high-profile that local authorities set out to imprison or thwart them upon first sight, but such activites should be energetic and numerous. 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.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The most basic ritual performed by Loviatans is a kneeling prayer at morning and at evening performed after striking oneself once with a whip. Other rituals of the faith center on consecrating wine, whips, holy symbols, and other items-both practical, such as potions of healing, and horrific, such as tortune implements-used by the devout and on celebrating advancement in priestly rank.
All four seasonal festivals are celebrated by Loviatans with the Rite of Pain and Purity: a circle dance of chanting, singing clergy members performed upon barbed wire, thorns, or broken glass or crystal, where the priests allowed themselves to be urged to greater efforts by the whips of high-level priests and are accompanied by the drumming of lay worshipers. A red radiance rises gradually and forms a flickering cloud above the ring. If Loviatar has important missions to speak of, is especially pleased with this group of followers, or wants to enact her displeasure, she manifests in the heart of the cloud. If Loviatar does not manifest, the ritual ends after half an hour, and the priests heal themselves.
Every twelfth night (unless such a night coincides with a Rite of Pain and Purity, which preempts it) the clergy members celebrate smaller Candle Rite 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 priestess extinguishing her candle with consecrated wine.
Major Centers of Worship: Aside from in the nation of Dambrath, where the worship of Loviatar is the state religion and the queen of Dambrath, Yenandra, is its high priestess, the Black Spires of the Maiden temple in the Vale of Wailing Women west of Ishla in Amn is the largest, wealthiest, and most energetic center of worship to Loviatar, sending out agents all over Faerun and speaking with "the close love of the goddess." The House of Spires has risen to such prominence only in the last decade and so very rapidly because of one priestess: Queen of Torment Chalathra Nyndra, a dark-eyed, raven-haired, gaunt woman of truly vicious tastes and a legendary hunger to feel pain. It should be noted that Chalathra has found and modified an old draconic spell that acts to heal through immersion in a pool of a secret, enchanted mixture of tree saps and plant oils-and that creatures in cantact with this substance automatically make all System Shock and Resurrection Survival rolls if faced with situations requiring them while largely immersed. Loviatans will hunt down-to the ends of Faerun and beyond-and slay anyone stealing any samples of this "Milk of the Maiden."
Affiliated Orders: The Loviatan church has no affiliated knightly orders. Monks of the faith all belong to the Disciples of the White Rod, named in honor of the token granted to their founder by Loviatar and held in the home abbey near Calimport as a relic. Mystics follow an eccentric philosophy/order that they call the Way of Transcendence. When asked what their order's tenets are, they just smile knowingly.
Priestly Vestments: Loviatans of both genders wear high black boots, black choker gorgets, and long black gloves that reach up to their shoulders. They also wear daring-looking leather body harnesses over or under side-slit ritual robes of icy white or black lined with scarlet silk (so that movements cause red flashes).
Loviatans are usually armed with saw-edged daggers and whips. A typical priest of low rank has a dagger at her belt, another in one boot, and a barbed whip with a 6-foot reach that lashes for 1d6+1 points of damage. A priestess of "full" (medium) rank adds to this gear a barbed cat-o'-nine-tails with a 4-foot reach that flails for 2d4 points of damage, and perhaps a black metal mace with skin-contact sleep venom in its holly handle, so that its first strike releases the venom, causing the next six blows to force saving throws vs. poison on a victim. (Failure of this saving throw means falling asleep for 1d8+3 turns commencing in 1d4+1 rounds, and slapping or downsing the sleeper in cold water does not awaken him or her.)
High-ranking priestesses are usually also equipped with several iron bands of Bilarro spheres at their belts, and afew also carry a wand of frost, fire, and fear. This rechargable magical weapon is a cat-o'-nine-tails with a 4-foot reach made of electrum tentacles attached to a steel shaft. Every strike from it drains 1 charge and deals out magical damage, as follows (roll 1d10): On a roll of 1, 4, or 7, the target takes 3d6 points of frost damage; on a roll of 2, 5, or 8, the victim is burned for 3d6 points of damage; on a roll of 3, 6, or 9, the victim is affected as if by a wand of fear; and on a roll of 10, two tentacles (determine their powers randomly) act on the victim, both dealing their usual damage (reroll any second roll of 10). Saving throws vs. spell are allowed against the whip's fear power, but not against its other two types of attack.
Adventuring Garb: Priests and priestesses of Loviatar wear a pleated armor that resembles scale mail. However, the ceremonial garb is lightweight and designed for fashion rather than protection. It is constructed to emphasize the figure of the wearer rather than to provide true protection. The AC of ceremonial scale mail is 6 instead of 4. Loviatar's priests wear it is a badge of honor and pride.
The pleated mail is often augmented by breastplates that bristle with spikes. From a wearer of such augmented armor, a firm hug (the Embrace of Loviatar) does 1d2 points of damage. The addition of the breastplate adds somewhat to the protection provided by the armor, raising the outfit's Armor Class to 5.
Loviatar grants boons, in the form of white wands, to those who have caused widespread suffering. She usually grants these boons to members of her priesthood who have served her outstandingly. However, she has been known to grant white wants to individuals outside her faith who have, willingly or not, caused widespread suffering. She prefers to grant them to those who have unwillingly or unknowingly done so, in particular good and lawful types who will be tormented just knowing that they have advanced her cause. (Loviatar delights in tormenting good or lawful beings with these "gifts"; in such cases, the wand emits her cold laughter whenever it operates.) Loviatar's white wands appear mysteriously, but their origin and purpose are mentally communicated to the beings they are intended for upon first contact. (If any other creature but the one it is intended for touches a white wand, it melts away like ice in the hot sun.) A white wand absorbs 1d10 levels of spells launched against the wand-bearer before being used up. It operates automatically to completely absorb such spells. When a white wand's capacity is exceeded, it dissolves-but it does wholly negate any last magic that overloads it, even if the spell greatly exceeds the level-absorption capacity remaining in the wand.

Our Lady of Joy, Joybringer, the Goddess of Joy, Mistress of the Revels

Lesser Power of Olympus, CG
PORTFOLIO: Joy, happiness, dance, festivals, carefree celebration, contentment, release, hospitality, freedom/liberty; from Waukeen: trade, money, wealth
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Olympus/Brightwater
SUPERIOR: Sune
ALLIES: Sune, Milil, Waukeen (missing), Selûne, Sharess, Deneir, Oghma, Lathander
FOES: Bane (now dead), Bhaal (now dead), Loviatar, Talona
SYMBOL: Three six-pointed stars arranged in a triangle with their points touching with the orange star uppermost, yellow on the left, and red on the right
WOR. ALIGN: Any, though evil worshipers are rare
Lliira (LEER-ah, with a trill on the long "e" sound) is ever-changing, ever-moving, ever alive. She embodies happiness, freedom, and joyful movement. She is not an ambitious deity, nor does she like pretense, so she is rather uncomfortable with her new role in the events surrounding the disappearance of Waukeenn.
For over 10 years now, Waukeen has been unheard from in the Realms, and she has been publicly announced by her priesthood to be dstroyed or dead. Lliira promised Waukeen during the Time of Troubles to guard her portfolio and goldly power until she returned for it (see the entry on Waukeen), but Lliira has not been able to find any trace of Waukeen since she last saw her during the Godswar. In 1365 DR, she felt forced to take over Waukeen's disintegrating church to preserve what she could for the return of her friend. She sent a prophet to the gates of every temple of Waukeen to speak to the Waukeenar. He was to emphasize Waukeen's uncertain status (that she could not be found in the Realms or her home plane and showed no sign of appearing in the near future) and Llira's regency (not appropriation of the position), but the Waukeenar, already in a panic stricken state after receiving no new spells for years, immediately heard what they thought they were going to hear and recorded that Waukeen was dead.
Lliira is rather uncomfortable with her new role as the shepherd of the bulk of the former flock of Waukeen. Though she is only holding Waukeen's portfolio as its regent, the increased power the Waukeenar are delivering to her is a constant temptation, and the prospect of completely folding the power of Waukeen into herself grows sweeter to Lliira each day. Still, she holds off doing so out of loyalty to her friend and to respect the promise that she made.
Lliira's allegiance is to Sune (who until recently was also served by Selune), though her closest everyday ties are to Milil, and the two powers often work together. Because of this close relationship, scholars have often become confused about her ultimate loyalty; although she is allied to Deneir, Milil, and Oghma, Oghma is not her superior. A nasty legend surfaced after the Time of Troubles that Lliira hunted down and killed Leira, the Lady of the Mists, since their names were similar. This is patently untrue.
Other Manifestations
Lliira appears as a will-o'-wisp that leaves a sparkling trail and can emit dancing lights at will that it can direct to illuminate certain areas, signal, form symbols or words in the air, and so on. The wisp speaks with Lliira's voice, has all the properties of a true will-o'-wisp, and can unleash spells just as the avatar of the goddess does. This wisp is almost always flickering and dancing and is often accompanied by a wordless, ululating song. (This sound is the goddess singing; it sounds like a human female crooning from afar.)
If Lliira intends to take no active part in events, she may manifest as a sudden dancing radiance about an item or favored person. This light is short-lived and is accompanied by joyous laughter or exultant, wordless singing. The light can convey silent mental messages (as words spoken in the mind) and one priest spell per round to those entering its confines. Spells thus bestowed are either cast upon the being or placed in their minds for their own later use (one time only) and require no material components. Beings who receive such spells to cast need not even be spellcasters to wield them; when they loose the spells, they cast them as a spellcaster of the appropriate type at their own level of experience. The goddess chooses which creatures receive her spells or words—they are not given to just any being who enters her manifested radiance.
Lliira also acts through the appearance or presence of aasimar, coures, einheriar (all onetime mortal jokesters, dancers, revelers, and party folk), firres, lillend, movanic devas, and shieres. More commonly she turns beverages into fine wines and liquors unexpectedly and sends multicolored butterflies, robins, sparrows, bluebirds, rainbows, kittens, puppies, pinto or piebald horses, gold or white goats, daisies, violets, snapdragons, pansies, other wildflowers, opals, atates of all sorts, lynx eyes, microclines, silkstones, rhodochrosites, rosalines, phenalopes, star rose quartzes, tabasheers, tremairs, jasmals, fire opals, and diamonds to show her favor and as a sign to inspire her faithful.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, mystics, spellsingers
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: NG, CG, CN
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: Yes, Mys: No, Spell: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: No, SP: No, Mys: No, Spell: No
All clerics, specialty priests, and mystics of Lliira receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
Lliira attracts to her worship dancers of all sorts and fun-loving hedonists. She also receives offerings from lay worshippers and casual worshippers seeking her blessing for a particular party, revel, festival, or other gathering. Lliirans (priests and lay worshipers of Lliira) have a well-deserved reputation as festival animals, and more than one adventuring company has found an empty till when it left the Lliira priest in charge.
Both specialty priests and clerics of Llira were called Joybringers until 1365 DR, when the members of the clergy themselves began to be confused by this practice. Now specialty priests of Lliira are known as Joydancers to distinguish their functions from the clerics, mystics, and spellsingers of the church, and all members of the clergy may be addressed as joybringers. Joybringers tend to be folk of whimsy, light spirits, and constant joking (but not pranks). They imitate and lampoon others all the time, try to make folk around them laugh, and spend money like water to bring happiness to others by bestowing gifts and throwing feasts. A typical Lliiran act is to offer a tavernkeeper 2,000 pieces of gold or more in return for throwing open the tavern for an evening to allow free food and drink for all. Escorts are then hired by the joybringers to act as peacekeepers ("friendly bouncers"), and the Lliiran clergy members position overhead nets with strategically hidden pull ropes and unseen servant spells (and the like) to neutralize troublemakers and persistent combatants.
Joybringers have no organized hierarchy or chain of command. Relations between clerics, specialty priests, spellsingers, and mystics are excellent. Adventuring clerics, mystics, spellsingers, and specialty priests are universally respected as envoys from temple to temple, but no religious community of Lliira reports to, or is subservient to, another. The visit of an adventuring priest to an established temple is cause for celebration (of course, a sunny day is also cause for celebration, as is a cloudy one, or a cloudy one with a nice sunset, etc.). The accepted guidance and leadership of the Grand Rapturemother over the entire church is a matter of obeying generalized policy decrees and accepting temple funds from her seemingly limitless coffers.
Since the Time of Troubles, the church enfolded many of the former followers and clergy members of Waukeen, especially those merchants who enjoy revelry (in other words, those possessed of a sense of humor and who are not miserly to the point of grasping after every coin and begrudging the time away from trade—or the loss of dignity—involved in a little celebration). Many of Waukeen's former temples have now been reconsecrated to Lliira. With the infusion of new blood, the Lliiran church has become mildly more responsible and mildly more mercantile, but it has also developed a very strong regard for the preservation of personal freedoms. A few former Waukeenar insist on retaining their previous formal titles and vestments, but even such "old guard coinspinners" are gradually being absorbed into the malleable and free-wheeling Lliiran church. Most of the former priests of Waukeen are now out-right joybringers who are either fully taken with the power of the faith or worshipping Lliira as Waukeen's godly regent. Most former Waukeenar seek to work within the wide boundaries of behavior and responsibilities set forth by the Lliiran faith and consider themselves to be the wiser heads that will aid Lliira to best bring happiness to the most people. Most joybringers regard ex-Waukeenar as bean-counters and stick-in-the-muds, but think they are learning to "let go" with time.
Joybringers use few titles, addressing each other as "Brother" and "Sister," and referring to themselves as "the True," novices and laity as "the Tested," and nonbelievers as "the Unseeing." Temples are led by a Master of the Revels (even if female), and she or he is assisted by a High Prior, a Lorespeaker, a Seneschal, and a Quartermaster. The goddess herself is the only Mistress of the Revels, and by her decree such formerly popular titles as Revelmistress have been outlawed.
Temples of Lliira can be of any style, but are usually built around a huge meeting facility/party room/ball room, from which open out smaller conference rooms, bars, chat rooms, and nap rooms (for those who have overindulged in drink). Upper floors usually house the clergy members, who live in comfortable apartments. Lliiran temples are opulent, by any standard, featuring crystal chandeliers, parquet or mosaic stone floors, velvet draperies, artful gilt mirrors, and well-stocked, solid oak bars. Temples and shrines to Lliira are usually fronted by her symbol. This symbol is the one described above, an older form used in ancient texts (the three stars appearing in a diagonal row descending from upper left to lower right with the orange star uppermost, then yellow, and red lowest), or a special symbol used most frequently on altars or as an illusion on her temple doors (a fat log on a fire, accompanied by the scent of cinnamon or roasting meat).
Dogma: Lliira's followers are believers in the ability, potential, and talent of the individual, and the celebration of life and its diversity. Often this leads to hedonism that would make a Sunite blush (briefly). They believe that they should spread joy wherever and whenever possible, and allow no one to be sad when mirth or comfort could be given to them. They strive to brighten the hearts and minds of all the folk they meet, not merefly friends and others who embrace Lliira.
Joybringer novices are charged as follows by a manifestation of the goddess: "Exult in life, and find joy in all things. Out of grief and despair, wrest joy, and join in the dance. Celebrate and honor deaths and the dead—the best mourning is laughing remembrance. My true servants seek joy always through working to bestow it on others. Hide no true feelings, but dance them out if it is not prudent to speak them aloud. Gather into celebrations the lost, the lonely, the exiled and outlaw, the shunned, and even your foes: Festivals are for all. Let folk follow their own desires, and respect their choices. Learn what folk find funny, and what lightens their hearts, and in this doing come to know yourself and how best to serve Lliira and all intelligent beings."
Day-to-Day Activities: Clergy of Lliira are the most fun holy folk in all of Faerûn to be around. Making everyone have a good time is their profession, and they throw the best parties and are the best priesthood at perceiving the needs of others and governing themselves accordingly. (Some people need intelligent conversation to be happy, others need companionship or something to smash—Lliirans try to see what is needed without being told and to fulfill it.) As a result, joybringers are among the best-loved priests in all Faerûn, even among folk who think their goddess represents empty-headed, frivolous nonsense. Joybringers do their best to see that they do little heart-lifting deeds every day that surprise or aid people. They also ensure that people get a steady stream of jokes from them so that most Faerûnians are eager to talk to them and not guarded in speech, and they explain to any who ask about the methods by which they distribute offerings among the needy so that if people fall onto hard times they know who to see or where to go.
The smoothest diplomats among Lliirans (as opposed to the most brilliant clowns) speak to rulers and wealthy merchants of how useful the church of Lliira is at keeping the common people happy (or at least content)—something that perceptive merchants and rulers can see for themselves—and remind such powerful folk that the church needs constant financial support. Wise heads among the rich and powerful give these joybringers regular donations, and the church also receives a constant stream of small handfuls of coins from the wills of poor peasants who want to give something to the only people who made them happy.
The most powerful clergy of Lliira are those who have demonstrated shrewd business judgement in handling church investments; they know how to parlay what is donated into many times that amount (a skill that former Waukeenar excel, and which makes those who remain in the faith likely to gain status quickly after the faith's initial prejudice against them). This process not only yields the church the funds it needs to do good works (and pay for all that food and wine), but this cleverly earned wealth has made it one of the larger landholders in Faerûn—albeit as the sum of the holdings of a large number of quasi-independent, locally run temples, not a firmly ruled, organized empire. Far-sighted Lliiran clergy members are broadening the reach of the church to make it increasingly "the faith that brightens everyday life and therefore should be embraced in everyday life," and the worship of Lliira is growing steadily.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: All of the major holidays of the calendar and all local festivals (and in truth, just about anything else) are occasions for a "holy festival" or "lesser revel" of the Lliiran faith. These ceremonies always involve an opening fanfare and songs to the goddess given while tumbling or dancing and then progress to a feast. What happens thereafter is determined by the occasion; there may be speeches or a solemn holy ritual, ribald comedy entertainment, amorous pursuits, or a friendly contest such as a tug-of-war, knock-the-knight-down, or a pun duel.
On all joyous occasions, offerings of food or wealth are "held up to the goddess" and her name invoked. These offerings are then buried, burned, or (whenever possible) given away to beggars and others not invited to, or unable to be present at, the revelry.
The most holy ceremonies to Lliira always begin with the ritual of Swords Cast Down, wherein two or more weapons are cast onto the ground amid chanting and covered with fresh flowers (either picked or—in winter—conjured up by hired druids, hired mages, or special spells cast by senior clergy members). The most holy personal prayers to the goddess always involve the faithful supplicant dancing alone in a meadow, garden, or beautiful setting while whispering or singing prayers to the goddess. The appearance of a rainbow during such prayers is seen as a blessing and a powerful good omen.
Major Centers of Worship: The philosophical center of the Lliiran faith is the Palace of Holy Festivals in Selgaunt. Here Grand Rapturemother Chlanna Asjros issues the Words of the Goddess as written policy decrees to all Lliirans. She also oversees church investments of titanic size and scope, sending out supportive funds to recognized religious communities of Lliira everywhere. New communities are identified and "certified" to her by the roving specialty priests of the faith, who take care to force false worshipers of the goddess to stop invoking her name without also serving her. Because of the vigilant joydancers, few ne'er-do-wells who desire only to revel on church funds receive more than one "gift of the goddess" payment.
Chlanna was formerly known as "High Revelmistress" until she was personally "touched by Lliira." After this experience, she readily adopted a new title in accordance with the goddess's wishes. She also found that she had gained a divinely granted special ability to levitate and dance on air and will or walk around three feet off the ground, not merely ascend or descend as most levitating folk do. Church philosophers (such as they are) take it as given that all future Grand Rapturemothers or Rapturefathers will be granted this special ability.
Affiliated Orders: The Lliiran church has no affiliated knightly orders for obvious reasons. It does have several honorary orders celebrating excellence in the art of dance, including the Order of the White Violet (for performance of great poignancy) and the Order of the Leaping Stag (for performance skillfully evoking the nature of an animal) among others. Lliira's church also has a fundamental tie to the Harpers, a secret organization working for freedom and good throughout Faerûn.
Priestly Vestments: Ceremonial vestments of Lliira for joybringers of both genders consist of a skin-tight outfit divided into unequal orange, yellow, and red sections. One leg may be yellow, the other red, one sleeve orange, the other yellow, the front orange, and the back yellow. A sleeveless robe is worn over the entire affair in patches of yellow, red, and orange. Plunging necklines are common among both priests and priestesses, and the hair is worn long for both genders of joybringers, although it may flow free or be bound up in any manner of hairdo. Elaborate earrings are also worn by joybringers of either gender, and cosmetics, anklets, bracelets, and delicate chain belts may also be seen; personal variations in dress are permitted and even encouraged.
Adventuring Garb: The red, yellow, and orange coloration of the Lliiran faith is continued in the field in armor, overrobes, cloaks, and outdoor clothing as much as possible. When this is not possible, a cloak featuring some red, yellow, and orange fabric is preferred, even if it but sports piping in those colors.

Morninglord

Greater Power of Elysium, NG
PORTFOLIO: Spring, dawn, birth, renewal, creativity, youth, vitality, self-perfection, athletics
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Eronia/Morninglory
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Chauntea, Gond, Silvanus, Tymora, Lurue the Unicorn, Tyr, Torm, Ilmater, Sune, Lliira, Selûne, Oghma, Milil, Deneir, Mielikki, Eldath
FOES: Cyric, Talos, Shar, Moander (now dead), Bane (now dead), Bhaal (now dead), Myrkul (now dead), Ibrandul (now dead)
SYMBOL: A disk of rosy pink hue
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN
A powerful, exuberant god, Lathander (Lah-THAN-der) is known as the Commander of Creativity and the Morninglord. When Lathander is depicted, he is most often shown in a form similar to his avatar (see below) or as a mist of glowing, rose-colored swirls with two golden eyes at the center. As the god of beginnings, Lathander traditionally receives prayer from many inhabitants of Faerûn at the start of a journey or endeavor. Lathander's name is invoked to seal alliances and start new ventures or companies. As a result, the god is very popular among the merchant classes. Though depicted as young, Lathander's noble bearing and demeanor serve him well among the nobility, who also favor his worship in many places. Because he encourages his clergy to strike out and start new shrines and temples all over Faerûn, Lathander's broad-based popularity is rounded out by the many peasant folk aided by his clergy.
Lathander has a reputation for being sometimes overly enthusiastic, slightly vain, and given to excesses, all flaws very common among the young. He is also eternally optimistic and doggedly perseverant. His alliance with Chauntea serves them both well, since his interests in birth, nurture, and vibrant life dovetail well with her portfolio. The churches of Chauntea and Lathander have only grown closer since the Time of Troubles, and rumors hold that Lathander has been courting the favor of the Earthmother romantically as well as politically.
Other Manifestations
Lathander manifests his power as an intense rosy radiance surrounding the bodies of those he favors. Lathander's radiance also appears around objects to indicate special qualities about them and at confusing or dangerous junctures to indicate a safe or preferred path. This radiance causes those people it surrounds to be healed of all wounds, purged of any diseases, poisons, foreign objects, afflictions (including lycanthropy, feeblemindedness, insanity, and blindness), magical or psionic compulsions, fear, and curses. The radiance also telekinesis people for short distances to get them out of harm's way. (They may be lifted out of a trap or out of the reach of enemies.)
The faithful of Lathander who are surrounded by the radiance also receive a brief message of some type from Lathander to guide them. Others may receive similar impressions if Lathander desires. If the radiance appears around a corpse of one of the faith, resurrection survival is automatically successful while the radiance is present.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, crusaders
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG, LN
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: Yes, Cru: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: No, SP: No, Cru: No
All clerics, specialty priests, and crusaders of Lathander receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
Wealthy and popular, the church of Lathander has opulent temples throughout the North, some of which push back the borders of good taste, as well as less audacious and more serviceable structures in most towns and cities and dotting all of Faerûn. The main room of a temple faces east and is open to the horizon, at least in part, so that the faithful can see the dawn. The high priest or priestess of a shrine or temple is often called a prior or an abbess, although titles vary throughout the church.
Specialty priests of Lathander call themselves morninglords. Clerics of Lathander call both themselves and their specialty priest and crusader brethren dawn priests, ignoring any difference. About 35% of the organized priesthood are specialty priests; the remainder are clerics or crusaders. A larger number of the adventuring priests who serve the Morninglord are specialty priests.
The Lathanderian religion has no overarching hierarchy from church to church and no central authority. When issues of doctrine or policy come up that must be decided upon, a conference is called at the church who initially presented the problem for consideration, and the issue is resolved. Regardless of rank or experience level, each Lathanderite priest is considered the master of the temple, shrine, or parish she or he is responsible for no matter the number of priests staffing the facility under him or her.
Novices in the Lathanderian faith are called the Awakened, and they gain the title of Dawnbringer upon becoming full priests. In ascending order of rank, the titles in general use by the Dawnbringers are: Dawngreeter, Dawnlord (the church does not use feminine form of titles often), High Dawnlord, Dawnmaster, Morninglord, High Morninglord, Mornmaster, High Mornmaster, and Sunrise Lord.
Dogma: The charge given to most novice postulants to the faith of Lathander is: "Strive always to aid, to foster new hope, new ideas, and new prosperity for all humankind and its allies. Perfect thyself, and guard ever against pride, for it is a sacred duty to foster new growth, nurture growing things, and work for rebirth and renewal. Be fertile in mind and body. Consider always the consequences of thine actions so that the least effort may bring the greatest and best reward. Wherever you go, sow seeds of plants, tend the growing things you find, and plant seeds of hope, new ideas, and plans for a rosy future in the minds of all. Whenever possible, see each dawn."
Lathander's dogma is filled with stories of optimism and perseverance. It is important to feel good about an upcoming event or else it will naturally go awry through negative thinking. Favorite sayings of Lathander include: "From death, life," "There is always another morning," and "In the dawn, beauty reigns, and the way is clearer." Far more importance is placed on acting in the service of Lathander by helping, encouraging, and aiding than in strict adherence to rituals, rules, and the dictates of superior clergy. This practical philosophy is shared both by Lathander and his senior clergy.
Death is considered a reward for the clergy, since they are "going to Lathander" in the afterlife. Most clergy are not raised unless they are needed to complete a task.
Day-to-Day Activities: Lathanderites seek to build anew, encourage the rebirth of barren areas and more productive growth in cultivated lands, drive out evil, and either restore civilization to heights it once had or lead it to new dizzying heights of interracial harmony, cooperation, and pursuit of the arts and progress. To do this, they battle monsters to nurture civilization; they plant seeds and new seedlings, they encourage and aid adventurers, travelers, traders, and pilgrims as the harbingers of culture; and they recover lost magical items, pieces of literature, and works of art. Lathanderites study, restore, and attempt to duplicate, emulate, or expand upon these recovered items and works when possible.
Temples and shrines also sponsor athletic events and competitions where people of all classes and races can strive together in nonhostile competition in wrestling, distance throwing, target archery, running, jumping, horseback riding, or any of a number of other noninjurious sports. Other competitions sponsored by Lathanderian churches are for honors in the literary and fine arts. Such competitions are usually for a prize, which may be money, a special item or piece of art, or even a work written about the victor by a famous poet or artist. Winning a competition sponsored by the Lathanderites brings great status in certain circles.
Temples and shrines to Lathander provide aid to adventurers and communities in their area as long as such aid is returned in good faith. Priests of Lathander try tirelessly to encourage those of good alignments to the more dedicated worship of the Morninglord if they are not already Lathanderites, but they do not insist on conversions or withhold aid if they are refused.
Lathanderites are expected to make regular offerings of ideas, inventions, coins, discovered artifacts, or food to Lathanderian temples and shrines. Much more valuable offerings such as magical items or quantities of gold are demanded of nonbelievers in return for special services like rescue missions or raising from the dead.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: As may be surmised, most ceremonies of Lathander are held at dawn. Actions taken and contracts agreed to at dawn are considered blessed by the god. Marriages held at Lathanderian temples or shrines at dawn are considered especially blessed and so dawn is when the church most often holds such services, even if they are inconvenient for visiting guests. Funerals consist of a solemn, candlelit ceremony called the Going Down. This ceremony is followed by a wake that lasts until dawn prayers. Funerals are not held for those who are to be raised.
The most important ceremonies of worship are the daily prayers to Lathander at dawn, often held outdoors or where the dawn can be seen. This ritual is followed in importance by the twilight devotions. Some temples and shrines also add to these two daily ceremonies an optional prayer and song to Lathander at highsun. To these daily devotions are added special prayers said when offerings are presented at the altar and when priests call on Lathander for guidance or aid. These ceremonies are all joyful, but dignified, and usually involve prayer, song, and ritual drinking of well water touched by the dawn. On special occasions, on Midsummer morning, and on the mornings of the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, priests of Lathander perform the Song of Dawn, praising Lathander with a blend of vocal harmonies and counterharmonies of beautiful complexity.
Major Centers of Worship: The Spires of the Morning in Waterdeep, headed by High Radiance Ghentilara, is the largest and probably most opulent of Lathander's temples. The Tower of the Morning in Telpir, run by High Radiance Durneth Seafarer, is the second most prominent of his temples, though much simpler in design than the Spires of the Morning.
Affiliated Orders: The church of Lathander has a knightly orders of paladins, crusaders, and fighters known as the Order of the Aster. Members of this order protect temples and shrines, serve to lead large military groups levied as needed to serve the church, and roam the land seeking to do good in Lathander's name and promote his worship. Individual temples and shrines of Lathander do not usually maintain standing military forces of substantial size due to their cost, although they often retain warriors and members of the Order of the Aster to guard their establishments in numbers that each temple decides are appropriate and affordable.
Priestly Vestments: Priests of Lathander dress in bright long-sleeved robes of yellow, red, and pink. These are often called "sun robes." Those priests with their own temples have their robes trimmed with ornately crafted gold ribbons. A sunburst headpiece, worn toward the back of the head to emulate a rising sun or radiant sunpeacock, completes the ceremonial garb. The ritual robes used at many rural shrines are simple cassocks with a color scheme by rank. Novices and postulants wear brown; adepts and underpriests wear russet and crimson. Senior priests wear scarlet, and subpriors and those of higher rank wear rose-red. The leader of the temple or shrine wears white. Holy symbols of Lathander are often made of painted wood, cut from rose quartz or similar minerals, or enchanted to radiate a dim, pink glow.
Adventuring Garb: Adventuring clerics usually wear more utilitarian garb, but prefer reds and yellows, to the point of tinting their armor those shades. Most priests of Lathander favor chain mail, and often the only obvious mark of Lathander they bear is a rose-red circle on their shields and helm brows.

The Lord of Flames, the Firelord, the Tyrant Among Fire, Tyrant Among Fire Elementals

Greater Power of the Elemental Plane of Fire, N
PORTFOLIO: Elemental fire, fire elementalists, purification through fire
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Elemental Plane of Fire/The Crimson Pillar
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Amaunator (now dead), Flandal Steelskin, Iyachtu Xvim, Moradin, Surtr
FOES: Istishia
SYMBOL: A springing flame or a flaming orb
WOR. ALIGN.: Any
Kossuth (Koh-SOOTH), spoken like a whispering flame, is the patron of all fire elementals as well as any who view fire as a purifying and revitalizing force. He is normally depicted as a huge pillar of flame boiling skyward. He represents the burning away of the old to make way for the new with the cognizance that the way to change is harsh and measured. He is the fire in the hearth which appears comforting but which may turn on its owner at any time and burn the house down. He is the mystery of fire, the unknowable secret that speaks inspiration to smiths and death to crazed people who burn things and people for pleasure.
Like all the elemental lords, Kossuth seems to hold little affection toward his followers on Abeir-Toril. His reactions seem calculated in end result, if alien in logic; he moves toward a certain end, but has not shared that end with anyone on Faerûn. He seems driven, however, to collect more followers to do his bidding in the Realms than any of the other elemental lords—perhaps because he burns them out so quickly. The alien and uncaring stance of Kossuth and the other elemental lords has led to the mistaken impression in the Realms that they are only lesser powers and their followers merely bizarre cultists. During the Time of Troubles, Kossuth was not spotted in the Realms.
Kossuth readily accepts what offerings are burnt in his name, but is said to prefer garnets, topazes, citrine, fine smithwork in iron or precious metals, nuts, fine oils, aromatic resins, and meat. His gifts to his followers are the ability to use fire to their greatest benefit and protection from heat and flames. Kossuth is the only elemental lord who seems to return kind for kind; he rewards those who have been most faithful to him or made larger sacrifices more than he does newcomers to his faith or those who give only a token offering.
Other Manifestations
Kossuth has manifested sporadically in the Realms, but much more frequently than the other elemental lords. Any significant blaze is viewed as a manifestation of the Firelord by his faithful. The followers of the Tyrant Among Fire report seeing their lord amongst the flames of every burning building. Needless to say, this has done little to endear them to the residents of such buildings. (More times than not, the presence of any follower of Kossuth near such a burning building reveals the source of the blaze.) Kossuth sometimes sends servant creatures from the Elemental Plane of Fire such as fire elementals, salamanders, fire snakes, efreet, fire bats, smoke and magma para-elementals, and azers to do his bidding or aid followers. Starting a fire successfully is always seen as a sign of Kossuth's favor, as is successfully forging a piece of smithwork.
The Church
CLERGY: Specialty priests, crusaders, monks, shamans
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LG, NG, LN, N, LE, NE
TURN UNDEAD: SP: No, Cru: No, Mon: No, Sha: Yes, if good
CMND. UNDEAD: SP: No, Cru: No, Mon: No, Sha: Yes, if neutral or evil
All specialty priests, crusaders, monks, and shamans of Kossuth receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency. Kossuthan priests are strongly encouraged to learn blacksmith, blind-fighting, and brewing in addition to their required proficiencies. All shamans of Kossuth receive elemental fire as one of their major spheres in addition to their normal spheres of magic.
Before the Time of Troubles, all of the elemental cults had clerics in their ranks. Now, only specialty priests remain. Why Kossuth abruptly decided to convert his clerics to specialty priests is unknown, but the Kossuthan church considers it one of the elements of purity within the faith that those closest to Kossuth are allowed to concentrate on the spells and activities that are of most interest to their lord. Since the Godswar, the Kossuthan church has added several monastic orders and an order of crusaders to the church to fulfill duties in the ranks of the priesthood previously tended to by Kossuthan clerics.
Followers of Kossuth on Abeir-Toril seem to be plotters and schemers intend on cleanly reorganizing the world as it is into their own vision of perfection—through abrupt and violent means if necessary. Of all the elemental cults, Kossuth's is probably the most dangerous and unpredictable in that individual churches of Kossuth are led by powerful leaders with a rigid priest hierarchy beneath them but no ultimate authority other than Kossuth to report to—and Kossuth does not seem much to care what they do, as long as they honor him. Its priests and members are quick to resort to violence and quick to take offense at the actions of others; the "justice" of a Kossuthan is harsh, quick, and brutally suited to the offense or the crime.
Temples of Kossuth are led by a great many proud, deadly, and determined individuals, all convinced that their way is the way. Strict obedience is required—or rather, demanded—within the church. Those who go against the wishes of the ruling priests frequently find themselves tossed into a nearby river or lake and effectively excommunicated from the church. (Splashing a follower of Kossuth with water is considered an insult.)
The priests of Kossuth are organized into two factions: the Tendrils of Flame and the Burning Braziers. The Tendrils are those who operate the various temples across Faerûn, catering to the faithful and preaching the word of Kossuth to the masses. The Tendrils perform most religious ceremonies and see to the observance of rituals and holidays. They hold most of the power in the faith and hurl themselves into regional intertemple and local political frays, generally making themselves famous or infamous near their temples.
The Burning Braziers, also known as the Brazier Brigade by critics of the church, are the adventuring arm of the faith. These frequently embittered priests are often former members of the Tendrils who fell out bandly in a political squabble in their former temples. They venture forth out into lands that have not seen the "wisdom of Kossuth," often leaving burning buildings in their wake. Preaching the word of the Tyrant, they discover new areas that are ready to accept a church of Kossuth. (Pragmatically, most folk would say that they look for areas ripe for picking—those with weak leadership or little protection.)
Novice Kossuthans are referred to as the Lightless. Upon taking the Oath of Firewalking, they become full priests and are known as the Promised. In ascending order of rank, the titles in general use by the Promised are: Torch of the Faith, Righteous Flame, Devoted Blaze, Zealous Pyre, Pillar of Flame, Fury of the Faith, Flamebrother/Flamesister, Inspired Forge, Numinous Blaze, Most Fervid Fire, and Eternal Flame of Kossuth. Specialty priests of Kossuth are known as firewalkers. Monks of Kossuth are known as Faithful Flames.
Kossuth's priests are organized into temples. Each temple is led by an Eternal Flame who is a specialty priest. Under the Eternal Flame are three Most Fervid Fires, and under each of them are two Numinous Blazes. Under each Numinous Blaze is one of every other rank of clergy member down to Devoted Blazes. A temple has as many priests of Devoted Blaze rank and below, novices, and members of the laity as it can support, with the breakdown of numbers of each rank of priest being as equally divided among the Zealous Pyres as possible. Progress through the ranks is through experience until the rank of Devoted Blaze, and then only through the recommendation of two higher-ranking priests when an opening occurs. Promotions are always confirmed by the temple's Eternal Flame, who may negate any promotion or promote anyone to any position as she or he wishes without following normal procedure (within the limits of the numbers of each rank of priest allowed in a temple). In primitive or nomadic societies, Kossuth is served by shamans who are allied to no particular temple but held in great respect by their communities, which usually fear them.
Shrines and temples of Kossuth are always made of hard stone, ceramic, and metal so as to withstand the hottest natural blaze and most magical ones. Most are rather solid and blocky in general feel with soaring central elements or columns to give the impression of huge bonfires blazing up from the floor. All are well lighted at all times. Gems and precious metal usually encrust most surfaces of the sanctuary but are sparsely distributed elsewhere so as to enhance the sumptuous effect of the holy sanctum.
Dogma: The teachings of the Kossuthan religion on Toril are built around an assumption that those fit to succeed will do so and that the faith of Kossuth is innately superior to other faiths, especially those of the other elemental lords and particularly to that of Istishia. (The Istishian and Kossuthian churches hate one another.) Fire and purity are one and the same; the smoke produced by fire is created by the element of air in its jealousy and through the impurities of the material being cleansed by the flames. The driving force in the Kossuthan church is ambition, and the reward of successful ambition is power. Kossuthan doctrine also speaks of the inevitability of change to a higher state being accompanied by difficulty and personal pain of one type or another. "No pain, no gain" is most definitely a Kossuthan sentiment.
Novices in the Kossuthan faith are charged as follows: "The eternal Kossuth sends his pure fire to cleanse us all and temper our souls to a more pure state. Expect to be tested and strive to rise to the challenge, no matter what difficulty or pain it brings you. Follow the Promised above you, for they have proven their worth and achieved a higher state which you too can find in Kossuth's service. Find the true vision, the final goal of your life, and pursue it utterly. Give yourself totally to the cause, and it will return eternal rewards to you. Guide the teeming masses to the pure light that is Kossuth so that he may reforge all life into its essential form, and complete order and harmony will follow."
Day-to-Day Activities: Tending to the fires of the church and making sure that they never go out is a job for the Lightless. Other members of the church of Kossuth plan ceremonies (weddings, funerals, fire-walking), instruct novices, tend to the day-to-day growth health and wealth of a temple and its clergy members, and pursue promotion, promotion, promotion. Being the leader of a temple means that a priest can finally do what she or he wants to, rather than what his or her superiors say. Most priests become addicted to the desire for power this atmosphere breeds and grow into small, power-hungry tyrants prone to unscrupulous behavior and to overreaching their limits. Thought this may not be the path Kossuth intended for his faithful, he speaks not a word against it. Most temples, led by power-hungry Eternal Flames, pursue goals of conquest, land acquisition, wealth, and rulership, making alliances with whoever is most expedient to their goals but conforming to a strict and peculiar code within their own ranks.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The Oath of Firewalking is an introductory initiation that all priests of the faith must undergo in order to be granted first-level spells. As a priest rises in level, his faith continues to be tested by these fire-walks.
The faithful must pray to Kossuth each day at sunrise and at highsun before taking their meals, thanking him for the hidden fire of life energy that burns in all things. Other than this daily ceremony, the church observes two personal ceremonies and each temple holds a yearly festival.
The Oath of Firewalking is a solemn oath taken when a novice becomes a priest. The strength of this promise is tested when it is first taken and again when a Kossuthan priest rises in rank by a walk over burning coals. The coals become hotter and the walk longer with each Firewalk: How Kossuth or his senior clergy members know what is in the hearts and minds of those taking the test is unknown, but Kossuthans with doubts or who are secretly plotting against their temples (for instance) are often horribly burned by a Firewalk or die on the coals, while priests who are single-minded in their purity of purpose and loyalty walk unscathed.
The Unity of Fire is the ceremony that Kossuthan specialty priests undergo that allows them, upon reaching a certain level of skill, to call forth fire elementals from the Elemental Plane of Fire. The ceremony is preceded by a day of constant chanting and prayer, after which the elemental is summoned. When the elemental answers, it is given a gift of food prepared by the hand of the ritual celebrant and a coffer of worked copper or other precious metal full of coins, gems, and jewelry to carry back to Kossuth with the good wishes of his faithful.
On the birthdate of the Eternal Flame of each temple, that temple holds a festival. The Eternal Flame invites Kossuthan high and senior priests from other temples, local and foreign dignitaries, and others whom she or he believes the temple will benefit from by currying favor with. These people are pampered, given special gifts, and courted to become future allies of the Eternal Flame and the temple.
Major Centers of Worship: The Kossuthan church frequently builds its holy shrines near large sources of fire, such as volcanoes, or in hot, arid areas, such as deserts, but most often builds its large temples in cities and countries of substantial size (the better for them to be used and later controlled). The village of Lundeth in the Anauroch desert is a popular destination for the faithful of Kossuth. Of course, the largest temple to Kossuth in Faerûn is the Flaming Brazier in Bezantur in Thay, home to the Red Wizards, who have much respect for the Tyrant Among Fire.
Affiliated Orders: The Kossuthan monastic orders are known as the Disciples of the Phoenix (good-aligned), the Brothers and Sisters of the Pure Flame (neutral-aligned), and the Disciples of the Salamander (evil-aligned). They are very insular orders who maintain abbeys composed of monks of only one order and who have very rigid traditions of scholarship and martial prowess. Each order has particular tabboos applying to the behavior of its members that date to the founding of the order.
The crusading military order of Kossuth is the Knights of the Fire Drake. This order's members guard the holy sites of the faith, lead the faith's numerous holy campaigns, and provide personal protection to Eternal Flames.
The church of Kossuth also has many affiliations with the Red Wizards of Thay, since many Red Wizards are Kossuthans. A number of zulkirs work with the church and the church with the zulkirs in endless power plays within Thay and in preparation for conquest beyond Thay's borders.
Priestly Vestments: Those who follow the Tyrant Among Fire dress in light robes of red, crimson, and orange. The use of armor while participating in a ceremony in a shrine or temple is forbidden to all priests except those of the Order of the Fire Drake. The flame of Kossuth is worn as a holy symbol and is usually formed of a ruddy gem (often flamedance) enchanted to glow with an inner fire that is set into jewelry. Embroidery depicting flames of various hues is a popular decoration to ceremonial robes, and the decorations grow more elaborate and expensive with increases in a Kossuthan priest's rank.
Adventuring Garb: Reds and crimsons are the favored colors of the Braziers, though they wear whatever clothing is appropirate in style to their current location. Priests are allowed to wear up to chain mail and shield in the field, althoug hamgical protections are preferred. Most Kossuthans are extremely fond of magical items that do loud, flashy, sudden, and brutal damage, and display them prominently in an offensive posture at the drop of a hat.

Lord of the Dead, Judge of the Damned, Master of the Crystal Spire

Greater Power of Hades , LN
PORTFOLIO: Death, the dead
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Oinos/Crystal Spire
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Mystra, Jergal
FOES: Cyric, Talona, Velsharoon
SYMBOL: An upright, bone-colored skeletal arm holding the golden scales of justice balanced evenly in its fist against a steel-gray field
WOR. ALIGN.: Any
Kelemvor (KELL-ehm-vor), a former associate of Midnight, Cyric, and Adon during the events of the Godswar, inherited the portfolio of the god of the dead when Cyric lost those responsibilities following the Cyrinishad debacle. The first official act of the newly created god of the dead was to turn Cyric's Bone Castle into a gleaming tower of crystal, a symbol that this particular god of the dead would hide nothing from his subjects. He intends to impart justice among the dead in an even-handed and fair manner.
Kelemvor is kind, just, forthright, and earnest, though stern at times. He is not terribly clever for a power and tends to try to solve what he perceives as his immediate problems with direct action. Though he means well, he does not always see the difficulties down the road caused by short-term solutions.
Kelemvor has an unexpected ally, at least in terms of traditional godly alliances. He and Mystra, formerly the human Midnight, remain close. They were in love during their mortal lives, but whether this romance has kindled during their godly tenure is a matter they have thus far kept private.
Cyric, who lost his death portfolio to Kelemvor, is Kelemvor's bitter enemy. Cyric views Kelemvor as someone who pointedly and maliciously set out to steal a part of Cyric's rightful power. One traditional foe of the Faerûnian god of the dead, Lathander, has not declared against Kelemvor, but is waiting to see if his actions live up to his promises.
Other Manifestations
Kelemvor prefers to send a translucent image of a floating skull enfolded by a hood and surrounded by the flapping tarters of the rest of a diaphanous gray robe. This image is accompanied by the mournful whistle of winds. If necessary, a real wind can accompany this image, and a tangible skeletal arm possesses a Strength of 24 and can chill touch as the 1st-level wizard spell, as if cast by an 18th-level mage. The image can speak with the voice of the god, though Kelemvor prefers not to speak aloud, or it can speak directly into the minds of beings who are present. This shrouded skull can drift about at MV Fl 21 (A), dispel (permanently disrupt with no saving throw) all undead within 90 feet, or animate dead all corpses within the same range to command them or turn their control over to a mortal, usually one of his priests. Commands given by Kelemvor to the animated dead cannot be broken by any mortal.
Kelemvor also indicates his favor or disfavor or sends aid through the presence or actions of the demipower Jergal, pers, a few einheriar (whom he transforms into minor deaths when his senior specialty priests summon them) and watchghosts, but never any evil or corporeal undead.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LG, NG, LN, N, LE, NE (LE and NE only allowed provisionally in the case of converted Myrkulytes, who must change to a neutral alignment within three years in the church or leave for another faith)
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: Yes
CMND. UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: Yes
All clerics and specialty priests of Kelemvor receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
Those who see death as a necessary part of the cycle of life, not something grisly and abhorrent in itself, are the favored followers of Kelemvor. They tend to be humans who derive personal comfort in seeing that disorder does not attend death and to be both sensitive and practical. Gravediggers, mourners, embalmers, monument carvers and stonecarvers who work in graveyards all give their respects to Kelemvor, along with the relatives of the recently deceased and Kelemvor's clergy. In addition, the majority of the temples of Cyric that used to be temples of Myrkul have now switched their ways and allegiance to Kelemvor and are learning to follow him with as much fervor as they did Myrkul and Cyruk (their name for Cyric) in turn. These old-line converts tend to be more evil in nature, but are drifting close to neutrality as the years pass or leaving Kelemvor and finding other deities more suited to their natures.
The bulk of the death clergy are clerics who comfort the dying, administer last rites, assist in funerals, burials, and the just and orderly setting right of affairs that follow, place warning marks of plague and other diseases, and ensure that the will or expressed desires of a deceased are followed. The remainder of the death clergy are the specialty priests, who Kelemvor has blessed with unique foresight and applied wisdom that enables them to anticipate where death will occur and so direct the other clergy. Most specialty priests are also charged with maintaining discipline within the clergy (quelling clerical attempts to prolong life due to sentimentality) and with fundraising to support the clergy. Most donations to the church are bequests in the form of possessions or lands that must be sold, rented out, or—in the case of profitable farms—worked by the clergy.
Specialty priests of Kelemvor are known as doomguides. The church has not been in existence long enough to develop even an informal consensus about the usage of titles.
Dogma: Kelemvor is interested in having followers who recognize that death is but a part of life. It is not an end but a beginning, not a punishment but a necessity. There is no deceit in death, nothing concealed, nothing chaotic. Death is an orderly process.
The followers of Kelemvor are not out to spread death and destruction in the Realms. Rather, they seek to help others to die with dignity at their appointed time and no sooner. Just as they do not seek to rush death, they also speak out against those who seek to artificially prolong their lives beyond their natural limits, including such magical creations as liches.
The charge of Kelemvor to his novitiates is this: "Death is but part of life: fear it not, evade it not, and view it not as evil. To fear death delivers you into the hands of those who can bring death down upon you. Die with dignity, neither raging nor seeking to embrace undeath. Do honor to the dead, for their strivings in life brought Faerûn to where it is now, and to forget them is to forget also where we are now—and why."
The church of Kelemvor believes that seeking out those who are near death is their great duty, for it is the will of Kelemvor that no human (and if possible, no sentient being) die a natural death in all Faerûn without one of his priests at their side. Kelemvor assigns the essences of the dead their proper place in the ongoing cycle of existence, and it must be emphasized to all that he is the Great Guide, leading all folk into their next life. Death is not a final ending, but the next step in a wondrous, ongoing journey. Let no one die not knowing that Kelemvor awaits them and that he is not to be feared, for he believes in justice and wields mercy.
Day-to-Day Activities: Priests of Kelemvor comfort the dying and provide burials for those who die alone. They administer last rites to the dying and help the living left behind to better understand the natural and inevitable process of death and dying. When people die alone without a will, known heirs, or business partners, their goods are taken by the church to fund its ongoing ministry to the dying. This does not, by any means, mean that death clergy would ever take goods from a grave for their own benefit.
When plagues, hordes, or great monsters run amok, they must be fought by the death clergy, for it is not right that many die before their due time. When marauding dragons or other monstrous predators become problems, the death clergy should try to interest adventuring bands in slaying the problems—failing that, they must deal with the problems themselves. In cases of great pain, ravaging disease, or mutilation where death would be a mercy, it is the office of the priests of Kelemvor—and only the priests of Kelemvor—to bring death, as swiftly and painlessly as possible.
Undeath is an affront to Kelemvor. Undead creatures are to be dstroyed or given true death whenever they are met with, and even sought out and hunted down for that holy purpose. Priests of Kelemvor are free to hire or take as companions folk of other faiths to assist them in this purpose, for the great sin of undeath must be stamped out by whatever means possible. Though members of the clergy can command the undead, these commands usually can be boiled down to "Go back to your graves and sleep there forever" except in times of dire need. Kelemvor has made no official statement to single out good-aligned undead creatures as an exception to his policy, though specific temples and individuals often take only lenient action against or ignore such creatures in the field, preferring to concentrate their efforts on those creatures of obvious malevolent intent or who are likely to quickly multiply.
All priests of Kelemvor may be called to a holy mission by their god or their senior clergy and pursue a more active and adventurous life. Such priests defend death clergy members and holdings when need be and bring death to others when it is necessary. For example, a Kelemvorite specialty priest assigned to a holy mission may be sent to lead an adventuring party to stop the spread of disease or kill beings seeking to disrupt natural cycles—such as mages who seek to create huge armies of undead or develop necromantic spells that can slay others and transform them inescapably into undead creatures under their control. Death clergy sent to slay predators or to go into dangerous country to comfort the dying are often issued scrolls of offensive spells or magical items of battle power gleaned from the goods of those who died alone.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Most folk experience the rituals of the death clergy in a personal way: As someone dies, a priest or priests of Kelemvor performs the Passing, a simple ceremony of last rites that is a chant of comfort calling on Kelemvor to be alert for the coming essence of this person, who has enriched life in Faerûn in his or her own way and earned this salute. The Lament for the Fallen is a larger ceremony of this sort sung over a battlefield, ruined village or fortress, or other site where many folk have recently died.
Clergy of the god also lead a daily morning ceremony over graves, the Remembrance, and a ritual that begins after nightfall, the Daeum. The Remembrance is a dignified rite of songs and prayer usually attended by relatives of the dead. The Daeum, or Thanks to the Guide (Kelemvor), is a celebration of the strength and purpose of the Great Guide and his church and is attended only by faithful followers of the god. It is at the close of this ceremony that the goods of the dead are distributed to the assembled faithful and any favors of the god or holy missions are dispensed through manifestations or the orders of senior clergy.
The two great calendar-related holy days of the Church of Kelemvor are Shieldmeet and the Feast of the Moon. During both of these days, priests of the Lord of the Dead tell tales of the Deeds of the Dead so that the greatness and importance of the ancestors of those alive today will never be forgotten. They also call back from the dead heroes who are needed in the land again (in the opinion of mortal supplicants whom Kelemvor agrees with). During both of these solemn high holy days, any priest of Kelemvor who casts speak with dead can talk freely with the departed for as long as desired and hold conversations, not merely put questions to them for which the answer will be a bare "yes" or "no."
Major Centers of Worship: The only major center of Kelemvorite worship thus far is the Tower of Skulls in Ormath, an abbey built as a ziggurat whose walls are carved with a stone facing in the shape of staring human skulls. Its spiral ways are roamed by mysterious guardian creatures that resemble will o' wisps. The resident clergy, commanded by the High Lord Doom Bezurgathan Indraeyan, can muster a capable army of battle-hardened clerics wielding magical items to defend the abbey. Vast cellars reaching down to an underground river for water and into caverns in which edible fungi are grown underlie the Tower. The priests make potent amber wine and various perfumes, unguents, and potions for sale from the fungi they raise.
Affiliated Orders: Thus far the church of Kelemvor has no affiliated military or knightly orders. All gravediggers, embalmers, and other cemetery workers and crafters who work for the church of Kelemvor and are not themselves clergy belong to the Most Solemn Order of the Silent Shroud, a society whose rolls are kept by the church and whose members know each other as true members of the order by certain secret signs. They report any signs of undead activity or desecration in graveyards tended by Kelemvorites immediately to the church. The Kelemvorite church is seriously considering sponsoring a holy order of crusaders and paladins to target undead creatures of fearsome prowess who tax the resources of the clergy of the nascent church. The tentative name of this group would be the Knights of Eternal Order, but church scholars are discussing other names that would be more indicative of the order's duties.
Priestly Vestments: Clerics of Kelemvor usually wear smoky gray robes and cowled cloaks. Specialty priests can readily be identified by their silver headbands, which are normally never removed, and by the symbol of Kelemvor displayed prominently in a badge on the chests of their somber, elegant robes. Their robes are always of a single hue without trim or ostentation and of dark, muted hues of green, blue, or gray, in ascending order of rank; they can be worn over armor if need be. The scales in the badge of Kelemvor worn by a priest also denote rank: They are iron-colored for lower clergy, silver for full priests, and gold for higher-ranking priests.
Adventuring Garb: Adventuring clergy members are often given enchanted gray domino masks entrusted to their use by the church that enable them to detect undead (as the 1st-level wizard spell) and see with infravision up to 60 feet in darkness. Adventuring priests dress functionally, wearing whatever armor and clothing is practical. They are required to display the symbol of their deity prominently. Often it is worn on the left breast over the heart or is woven into a cloak.

Lord of the End of Everything, Scribe of the Doomed, Seneschal of the Crystal Spire, the Forgotten One, the Pitiless One

Demipower (formerly Greater) of Hades, LN
PORTFOLIO: Fatalism, order in death, proper burial, guardian of tombs, protector of the names of the dead
ALIASES: Nakasr
DOMAIN NAME: Oinos/Crystal Spire
SUPERIOR: Kelemvor (formerly Cyric, and previous to that Myrkul)
ALLIES: Amaunator (now dead)
FOES: Cyric, Velsharoon
SYMBOL: A jawless skull and a writing quill resting on a scroll
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, NG, LN, N, LE, NE
Jergal (JER-gull), Lord of the End of Everything, is responsible for keeping records on the final disposition of all the spirits of the dead. He is the fatalistic undertaker who strives for order in death, anticipating the ever-encroaching termination of all things living. Jergal strives for an orderly accounting of the fate of the world as it slowly sinks into death. Few mortals are even aware of Jergal's existence except for a few sages studying ancient history.
Jergal was Myrkul's predecessor as Lord of the Dead, although he apparently voluntarily relinquished that position to the Lord of Bones many centuries ago. Some sages believe Jergal held the portfolios of Bhaal and Bane at that time, as well, and was venerated as Nakasr by the Netherese survivor states. After stepping down from his position, Jergal becamse the Seneschal of Bone Castle, assisting Myrkul in the execution of his duties. In the intervening centuries, Jergal has become the Forgottem One and faded into Myrkul's shadow.
Jergal played no part in the Time of Troubles, but when Cyric succeeded Myrkul as Lord of the Dead, the Scribe of the Doomed continued to serve as the Seneschal of Bone Castle. A core component of his very being makes Jergal absolutely loyal to the current Lord of the Dead, regardless of who holds that office. From Jergal's actions during Cyric's tenure, however, it is apparent that while Jergal is utterly loyal to the office of Lord of the Dead, he does have the freedom to subtly undermine the current officeholder if she or he is not true to the position's responsibilities.
Jergal seems to find working with Kelemvor, the new Lord of the Dead, much more to his personal satisfaction. The Forgotten One serves the Judge of the Damned as seneschal by maintaining careful records of all who enter the Crystal Spire, Kelemvor's new abode built on the rubble of the Bone Castle. It is possible that Jergal will regain some of his former prominence serving Kelemvor, but it is equally likely that the Seneschal of the Crystal Spire will pass on into death himself, having found a suitable successor to his old position. Regardless, the Scribe of the Doomed has little apparent interest in the living save for recording their final fates.
Jergal retains a fondness from Netheril's heyday for the long-vanished Amaunator, valuing that ancient god's adherence to law and order, but he otherwise has few allies aside from Kelemvor, and even fewer friends. Following the events of the Cyrinishad debacle, Jergal has nothing but scorn for Cyric, the former Lord of the Dead, considering him anathema to the orderly dissolution of the universe. In the aftermath of Velsharoon's divine ascendance, Jergal spends much of his efforts in the Realms combating the Necromancer's efforts to prolong life into undeath and to thwart the orderly procession of death in the Realms.
Jergal never angers, and always speaks with a disembodied, chilling voice that echoes with the dry whisper of a long forgotten crypt. His tone is always bland, his words fatalistic, and his demeanor excessively formal. Most mortals find the Forgotten One a shadowy, sinister figure who leaves a vague feeling of unease and enervation in his wake. Jergal is totally focused on death and perceives life as momentary existence before death's eternity. A few bards have noted that Jergal's philosophy and actions resemble a mortal attempting to tidy up his affairs and accounts before his imminent death.
This monstrous scribe is depicted in his religion's art as a smooth gray face holding no features other than a pair of bulging yellow eyes. His body is nothing but a shadow-filled gray cloak which rises and falls as if buffeted by an unseen wind, and he wears white gloves that are supported by invisible hands and arms.
Other Manifestations
Jergal can take the form of any undead creature, gaining all its innate abilities in doing so. He also retains his enervation and energy drain attacks, provided that they are not equaled or surpassed by the form he has taken. He can also take the form of a mortal man with a great white beard, bent with extreme age yet holding intelligence and a driving energy within his sunken eyes. Jergal's preferred manifestations is the sound of a heavy tome being closed with chilling finality. This manifestation often occurs upon the death of an exceptionally long-lived mortal, particularly one who has extended his or her life with potions of longevity and like manipulations—such as the magic of an archwizard.
Jergal is served by a wide variety of creatures seen as harbingers of death in various cultures. For example, in Anauroch, the great white-bearded vultures known as N'asr's children (commonly thought to serve N'asr, an alias of Cyric) ferry spirits into the afterlife to their preordained realms at Jergal's behest. The Lord at the End of Everything also exerts his influence through a variety of undead tied to the Negative Energy Plane, such as slow shadows, spectres, and wraiths as well as trillochs, wastrels, and xeg-yi. Jergal has somewhat de-emphasized his affiliation with undead that sap energy since Kelemvor's assumption of the position of Lord of the Dead, but he still is not reluctant to call upon them when their use most efficiently accomplishes a task his superior has set before him—he merely does not dwell upon their use when reporting to Kelemvor.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, monks, specialty priests
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LN, LE
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, if neutral, SP: Yes, at priest level +2, Mon: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: Yes, if evil, SP: Yes, at priest level +2, Mon: No
All clerics, specialty priests, and monks of Jergal receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
Jergal has only a handful of living worshipers, but it is believed several score of his priests still survive as mummies and greater mummies in long-sealed tombs. These mummies still possess their living intelligence and can cast priest spells. While most are lawful evil in alignment, some favored few tend toward a stricter lawful neutral ethos.
Priests of Jergal existed historically only in very lawful and militaristic societies which did not venerate Deneir or any of the goodly gods. In addition to serving as scribes, funerary workers, and morticians, Jergal's priests kept careful records of births, deaths, and taxes for the kings and rulers they served. Jergal was perceived in such societies as a compassionless steward of death who would visit each mortal at their appointed time and transport them to the appropriate realm in the afterlife.
Jergal's few temples are typically lifeless stone mausoleums or dry, dusty crypts. Animals and plants never live long in these dreary, bleak houses of endless drudgery. Sentients who toil daily in Jergal's dusty temples quickly age and grow weak, yet never die before their appointed time, dooming them to a life of venerability. Rare visitors to such shrines find long rows of scribes dutifully recording the affairs and fates of the short-lived mortals in the surrounding lands.
The clergy of Jergal are known as the Scriveners of Doom. Within their ranks, the high priest of each temple is known as First Scrivener of Doom, but otherwise the faith eschews titles or ranks. The faith has always been evenly split between clerics, monks, and specialty priests, known as doomscribes.
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. Undeath is not an escape or a reward; it is simply a duty of a chosen few who serve the Lord of the End of Everything.
Day-to-Day Activities: Mummified Scriveners of Doom are chosen priests who continue to serve their lord by delaying their eternal rest to bring order and regulation to the disposition of the dead. Buried in long-forgotten crupts, they do nothing but scribe the fate of all living things on cracked parchments. Some are served by zombies and skeletons, but never by sentient undead. For eons Jergal has whispered to his mummified clergy an unending litany of names and fates that they then dutifully record on scrolls until Jergal grants them eternal rest. It is said that when the world finally grinds to a halt and passes away, the last mummified Scrivener of Doom will lay down its pen and crumble to dust. Such undead priests sometimes attack and sometimes ignore interlopers who invade their dusty tombs, depending upon whether or not such beings have reached their appointed hour of death. They always attempt to drive off and if necessary destroy any being who disturbs their sacred tasks, since order in death is as important as death itself in the teachings of the faith.
The small cult of living Scriveners of Doom spend their days maintaining and extending vast archives of scrolls listing how sentients under their purview passed away and their destination in the afterlife. Despite their near hopeless task, they toil on undaunted, knowing they have eons to complete their appointed task. In Thay, where the tiny cult of Jergal is relatively prominent compared to elsewhere in the Realms, most members of Jergal's clergy are employed by individual Zulkirs or Red Wizards to oversee their slave records. In addition to fulfilling a necessary task for society, this gives the scribes crucial access to records detailing large numbers of sentient beings.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Jergal's faithful have little patience or need for holy days or religious ceremonies, viewing them as unnecessary distractions. The one small ritual Jergal's priests are required to perform is called the Sealing. 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 step toward the world's end.
On the last night of the year, the 30th of Nightal, Jergal's clergy cease their endless toil for a full night. On this holy night, known as the Night of Another Year, the priests read every name whose death they ahve recorded from the scrolls they have carefully inscribed over the past year. With a cry of "One Year Closer!", all the scrolls are then burned, and work begins anew.
Major Centers of Worship: Jergal's cult has undergone a small renaissance in Thay where death is a daily fact of life. The Crypt of Imminent Death in Bezantur, Thay, is a small onion-domed structure of gold-veined black marble. Dyhna Zhyborrin, the temple's mistress, oversees the temple's small staff, leads worship services in the city, and maintains close ties with the clergy and worshipers of Kelemvor. Cultists of the Forgotten One journey throughout Thay recording deaths for the annuals of the Crypt library.
Godswalk Keep in the Barony of Great Oak in the Border Kingdoms region has become a sacred site for the church of Kelemvor as well as the scattered cultists of Jergal. The Meeting of the Three (also known as the Howling) happens at certain times during the year when Garagos the War God, the Dancing Lady (Sharess), and the Forgotten One (Jergal) all wander through the ancient castle. Jergal seems to wander the ruins aimlessly, ignoring Garagos's attacks and the Dancing Lady's alluring smile.
Affiliated Orders: The Jergali church has grown exceedingly small, and it no longer sees a need for a fighting branch of the faith or other affiliated orders. All creatures shall die at their appointed time whether or not the clergy of Jergal assists in that process or not, so the Scriveners of Doom spend their days toiling at the more important task of recording the fates of the dead rather then actively delivering death themselves.
Records of the Jergali church speak of two now-extinct affiliated groups: the Companions of the Pallid Mask and the Hand of Jergal. The Companions of the Pallid Mask were a group of Jergali priests who specialized in combating or commanding the undead. They eliminated undead creatures whose existence was not sanctioned by the church or who had proved to be troublesome. They also supervised nonsentient undead work crews that the church sometimes ran for profit long ago. The Hand of Jergal was an elite group of fanatic priests who led others under their command to avenge slights upon the church of Jergal at the direction of a high priest. They acted against those of other faiths who raised or resurrected someone without paying due tribute to Jergal or who violated or looted a tomb under the protection of the church.
Priestly Vestments: Jergal's clergy shave their heads smooth and garb themselves in unadorned gray robes and long, white gloves. At all times they carry a satchel of scrolls, inks, and quills. They also carry a desiccated human skull with the openings plugged that they use to contain the simple mixture of ash and powdered bones employed in Sealing rituals. This skull also serves as their holy symbol.
Adventuring Garb: Jergal's priests only very rarely adventure, and then only at Jergal's bequest. Adventuring Scriveners of Doom seek out those who attempt to prolong their lives beyond their appointed time through magic and then terminate their existence. Jergal's priests may wear any armor that they wish to protect themselves—it is irrelevant to the Lord of the End of Everything since every living eing will die at its appointed time, regardless of what protections it takes to the contrary. Jergal's priests are trained in bludgeoning weapons so that they can powder the bones of their opponents for use in future Sealing rituals.

The Water Lord, God-King of the Water Elementals

Greater Power of the Elemental Plane of Water, N
PORTFOLIO: Elemental water, water elementalists, purification through cleansing, wetness
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Elemental Plane of Water/Sea of Timelessness
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Deep Sashelas, Trishina, Eadro, Persana, Shekinester, Surminare, Valkur the Mighty, Water Lion
FOES: Kossuth
SYMBOL: A cresting wave or a drop of water
WOR. ALIGNMENT: Any
Faerûn has many powers whose portfolios deal with water. Umberlee governs the oceans and ocean storms. Valkur strives to protect those who travel the waves, and Eldath has dominion over pools, springs, and waterfalls. Istishia (Is-TISH-ee-ah) is more abstract than all these deities. He represents water, but not any specific formation or body of water. He is a mutable yet dynamic deity who is dispassionate and difficult to pin down. He provides the atmosphere in which life is born, but not life itself. He furnishes a crucial resource, but apparently cares not how it is used. He is depicted as anything from an immense water elemental to a drop of rain to a water weird to a wave on the ocean. Istishia represents eternal transmutation that holds a fixed, essential nature at its core. He holds in his nature change accomplished over time, as water wears away stone, or sudden leaps from one state to another, as water changes to steam when heated. He is the guardian of all hidden treasures under water.
Like all the elemental lords, Istishia is relatively unfeeling toward his followers on Abeir-Toril. His reactions are utterly unpredictable and thus, in an odd way, predictable in their unpredictability. The reasoning behind Istishia's actions is incomprehensible to most of Faerûn's inhabitants, including his worshipers. The alien and uncaring stance of Istishia and the other elemental lords has led to the mistaken impression in the Realms that they are only lesser powers and their followers merely oddball cultists. During the Time of Troubles, Istishia was not spotted in the Realms.
Istishia always sends a representative to accept offerings (given to his devoute worshipers) of water-hued fine fabrics that ripple like waves, gemstones in shades from clear to deepest emerald or sapphire, fine inks or dyes, or books or papers on which are written unsolved or unsolvable riddles or mathematical problems. These representatives can be anything from his priests to fish to water elementals. His gifts to his followers are most often the ability to travel easily through water, the knowledge to find something hidden in water, or a change in themselves (often a polymorph spell that changes a being's corporeal form, but sometimes a sudden insight into a problem) that allows them to accomplish a previously unattainable goal. The worshipers he favors and those he ignores seem chosen on a whim.
Other Manifestations
Istishia has manifested many more times than he has sent an avatar to the Realms. Any significant source of water is viewed as a manifestation of the Water Lord by his faithful. Rivers, lakes, and streams are all viewed as sacred, as are the oceans and seas, fountains, rain, and even puddles. Istishia sometimes sends servant creatures from the Elemental Plane of Water such as water elementals, nereids, marids, and tritons to do his bidding or aid followers. He also sends water creatures such as fish, dolphins, whales, octopuses, or even the leviathan. The discovery of water when drilling for a well or when in a barren land is viewed as a sign of Istishia's favor.
The Church
CLERGY: Specialty priests, crusaders, mystics, shamans
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: NG, CG, N, CN, NE, CE
TURN UNDEAD: SP: No, Cru: No, Mys: No, Sha: Yes, if good
CMND. UNDEAD: SP: No, Cru: No, Mys: No, Sha: Yes, if neutral or evil
All specialty priests, crusaders, mystics, and shamans of Istishia receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency. Istishian priests are strongly encouraged to learn seamanship or acquire weather sense in addition to their required proficiencies. All shamans of Istishia receive elemental water as one of their major spheres in addition to their normal spheres of magic. Special candles made by Istishian mystics burn even under water and are not extinguished by being exposed to liquids, though they may still be snuffed out with fingers or a snuffer.
Before the Time of Troubles, all of the elemental cults had clerics in their ranks. Now, only specialty priests remain. Why Istishia decided to convert his clerics to specialty priests over the years is unknown, though the church of Istishia teaches that the change was made to allow specialty priests to focus on their lord's element to the exclusion of other tasks. Since the Godswar, the Istishian church has added a small order of mystics and an order of crusaders to the church to fill niches in the priesthood that more generalized clerics used to fill. In primitive or nomadic societies, Istishia is often served by shamans.
The Water Lord's faith has four major sects: the Church of the Magnificent Storm, the Church of the Sacred Sea, the Church of Watery Paths, and the Church of the Eternal Transformation. These sects work together with each other, though disagreements have been known to occur. In general, the Istishian faith is constantly evolving and new sects are diverted from or absorbed by old ones as the decades pass. The church holds a unified ranking system throughout the faith, and the many sects dictate how the priests of a particular house of worship view and practice their religion.
The Church of the Magnificent Storm believes in the cleansing power of Istishia. In its eyes, Istishia washes away the impurities of both the land and sea and purifies the air. "Stormers," as they are known, always try to be present during thunderstorms and other severe weather.
The Church of the Sacred Sea believes that large expanses of water represent the body of Istishia. Its members pray for calm seas and to protect both ships and port from the Water Lord's power, but they also call upon the oceans to deliver Istishia's wrath against those who oppose the church. Many sages think that the difficulties that Thay, whose zulkirs have often courted the church of Kossuth, has had with its navy at various times are not the result of interference by Umberlee or even powerful wizardly rivals, but rather the work of this sect of the Istishian church.
The Church of Watery Paths believes that the rivers and streams of Toril represent the far reach of Istishia's power. Its members view rivers and streams as the veins and capillaries of Istishia and point out that no place on Toril is not shaped in some way by water, even if it is shaped by the absense of water.
Finally, the Church of the Eternal Transformation believes that just as water moves from one state to another yet remains eternally present, so life moves from one state to another yet continues. Life exists on terrestial bodies like Abeir-Toril on the Prime Material Plane and across the many planes of existence, and when life ends on one plane it is merely transformed to a form more suitable for its existence on another. All of the universe is therefore symbolized in the water cycle.
Priests of Istishia tend to establish shrines on the shores of bodies of water. Large temples exist primarily in port towns and cities. Other Istishian houses of worship are entirely under water and so inaccessible to most surface dwellers and uncommented on in their history or lore, though such Istishian holy sites have figured prominently in the oral and written histories of the aquatic races. The typical Istishian temple is of quarried sandstone or marble in clean, elegant lines and usually sits out on a pier or next to the water or incorporates a great many streams, ornamental pools, and fountains so as to make water a vital part of its landscaping.
Most Istishian priests minister to the needs of the faithful in one region or are attached to a particular shrine, temple, or holy site. However, the church believes that those who remain in one location and are immersed in the same company for too long become stagnant, so all Istishian priests move on to new postings on a rotating basis (so that all priests are not traveling to or learning new positions at the same time). In general, a priest serves in one locale for five years and rotates to a new posting at the anniversary of the closest major holiday (Midwinter, Greengrass, Midsummer, Higharvestide, or the Feast of the Moon) to the date at which she or he became a full priest. Postings may be extended by petition from a priest or his or her congregation for year-long periods until 10 yeras of service at one locale is reached. At that point, a priest must move on to a new post. Postings are overseen by the prestigious Elder Oversight Committee, and most of the church politics in the Istishian faith surround the actions of the Oversight Committee or attempts to influence its future actions. Needless to say, the life-long appointments to the committee are fiercely fought over—when such positions open up due to death or retirements.
The head of the Istishian faith—the Delphine Regent—is a hereditary position passed down to the firstborn (of either gender) of the line of Great Oracle Seldeetha Darinaalis, the first high priestess of the faith (and a half-elf of aquatic descent). Currently, the Delphine Regent is Aquaril Sethanilar, a 12-year-old male aquatic elf who lives in a hidden court city somewhere in the Trackless Sea. However, the position is more a titular than a functional one. The actual control of the church is in the hands of a council of the seven regional heads of the faith known as the Primatus.
Novice Istishian priests are called Searchers. After completing a series of at least three one-on-one courses of learning (a sort of apprenticeship in the faith) with Istishian senior priests, novice Istishians become full priests. In ascending order of rank, the titles in general use by the priesthood are Essential Servant (full priest), Spring of the God, Tidal Messenger, Cephalian, Full Flood (senior priest), Monsoon, Oracle (head of a temple or large shrine), Grand Oracle (senior or elder head of a temple), Stratus Primae (leader of a region's temples and shrines) and Delphine Regent (hereditary leader of the faith). A priest who has slain or soundly defeated an enemy of the church (usually a high-ranking priest of Kossuth or a fire-based creature of power) may add the honorific "True" to the beginning of his or her title. Specialty priests of Istishia are known as waterwalkers.
The Last March of the Giants
East of the Great Rift in the Eastern Shaar once stood a land of titans. This empire rose at the dawn of time in Faerûn, and its lords thought to challenge the gods in their arrogance. In punishment, the powers cursed the reigning monarch of the land with fascination and his brethren with devotion. The powers then dropped a star onto the land. The impact of the fallen star created a huge valley later known as the Sea of Fallen Stars. Slowly picking up speed, the ball rolled through the titan nation and onward to the south.
Unable to contain his curiosity, the titan king ran off after the bouncing sphere and his devoted followers dutifully followed his tracks. The meteorite rolled on and on until it reached the Great Sea and vanished into the depths. The monarch dove into the sea, and, lemminglike, the entire titan race dove in after him, never to be seen again.
Ashamed at the destruction they had wrought, the powers vowed to keep both curiosity and loyalty firmly in check to avoid such disasters in the future. They have done so to this day, preventing both new ideas from being pursued with any speed and the intelligent races of Toril from ever fully cooperating.
Dogma: At its heart, the Istishian faith believes that everything is interconnected and cyclical. Every one of the elements has its place, but water triumphs over all of them in the end, because though it may be transformed by its environment, it retains its essential nature and in the end in turn transforms the environment it is in. The Istishian faith teaches that: "Earth dissolves through water, fire is extinguished even by steam, and air becomes clouds and then rain, completing the eternal cycle." Istishia believes himself to be the great equalizer and leveler of the elements.
All sects of the Istishian faith tend to avoid personal combat and direct confrontation in their dealings with unbelievers. They believe that if allowed to go where they will, the essential truths embodied by the Water Lord eventually convince all as to his power. That is not to say that the faith ignores events going on around them, but rather that they work quietly along less-obvious paths to accomplish their goals. Members of the faith are to follow the path of least resistance to accomplish their goals, just like water takes the easiest course to the sea.
Novices in the Istishian faith are charged as follows: "The eternal Istishia acknowledges change but holds 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 form or this world, but rather in the next. Realize that the cycles of life are mirrored by the cycles of fate; be prepared to pay the price or reap the reward for the actions of your past or your future."
Day-to-Day Activities: Many visitors to a temple wonder why priests of Istishia would teach novices to throw pottery. Such as kill is useful both practically as a source of income for the church and as a teaching tool in the faith. Using water, Istishians priests mold clay to a desired form, dry the new pots in the air, finish them with fire, and (often) use they to carry water or other liquids. The interactions of the elements are demonstrated in making pottery, as is the mutability of water and its final triumph.
Keeping waterways pure and clean is one major goal of the church, nad this responsible long-term goal has made the Istishians one of the more easily accepted elemental "cults" to visit a town. (Wantonly polluting rivers, streams, seas, and oceans is considered an insult to Istishia, as well as likely offending a number of other nature and water deities.) Other ongoing goals of the church are better communication among the aquatic races and between the aquatic races and surface dwellers. Many Istishian priests dream of a day when all water dwellers can be united in their goals and efforts underneath the benevolent guidance of the church. That this goal is utterly unachievable and presupposes the extinction of numerous major faiths seems not to sway them from clinging to it nonetheless—nor does it mean that they hold any malice toward other primarily aquatic faiths.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Each morning for a follower of the Water Lord begins with a quiet prayer said in Istishia's name over a drink of water, and each night ends the same way. Spring tide and neap tide are celebrated with festivals by the church. During these festivals new members of the faith are dedicated to Istishia by being boisterously tossed into the sea or a lake or by diving into fountains or pools. Surface-dwelling communities of the faithful are often visited by water-dwelling emissaries from Istishia's aquatic churches during these fetes, and underwater churches in turn host surface-dwellers through magical accomodations.
Waveriding is the ritual that Istishian specialty priests celebrate upon reaching a level of skill great enough to summon a water elemental from the Elemental Plane of Water. This ceremony is preceded by an hour-long responsive reading and chant, after which the elemental is summoned. The elemental then carries the celebrant on a long ride on the waves of a large body of water. When it returns with the priest celebrating the ritual, the elemental is tossed garlands of flowers, gifted with drafts of fine wine, and given beautifully crafted pieces of jewelry, pottery, or sculpture to carry back to Istishia's realm as it leaves.
Major Centers of Worship: Any large coastal city is certain to have a temple to the Water Lord among its many buildings. Such temples are frequently as close to the docks as possible. Luskan, Waterdeep, Caer Callidyrr, Teshburl, and Calimport all have large temples dedicated to Istishia. Within the Inner Sea, the cities of Suzail, Starmantle, Alaghôn, Neldorild, Spandeliyon, Lyrabar, Procampur, and Selgaunt also boast temples to the Water Lord. The most holy site of the faith is the underwater fortress-temple in which the Delphine Regent lives in secrecy. It is sometimes referred to as the Castle of the Dancing Dolphin in reference to the dolphins featured in the coat-of-arms of the Delphine Regent, but its true name is unknown to those who walk above the waves. It is reputed to have fierce aquatic guardians both of the monstrous and the organized, intelligent variety.
Affiliated Orders: The ordesr of Istishian crusaders are known as the Cavaliers of the Seven Seas, whose members are natural water-breathers, and the Cavaliers of the Ever-Changing truth, whose members are natural air-breathers. Istishian crusaders guard holy sites, escort emissaries of the faith, and pursue the ongoing feud against the church of Kossuth on a personal level. Mystics of the faith belong to the Order of Cryptic Transformational Purity. The symbol of this order is a human shapechanging into a fish. Because this symbol looks somewhat like a merman and the name of the order itself is so lofty, mystics of this order are often referred to colloquially as "fishtishians" or "the Water Lord's fishmen"—much to their chagrin.
Priestly Vestments: Priests of Istishia dress in blue-and-green robes with coral decorations for ceremonial occasions. Exact decorations and garment construction are not mandated by the faith, but shaded or rippled dying, graceful embroidery or beadwork, or layered or dagged construction are often employed to convey a water theme. The wave of Istishia is usually carved into a gemstone incorporated into a medallion, a brooch, or a ring. Often the gemstone is jade, emerald, malachite, aquamarine, or water opal.
Adventuring Garb: Adventuring priests are free to wear whatever clothes they deem appropirate, though they are fond of wearing items in white, blue, green, and blue-purple hues. The use of armor heavier than chain mail is frowned upon by the church and forbidden to waterwalkers.