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.

The Crying God, the Lord on the Rack, the One Who Endures, the Broken God

Intermediate Power of the Twin Paradises, LG
PORTFOLIO: Endurance, suffering, martyrdom, perseverence
ALIASES: Ayuruk (among the peoples of the Great Glacier)
DOMAIN NAME: Shurrock/Martyrdomain
SUPERIOR: Tyr
ALLIES: Tyr, Torm, Ibrandul (now dead), Lathander
FOES: Loviatar, Malar, Talos, Bane (now dead), Bhaal (now dead), Myrkul (now dead)
SYMBOL: A pair of white human hands bound at the wrists with blood-red cord or (older) a blood-stained rack
WOR. ALIGN.: Any
Ilmater (Ihl-MAY-ter) offers succor and calming words to those who are in pain, oppressed, or in great need. He is the willing sufferer, the one who takes the place of another to heft the other's burden, to take the other's pain. He is the god of the oppressed and unjustly treated.
Ilmater is quiet, kind, good-spirited, and slow to anger. He appreciates a humorous story and has a rather rustic humor himself. When his avatar appears, he takes assaults upon his person passively and rarely lifts a hand against another. He is not totally nonviolent, though, as many often assume by his doctrine of endurance. When facing cruelties and atrocities his rage can boil up, and then he is a figure of frighteningly righteous wrath. His appearance can frighten the young, but he takes great care to reassure them as he treasures children and all young creatures, taking exceptional offense at those who would abuse or harm them.
Ilmater is allied to and serves Tyr, aiding the blinded god in his travels and teaching him to live without his sight but to rely more upon his feelings. He is also on very good terms with Torm, who also serves Tyr, and the three deities are known collectively as the Triad.
Ilmater's symbol in the early days was the blood-stained rack, but since the Godswar the use of a pair of white hands bound with blood-red cord has come into almost exclusive use. This newer symbol has increased Ilmater's popularity in the world at large.
Other Manifestations
Ilmater appears as an unseen, watchful presence accompanied by a whimpering or howling sound. In this form he speaks, telekineses items about, and hurls spells.
Alternatively, the Crying God can choose to possess any good-aligned creature who is being tortured without having done anything to earn such treatment under the laws of the realm in which the torture is taking place. When such a manifestation occurs, the tortured being's body glows with a bright white aura, the being is healed and regenerated, all pain is banished, any restraints are broken asunder and torture devices smashed, and the being is set free, vigorous and alert. If Ilmater is angered enough by what has been done (sadistically cruel torturers and accompanying murders are definite triggers for this), he empowers the freed being to cast destructive spells for a turn or so, typically channeling the ability to cast such spells as chain lightning, flame strike, lightning bolt, meteor swarm, imprisonment, and sink.
Ilmater also acts through the appearance or presence of devas, einheriar (formed from martyrs), hollyphants, incarnates of courage, planetars, solars, and other not yet identified beings. More commonly he sends white doves, donkeys, daisies, white roses, field mice, and sparrows to show his favor and as a sign to encourage his faithful to persevere.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, monks
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG, LN
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: No, Mon: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: No, SP: No, Mon: No
All clerics, specialty priests, and monks of Ilmater receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
The followers of Ilmater are often perceived as being intentional sufferers, but in reality they concentrate a lot of effort on providing proper treatment and healing to those who have been hurt. They put others ahead of themselves, are sharing, and emphasize the spiritual nature of life over the gross material body.
Ilmater's priests tend to be the most sensitive and caring of humans. When new to the faith, since they see much suffering, they often weep. Over time, this constant tugging at their heartstrings wears at them, and they then tend toward a cynical view of life in Faerûn. They are distinguished from other cynics, however, by their inability to ignore or pass by others in need. Even when a cause is hopeless, they must help. Ilmatari are taught to be firm in their principles and fearless, with the result that they earn enormous respect with the general populace, but are often slain by brigands or those who hold different principles than they do. The church of Ilmater is different from many Faerûnian faiths in that it has many saints, among them St. Dionysius and St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred (whose symbol is a yellow rose).
Few priests of Ilmater are soldiers, and fewer still are merchants, but they do outstrip all other priesthoods in the size, number, and level of treatment in the many infirmaries and leper sanctuaries they maintain. From their inception into the priesthood, Ilmatari are trained in the recognition and treatment of all known disease, injuries, and conditions; senior priests have had prepared detailed programmed illusions to show beings in various stages of harm. An Ilmatari priest who has been shown these could, for instance, recognize a human infested with rot grubs at a glance.
The process of joining the clergy of Ilmater is simple: A novice enjoys a gentle walk and talk with a senior priest, during which they talk and explore the novice's views of life. They then dine and the novice is (knowingly) given a wine taht puts him or her into a gentle trance where various clergy and wizards friendly to the faith can easily employ mind-scrying spells to thoroughly explore the novice's true feelings, loyalties, and aims. If no dedication to evil or precluding religious or secular loyalties are found, the novice is accepted and adorned with the simple robes of Ilmater. (This cautious practice was instituted because so many folk in the past have posed as willing entrants into the Ilmatari just to learn the medicines and physiclore and then stholen away with as many medical supplies as they could.)
All the Adorned are priests, but no titles are commonly used in the clergy except Brother and Sister. For senior clergy, Revered is added to this, and for the heads of temples, abbeys, and monasteries dedicated to the Crying God, Father and Mother are used. So, for example, the head of the Towers of Willful Suffering, the abbey to Ilmater in Eshpurta, is known as Revered Mother of the House Heldatha Dhussta.
The Adorned include clerics, specialty priests, and monks. Though the monastic orders usually dwell separate from the rest of the church in monasteries and abbeys, some monks also abide in Ilmatari temples to teach other Ilmatari about fields of knowledge they have specialized in or to provide their special form of hand-to-hand protection to the institution to which they are assigned.
The hierarchy of the Adorned usually centers around the leader of the large temple, abbey, or monastery to who the Ilmatari in the region report. Ilmatari are loosely ranked under this Revered Mother or Father, and abbeys and monasteries are usually tied to specific temples, often adding a second informal tier to the hierarchy.
Ilmater's priests are found where they are needed, which is usually in the worst possible conditions, ministering to the needs of the oppressed, the deceased, and the poor. Those outside the faith often view this as a strategic positioning of churches in areas which guarantee the persecution of Ilmatari (such as Mulmaster and Zhentil Keep). Priests of Ilmater may also be found among adventuring companies, and—in addition to paladins—are often the ones to go off rescuing this clan of kidnapped halflings or recovering that purloined family heirloom. It is not that they are foolish, but rather that they care for all things to the exclusion of their personal risk.
Shortly after the Time of Troubles, the reputation of the organized church was plagued by the actions of a neutral cult of Ilmater that believed in passing suffering around to others, especially nonbelievers. They were noted for self-flagellation, kidnappings, and inciting riots. Ilmater was not granting these cultists their powers or spells, and the Ilmatari church suspects that Cyric, Loviatar, or Beshaba was behind these deluded people. Fortunately, the cult has largely been eliminated due to a hostile response to its actions on the part of nobles and those in authority.
Dogma: The Ilmatari are taught to help all who hurt, no matter who they are, and that the truly holy take on the suffering of others. Ilmater tells them that if they suffer in his name, he will be there to support them. They should stick to their cause if it is right, whatever the pain and peril. They are to stand up to all tyrants, resisting in ways both great nad small, and to allow no injustice to go by unchallenged. They believe that there is no shame in a meaningful death. Some followers of Ilmater take a negative or darkly humorous view of the world, and the church accepts them as well. "Today is the first day in what's left of your life" fits very snugly into Ilmater's dogma, but most Ilmatari would add, "So live it well."
Novices in the faith are charged to: "Persevere in the face of pain. Heal the sick, the wounded, and the diseased. Comfort the dying, the griefstricken, and the heartsick. Take on the burdens and the pain of others. Champion the causes of the oppressed and unjustly treated, and give shelter and kind counsel to the lonely, the lost, and the ruined. Pursue the service of Ilmater, and he will provide—leave gross riches and the acquisition of all but medicines to others. Take up the tasks no others dare.
Day-to-Day Activities: Ilmatari share what they have with those in need and always take time to counsel those who are upset and give healing and tender care to the injured. They speak for the oppressed, guide the lost, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and gather herbs and make medicines at all times for disasters to come. When war is expected and time permits, priests of Ilmater gather in strength with litters, shovels, tents, splints, bandages by the cartload, and wagons of medicines and healing potions to tend those who will soon suffer.
Priests of Ilmater see life as sacred and suffering as holy, but they do not stand in the way of others' desires or condemn them for their chosen path. For instance, Ilmatari would not stop a sorely injured warrior from rising up half-healed to plunge into battle again, openly seeking death while fighting the foe. Instead, they would freely assist the warrior by healing him enough to be mobile so that he could follow his own doom wish in the most honorable manner available to him.
Ilmatari bury the dead, treat the diseased, and give food, drink, and firewood to the poor. They also tour the wealthier cities and settlements of Faerûn soliciting moneys to support the church. Increasingly, since so many folk personally received the benefit of their kindnesses during the Time of Troubles, people of all faiths give generously to the church of the Crying God. As the merchant Ashaerond of Westgate put it: "If I pay for one extra potion today, it may be the last one tomorrow—but the one needed then to heal me."
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: There are no calendar-related special holy days or any other festivals observed by the Ilmatari. Instead, the daily rituals of prayer to Ilmater at least six times per day govern each and every day of service.
A special Plea must be made to Ilmater to receive divine dispensation for a Rest, which is a tenday vacation from serving Ilmater's dictates. Usually Ilmatari request this when they are emotionally exhausted, but some adventurer-priests use Rests to perform things Ilmater would otherwise frown upon. This custom is an established tradition that some leaders of the faith rely upon, sending their best fighting clergy out to do things that the church cannot otherwise accomplish (covertly removing a tyrant rather than confronting him openly, for example).
The most important ritual of the Church of Ilmater is the Turning: It is the duty of every priest of Ilmater to try to get dying persons to turn to Ilmater for comfort, receiving the blessing of the Broken God before they expire. As the veneration of Ilmater grows, even in death, his healing power becomes greater.
Major Centers of Worship: The largest center of Ilmatari worship in the House of the Broken God in Keltar in Calimshan. The House of the Broken God is a huge monastery in the center of the town that is connected, via a series of walled gardens, to a temple farm on a hill northwest of Keltar, a walled leper house beyond that, and a sanitarium beyond that. Here Revered Father of the House Melder Rythtin of the Healing Hand, who is famous for his diagnoses and miraculous treatments of the afflicted, presides over the largest hospital and facility for brewing, concocting, and compounding medicines in Faerûn. Those unfriendly to Calimshan have commented that such a facility is located where it is because the cruelty of the Calishites makes it most needed in their realm—but they are too greedy and disgusted by the sick, the malformed, and the injured to allow such a place in their proud capital city.
Affiliated Orders: Ilmater's church has several affiliated knightly orders of paladins and warriors, including the Companions of the Noble Heart, the Holy Warriors of Suffering, the Order of the Golden Cup, and the Order of the Lambent Rose. Monastic orders are also numerous, and include the Disciples of St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred, whose most famous facility, the Monastery of the Yellow Rose, is located in Damara, high up in the Earthspurs near the Glacier of the White Worm. (Monks of this monastery specialize in genealogical studies.) Other Ilmatari monastic orders include the followers of the Unhindered Path, the Disciples of St. Morgan the Taciturn, and the Sisters of St. Jasper of the Rocks. Most Ilmatari monasteries traditionally are named after flowers which symbolize something of significance to the order, though this is not mandated.
Priestly Vestments: For ceremonial functions, Ilmatari wear a solid gray tunic, tabard, and trousers, or gray robes. They wear skullcaps in gray (most clergy members) or red (senior priests). Novices who have not yet been adorned wear no skullcaps. The symbol of Ilmater is worn as a pin over the heart or on a chain around the neck and serves as a holy symbol. Some of the older members of the faith have a gray teardrop tattooed to one side of their right or left eye.
Adventuring Garb: In the field or on quests, Ilmatari priests dress appropriately for the mission and the weather, but usually wear gray tabards decorated with Ilmater's symbol stitched on the chest near the left shoulder over any other clothing or armor they wear. They are never without their holy symbols and a satchel of medicines, bandages, salves, splints, and slings.

The Doombringer, Lord of Three Thunders, the Poet of Justice, Hurler of Thunders

Demipower (formerly Lesser Power) of Nirvana, LN
PORTFOLIO: Revenge, retribution, poetic justice
ALIASES: Assuran (Unther, Chessenta)
DOMAIN NAME: Nirvana/Doomcourt
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Beshaba
FOES: Anhur, Ramman (dead)
SYMBOL: A black-gloved right hand holding a coin with a two-faced head or three lightning bolts or three deep rolls of thunder
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, NG, LN, N, LE, NE
Hoar (HORE) the Doombringer is not often actively worshiped in set services, but his name is invoked by those seeking vengeance. When a guilty party falls prey to fate (such as when a murderer is killed accidentally just after the murder is committed, particularly if the accident—for example, slipping to his death—was initiated by the murderer himself), the hand of Hoar is given credit. Hoar has a more benign aspect in the North, where he is seen less as a god of vengeance and more as a god of poetic justice. Many bounty hunters and some assassins propitiate the Doombringer before commencing a hunt, the truly faithful among them seeking to capture their quarry in a suitably ironic style.
Hoar is actually an ancient Untheric deity worshiped in the Inner Sea Lands as Assuran, Lord of Three Thunders. He and his worship were driven from that land in centuries past by priests of Ramman around the same time that Hoar battled and lost to that Untheric god of war, thunder, rains, and storms in a tumultuous conflict.
Although worship of the Lord of Three Thunders dropped off rapidly in Unther (to the point where Assuran) was no longer considered part of the Untheric pantheon), the cult of the Doombringer remained strong in Chessenta for many years, particularly in the cities of Akanax and Mourktar. In the past century, Assuran's worship again declined precipitously in size when Chessentan mercenaries returning from Mulhorand brought with them the faith of Anhur. Although the officers remained faithful to Assuran, many soldiers converted to the faith of the Mulhorandi god of war.
During the Time of Troubles, Hoar/Assuran took as his mortal avatar the body of King Hippartes of Akanax. After traveling to THay to obtain a cache of weapons he had hidden in the Thaymounts (and narrowly evading the plots of a Red Wizard known as the Masked One), Hoar commanded the army of Akanax and several hired mercenary companies into wars against the neighboring cities of Cimbar, Soorenar, and Luthcheq in revenge for ancient insults. The Doombringer incited several long-simmering conflicts between those cities as well, plunging most of Chessenta into war. After a string of victories against ancient foes of Akanax and himself, he forged an alliance between Chessenta's fractious cities. He then turned Akanax's armies against Unther and against the church of Ramman in particular. Ramman's avatar met him face-to-face and toe-to-toe, and in an act of poetic justice, the Doombringer wove a powerful spell that slew Ramman by causing a bolt of lightning to rebound after the Untheric storm god's third thunderous lightning attack. However, once again Assuran lost out when, before he could seize Ramman's portfolio, the Untheric lord of war passed it on to Anhur, war god of Mulhorand, and left the Realms permanently. The revitalized Mulhorandi god of war led his troops to Unther's defense and routed the Chessentan mercenaries, many of whom defected to his side. The Doombringer was once again driven from Unther in defeat. (After the Godswar, the alliance of city-states quickly disintegrated, as most such alliances in Chessenta seem to do.)
Although his worship had been spreading slowly through the Heartlands prior to the Time of Troubles, Hoar's direct action in the Realms has not been felt since the Time of Troubles, and his sign (three deep rolls of thunder) has not been heard in the Inner Sea lands for a decade. Although some speculate that he died during the Time of Troubles, the truth is that he has retreated into himself and cut off many of his routine activities to plot his revenge against Anhur. Combined with the massive defection of worshipers from his faith in battered Chessenta, the Lord of Three Thunders has found himself reduced to demipower status throughout the Realms in the aftermath of the Godswar.
Hoar is a moody power, prone to violence and with a penchant toward bitter humor. He alternately curses Tymora for his fate and attempts to unctuously wheedle her for better luck, treating her at times as an enemy and at others as a friend. He seeks to aid the Maiden of Misfortune in unleashing bad luck on the deserving. He has a dry, hollow chuckle, a haunted appearance, and a morbid fascination in the plight of doomed mortals. It is said that both Tyr and Shar contest for Hoar's tormented soul. Shar seeks to twist the Doombringer into a servant of blind vengeance and bitterness, while Tyr seeks to unlock his bittersweet humor and shift his portfolio towards irony and poetic justice, but to this date he serves no one's interests but his own.
Other Manifestations
Hoar commonly manifests as three deep rolls of thunder when a guilty party falls prety to a suitable, often ironic, fate. Occasionally the Doombringer manifests as a ghostly hand seen only by the one being punished (and possibly that one's victim's loved ones). Such manifestations are only seen in the process of delivering an appropriate punishment. For example, the spouse of a murdered man might see the hand of Hoar push her husband's murderer—who is afraid of heights—of a cliff.
Hoar's favor is seen occasionally through the discovery of red tear-shaped gems; his displeasure is indicated by the discovery of a powdered Laeral's tear gem. The Doombringer works through aerial servants, cursts, feyrs, harrlas, haunts, invisible stalkers, justice incarnates, keres, living steels, revenants, lhiannan shee, and maruts.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, crusaders
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LG, LN, LE
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: No, Cru: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: No, SP: Yes, as described below, Cru: No
All clerics, specialty priests, and crusaders of Hoar receive religion (Faerûnian) and religion (Untheric) as bonus nonweapon proficiencies.
Hoar is propitiated more than he is worshiped. Inhabitants of the Realms commonly attribute fitting acts of justice to the Lord of Three Thunders, and some beings (particularly the helpless and the weak) go so far as to entreat the Doombringer to deliver their vengeance, but few actually worship him on a regular basis in set services held in shrines or temples.
The few temples of Hoar found scattered throughout the Realms are plain, even severe, stone edifices. Most are built in high, hidden places where their inhabitants can secretly brood and plot vengeance against all who have slighted them.
Approximately 40% of the clergy of Hoar are clerics, 30% are crusaders, and 40% are specialty priests (doombringers). As could be expected, the clergy is splintered into a multitude of backstabbing factions with centuries-old hatreds and constantly shifting alliances. Commonly used titles vary from faction to faction, but in the Heartlands, priests of Hoar are known as (in ascending order): Eye of Irony, Hand of Doom, Fist of Vengeance, Claw of Revenge, Fateful Eye of Irony, Fateful Hand of Doom, Fateful Fist of Vengeance, and Fateful Claw of Revenge. Senior priests are known as Lords of Thunderous Vengeance.
Dogma: Hoar charges his clergy to uphold true and fitting justice and to maintain the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law. Fitting recompense will always accrue for one's actions. Violence will meet violence and evil pay back evil, but good will also come to those who do good. One must be careful to walk the line of Hoar's teachings, to seek retribution, but to fall not into pursuing evil acts for evil's sake, for that way is seductive and leads only to one's downfall. Vengeance must be sought for all injustices, and all punishments must fit the crime. Revenge is sweetest when it is sharpened with irony. All attacks must be avenged. Those who do not respond to attacks against their person or that which they hold dead only invite future attacks.
Day-to-Day Activities: There are few actual temples of Hoar in the western Realms. Instead the Doombringer's priesthood is composed primarily of itinerant wanderers who travel from town to town agreeing to pray for Hoar's intercession on behalf of one who seeks or fears vengeance for some attack in exchange for a small fee. Charlatans masquerading as members of Hoar's clergy or priests who neglect the prayers they have promised to make receive a fitting punishment by Hoar's hand.
In addition, Hoar's clergy seek out victims of injustice, hear their stories, evaluate the veracity of their accounts, and track down the perpetrators in order to inflict a fitting punishment meted out. Actions of this type have caused most town watches and Tyrists to brand priests of the Doombringer as vigilantes and raised the stature of the priesthood to that of champion of the downtroddon and underdogs in the eyes of the common folk.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The clergy of the Doombringer celebrate few major holy days. Instead, each priest is encouraged to celebrate the anniversaries of his most fitting and sweetest acts of revenge. Each priest is also expected to mark the anniversary of each injury, insult, or slight as yet not avenged with quiet contemplation (many persons not of the faith would call it brooding) upon strategies for appropriately enacting that revenge. However, true members of Hoar's clergy are also to remember those who have helped them unselfishly, protected them from harm, or otherwise provided them aid and contemplate ways to reward them personally and lastingly, rather than with meaningless titles, shallow items of wealth, or faint and passing praise. Silent or thunderous praises (as appropriate) must be given to Hoar each and every time some vengeance is exacted by a priest of the Doombringer.
The Penultimate Thunder is celebrated on the 11th of Eleint with great feasts of game, bread, fruits, and mead. It marks the long-anticipated victory over Ramman by the Lord of Three Thunders. The Impending Doom is observed on the 11th of Marpenoth with daylong ceremonies of rumbling drums, vigorous oaths, and exhausting acts of purification. It celebrates justices yet to be meted out, revenges yet to be carried through with, and good deeds that call to the celebrants to be remembered.
Major Centers of Worship: In the South, two temples of the Lord of Three Thunders contest for leadership of the faith. The Thunderous Hand of Vengeance in Akanax is strictly loyal to the king of that city, and its priests run the city watch and the city courts with an iron fist. Priests of the Thunder Hand, as they are commonly known, make up a large percentage of the high-ranking officers in Akanax's armies.
The Amphitheater of the First Thunder in the independent city of Mourktar is a large, open arena where numerous gladiatorial combats takes place between accusers and the accused instead of the more common court trials found elsewhere in the Realms. It is believed that Hoar intervenes directly in each bout, ensuring that fitting justice is always enacted. The actual temple is located in the bowels of the arena. Since the Time of Troubles and the death of King Theris, the most prominent member of the faith, the influence of this temple has rapidly shrunk throughout the nearby regions of Threskel and Chessenta. Priests of the Doombringer have been shunted from most positions of powre by the Banite clergy of the Black Lord's Cloak (discussed in the Bane entry in Faiths & Avatars).
With Assuran's declining influence in Chessenta, the Hidden Hand of Fate temple in the depths of the Arch Wood has risen to some prominence in the North. The inhabitants of Archendale have always been known for their short temples, grudges, arrogance, and love of intrigue. In this environment, Hoar's worship has begun to take hold, and quite a few of Archendale's inhabitants clandestinely worship the Doombringer. The priests of the Hidden Hand of Fate sponsor a number of bards, bounty hunters, and assassins active throughout the Heartlands and coordinate a loose network of vigilantes dealing rough justice throughout the wilder stretches of the Dales.
Affiliated Orders: The Hunters of Vengeance are an informal order of bounty hunters and vigilantes active throughout the Heartlands and the North. Few in number, their actions are spoken of with admiration and dread long after they have moved on.
The Fellowship of Poetic Justices is an order of bards and crusaders founded in the aftermath of the Time of Troubles. Dedicated to both Hoar and Tyr and supported by clergy from both faiths, members of the fellowship seek to spread tales of ironic justice throughout the Realms and achieve through words and deeds what violence often fails to accomplish.
Priestly Vestments: The clergy of Hoar wear their ceremonial garb whenever possible except when they wish to conceal their identity while stalking a perpetrator of some injustice. Their ceremonial raiment always includes a black tunic over a long gray robe, soft, black leather gloves, and a surreal mask that covers their faces when they are officially on a "hunt" for vengeance. Priests typically keep small tokens of their successes on silver-bordered, dark red sashes slung from their waists. They carry curved daggers, and sport the symbol of Hoar worked into a piece of jewelry as a holy symbol.
Adventuring Garb: When adventuring, priests of the Doombringer wear whatever garb is best suited for the mission. Typically they garb themselves in leather armor when stealth is required, and the heaviest armor available when a frontal attack is anticipated. While they can wield any weapon, Hoarite priests must carry at least one blunt, one piercing, and one slashing weapon at all times. When injured (or anticipating injury) by an opponent, Hoarite priests are expected to use a weapon of the same type or at least the same damage type in response, as such attacks are more fitting in their impact. Those who deserve death should be finished off with their own weapons.

He of the Unsleeping Eyes, the Watcher, the Vigilant, the Vigilant One, the Great Guard, the God of Guardians

Intermediate Power of Nirvana
LN
PORTFOLIO: Guardians, protectors, protection
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Nirvana/Everwatch
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Arvoreen, Clangeddin Silverbeard, Cyrrollalee, Gaerdal Ironhand, Gorm Gulthyn, Moradin, Torm, Yondalla
FOES: Bane (now dead), Bhaal (now dead), Garagos, Mask, Shar, Talos
SYMBOL: An open, staring eye with a blue pupil and outline painted on the back of a right-hand war gauntlet or the palm of a left-hand war gauntlet
WORSHIPPERS ALIGNMENT: LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN
Helm (HELM) is the epitome of the guardian, the watcher, the guard, and has in years past been greatly venerated by those who need to remain watchful for evil at their doorsteps,. He was one of a much more powerful god, but has fallen upon hard times through two actions. During the Time of Troubles, Helm was left with his powers and ordered to hold the gates to the Outer Planes against the other powers of the Realms when the other deities were stripped of their power and confined to the surface of Abeir-Toril. Helm did so all too successfully, and much of the resulting destruction and deific turmoil caused by the many divine deaths of the Godswar is laid at his feet.
Helm remained strong in the South, but experienced a further setback when his priests became deeply involved in an invasion of the True World of Maztica. Their unflinching and often brutal actions counted further against the god's reputation. Because of the inflexible and cold reputation those actions gained him, Helm's star is fading at a time when Term and Gond are attracting new followers.
Helm is difficult to understand and is often viewed as emotionless, heartless, and devoted only to his duty or goal at the cost of all mortal consideration. While he is devoted to the point of obsession, he is not heartless, but merely a stern disciplinarian. He is fond of children and has been known to be most uncharacteristically lenient (for Helm) when dealing with small infractions by them or on their behalf.
In attempting to comprehend Helm's driven nature, many mortal sages have attempted to account for him throwing himself into his work by blaming his behavior on a broken heart caused by long-unrequited or spurned love. Others say he lost a great love to tragedy or eternally grieves for a lost relative, such. as a brother, sister, ot child. Still others account for his behavior more coldly as a burning ambition to become the greatest of deities. Helm has never given credence to any of these theories, as he considers such speculations frivolous use of time that could be spent more honestly at productive work.
Other Manifestations
Helm often manifests as an upright, palm-out metal gauntlet making a "stop" or warding gesture or a closed, watchful war helm. From such images emanate heal or imbue with spell ability spells to aid or empower guardians, defensive magical barriers, wardmist magics, fields that reveal illusions and hidden or disguised attackers for what they truly are, and beams that force out-of-phase, ethereal, astral, or otherwise inaccessible beings fully into phase on the Prime Material Plane on Faerun so they can be attacked by guardians. It is rare for offensive spells to lash out from a manifestation of Helm, hut it has occurred. Most often such spells come from the war helm apparition and tend to be thin beams of lightning.
When Helm manifests, all guardians and defenders within 10 miles wake up and become alert. He banishes all sleepiness, weakness, nausea, or magics that place guardians and defenders under the influence of others (such as charm spells). These conditions are ended, not merely suspended while the power of Helm is present.
Helm also sometimes works through the presence or action of einheriar, helmed horrors, spectators, maruts, watchghosts, and living steels. In addition, Helm can choose to send vivid warnings in dreams, and if a believer sleeps touching an unsheathed weapon, the visions imparted to the believer by Helm can sometimes also be seen by the next being to touch the weapon, regardless of how much time has passed. Weapons consecrated to Helm can also thrum, sing, glow, dance, or vibrate in warning when the god desires them to.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, Specialty Priests, Crusaders, Monks, Paladins
CLERGY'S ALIGNMENT: LG, LN, N
TURN UNDEAD: Cleric: Yes, Specialty Priest: Yes, Crusader: No, Monk: No, Paladin: Yes
COMMAND UNDEAD: Cleric: No, Specialty Priest: No, Crusader: No, Monk: No, Paladin: No
All clerics, specialty priests, crusaders, and monks of Helm receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
Prior to the Time of Troubles, Helm was a well-respected faith in most areas of the North. Its large temple complexes were usually situated near dangerous and evil areas (such as Darkhold) and were regarded as a first line of defense against evil people and creatures. Wracked by defections in the wake of the Time of Troubles, active persecution in the North by those angry that Helm forced the destructive divine avatars to remain in Faerun, and military and popularity losses related to the invasion of the True World (Maztica), the Vigilant or Watchful Ones (priests of Helm) have been in decline. They have only recently begun to recover popular favor and influence, strength, and organization under the unflinching, no-excuses leadership of the veteran priests of Helm from before the Time of Troubles known as the Tested and True. Most of these folk are people of inflexible beliefs and loyalty. They believe that Helm is the most favored of all the powers, for he was chosen to retain his powers to discipline the others.
Fighting their way back from a reputation that brands many dead magic areas "the Legacy of Helm," the Tested and the True are having a tough time, but one which their strong discipline and the almost military hierarchy of the church of Helm are well suited to handle. All know their position by their rank within the church of Helm, and Helm himself sets the goals for his high priests and priestesses, determining what temples, abbeys, and shrines are to cooperate with each other in which ongoing efforts.
Titles used by the clergy of Helm are (in ascending order of ranks: Novice, Adept, Trusty, Alert, Watchknight, Guardian, Overblade, High have been adopted only since the Time of Troubles, and members of the Tested and True and Watchers (specialty priests, derisively known as "Godseyes") have been allowed to retain any older, personal, or variant titles. Clergy who lead or occupy an important office in a temple, abbey, or monastery may also bear additional titles pertaining to their duties.
Dogma: "He also serves who stands and waits and watches carefully" and "Careful planning always defeats rushed actions in the end" are popular sayings of Helm's faithful. Novices of Helm are charged to be vigilant and to he fair and diligent in the conduct of their orders. They must protect the weak, the unpopular, the injured, and the young and not sacrifice them for others. They must anticipate attacks and he ready, know their foes, and care carefully for their weapons so that their weapons" can perform their duties properly when called upon.
"Never betray your trust" is the guiding phrase for faithful of Helm. This philosophy extends to thinking about how best to guard and protect, both in terms of weapons and the deployment of guardians, and to anticipating what attacks may come and having a practiced plan ready to deal with such threats. The faithful and the priests of Helm train and exercise so as to always be able to carry out their duties as best they can.
Helmites always obey orders, provided those orders follow the dictates of Helm. Helm's wishes are often revealed to his faithful in response to on-the-spot prayer (often via an omen spell). He is very responsive in sending guiding vision, especially when his faithful face conflicting orders or directives, even from his senior clergy. The thought of commanding undead rather than turning them or destroying them is abhorrent to Helm, and so his clergy are not allowed to do so and would never dream of trying. This difference in philosophy is a major factor in the rivalry between his church and that of Torm.
Day-to-Day Activities: Helmite clergy believe they can win back the rightful power of Helm only through demonstrated excellence of vigilance and purity of loyalty in their roles as guardians and protectors. They have set about trying to train bodyguards everywhere and spreading the word that only Helm-tested worshipers of the God of Guardians are truly worthy and reliable to their masters.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The Helmite faith always holds a Ceremony of Honor to Helm on each Shieldmeet, but its members observe no other calendar-related rituals to the God of Guardians.
On a daily basis, worshipers of Helm should always pray to the Vigilant One upon awakening and before composing themselves for slumber. A faithful worshiper who poses a question to the god typically receives some sort of (often cryptic) guidance in dream visions. Helm may also grace a nonbeliever who is growing interested in his faith with such visions.
Major Centers of Worship: The most prominent center of Helm's faith is the Noble Hand in Tsurlagol. The Noble Hand is both a temple and a training school for professional guards. It flourishes under High Watchful Weaponmaster Ellym "Catsjaw" Thourin, a retired adventurer of some reputation. Helm's worship is also still very strong in the Vilhon Reach and also in the South. The Temple of the Vigilant Guard in Iljak, led by Battle Marshal Senior Steeleye Tonorak Winthrax, is a bastion of the Helmite faith in the Vilhon Reach.
Affiliated Orders: The members of the Companions of the One True Vision, an order of Helmite clerics, fighters, and crusaders, were known for being unswervingly loyal shock troops able to follow orders asking them to engage the most difficult objectives without breaking and hold the most trying positions against overwhelming odds. Recently, however, members of this order, many of whom served in the Helmite actions in Maztica, have taken a beating in popular reputation. Other affiliated Helmite orders include a small fellowship of battlefield healers known as the Watchers Over the Fallen, a group of dedicated bodyguards whom Helmite temples hire out to others to generate revenue called the Everwatch Knights, and an order of paladins called the Vigilant Eyes of the God.
Priestly Vestments: Priests of Helm wear spotless, shining, (often everbright-enchanted), unblemished full plate armor with open-faced helms (a visor reduces vision). Often the helms are topped with plumes. Such armor may be accessorized with red cloaks and tabards of steel gray, and Such garments-or the armor itself - may be adorned with the Unsleeping Eye in the center of both back and breast. In southern regions, Helmite clergy members often wear the finest full plate armor set with gems and worked with gold filigree in designs that accentuate great golden eyes set in the centers of their chests (on the breastplates) and hacks. In areas where heavily armored clerics are frowned on, the armor is reduced to a set of heavy shoulder plates, but the helm remains in any case.
Adventuring Garb: Because of the useful nature of the ceremonial gear of the priests of Helm, it is worn in the field as well as for ceremonial purposes, unless it is decorated with such costly materials that the priest fears it will attract thieves, in which case a more utilitarian version of the same full plate armor is worn. In either case, the armor is dominated by i he symbol of Helm's eye on the chest, often shown in a sunburst or as the topmost level of a stepped pyramid.

Master of Tracking, Master Interpreter of Woodland Signs, the Tracker, the Tracker Who Never Goes Astray, Mouth of Mielikki

Demipower of the Prime Material Plane, NG
PORTFOLIO: Tracking, interpreting woodland signs, rangers of the North
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Toril/Faerûn
SUPERIOR: Mielikki
ALLIES: Arvoreen, Baervan Wildwanderer, Lurue, Fenmarel Mestarine, Mielikki, Shaundakul, Shiallia, Nobanion, Solonor Thelandira
FOES: Malar, Vaprak
SYMBOL: A dark red "S" overlaid with a small, five-pointed white star on its top half and a large, four-clawed animal print in brown on its bottom half
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG
Gwaeron Windstrom (GWAIR-on WIND-strahm) embodies the skills of tracking and understanding woodland signs. Gwaeron roamed the North as a mortal ranger many centuries ago, and he was elevated to the ranks of demipowers by the sponsorship of the Lady of Forests after successfully stalking and slaying at least one avatar and several manifestations of Malar in quick succession. This accomplishment has earned him the undying enmity of the Beastlord and resulted in any unending battle between them that was continued during the Time of Troubles when Malar appeared in the North after his defeat by Nobanion. Malar, the Lord of Beasts, was relentlessly pursued throughout the North by Gwaeron and could not shake the Master of Tracking from his trail.
Gwaeron serves Mielikki along with Lurue and Shiallia. He aids Mielikki on some missions and teaches her rangers the way to read forest signs. Gwaeron is rare among the Faerûnian powers in that he has forged alliances with the deities of the elven, gnome, and halfling pantheons whose portfolios most closely match those of Mielikki, Silvanus, and his own. His quiet, reclusive demeanor allows he and Fenmarel Mestarine to get along better than Fenmarel does with most members of the Seldarine. When Mielikki has to ask a favor of a deity from one of these pantheons, Gwaeron is naturally the messenger she sends. Gwaeron also acts as Mielikki's intercessor with mortals in the North in his role as the Mouth of Mielikki. He speaks to most mortals on her behalf if direct speech is necessary.
Gwaeron is normally taciturn, and when he does speak, he speaks in terse sentences and with little visible emotion. The Master of Tracking is slow to anger, but, once ignited, his rage is a fearsome thing. He utterly loathes trolls and considers them the kin of Malar and a blight on the land that will inevitably upset the Balance in the long run. In addition to being regularly spotted near Triboar, in the High Forest, and in Cormanthor, Gwaeron is known to stalk the Evermoors and the rest of the North hunting the Undying Ones.
Other Manifestations
Gwaeron occasionally manifests as a nimbus of faerie fire around a woodland sign that could serve as an obscure clue when trying to track some being or creature. Gwaeron also sometimes appears as a deer, a boar, or some other woodland creature. The Master Interpreter of Woodland Signs often does this as a means of instruction. Soon after a novice ranger discovers a spoor that he is unfamiliar with, Gwaeron appears as the corresponding creature, enabling the ranger to make the appropriate induction.
Another of Gwaeron's manifestations is as the print of a bare human foot with a faint impression of his symbol recognizable in the heel print. He may manifest in this fashion when a devout worshiper loses his trail. By looking in the direction indicated by the anomalous print, a ranger can often pick up the lost trail again. Occasionally Gwaeron manifests as a footprint a split second before a being steps in the depression. Beings so favored automatically receive the effects of a natural attunement spell.
Gwaeron is served by a wide variety of naturally appearing forest creatures. Herds of herbivores move to obscure a trail at his command, and various birds, particularly crows, magpies, and blue jays, may move to obscure or reveal clues indicating a trail to disguise them from a foe of one of his followers or make them readily apparent to a favored tracker. Faerie dragons and pseudo-dragons are also favorites of his.
The Church
CLERGY: Rangers
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG
TURN UNDEAD: R: No
CMND. UNDEAD: R: No
All rangers of Mielikki (including those sworn to Gwaeron's service) receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
There is not an organized Gwaeronan faith distinct from the church of Mielikki. Instead, Gwaeron is venerated by rangers and trackers of the North who seek to interpret woodland signs and to track outlaws or game. The Master of Tracking is served in particular by an order of rangers known as the Fellowship of Stalkers of the Silent Path who are drawn from the ranks of Mielikki's clergy.
In the North, temples and shrines of the Lady of Forests, such as the shrine found in the hamlet of Mornbryn's Shield, often include a small shrine or side altar to the Master of Tracking within their confines. Shrines consecrated in Gwaeron's name are typically simple altars made of a single boulder inscribed with Gwaeron's symbol and are mainly found within the High Forest and Cormanthor.
Dogma: Gwaeron's teaching mirror those of Mielikki, whom he serves. Intelligent beings can live in harmony with the wild without requiring the destruction of one in the name of the other. Gwaeronians are taught to embrace the wild and not fear it, because the wild ways are the good ways. They are to keep the balance and learn the hidden ways of all life. They should not allow trees to be needlessly felled or the forest to be burned. They are to live in the forest and be a part of the forest, not dwell in endless battle against the forest.
Stalkers of the Silent Path must protect forest life and strive to keep the balance that indiscriminate fire-users, woodcutters, and hunters break. They are to live in harmony with the woods, to teach others to do so, and to punish and frustrate those who hunt for sport (not food) and who practice cruelties upon wild creatures. Gwaeronans are to talk their roles as protectors very seriously and to keep in check the numbers of sentient, generally malicious wild creatures and humanoids who would distort the Balance just as much as incursions from civilized, careless and thoughtless humans.
Day-to-Day Activities: Stalkers of the Silent Path walk the trails and wilderness of the North practicing their craft, becoming attuned to their environment, and observing the activities of the "monster" races. When called upon by the church of Mielikki or hired by local rulers, they track down fugitives from justice, elusive predators (both human and beast), or lost travelers. Some join militias, mercenary companies, or adventuring companies where they typically serve as scouts. In times of famine, Stalkers travel to regions where game is scarce and the inhabitants are in danger of starving and use their skills to provide food.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Gwaeron has no special holy days outside of those commonly celebrated by the faith of Mielikki. After a successful "stalk," Stalkers of the Silent Path and any would-be tracker who invokes Gwaeron's name are expected to leave a circle of six footprints in the ground with their right foot, the heel of each print nearly touching and the toes facing outward.
Major Centers of Worship: Gwaeron is said to sleep in a stand of trees just to the west of the town of Triboar, known as Gwaeron's Slumber. On rare occasions he can be seen walking into or out of the trees. Rangers who venerate Mielikki often visit Gwaeron's Slumber to pray, but there is no shrine there and Gwaeron never appears to those who come seeking him. It is said that worshipers of Mielikki who sleep in this wood receive in their dreams some hint of what the goddess wants them to do. If such a worshiper is not a ranger, the person gains a once-in-a-lifetime, day-long ability to track as a ranger does. To avoid angering Gwaeron, there are laws in Triboar against cutting any wood from these trees or hunting any creature in the woods. The local militia patrols the forest to prevent orcs, trolls, and other such creaturs from camping there—but less intelligent monsters have never been seen in Gwaeron's Slumber.
Affiliated Orders: As discussed above, those rangers of Mielikki's clergy who are specifically sworn into Gwaeron's service are members of the Fellowship of Stalkers of the Silent Path. This informal order (composed exclusively of single-classed human and half-elven rangers) focuses on the interpretation of woodland signs and tracking all manners of beings and beasts. Members retain close ties to the regular hierarchy of Mielikki's faith and are considered regular members of that church as well as of the fellowship. They serve as the tracking, scouting, and hunting arm of Mielikki's faith, much as Gwaeron serves Mielikki.
Priestly Vestments: Stalkers of the Silent Path dress practically for their environment, preferring clothing made of supple, sturdy leathers and comfortable boots. They let their hair and beards grow freely, but keep them neatly combed and arranged in practical styles. Female Stalkers of the Silent Path wear their hair in a long, loose braid down their back. All Stalkers wear a patch or sport embriodery on their formal vestments displaying Gwaeron's symbol and respect the seasonal colors of Mielikki's clergy's ceremonial railment in the dyes used to color their formal clothes. Many Stalkers choose to tattoo a blue or brown five-pointed star on themselves in honor of their dedication to the order of the Silent Path.
Adventuring Garb: Gwaeron's followers dress practically when adventuring, in clothing very similar to their formal garb, but not as colorful. Stalkers pay respect to the seasonal colors of Mielikki's clergy's garb in their trim or accessories while in the field, but not so as to make targets of themselves in incompatible-colored terrain. When the weather permits, male Stalkers like to work bare-chested, and both male and female Stalkers prefer working barefoot or in soft moccasins when practical.

Boss of Earth, Earthlord, Gnarly One, King of the Land Below the Roots, Boss of the Earth Elementals

Portfolio: Elemental Earth, Solidarity, Changelessness, Oaths
Alignment: Neutral
Grumbar, Boss of Earth, King of the Land Below the Roots, the Gnarly One, is an Elemental Lord from the Elemental Plane of Earth. He is generally uncaring to his faithful, but continues to grant his priest their powers since their worship increaces his power on his home plane. To maintain continued worship he does take a limited intrest in his followers mortal problems, and occationaly makes his presence known with a manifistaion, but never an avatar.
Grumbar's church is varied and chaotic since he takes no interest in its structure. As a result it is a collection of cults with each faction coming up with its own ethics, codes, morals, and teachings. Grumbar's symbol varys greatly from faction to faction, but is generally a depiction of mountains. It is believed that if Grumbar's following (or any of the other Elemental Lords) were to somehow become unified he would become a very powerful force in the Realms. Something the other gods don't really wish to see happen.
Priest of Grumbar can be of any alignment, but are usually neutral. They dress in whatever their faction deems approprate for the representation of their god. This is usually large bulky vestments with heavy padding to bulk up their mortal frames. They normally choose earth tones, blacks, and greys. They use any armor and shields, and use bludgeoning weapons and picks.
Grumbar is a powerful deity, normally depicted in the art of his faith as an immense earth elemental with bulky, muscular arms and eyes that blaze like shimmering rubies. He represents stability and resistance to change, both typical properties of earth.
Every appearance of an earth elemental in the Realms is viewed as direct divine intervention by the followers of Grumbar. (Of course, it follows that enslaved earth elementals must be freed at any cost.) Grumbar is also said to send servant creatures from the Elemental Plane of Earth such as xorn, crysmals, khargra, or lava children to do his bidding or aid followers. Earthquakes are signs of his anger, and the location of a rich vein of metal, mineral, or gemstone ore is always viewed as a sign of his favor.
The Grumbarryn have a natural resistance to change, especially radical change. Important Grumbarryn followers, priest and warrior alike, are frequently portrayed in teaching stories and fables that argument the faithful's belief in the importance of resisting change. Grumbarryn doctrine also speaks of the holiness and absolute quality of oaths. Grumbarryn take oaths with extreme seriousness and would never break one upon pain of being cast out of the faith.
The eternal Grumbar is perfect and unchanging. Strive to be more like the eternal one, not to change or allow change to happen. One's given word is the bedrock upon which a stable society is built. To break an oath is to cause a crack in the foundation of civilization. Go forth and spread the word of Grumbar and show through your works the stability and safety he brings.
The holy symbol of Grumbar, a large ruby or sardonyx carved with Grumbar's symbol and incorporated into a ring or pendant, is always worn by Grumbarryn priests.
The Oath of Landwalking is a solemn promise undertaken by all members of the Grumbarryn faith upon entering the priesthood that forbids them from traveling through the air or by sea. Only in the most dire of circumstances would priests of Grumbar take to the enemy element of air. Travel over water is allowed only when the church would benefit as a result of the sacrifice.
Novice Grumbarryn are referred to as the Unspoken. Upon taking the Oath of Landwalking, they become full priests and are known as the Oathbound. Specialty priests of Grumbar are known as earthwalkers.
Grumbar occasionally ally with Geb, Garl Glittergold (a gnomish deity), Dumathoin The Keeper of Secrets Under the Mountain (a dwarven deity), Kurtulmak (a kobold deity), Ladugauer, Urogalan of The Earth and Death (a hafling deity) and Skoraeus Stonebones.
Amongst foes Grumbar count Akadi the Queen of Air Elementals and Urlden The Crawler Below (an evil Gnomish Deity).

The Yellow God, The Keeper of the Eternal Sun, Keeper of Law

Homeplane 
Power Level Greater, then Lesser
Alignment Lawful Neutral
Portfolio Bureaucracy, contracts, law, order, the sun, rulership
Domains Law, Nobility, Planning, Sun, Time
Alias(es) At'ar the Merciless
Superior None
Overview
Amaunator (Ah-MAWN-ah-tor) is/was an ancient Netherese deity of order and the sun, Amaunator was also revered as the patron of law and time. The justice he dealt was always harsh but eminently fair. He was revered by many rulers, soldiers, and powerful wizards.
His symbol is a sun with a face on the solar disk.
Appearance
Amaunator appeared as a lanky man with silver-white hair, a short, week-long growth of white beard, and skin that glowed with a quiet golden radiance. He carried the Scepter of the Eternal Sun in one hand and a large legal tome in the other, and wore the clothes of a magistrate: a long, black or purple gown trimmed with silver or gold. To be in his presence was to feel the awesome power of true law.
Personality
Amaunator was a careful and meticulous deity who made certain that every agreement was written down, contracted, signed, sealed, and witnessed. An extremely lawful deity, he followed the letter of the law, not necessarily the spirit of it–unless the spirit was a great deal more to his liking. He expected the same of his followers.
Amaunator was also occasionally revered as the keeper of time. This artificial “addition” to his portfolio was due to a mispunctuation in a contract between himself and another deity which stated: “…Amaunator shall be responsible for all time. any misrepresentations of his or his followers, If so deemed the fault of Amaunator….” This unnoticed punctuational snarl of commas and periods led to Amaunator considering himself to be in charge of “all time”. Fortunately, he never officially acted to take over the portfolio, since he was not willing to step on the toes of Mystryl (the Netherese deity of magic now known as Mystra), who was the unofficial keeper of the timestream in Faerûn.
History
When Netheril fell, the common people who were not killed by the fall of the enclaves (the only living worshippers of the deity) largely abandoned Amaunator, believing that he had done nothing to prevent the disaster. His followers were right, but contractually, his hands were tied. Magic in all its forms was under the exclusive control of Mystryl, and Amaunator had no lawful right to interfere in any way, even when a magical catastrophe, such as Netheril’s fall, was in the process of occurring.
Over the centuries, many theories have been put forward by later religious scholars as to what ultimate fate Amaunator met. Some insist that he died, but others (notably the sunmasters of the Brotherhood of the Glorious Sun) argue that he was reborn as Lathander. Still others believe he survives as the vengeful Bedine deity known as At’ar the Merciless and yet others assert that he turned his back on Faerûn and entered the pantheon of the lands of Kara-Tur or simply moved on to other planets (such as Oerth). The truth is that with the loss of nearly all his followers in Netheril after its fall, Amaunator began the long, arduous, and painful process of dying of neglect. After about a millennium, he did not have enough power left to maintain his power base in the outer planes and was ruthlessly exiled to the Astral Plane. His corpse now drifts with the endless astral tides, awaiting a day when some ambitious spirit may help him regain his once-proud heritage.
Church
Members of the church of Amaunator were powerful political figures at the height of Netheril’s rule. Amaunator’s clergy were extremely hierarchical and rulebound. Each Righteous Potentate (high priest of a temple, called a “Court”) oversaw all aspects of church functions. No one could perform or be relieved of their duties without the consent of the Righteous Potentate or one of his seven Monastic Abbots. Under each of the seven Monastic Abbots, there were an additional seven High Jurists (priests) who served relentlessly, performing whatever duties were assigned to them. Lower ranks of clergy members served beneath the High Jurists, and were known as (in descending order): Jurists, High Magistrates, Magistrates, Defenders of the Law, Lions of Order, Radiant Servants, and Clerks. Within Amaunator's church, there was an elite sect of clerics and holy warriors called sunmasters, who now represent a branch of the church of Lathander known as the Brotherhood of the Glorious Sun.
Dogma
Amaunatori were taught that the law is the law. The law kept order in society, and without it civilization would unravel and chaos would reign. Amaunator represented the sure function of the law, for just as certainly as the sun would rise in the morning, the law could deal fairly with any dispute and any crime.
Novice Amaunatori were charged as follows: "Learn the law and live it; obey its every letter and clause, for in knowledge of the intracacies of law lies freedom to act with righteous impunity. Keep track of the decisions of your superiors so that the body of precedent continues to grow and the unity of purpose of the rulings of Amaunator is made manifest to all. Serve your superiors faithfully, and they will reward you faithfully; shirk your duty and find the harsh hand of reproof."
Day-to-Day Activities
All clergy members had to learn, understand, and know how to reap the benefits from (exploit) the laws of the land, the city, and the province they lived in. In order to completely understand the nuances of law and legislature, the clergy constantly drilled each other, practiced law in court whenever possible, and rehearsed law in practice courtrooms. They could not resist investigating the scene of a crime or taking part in the construction of new laws in their locale, and did so with great intensity and fervor.
Amaunatori served often in court as judges, to present cases, and to hear legal arguments and disputes. They were paid well to settle merchant disputes over contracts, agreements, and trade practices and made a comfortable living for themselves and their church as arbitrators of all sorts of commercial and personal claims not worthy of the attention of figures of power in ultimate authority.
Affiliated Orders
The monks of Amaunator belonged to the Brotherhood of the Sun, an association of itinerant monks who served the faithful in the field, bringing the comforting words of Amaunator to the peasants and common folk and preserving order throughout the land. Although the Brotherhood survived the fall of Netheril and the death of Amaunator, it never coalesced around a proper successor. Instead, each monastery chose its own deity to serve, with most eventually graviating to Lathander or Selûne, but a few choosing Sune Firehair. Today, the Brotherhood of the Sun is known as the Order of the Sun Soul, and the group's original association with the church of Amaunator has been largely forgotten. The order now admits both men and women, but retains its itinerant nature and ancestral focus on serving the common folk of the Realms.
Heresies
The church of Lathander is not without its notable heresies, including the Risen Sun heresy and the Three-Faced Sun heresy, both of which are detailed below and are prominently focused on the return of Amaunator.
Risen Sun Heresy
The Brotherhood of the Glorious Sun has long existed within the church of Lathander, tolerated by other followers of the Morninglord and preaching that Lathander is the reincarnated form of Amaunator. Heretics of the Risen Sun take the Brotherhood's beliefs one step further into heresy, by preaching that the time of Lathander's transformation is nigh and Amaunator is about to return.
The leader of the Brotherhood of the Glorious Sun, Sunlord Daelegoth Orndeir, has embraced the Risen Sun heresy and now seeks to make it the orthodox sect of the church of Lathander. By the Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR), Daelegoth has already begun a drive to recruit converts to the faith of Amaunator through preaching and performing miracles.
According the Third Edition rules for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Risen Sun heretics have access to the Fire, Law, Nobility, Renewal, Sun, and Time cleric domains.
Three-Faced Sun Heresy
Heretics of the Three-Faced Sun believe that the sun is a tripartite overdeity, with aspects of dawn, highsun (solar noon), and dusk. Like a spinning prism viewed from the side, believers in this heresy teach that only two of the three aspects can be "seen" at any time. (There are said to be brief instants in deific time when only one aspect is manifest.)
According to this heresy, during the Age of Netheril, Amaunator ruled as the aspect of highsun, while Jergal (then the Netherese deity of death) held the portfolio of dusk. After Amaunator faded away, Lathander appeared as the aspect of dawn, and Myrkul inherited the aspect of dusk. The Time of Troubles marked the fall of Myrkul and Lathander's brief moment of unchallenged dominance. Now, believers in the Three-Faced Sun are heralding the rise of Amaunator. Some believers in this heresy suggest that Lathander will become the new aspect of highsun and another will take his place as the aspect of dawn, while others herald the rise of a new deity who is the aspect of highsun.

Wonderbringer, the Lord of All Smiths, the Inspiration Divine, the Holy Maker of All Things

Intermediate Power of the Plane of Concordant Opposition, N
PORTFOLIO: Artifice, craft, construction, smithwork
ALIASES: Zionil (Durpar, Estagund, and Var the Golden)
DOMAIN NAME: Outlands/Wonderhome
SUPERIOR: Oghma
ALLIES: Lathander, Oghma, Waukeen (missing), Tempus
FOES: Talos
SYMBOL: A shining toothed wheel or cog with four spokes, in ivory, bone, or metal
Gond (GOHND) Wonderbringer is the god of blacksmiths, woodworkers, inventors, and engineers. In religious art, he is most often portrayed as a burly, red-hued smith, with a mighty hammer and a forge and anvil that allows him to craft the stuff that stars are made of.
Gond serves Oghma along with Deneir and Milil. He gives the ideas that Oghma holds in his portfolio concreate form and inspires others to make new things. He has grown very independent as his own power waxes, and his relationship to Oghma is already only dimly remembered at times by mortals. In Durpar, Estagund, and Var the Golden, Gond is worshiped as a part of the Adama, the Durparian concept of a world spirit that embraces and enfolds the divine essence that is part of all things. Here he is known as Zionil, patrion of inventors, craftfolk, and creators.
Gond is always making new things. He often presses Oghma for their release into the mortal world without thinking through completely the impact they will have. He is fascinated with making the theoretical real and either does not consider or often does not care about the implications for the use of his inventions and discoveries. He has a constant need for bizarre components as well as raw materials for his work, and so may overlook shady sponsors for specific jobs provided that they pay well in materials, knowledge he can use, or future favors. He can be distracted, businesslike, sarcastic, or patronizing as well as incredibly helpful and brilliant. He is dedicated to his faithful, and though he sometimes does not immediately respond to them because he is busy, he always ensures that their needs are met.
During the Time of Troubles, Gond, in the avatar of a gnome, washed ashore on Lantan. His true nature was quickly discovered, and the deity was revered and worshipped there until the crisis passed. As a result, Gond gave the secret of smoke powder to the Lantanna, and arquebuses, stamped on the butts of their stocks with the symbol of Gond, have been shipped at a steady trickle to western ports since 1358 DR.
Other Manifestations
Gond appears most often as a forge hammer wreathed in gray smoke. He has also manifested as a pair of black, piercing eyes in a gray cloud accompanied by the faint rining of distant forge hammers. Either manifestation can speak or cast spells, issuing spells forth as a bust of smoke that changes into the spell effect or touches the target of the spell to affect him or her. Most often he inspires ideas for new inventions or new applications for old inventions in his faithful. He laos gives out magical or normal items geared to aid worshipers in particularly sticky dilemmas, though he often does not explain why the item he gives someone is suitable. Frequently the items he give out evaporate in smoke after serving their purpose. Gond also sends baku, holy ones, einheriar (who were in mortal life inventors), golems, lightning mephits, maruts, pseudodragons, steel dragons, crystal dragons, and animated furniture or equipment to aid mortals or to show his favor or presence.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: Any
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: No, SP: No
All clerics and specialty priests of Gond receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
Since the Time of Troubles, interest in and worship of Gond is on the rise, but this has brought increased attacks from both rival clergy and those who simply fear new inventions. Gondarism is the official state religion of the island nation of Lantan, which is also a hotbed of invention and new devices. Men tend to outnumber women in both Gondar clergy and laity, but there is no impediment to or prejudice against females rising in the ranks of the Gondar. Members of the Gondar faith are mainly human, but more and more gnomes are being accepted into the church, especially in the wake of the form that Gond's avatar took during the Gondswar.
In most of Faerûn, the proportion of clerics to Gondsmen (as his specialty priests are called) is 15:1. In Lantan, this proportion is neatly reversed, and there are about 20 Gondsmen for every Gondar cleric. Most specialty priests of the faith are Lantanna, and most Lantanna merchants encountered in the Realms outside Lantan are specialty priests of Gond.
Clerics of Gond are called Krii, a Lantanna term meaning disadvantaged. Despite the implied slur, many clerics hold senior positions within the state religion in Lantan. A cleric occupies the post of Most Holy Avenue for Spreading the Faith, which is (in title at least) the supreme authority for all worshipers of Gond in Lantan. There are a number of northern branches of the Gondar faith, including a budding temple complex in Tilverton.
Clergy refer to themselves as the Consecrated of Gond, and may speak of other Gondar priests as "fellow Consecrates," but their titles of rank are simple: Wonderer (novice), Seeker Postulant (priest in training), Seeker after Small Things (confirmed priest), Greater Seeker, Seeker of the Twelfth Order, Seeker of the Eleventh Order, and so on up to Seeker of the First Order, High Seeker (a title held by all senior clergy), Master (leader of a religious community or one who tends a holy site), Artificer (one who has been personally rewarded and named by Gond for special service), and High Artificer (the supreme priest of the faith). Though Gondar may act independently in their duty of encouraging inventions, their religious hierarchy is ordered and obedience to a superior is unquestioning.
Dogma: The beliefs of the Gondar can be summed up as "Actions count." Intentions and thought are one thing, but in the end it is the result—what remains after the sword is forged, the battle is fought—that is the most important. Talk is for others; those who truly serve Gond do.
All Gondar are to strive to make new things that work. All of Gond's clergy should become skilled at forging, casting, or tempering, and practice various means of joining and fastening until they are adept at making things to fit a space or situation with which they are confronted. To venerate Gond is to continually question and challenge the unknown with new devices and items. Elegance and usefulness are the two legs any new making should stand on.
Gondar must practice experimentation and innovation in the making of tools and implementation of processes and encourage these virtues in others through direct aid, sponsorship, and diplomatic support. They should strive to make farmers, hunters, and others think of new tools, improved ways of crafting and using their existing gear, and new ways of doing things.
The Concecrated must keep records of their strivings, ideas, and attempts, so that others can continue where they leave off when gathered at death to the Holy Maker of All Things. Gondar are instructed to observe, acquire, and store safely the makings of others, and show what they have learned to other Consecrated of Gond. They are to discuss ideas and spread them so that all may see the divine light that is Gond.
Day-to-Day Activities: Gondar keep the formulas for smoke powder and various sealants, cleansers, and lubricants secret. They sell small jars of all of these as they travel Faerûn, making a lot of money thereby as well as by selling buckles, small brass bells, mortars and pestles, and various monocles and lenses. The special glass jars they use to store smoke powder and other formulas were formerly made only in Lantan. They have proven so popular that rival makers have sprung up in Calimshan and the Tashalar. To protect church trade secrets, Gondar priests are charged to work against these rivals by sabotage, diplomacy, and financial influence, whenever they can covertly do so.
As they travel, Gondar clergy establish caches, investments, and alliances and grab samples of any new inventions they come across. It is their duty to assist inventors and innovators and to file regular reports to the nearest Master by means of messenger envoys of the faith as they travel.
Settling in one place is frowned upon unless a priest can show his or her superiors that their prospective home is a locale where much innovation occurs that bears need for constant watching such as Waterdeep, Athkatla, Suzail, or—formerly—Zhentil Keep. Making a handsome personal living while one serves Gond is encouraged, however, for who better walks upon Faerûn to demonstrate the rewards of following the Way of Gond!
Priests of Gond are much in demand as builders, especially of vaulted and buttressed temples dedicated to other gods. Because of these temple engineering and construction contracts, the faith of Gond is growing in wealth and influence, but also in foes. Who else would know the secret ways of a rival temple than the builder?
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Gondar have only one calendar-related festival: the Ippensheir. The Ippensheir is the name given to the 12 days immediately followering Greengrass. It is named for Ippen, the first great cleric of Gond, who sometimes appears to clergy in need these days as Gond's First Servant. During the Ippensheir, all clergy members of Gond's faith and his devout worshipers gather at a temple, abbey, or holy site of Gond to share innovations and show inventions and innovations they have made or witnessed with and to their fellow Gondar. (Many cavern networks and remote towers where capable inventors once dwelt are revered by Gondar as holy sites.) It is a time of feasting, drinking, and revelry, and some Gondar make much use of personal teleport magics and the network of gates maintained by the priesthood to link major defensible holy houses to visit as many gatherings of the faithful as they can during this time.
Daily rituals to Gond are simple: muttered prayers upon rising and retiring that are often scheduled as part of dressing or disrobing so that they are not forgotten, a longer prayer of thanks at the main meal of a priest's day, and a special prayer of thanks and dedication of their work before commencing any work of new making (as opposed to repair or maintenance).
If a new tool or machine is seen or made by any Gondar, that Gondar is charged to make two copies of it if possible. One is hidden away against the prying eyes of thieves or vandals for later display to fellow Gondar, and the other is smashed—or preferably, burned—while a prayer of offering to Gond, the Sacred Unmaking, is chanted. The ceremony reinforces Gond's dominion over both constructive and destructive engineering.
Major Centers of Worship: The heart of the Gondar faith is located at the High Holy Crafthouse of Inspiration in the city of Illul in Lantan. This large, walled monastery is run by Danactar the High Artificer, Most Holy Servant of Gond, the highest-ranking mortal priest of the Wonderbringer.
The House of the Wonderbringer in Tilverton, formerly known as Gharri's House, is the most prominent temple of Gond in the Heartlands. It is led by High Artificer Burlan Almaether, who directs over 40 priests in devising new inventions in Gond's name.
Affiliated Orders: The church of Gond has no affiliated knightly orders. It does have a great many honorary orders and societies within its ranks. These are usually founded to recognize the works of Gondar working in a particular specialty and to promote the easy exchange of ideas between those qualified in a field while preventing trade or church secrets from leaking out to competitors. Just a few of these societies include the Order of Puissant Stonemasons and Stonecarvers, the Holy Order of Most Skilled Architects and Bridgemakers, the Armorers of the Wonderbringer, the Most Arcane Order of Gearmakers, Clockmakers, and Automationists, the Society of Creative Castle Design and Construction, and the Industrious Brothers and Sisters of Carpentry, Cabinetry, Puppetry, and Toymaking.
Priestly Vestments: Gondar clergy members wear saffron ceremonial vestments with a crimson collar and stole. Over their right or left shoulder they wear a leather sash ending in a large pouch. The sash is dotted with small metal tools, gears, wire, cord, locks, hooks, hasps, buckles, and bits of steel, tin, and wood that might prove interesting or useful in a pinch (including, for Gondsmen, their lockpicks). Their vestments also include belts of large, linked metal medallions and enormous sun hats. They wear Gond's holy symbol as a pendant fashioned of bone, brass, bronze, or ivory.
Adventuring Garb: In dangerous situations, Gondar wear standard armor (along with their leather sash), but generally they prefer the protection of 10 or 12 big fighters. Most often they wear practical clothing hung about with baldrics and pouches crammed with useful supplies. Most priests of Gond wear bulky rings that function as knuckledusters (1d3 points of damage) and can also produce the equivalent of a cosh from their gear (1d4 points of damage) and three or four knives of various sorts. (Removable boot-heel knives are a great favorite among the Gondar.) Few Gondar priests would steal, but most have and can use files and bolt cutters, and Gondar are proficient with lockpicks. Increasingly, GOndar priests have also taken to carrying small metal flasks of smoke powder sealed against sparks and damp and appropriate wicks to use with them to make explosive missile weapons when trouble arises. (The average smoke powder grenade prepared by a Gondar priest has a range of 10/20/30 feet and does 2d4 points of explosive/fire damage within a 5-foot-radius of where it strikes. It takes one round to prepare and light the wick; the missile can be thrown the second round. Roll on the Scatter Diagram in the Grenade-Like Missiles subsection of the Missile Weapons section of the Combat chapter in the DMG for missiles that miss their target.)

The Reaver, Master of All Weapons, Lord of War

Demipower of Pandemonium, CN
PORTFOLIO: War, skill-at-arms, destruction, plunder
ALIASES: Targus
DOMAIN NAME: Cocytus/Battle Garde
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: None
FOES: Tempus, Red Knight
SYMBOL: A five-armed tentacus (a pinwheel of five black, snaky arms spinning counterclockwise, each arm ending in an identical sword)
WOR. ALIGN.: LN, N, CN, LE, NE, CE
Some legends claim Garagos (GAH-rah-gos) was the primary war god in western Faerûn until he was overthrown by the upstart Tempus. Certainly Garagos was worshiped in Westgate and the Vilhon Reach during the days of Myth Drannor, and his faith was strong long before that time—reportedly even in ancient Netheril. He was thought killed by Tempus, as he is recorded as slain, but either this means that he was destroyed as the primary war god of Faerûn, a position which Tempus took from him as the spoils of their one-on-one battle, or he was resurrected by some of his diehard cultists along the southern coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars, in the Vilhon Reach, or in the Border Kingdoms. He is most certainly not dead, but alive.
Garagos is associated with the rampaging destruction and plundering of war than tactics, strategies, or armies. The Reaver is linked with the mad bloodlust that overtakes some warriors, resulting in horrifying carnage. (Followers of Tempus claim their god destroyed Garagos by using the Reaver's berserking fury against him.) The scarlet cloak he is portrayed as wearing in religious art is one made of the blood of his foes, and in recent times he is often shown wading through a blood-red sea—again, the blood of his slain enemies.
In 1368 DR, Garagos reappeared to crush an impostor, the marilith Glackzana, a tanar'ri who had been attempting to start a cult in his name using her powers to present herself in a form like that of his avatar. He demolished the temple built to her at the ruined villager of Gosra, located in the Fields of Nun of central Chondath, and ordered it reconstructed in a more grand manner and rededicated to his worship.
Garagos himself scorns the use of armor (though he does not care if his priests wear it) and admires those who give in to battle-lust and merciless destruction in conflict, destroying all that lies in their path and taking no prisoners. He is blood-thirsty and single-minded. He angers quickly and cools down from an emotional boil very slowly. He is feared for the damage he can do and the uncontrolled nature of his fury.
Garagos was even more even-tempered and less prone to explode of old, but since his defeat by Tempus his fuse has gotten shorter, and he has lost all sense of mercy once he becomes caught up in a battle. With the change in his disposition, he no longer felt comfortable in his former abode in Limbo and moved to Pandemonium. Some say that he moved to his new abode when his heart grew hard upon finally giving up all hope for attaining his secret love. Others say this is so much poppycock, and speculate that Garagos is finally going over the edge to outright evil he has been teetering on for so long.
Other Manifestations
The most common manifestation of Garagos's manifestations is the Blood of the God, a fist-sized mist of glowing crimson droplets of blood (often collected reverently by worshipers) that is accompanied by a faint wailing and an intense feeling of danger. These droplets may poison enemies of the Garagathan faith or provide healing, protective magics, or a boost in morale and the removal of fear (similar to the effects of remove fear and the prayer spell) to Garagathans themselves.
Garagos also manifests as the clash of many furiously wielded weapons, and this manifestation may be accompanied by real strikes from unseen weapons upon creations threatening favored worshipers of Garagos or upon worshipers who have behaved against the tenets of the Garagathan faith. Garagos also works his will through berserkers, both alive and dead, and through inspiring a berserk frenzy in a being. Garagos also acts or shows his favor through the appearance or presence of wolverines, weasels, aurumvorae, worgs, dire wolves, and red-and-black hued gemstones.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, crusaders, shamans
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: N, CN, NE, CE
TURN UNDEAD: C: No, SP: No, Cru: No, Sha: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: No, Cru: No, Sha: Yes
All clerics, specialty priests, crusaders, and shamans of Garagos receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
Garagos attracts to his priesthood those with a cruel, destructive, reckless streak. Berserkers and sadists who eschew mercy and enjoy causing destruction and eradicating opposing forces often call on Garagos for extra aid even when they profess to worship another deity such as Tempus or Talos. The Reaver has also become something of a fashionable god among brigands, outcasts, and those who regularly raid other peoples or settlements for plunder.
The Garagathan faith is not really organized overall. It exists as a number of independent churches with individual hierarchies. Two rival churches fight each other for dominance in Amn and Tethyr. Another in the Sword Coast North is seeking to expand its sway over all the Sword Coast and the trade routes that connect to it, and ultimately into Cormyr.
The oldest church, in Westgate, has always been split into warring cults. The currently predominant clergy members in that church are based in Yondath, and two eastern organizations battle with them for control of this branch of the faith. One of these is located in the Great Dale and is seeking to expand into Damara and Thay; the other has established itself in Raurin and is spreading agents both south and west.
The the wake of the construction of Garagos's new temple at Gosra, the established independent churches of Garagos have all sent representatives to help from the hierarchy of the new temple. They are, of course, devoting quite a bit of their efforts to in-fighting in order to determine which church of Garagos the Gosran temple will ultimately belong to, but they have also been forced into rapid preparations for the defense of the new facility as the established churches of Tempus are rumored to be hiring a massive army of mercenaries to destroy the new temple.
Overall, the clergy of Garagos is composed of about 45% clerics, 40% specialty priests, 10% crusaders, and 5% shamans. The organized churches have no shamans in their ranks; the shamans are primarily found in more primitive cultures where berserk raiding is practiced. Garagos used to have many shamans, but his worship has waned in favor of that of Tempus, and their numbers are dwindling.
Garagathan clergy members address each other as "Bloodbrother" and "Bloodsister," adding "High" as a mark of respect if they are speaking to a priest of four or more levels greater than their own. They eschew formal titles beyond the rough rankings of Supplicant (novice), Priets/Priestess of the Blood (full priest), Reaver Lord/Lady (senior priests), and Favored (veteran senior clergy of ruling rank). This last title is added to whatever fanciful, self-styled rank the senior priest wishes to assume, such as Favored High Reaver Ounadar the Blood-Drenched or Favored Storm of Battles Arhaghon Master of Reavers. When attached to a military forces (a rare thing), priests may also hold a rank within that force.
Dogma: Garagathans believe that peace is for weak fools. War makes all who fight strong, and only in head-to-head conflict is honor satisfied. Only cowards avoid battle. Any who strike down a foe from ambush or from behind are to be scorned as the cowards they are. Retreat is never an option, even in the face of a greater foe, for if a warrior's heart is focused on Garagos, he will provide the strength to conquer any foe. Diplomatic solutions are for fools, the soft, and the dishonorable; the only true answer lies in battle. A warrior's word is his or her bond to a friend, and no one can be trusted more than shield companion, but warriors should not concern themselves with keeping a pledge to cowardly dogs or the enemy. Battlelust is a gift from Garagos; with it the faithful find the focus and the strength to defeat any enemy and refuge from the confusion and pain of the battlefield.
The charge given to novices in teh faith of Garagos is: "Bow down to me, and triumph in arms. Seek to awaken bloodlust and reaving everywhere, and take part in these sacred things whenever prudent or possible. Always go armed in readiness for shedding blood. Do battle at least once a tenday for the greater glory of Garagos and shed blood even if you cannot slay. Spread fear of Garagos, and the message of his power that guides and assists believers in every land you enter. At least once a year challenge and slay a greater foe than yourself for Garagos so that you test always the limits of your skill and press it to increase." This last is usually interpreted to mean killing a powerful monster or a priest of another diety of higher level than the Garagathan.
Day-to-Day Activities: Priests of Garagos spend their days formenting strife wherever they go in Faerûn, seeking to cause battle so that bloodlust (the Sacred Goal) is born and wanton destruction begins. Some of them are sly manipulators who deal in intrigue, thievery, and subtle diplomacies to ensure their own enrichment and continued anonymity or at least lack of public connection between them and the troubles they instigate. Others are unsubtle, violent brigands who start tavern brawls and use very public marketplace assassinations and similar crude means to spread Holy Reaving throughout the lands.
Senior clergy of the Reaver are charged with renewing and expanding an ever-growing network of informers, agents, sympathizers, and faithful warriors—and of training and disciplining such folk. The performance of a priest's charges reflect on the priest, for good or for ill, so they often set spies upon their agents, and activate back-up teams to carry out a mission if the first team fails. At the highest levels, Garagathan priests spend their days in ruthless power plays against rival senior clergy members seeking to become head of one of the various independent churches of Garagos.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Garagos demands to be worshiped in two ways: A believer who slays any foe in battle can shout out the power's name over the body of his or her victim to dedicate the death to Garagos as an offering. The second way to worship him is at a stone Blood Altar in one of his shrines or temples. Prayer to Garagos at a Blood Altar must begin with drops of blood being spilled into troughs in the stone altar. Then the devout entreats the Reaver to heat, promises to perform some act of battle valor involving death and destruction, however small, and then calls on the Master of All Weapons for aid, strength, or guidance.
There are no calendar-related Garagathan religious rituals. Any gathering of seven or more priests may call a Blood Festival. A Blood Festival involves a feast wherein at least some of the food must be butchered at or next to the table and subsequently devoured while still bloody (that is, not fully cooked). Initiations of priests to the Full Blood, the ceremony by which novices are made into full priests, must take place at a Blood Festival. Initiation into the Full Blood involves dipping the supplicants' hands into fresh blood and then painting their cheeks with the symbol of Garagos with blood. The blood used must be that of one or more monsters (dangerous creatures) slain by the supplicants to be initiated and full priests of Garagos with no other assistance.
Major Centers of Worship: Garagos's greatest worship occurred in the area of what is now Westgate. The sewers and underground passages of that city are rife with his old altars and symbols. That Inner Sea city still boasts an important underground temple to Garagos, the House of Steel, where an ambitious priestess, Chaless the Cruel, leads a congregation of murderers, outlaws, and half-orc brutes. The House of Steel is defended against nonbelievers by many animated swords.
However, the House of Steel is not currently the largest or most prominent center of the Garagathan faith. That honor is held by the Vale of the Reaver in Yondath. The Vale of the Reaver is the valley below the headwaters of the Thornwash River, between the western Cloven Mountains and the Thornwood. It is located north of Saelmur and Ankhapur and south of the Deepwash. In this valley, Ounadar the Blood-Drenched has recently risen to power, gathering berserkers, criminals, and disaffected and violent folk of all sorts to follow the faith. He and his congregation have been practicing slaughter on the creatures spawned from several captive deepspawn in caves above the valley. Ounadar dreams of capturing and ruling the city of Westgate.
Another veneraged Garagathan site is Godswalk Keep in the Barony of Great Oak in the Border Kingdoms. It is said to have been a proud fortress-city in the days when Netheril was in proud ascendance. On certain nights, for unknown reasons, an avatar of Garagos walks in the ruins, slaying all creatures he finds. This event is called the Meeting of the Three, or the Howling (after the sound Garagos makes), because avatars of Jergal and of Sharess appear at the same time, and Garagos howls madly upon meeting them because he cannot slay them.
Affiliated Orders: The few crusaders of the Garagathan faith all belong to the Brothers of Blood, an order dedicated to crushing the foes of Garagos. Its members unfortunately tend to die young, however, as making constant attacks on the church of Tempus tends to make anyone's life short and bloody. The various independent churches of Garagos have ties to the Red Wizards, the Zhentarim, the Iron Throne, and the Shadow Thieves, though none of these connections are very strong. For unknown reasons, Garagos forbids acting against the church of Shar, though he also does not allow his churches to ally with hers.
Priestly Vestments: Priests of Garagos wear the best armor they can obtain, though it is usually extremely battle-worn. Many clergy members wear red boots and gloves. High priests usually wear scarlet or crimson overrobes or tabards. Specialty priests often have embroidery or ruby ornaments on their ceremonial robes in the shapes of teardrops of blood. Garagathan clergy members may have belt buckles or cloak pins fashioned in the shape of the tentacus of Garagos or even bear daggerlike belt weapons sporting a basket hilt in the shape of a whirlwind of five blades.
Most clergy of Garagos carry a tentacus as a symbol of their faith and are skilled in its use as a weapon. A tentacus does 1d4+2 points of slashing and piercing damage to small or man-sized creatures and 1d3 points of slashing and piercing damage to L-sized or larger beings when held or thrown. It has a speed factor of 3, is size S, and weights 1 lb. It has a range of 1/2/3.
Adventuring Garb: Priests of Garagos wear almost the same outfits in the fields as they do to ceremonial functions, sporting armor, red boots and gloves, crimson capes, and decorative ornamentation in the shape of the tentacus. They carry a tentacus as their holy symbol.

The Nameless Bard

Demipower CN
Portfolio: Cycles of life, transformation of art, saurials 
Superior: Tymora 
Homeplane: Fermata, which is situated on the plane of Arborea
Holy Symbol: A white harp on gray circle
Finder Wyvernspur (find-er wihv-urn-spur), the god of the cycle of life and the transformation of art, is chaotic neutral. He is also known as the Nameless Bard, a title he gained during a lengthy period of exile while he was mortal. He is a new deity, having achieved divinity only a few years ago. He teaches that in order to thrive, everything, especially art, much change and grow. Although his faithful are few in number at the moment small, he is worshiped by bards and artisans who wish to explore nontraditional methods of expression, as well as the saurials (civilized lizardfolk from another plane) of the Desertsmouth Mountains. The domains associated with him are Chaos, Charm, Renewal, and Scalykind, and his favored weapon is the bastard sword.
Worshipers
Finder's church is very small, consisting primarily of younger bards and musicians, and those who seek to change and diversify the arts. His faith is strong only amongst the saurials of the Lost Vale (in the Dalelands)—where his is a state religion along with Chauntea's—who owe him their freedom (see below). His speciality priests are called Finders.
History
A few centuries ago, Finder was a member of the Wyvernspur family, who are nobles in Cormyr, and a highly accomplished bard. Rising to prominence among the Harpers, he was quite successful in his youth. Finder's skills in music were such that his songs transcended mere music, inspiring others to great works, renewed vigor or deep despair.
Inevitably, Finder's works were copied by other performers, who added their own twists to his songs. It was inevitable that their performances would thus veer from the level of perfection that Finder strove for. In anger at the corruption of his works, Finder vowed to create a method by which his songs would be preserved in the ideal state; that is, the way he himself wanted.
Disregarding the advice of powerful mages who claimed it was too dangerous, Finder first modified an artifact, the Finder's Stone, to act as a recording and playback device for his music, spells, and journal. He accomplished this by inserting a sliver of para-elemental ice into the stone, cooling it while simultaneously expanding it's storage capacity. The Stone was a success, however Finder wasn't satisfied by the flat, unliving playback it delivered.
To make his music both "alive" and immortal, he then devised a magical clone of himself that he could fill with memories—including his music. This clone, Flattery Wyvernspur, was physically almost identical to Finder. However, the egotistical Finder was unsatisfied by the emotionally childlike and inexperienced clone's imperfect reproductions of Finder's music. After only a week of unsuccessful practice, Finder lashed out in frustration and struck the clone. He continued a cycle of abuse until finally, Flattery snapped and attempted to kill Finder with a ring of disintegration. One of Finder's apprentices died when he threw himself in front of the beam, while another was later driven to suicide by the now evil Flattery. This resulted in a severe backlash to Finder's reputation within the still fledgling Harper organization, despite Finder's attempts at a partial cover-up. He claimed his apprentices were injured in an explosion in which the clone was also killed. Flattery actually escaped, and cleaned out Finder's lab. Finder himself was brought to trial before the Harpers, including Elminster.
The verdict was harsh: many Harpers had watched Finder's obsession grow, and the fatal result of his attempts to preserve his music were viewed as a terrible crime. The Harpers condemned Finder to timeless existence in the Citadel of White Exile, located on the border between the Positive Energy Plane and the Plane of Gems. His songs and his name were wiped from the Realms. Only a few, such as Elminster and Morala of Milli, remembered them, in case they should emerge again.
Centuries later, the sorceress Cassana found details of Finder's experiments and tracked him down in the Citadel. She offered him a second chance, though her motives for doing so were dark. He accepted, and the result was the adventuress Alias, who he filled with false memories and all of his music. In her release from Cassana and the "Dark Masters," Alias met Finder, known as Nameless, and he discovered that she, too, had been adapting his music to enhance it. However, Finder found he could accept this fact. Within a year, Flattery reemerged and attempted to steal the Wyvern's Spur, an artifact and heirloom of the Wyvernspurs. He was killed when Giogi Wyvernspur used the Spur against him.
Now returned to the Realms, Finder was yet again put on trial. this time, to determine whether he could be reintroduced into the realms or returned to the white citadel. After a long and dangerous journey with his halfling friend, Olive Ruskettle, Finder found the love and courage within himself to sacrifice the finders stone and save the realms from the evil Moander. At that time, Moander had enslaved a number of the otherworldly reptilian humanoids known as Saurials, and captured the Turmish mage Akabar bel Akash in a plot to build a new body. By dismantling the stone and using the para-elemental ice at its core, Finder was able to slay Moander's real body in Tarterus, and claim its godly essence for his own. Moander's portfolio of rot and corruption, however, remained unclaimed by the bard.
In doing this, Finder freed the Saurials, one of whom—"Dragonbait"—was travelling with Alias at the time, who had been enslaved by Moander. Finder immediately gained the worship of this stranded race (excepting Dragonbait who followed Tyr), as their own deities remained on the world they left behind. He was also pardoned by the Harpers for his bravery, and his name and songs were restored to the Realms.
Still a fledgling power, Finder started to develop a base of worshippers at the urging of his first priestess, the Saurial Copperbloom. To do so, he manifested himself to a young bard named Joel, posing as the elderly priest Jedidiah, who espoused the wonders of Finder's vision. Joel later became close friends with Finder, as well as his first human cleric, from the time they spent together searching for an artifact, the Hand of Bane.

Relationships
Finder is tolerated by most of the good pantheon. His closest ally is Tymora, who sponsored his rise to godhood, and it is believed, as his old patron deity, helped him permanently slay Moander. He is jokingly referred to as the god of reckless fools, which Tymora may appreciate and which is somewhat apt, considering Finder's behavior. He has also been known to fraternize with greater powers who are allies of Tymora, although as a free spirit, Finder prefers to spend his time away from stronger deities. He has also forged a good relationship with the deity Selûne, whom he shares his home plane with.
Finder is too new a deity to have any implacable foes or long-term allies, but Milil, whilst feeling somewhat threatened by him, hopes to guide Finder to a more benign outlook. Oghma is also wary of Finder, but cultists of Moander, sponsored by Lolth, seek his destruction, and deities such as Tiamat, Set, and Sebek wish to gain his patronism of the saurials, whilst deities such as Talona, Gargauth, and Yurtrus seek to steal Moander's unclaimed but guarded portfolio for themselves.
Finder's closest relationship is the one he has with his priest, Joel the Rebel Bard. Despite being lost to the Wyvernspur family's lore, he continues to watch over the descendants of his brother.