Capitale: Essembra
Popolazione: 36.827 (umani 90%, mezzelfi 4%, halfling 3%, altro 2%)
Governo: signoria
Religioni: Tempus, Gond, Kossuth (Chauntea, Silvanus)
Importazioni: corde, manufatti in metallo, olio, spezie, vestiti
Esportazioni: bestiame, carne, formaggio, frutta, grano, lana, sidro
Allineamento: CB, NB, LN, N
Personalità importanti:
- Lady Tabitha, reggente di Battledale (deposta)
- Lord Ilmeth, Lord di Essembra (resuscitato)
- Lord Ilmeth il giovane, Erede del Lord di Essembra
- Nadia Navarro, sacerdotessa di Helm e consigliera di Lord Ilmeth
- Harald Nietzen, Fiamma Eterna di Kossuth
- Zakhar Ver'Math, Fiamma Eterna di Kossuth (scomparso)
- Edmund Horgath, Comandante degli Uomini del Lord e della Lady (deceduto)
- Garlak Sturnn, Vassallo di Hap
- Darylia Dennin, moglie di Garlak Sturnn, lady di Hap e a capo della Scuola di Magia Dennin

Il nome bellicoso di Battledale (Valle della Battaglia) non è riferito al carattere o alla politica verso gli altri stati, bensì alla posizione geografica della valle, nel bel mezzo delle migliori strade d’invasione che attraversano le Valli. Storicamente, le più grosse battaglie locali si sono tenute sui prati collinosi di Battledale. Non tutti gli stranieri che giungono a Battledale sono in cerca di guerra. Col passare dei secoli Battledale ha consolidato il suo ruolo di punto d’incontro e di rifugio per uno strano miscuglio di guerrieri, avventurieri a mercanti provenienti da tutto il Faerun.

Per molti stranieri “Battledale” significa la distesa di campi e prati che costeggia la Strada di Rauthauvyr. In realtà, questa valle è composta da varie regioni: la distesa di campi e prati che costeggia la strada è detta "La Fascia"; vi sono poi il bosco di Yeven, ricco di selvaggina e funghi commestibili, e la Terra dei Tre Fiumi.

Luoghi importanti

Abbazia della Spada: Quattordici anni fa, durante il Periodo dei Disordini, Tempus comparve sul campo di battaglia dell’Insenatura delle Spade a Mistledale. Un sacerdote di Amn chiamato Eldan Ambrose seguì il percorso di Tempus fino al campo di battaglia e scoprì che la divinità era giunta a Faerun tra i resti di un castello devastato a Battledale. Ambrose fondò un tempio, l’Abbazia della Spada, in una parte ricostruita del castello. Un gruppo che andava dai cinquanta ai cento adoratori di Tempus si presero l’incarico di sorvegliare il tempio e i numerosi portali che si aprivano nei suoi sotterranei e nei tunnel locali del Sottosuolo.

Nel 1371 CV, una nutrita forza di drow Vhaeruniani, l’avanguardia del clan Auzkovyn, attaccò l’Abbazia. I drow arrivarono attraverso un portale non sorvegliato in una profonda caverna vicina e sfondarono le difese dell’Abbazia. Lo stesso Eldan Ambrose morì nello scontro, divorato da un demone dopo essere riuscito a distruggere il portale. il suo gesto impedì al grosso delle forze di Auzkovyn di calare su una Battledale priva di protezioni.

Purtroppo per i difensori dell’Abbazia, l’avanguardia drow riuscì a dileguarsi nella foresta nonostante i valorosi sforzi dei difensori. Gli Auzkovyn più tardi riuscirono ad aprire un altro portale in un altro luogo nelle foreste a nord di Battledale, portando il resto della loro gente a Cormanthor. I difensori dell’Abbazia della Spada non hanno più guerrieri a sufficienza per poter sorvegliare tutti i portali sotterranei, e nemmeno gli incantesimi resurrezione pura possono riportare in vita Ambrose finché il demone che lo ha divorato non viene permanentemente ucciso.

Colline di Haptooth: Un tempo, in cima a questa collina di granito a poca distanza da Hap si ergeva l'antica torre di un mago, occupata qualche decennio fa da un mago rosso di nome Dracandros, noto per essersi alleato con i drow del sottosuolo. Qualche anno fa, però, la torre è stata completamente rasa al suolo da ignoti. Adesso le colline sono preda dei pelleverde e di altri umanoidi, che le infestano rendendo pericolosa la zona.

Maniero di Aencar: sei chilometri a sud di Essembra, in piena vista della Strada di Rauthavyr, si erge una delle rovine ingannevolmente più attraenti di Faerun. A differenza di molte altre tenute infestato, il Maniero di Aencar sembra ancora una tenuta lussuosa e splendida, anche se ha più l’aspetto di un signore della guerra, a giudicare dai bassorilievi di cavalieri che ricoprono le pareti esterne del castello. In realtà i giardini esterni e i dintorni del Maniero di Aencar sono abbastanza sicuri da poter ospitare il grande festival di Scudiuniti di Battledale. L’interno del maniero, tuttavia, è un’altra questione. 

Hap (Villaggio, 581): Questo piccolo villaggio è stato, nel tempo, vittima di moltissime tragedia. E' composto da poco più di 20 abitazioni e fattorie, un fabbro, una taverna, un santuario di Lathander, una piccola caserma e dalla magione dei Manti Scarlatti, dalla quale il vassallo Garlak Sturnn governa la città, grazie anche ai Manti Scarlatti, ex mercenari e ora integrati quasi completamente nelle forze regolari di Battledale. La particolarità di questo villaggio consiste nel fatto che ci sono pochissimi bambini e anziani: qualche anno fa, infatti, il villaggio fu conquistato da una casata drow di Kiaransalee, che costruì nel giro di una notte un'enorme torre di marmo nero, catturò tutti gli abitanti e riuscì a ucciderne la maggior parte: bambini e anziani furono uccisi quasi subito, mentre parte degli abitanti più giovani e forti furono trasformati in non morti, che i drow utilizzarono per attaccare e razziare. L'intervento di un gruppo di potenti avventurieri riuscì a rovesciare i drow, anche se si dice che l'arcimago e la matrona della casata siano riusciti a sfuggire. 

Da allora, Hap è stata ricostruita e affidata al comandante Sturnn dei Manti Scarlatti come vassallo; nonostante i numerosi sforzi dell'uomo, però, molti abitanti di Battledale si sono dimostrati restii a trasferirsi nuovamente lì, avendo perso in modo orribile amici e familiari. Buona parte dei nuovi abitanti del villaggio, dunque, provengono dalle altre zone del Faerun e delle Valli. Il nuovo governo di Garlak si è dimostrato più in linea con le decisioni di Lady Tabitha rispetto al passato. Dal suo insediamento, ha posto attenzione particolare alla militarizzazione e fortificazione, nei limiti del possibile, dei confini cittadini, lastrificando inoltre le principali strade cittadine. Vista la difficoltà a aumentare la popolazione sensibilmente, ha intensificato i suoi sforzi per promuovere il passaggio del commercio per il villaggio, puntando a questo aspetto per convincere nuovi coloni a trasferirsi. 

Per garantire la sicurezza nel villaggio ogni minima trasgressione viene punita, e non sono stati rari i casi in cui un bandito è stato mutilato, privandolo di una mano E condannato ai lavori forzati. In due casi, alcune guardie cittadine, provenienti dal comando precedente, sono state trovate colpevoli di corruzione. Questo è stato valutato come tradimento, e le due guardie sono state giustiziate in pubblico, da Garlak stesso. Non si sono registrati più casi di indisciplina nei ranghi delle guardie cittadine.

Queste decisioni, se da un lato hanno intimorito la vecchia popolazione di Hap, dall'altro hanno avuto l'approvazione dei commercianti locali e dei mercanti di passaggio, che vedono nel villaggio un sicuro punto di rifornimento e commercio, in mezzo ad una lunga tratta, ancora non del tutto sicura che separa Scardale da Essembra. Il governo di Garlak non è comunque oppressivo, nel tono generale; è piuttosto molto rigido, e formale, cosa che ai precedenti abitanti risulta un pò "aliena".

Il matrimonio di Garlak con la sua vecchia compagnia di avventure Darylia Dennin ha contribuito a scaldare un po' gli animi della popolazione verso di lui, specialmente quando dopo qualche tempo dalle nozze è nata la loro erede, la piccola Corwin. La bambina è stata poi promessa in sposa a Lord Ilmeth il giovane, anche se naturalmente il matrimonio sarà celebrato solo quando la piccola compirà sedici anni.

Quando Lord Ilmeth detto "il redivivo" ha marciato su Essembra per riprendersi la valle (vedi paragrafo "Storia") Garlak ha marciato al suo fianco insieme ai suoi soldati, cementando così la fiducia del lord e mantenendo l'alleanza matrimoniale di sua figlia con il figlio di lui.

Storia

Battledale all’inizio era composta dai frammenti di altre valli, che si unirono assieme quando i loro governi si dimostrarono inaffidabili e la gente decise di sistemare i propri affari da sola.

Essembra, l’insediamento principale di Battledale, ha una storia più degna di nota. La città porta il nome di un’avventuriera dai capelli rossi che si guadagnò la fama con la spada e con l’astuzia. L’avventuriera Essembra respinse il corteggiamento di un signore degli elfi, strangolò un re dei nani con le sue mani in uno scontro di lotta e infine rivelò la sua vera natura di drago d’argento. C’è chi dice che i discendenti di Essembra, in parte anch’essi dei draghi, vivano ancora nei pressi della città che porta il suo nome. Di certo la moderna Essembra produce un gran numero di abili stregoni, sia umani che mezzelfi, i cui talenti fluiscono liberi invece di essere inquadrati nelle regole degli incantesimi dei maghi.

Circa trecento anni fa, Battledale offri alle Valli la cosa più vicina ad un Grande Re che ebbero mai. Aencar divenne il signore della guerra di Battledale nell’anno 1030 CV. Scelse il titolo di “Re Incappucciato” e iniziò una campagna per unificare le Valli. Dpo alcuni successi, l’uomo che voleva diventare Grande Re accettò l’invito di una festa ad Essembra che si rivelò una trappola. Aencar venne ucciso da un dracolich evocato da uno dei suoi nemici. Shadowdale e le altre valli non avevano alcun legame con Battledale stessa: la loro fedeltà era stata giurata ad Aencar, quindi il sogno di unificare le Valli morì assieme al Re Incappucciato.

L'attuale lord di Battledale, Lord Ilmeth detto "il Redivivo",  è un discendente del capitano dell'esercito di Aencar. Ilmeth è considerato un lord serio ma giusto, abile combattente e sempre pronto a schierarsi in prima persona per difendere la Valle. Noto per lo scarso amore che prova nei confronti degli avventurieri, è una persona estremamente riservata e apparentemente rigida, pur avendo in realtà molto a cuore gli abitanti della valle, che protegge assiduamente secondo i dogmi di Helm.

La storia di Ilmeth è estremamente travagliata: dopo l'assedio da parte di una casata drow fedele a Kiaransalee di Hap, e le successive battaglie, Ilmeth fu infatti colpito a morte da un dardo avvelenato poco dopo l'ultima battaglia, mentre teneva un discorso per la vittoria: il lord balzò infatti di fronte al dardo per proteggere la moglie incinta, e cadde.

Due mesi dopo Tabitha, la giovane moglie Damaran del lord, diede alla luce un bambino al quale venne imposto il nome di Ilmeth il giovane e assunse la reggenza della valle, che portò avanti con un pugno di ferro e un'insolita tolleranza religiosa che permise addirittura a dei baniti di insediarsi nella valle. Mentre il giovane Ilmeth cresceva e veniva tenuto sempre più lontano dal popolo e dalle occasioni pubbliche, il consenso nei confronti di Tabitha diminuiva: il suo piglio autoritario e venato di crudeltà era sgradito a buona parte degli abitanti della valle, specialmente a coloro che avevano amici e parenti imprigionati o costretti a lasciare la valle per avere mostrato dissenso verso la reggente.

Qualche anno più tardi, un gruppo di avventurieri riuscì a introdursi nella magione e a trafugare il cadavere di Ilmeth; non si conoscono esattamente le circostanze che portarono agli eventi successivi, ma il Lord venne riportato in vita e marciò su Essembra, riprendendosi la città. Si dice che durante la marcia molti dei soldati si unirono immediatamente a lui, ingrossando le sue fila e rifiutando di difendere la lady. Durante la battaglia Edmund Horgath, fratello della lady, perse la vita, mentre la fiamma eterna Zakhar Ver'Math del tempio di Kossuth si diede alla fuga.

Lady Tabitha fu poi accusata di avere orchestrato insieme al fratello l'assassinio del marito e di averne impedito la resurrezione; dopo essere stata imprigionata per qualche tempo, a seguito di trattative con la Damara è stata riportata in patria, insieme al corpo del fratello Edmund.

Dopo qualche mese, il figlio Ilmeth il giovane è stato mandato in un luogo segreto a studiare e ad allenarsi per il suo futuro ruolo di lord.

Ciao
Posso pensare che il problema si sia verificato in A&L nel momento in cui ho cambiato gli stivali indossati dal pg lasciando aperta la maschera per il cambio dei modelli, però non sono pienamente sicuro. Se è possibile guardare dai log, il problema dovrebbe essersi presentato attorno alle 18.15 - 18.30 su A&L.
Sono entrato con un paio di stivali normali (senza bonus) ed un paio di stivali in pelle del mephit del fuoco (Res. Fuoco 5).
Dopo qualche minuto mi sono accorto di avere in inventario due copie degli stivali di mephit, mentre gli stivali normali erano spariti.

Dopo aver rinominato una delle due copie in "Stivali Bug" per indentificarla ho provato a:
- Sovrapporre le icone pensando ad un bug grafico di duplicazione dell'icona. Entrambe gli oggetti rimangono e si "scambiano" di posto. Gli stivali normali sono comunque spariti.
- Indossare entrambe con doppioclick. Gli stivali si sostituiscono come effettivamente fossero due oggetti diversi.
- Controllare con examine. La descrizione di entrambe corrisponde a quella degli stivali di mephit.
- Controllare l'IRL degli oggetti con il PCTool. Entrambe gli oggetti hanno l'irl corretto per il tipo di oggetto e vengono segnati con la stessa data di loot.
- Sloggare da A&L, loggare sul server e riloggare in A&L. La copia persiste.
- Facendomi attaccare con danno fuoco, entrambe gli oggetti applicano correttamente la resistenza.

Merchant's Friend

Lesser Power of the Plane of Concordant Opposition, N
PORTFOLIO: Trade, money, wealth
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Formerly: Outlands/The Marketplace Eternal; currently missing and presumed adrift in the Astral Plane
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Lliira, Gond
FOES: Mask
SYMBOL: A gold coin displaying the face of the goddess facing to the sinister
WOR. ALIGN.: Any
Waukeen (Wau-KEEN) is a relatively young deity. She appealed to the rising merchant class in the Realms, and her worshipers included shopkeepers, members of trading costers, wealthy merchants, caravan guides, itinerant peddlers, moneychangers, and smugglers - many of whom may return to her fold yet, depending on how events transpire.
Waukeen is a vibrant and vivacious deity with a will to get things done. She loves wealth not for the sake of money itself but for the comforts, conveniences, and opportunities it brings her and her followers. She likes the fast-paced bargaining and the give-and-take of the marketplace, and legend holds that she has been recognized many times by worshipers just after she and her follower had finished a spirited bargaining session over and item for sale in a town market. (She always won the best deal, but the merchant was usually well satisfied with the terms also.) Waukeen is willing to try odd methods to accomplish her goals when tried and true ones are just not working. This openness to innovation has led her to embrace many of Gond's "new-fangled gadgets" long before other deities thought them wise. However, while she is open to different methods of problem-solving, she is also stubborn about having her way and very persistent. In fact, it is a combination of these virtues and flaws that led to the dire predicament she is in now.
For over 10 years now, Waukeen has been unheard from in the Realms and thought to be destroyed or dead. When all the powers of the Realms were confined to Toril's surface, she was never spotted by mortals, and when the Godswar ended no avatar came forward to take over her portfolio. Not even Cyric and Mask, responsible for the death of Leira and Bhaal, claimed her portfolio or claimed to have killed her. Her priests were deprived of their spells, and many of her worshipers and churches turned to other faiths. Pandemonium reigned among her clergy. Finally, in 1365 DR, a prophet of Lliira appeared with a revelation that was interpreted to mean Waukeen was dead and banished from the Realms and would not return. The prophet appeared at the gates of each of the temples of Waukeen in the Realms on a series of days, transported by magic. At each stop, the prophet said that Lliira would hold the portfolio of Waukeen in trust as its regent and grant spells to the worthy. The Waukeenar temples, already battered by a loss of respect and worshipers, readily agreed, and the faith of Waukeen was smoothly folded into the worship of Lliira, with dissenting Waukeenar moving to the faiths of Tymora, Lathander, Shaundakul, and even Beshaba. Lliira gained extensive power in the move.
But what really happend to Waukeen?
Waukeen was indeed confined to an avatar on the surface of Toril just as all the other powers were when the Time of Troubles began. Just like many other powers, she wanted beyond all else to return to her home realm and from there to marshal her resources to resolve (or help resolve) the turmoil in the Realms - preferably to her best advantage. Waukeen was fortunate in that the first avatar she encountered on Toril was that of Lliira. The two goddesses had previously been on good terms and saw no reason to change that state of affairs; in fact, they chose to travel together. Like many of the powers, Waukeen knew of the Celestial Staircase in Shadowdale and decided to try to climb it (much as Mystra attempted later). Once Waukeen got to the top, she intended to bribe Helm with whatever his heart's desire was to let her and Lliira pass on to the Outer Planes. However, this plan quickly proved unfeasible, since Waukeen and Lliira proceeded no more than a quarter of the way up the Celestial Staircase before being menacingly challenged by Helm. he proved to be unbribable, a response not altogether unexpected from the god of guardians.
So, Waukeen and Lliira descended and retreated into the forest of Cormanthor to plan. Waukeen, being the goddess of trade of all kinds, both licit and illicit, hit upon another plan: She would smuggle herself off the Realms. To do this, she would have to use the network of contacts she had developed in her time as a goddess and her extensive knowledge of trade and smuggling routes from the Realms into the Outer Planes and from one plane to another. She planned to move along a circuitous course through the Lower Planes and approach her realm indirectly, so as to have the best chance of sneaking past Ao's watchdogs into her realm.
Waukeen, through a convoluted route, managed to contact Celestian, a power of long-distance and interplanar travel from another crystal sphere who owed her a favor. Celestian agreed to repay the favor by transporting Waukeen off of Toril and into the Astral Plane and shielding her temporarily from Ao, but there was one sticking point - Ao was preventing all Realms deities from leaving Toril. In order to leave the Astral Plane and enter the Outer Planes, Waukeen would have to give up being a goddess. Because of the peculiar restrictions Ao had forced upon the powers in their avatar forms, Waukeen was able to shed her mantle of divinity, reducing herself to no more than an extremely power, but extremely knowledgeable, mortal. She left the mantle of her divinity with Lliira for safe-keeping, since Celestian adamantly would not risk offending such a powerful being as Ao by trying to transport Lliira, a goddess he did not even know, in addition to Waukeen. Lliira promised to guard Waukeen's portfolio and godly power until she returned for it, and Celestian transported Waukeen to the Astral Plane without incident.
Once on the Astral Plane, Waukeen had arranged to be met by powerful minions of an underworld contact she had in the Abyss - Graz'zt, an abyssal lord. Graz'zt's minions appeared as promised, and Waukeen accompanied them to Azzagrat in the Abyss. There she was to pay Graz'zt well for his help by revealing the hiding places (on the Prime Material and other planes) of the amount of treasure they had agreed on would serve as payment for Graz'zt's aid. Once in Graz'zt's palace, however, Waukeen was trapped and betrayed. Graz'zt wanted to renegotiate the contract they had made, and Waukeen was to be his guest - indefinitely - so that he could benefit from her wealth of knowledge - or rather, her knowledge about wealth. Since this time (to this very day), Waukeen has been trapped in the 45th, 46th, and 47th layers of the Abyss, shuttled between the Argent Palace in Zelatar, where she is infrequently invited for tea and interrogations by Graz'zt, and the habitation of Maretta, the Lady of the Counting-House who watches over the revenues from the pacts Graz'zt has made with mortals. (Maretta lives in Samora, a city of vice whose dwellings are built with an eye toward excessive ornamentation.) Once Waukeen even escaped her escorts and fled into the Viper Forest of Zrintor, only to wander lost for a tenday before being betrayed again to Graz'zt by several tanar'ri whose fear of his wrath overcame their greed for the riches promised to them for getting Waukeen to the Outlands.
While Waukeen was gone, the Godswar was resolved, and Ao restored access to the Outer Planes from Toril and removed his peculiar restrictions on the powers' avatar forms. But Waukeen as not there to benefit from this renewed access, and her divine power rested (at least temporarily) in another being, so her form was not changed. Lliira became increasingly worried about her friend's failure to reappear, but was unable to locate her either. Divinations by Waukeen's own faithful failed to work, gave confusing readings due to the muddled state of her divine power, or mysteriously cross-connected with the Abyss and drove the diviners insane. Lliira saw Waukeen's church disintegrating before her eyes and felt the only way to preserve what was left for her friend's return was to take control of it herself before a more basely motivated power moved in to take over. She instructed her prophet as to what to say and transported him to the gates of every temple to Waukeen, as described above. The prophet was the emphasize Waukeen's uncertain status and the regency of Lliira, but the Waukeenar, already in a panic-stricken state after receiving no new spells for years, immediately heard what they thought they were going to hear and recorded that Waukeen was dead.
Campaign Efects of Waukeen's Status: Ongoing FORGOTTEN REALMS setting campaigns can make what they wish of this revelation of the fate of Waukeen. Three suggested possibilities are:
Waukeen is Still Imprisoned: This is the official state of affairs and maintains the current Realms status quo. However, it is likely that at some time in years to come an intrepid group of adventurers may discover information that allows them to attempt to rescue Waukeen. This entry contains sufficient information to enable campaigns to integrate a revived church of Waukeen.
Waukeen is Dead: Events occured as detailed above, but Waukeen died recently in the Abyss. Lliira retains Waukeen's divine power and finally incorporates it into herself. She becomes the next lesser power of the Realms likely to become an intermediate power. Shaundakul's caravan and trader worshipers continue to expand, and he becomes a candidate for the next major god of trade and money in the Realms, working in the service of Lliira.
Waukeen Escapes: Events occurred as given above, but Waukeen escapes immediately or at a time convenient to the DM's ongoing campaign. Most of the Waukeenar who joined the churches of Lathander and Lliira return to Waukeen, although the Tymorans and Shaundakuns do not. Shaundakul develops a close relationship with Waukeen as the two powers work out the new boundaries of their portfolios. If Waukeen ever rises to the sattus of intermediate power, Shaundakul will experience a sudden waning of his power as Waukeen experiences the first flush of power on her return and be once again diminished to the status of a demipower, only to take up service with Waukeen as their relationship becomes closer.
Other Manifestations
Waukeen usually manifests as a glowing shower of gold coins that materializes from nowhere and undulates like a serpent or orbits a chosen being or item the goddess wants attention drawn to before the light dies and the stream of coins collapses in a spray of bouncing, rolling coinage. The coins are real and can be snatched up by anyone present. Waukeenar always try to grab them if possible, seeing them as "divine essence of the goddess." She also appears as a pair of gleaming golden eyes (in dreams, often only half seen), watching from an impenetrable shadow.
Waukeen also acts through the appearance or presence of ferrumachs and plumachs. More commonly, she sends money where none is expected to be found (such as a face-up copper piece on a path), palomino horses, golden cats, golden lions, lock lurkers, daffodils, citrines, pyrite, gold nuggets, and eagles (especially golden ones) to show her favor and as a sign to inspire her faithful.

The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: NG, LN, N, CN, NE
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: Yes
CMND. UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: Yes
All clerics and specialty priests of Waukeen receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency. All priests of Waukeen must pay a tithe of 25% of the money they make to the church. This does not include church-bestowed wages or stipends or money collected for casting spells upon worshipers while working at a temple or shrine (since this money goes to the church, not the priest), but does include profits from investments, treasure gained while adventuring, rewards, fees, etc.
Most of the former priests of Waukeen are now Lliiracists, either fully taken with the power of the faith or worshiping Lliira as Waukeen's godly regend, though some also joined the churches of Tymora, Lathander, Beshaba, and Shaundakul. The (remaining) clergy members of Waukeen are known as Waukeenar, but most other faiths call them "coinspinners." This name comes from the fact that they are not misers, but wild spenders, displaying the bounty of the goddess to all. The church is approximately 40% clerics and 60% specialty priests. It is organized in a loosely hierarchical manner, and all temples of Waukeen in Faerûn answer to one head of the church who holds the title of Holycoin. Specialty priests of the faith are known as goldeyes because their pupils turn that blazing hue due to the touch of the goddess. Goldeyes are among the most successful prospectors and tomb-treasurefinders in Faerûn.
Novices are known as Telchar among Waukeenar. In ascending order, the ranks a priest may rise through after she or he is confirmed are: Coin, Abreeant, Counter, Trabbar, Investor, Halanthi, Lender, Syndo, Manycoins, Grand Trabbar, Spender, Grand Syndar, Overgold (a general term for high clergy), and Holycoin.
Temples of Waukeen are built in many architectural styles, but a preference for ornateness and ornamentation is prevalent no matter whether the building is a soaring cathedral or a classical temple featuring a large portico and many columns. Decoration in Waukeen's temples covers the floors, walls, roof pillars, and ceiling if possible. The decorative elements are baroque, intricate, brightly colored, and feature as much precious metal and as many gemstones as can be logically or illogically fitted into the design.
Dogma: Waukeen teaches that mercantile trade is the best road to enrichment. Increasing the general prosperity of all buys ever-greater civilization and happiness for intelligent folk Faerûnwide, bringing everyone close step by step to the Golden Age that Waukeen says lies ahead—if people conduct themselves rightly. It is the duty of all who believe in the Merchants' Friend to destroy no trade goods, raise no restrictions to trade, and propagate no malicious rumors that may harm trade (such as saying that grapes from Chessenta are poisoned or that Cormyrean carved furniture contains boring worms that Cormytes are trying to export to the lands of competitors). Indeed, such rumors are to be challenged when heard and refuted if possible.
Faithful of Waukeen should give money freely to beggars and businesses alike, both to demonstrate the bounty of the goddess and the wealth to be gained by service to her and to increase the free coin in everyone's hands. If everyone has more than enough coin to spend, the tendency to hide and hoard is less and the urge to buy this or that all the greater—and more things are bought, and everyone is the richer. Through riches the lives of all are made better, and the Golden Age draws nearer.
Telchar of Waukeen are charged: "Worship me, and you shall know wealth. To guard your funds is to venerate Waukeen and to share them well seeds your future success. Call on me in trade, and I will be there. The bold find gold, the careful keep it—and the timid yield it up."
Day-to-Day Activities: Waukeenar travel the world aiding merchants or staff temples in large cities that serve as moneylending and changing houses, safe storage warehouses, and (covertly) fences for stolen goods—all in exchange for fees. Temples also provide wealthy merchants who give generous tithes to the temples sumptuous priest-guarded accommodations in town during their stays.
Waukeen's clergy members are under orders to invest in all enterprises that have any reasonable hope of succeeding if they are run by devout worshipers of the goddess and to consider other investments if approached by entrepreneurs willing to make substantial offerings to the goddess. Waukeenar are not above manipulating trade by means of rumors, buy-ups, hired border brigands, and the like, but strong public criticism of such unsubtle tactics in the past has led the church to officially deny undertaking of such things—and to order its priests to such work only with the greatest subtlety, so that no one who suspects their hands at work will be able to prove anything. Personal enrichment is the sign of a wise priest, but this must be done through arms-length investments, not openly unlawful acts.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The usual altar to Waukeen is a plain stone block or wooden table on which is set a blessed golden bowl. As gold coins and other riches are added to it, the bowl rises off the table, levitating due to an enchantment that becomes stronger in direct proportion to the nonorganic weight added to it. (Such a bowl can be rowed about without the mover having to take the weight of its contents and used to shift heavy stone blocks, rocks, or furniture, but no use of it is to be made that allows nonclergy members of Waukeen to see it in secular operation.) All rituals to the goddess center around offerings made by worshipers into this bowl, and if a member of the faithful ever wishes to make his or her nightly prayer and is not within reach of such a bowl, a single coin must be cast into water (such as a stream or pond) and left there as the supplication is made.
The first ritual of high holiness is the Cleaving, wherein nonbelievers first entering the faith, people entering their novitiate, novices becoming priests, or priests rising in rank dedicate themselves to the goddess. This involves entering the church covered in dirt, and in this state going to the altar on one's knees, carrying or dragging (use of a sledge and body harness is allowed) one's own weight in gold. The gold is placed on the altar, the bowl is then kissed by the supplicant, and as a hymn to the goddess is sung by all, stone covers in the floor roll back to reveal a warm bath of spiced wine. As the supplicant enters it, the offering bowl levitates and pours out its contents of liquid gold (actually holy water laced with flecks of gold) into the waters. The supplicant bathes until clean but sparkling with gold as hymns to the goddess continue. Priests then come forward to allow the person to modestly be dried and clothed in new grand, gaudy garb. After this, a feast begins.
The best-known ceremony of holiness is the bestowal of the Mark of the Lady, a gold chevron in the form of a giant coin of Waukeen. This is done to reward priests or faithful worshipers of the goddess who have achieved great success or distinction in their endeavors (in other words, who have enriched the church and/or their communities, not merely themselves). The Favored One ends up with the coin on a sash, and all who attend such a ceremony receive a single tiny gold coin. (Some people have three or more of the havy, fragile, highly prized gold coins, which cost 450 gp or more due to the gold that goes into them.) Thieves are warned that Waukeenar seem to have a spell that allows them to trace such coins. On two occasions when the gift coins were stolen, clergy members unerringly followed the thieves and recovered the wealth (in one case from a very elaborate hiding place) before slaying the thieves for their temerity and sacrilegious behavior.
The church of Waukeen holds many festivals, and such holy rituals such as the Cleaving and the bestowal of the Mark are usually performed at one of them. Other features of such gatherings always include assembly at a spot where hymns are sung to the goddess (often a pond or well where faithful worshipers can throw in their coins and pray), a parade in full finery from that place to the temple (accompanied by music, and sometimes by unwanted pranksters who throw stones, eggs, and refuse at the gaudily-dressed clergy), and a solemn sermon, any holy rite scheduled, and then a fast that goes on into the wee hours. If no holy rite is scheduled to be celebrated, then one is not held and its place in the service is taken by a public Prayer to the Lady Waukeen, given by the senior priest present. The feast involves much merriment because of the freely flowing drink and is always accompanied by hired entertainment—jugglers, dancers, musicians, storytellers, contortionists, trained animals with their keepers, and hedge wizards who do sleight-of-hand tricks and minor cantrips.
Each temple can add its own festivals to the roster for whatever reason, but all important communities of Waukeen-worshipers celebrate the dozen High Festivals: Cold Counting Comfort, Great Weave, Highcoin, Spheres, Sammardach (SAM-mahr-dock), Brightbuckle, Sornyn (SOR-nihn), Huldark, Spryndalstar (SPRIHN-dahl-star), Marthoon, Tehennteahan (Teh-HEN-tee-ah-han), and Orbar.
Cold Counting Comfort occurs on the 15th of Hammer and is named for the accounting that goes on in many businesses during this down time at the height of the harsh winter. Great Weave is celebrated on the 20th of Alturiak and is named for the tapestry-weaving practiced in all wealthy households throughout the winter and the textile-making to which cloth merchants devote this month.
Highcoin is celebrated on the 30th of Ches. It is a grand feast when spoken accolades, accompanied by trumpet fanfares, hail the wealthy for amassing such worth and offerings are amassed for the next festival, Spheres. Spheres is held on the 10th of Tarsakh. During this festival glass spheres filled with gems and coins are paraded around a city and then lobbed into the air by catapults to fall into the city, shatter, and pill out their contents at random for the general populace to snatch up.
Sammardach occurs on the 12th of Mirtul. This observance is named for the richest benefactor of the early church, a merchant so rich that he once bought a city—now-vanished Tsabran, which stood just southeast of Airspur along the Chessentan coast, and gave it with all its properties and businesses to the Waukeenar. Brightbuckle is held on the 21st of Kythorn. The advent of good weather is marked by a parade in finery of all who wish to attend a Waukeenar church feast, of whatever faith—and Waukeen's priests give inspirational talks about the growing wealth of the lands around and show recent works of the Lady through (hired) illusion spells in hopes of encouraging new worshipers to join the faith or the priesthood.
The 3rd through the 5th of Flamerule is Sornyn, a festival marking the time for planning, the making of treaties and agreements, and the receiving of envoys from unknown lands and traditional foes. Much wine is drunk at this three-day occasion, when "my enemy is like a brother to me." Huldark is celebrated on the 17th of Elesias. It is a feast wherein the bounty of the land, which feeds and sustains us all, is celebrated, an faithful of Waukeen plant new fruit trees or vegetable plants.
Spryndalstar occurs on the 7th of Eleint. Spryndalstar recongnizes how magic and the ideas of those who work with it have enriched us all: Waukeenar sponsor mages in their endeavors and hire wizards to cast spells to awe and entertain folk in public spectacles. The 1st of Marpenoth marks Marthoon, the church's recognition of the vigilance and work of soldiers and guards in defending the wealth and the security of those who generate it. During Marthoon, such folk are feasted and given gifts of gold-and each major temple sponsors one lucky warrior into retirement by giving him or her 10 times his or her weight in common coin and a steading to enjoy it on.
Tehennteahan is held on the 10th of Uktar. It is known as the Night of Hammers and Nails and is a day-long feast in which Waukeenar salute the inventions of simple folk—smiths, crafters, and those who work with they hands and not magic—and how their works benefit us all. New innovations are demonstrated, shops are shut so that their keepers can join in the feasting, and the church buys all rights to certain inventions for a room full of gold per invention purchased. (The room has to be one in the inventor's house, and the church fills it to the rafters with gold coin.) Orbar, held on the 25th of Nightal, rounds out the yearly festivals. It is a solemn remembrance of the dark side of wealth. Prayers are said for those driven mad by gold or their miserliness, those slain by thieves and brigands, those who died trying to steal, or who met their ends adventuring or mining after gold, and like people. The public is invited to a Candle Feast wherein well-loved deceased merchants are remembered with praise, and the church reminds all in the community that it has the power to trace and hunt down thieves who steal the wealth of those who worship Waukeen—and will use it.
Major Centers of Worship: The former center of Waukeen's worship, the Goldspires, a large fortified castle-abbey whose towers are adorned with gilded conical roofs that rises high above Athkatla on its own seafront crag, is the only remaining large enclave of Waukeenar. This House of All Plenty (a term given to all major temples of Waukeen) is really a small fortified city in its own right and is said to be supported by no fewer than seven rising merchant houses of Amn, who see it as their only way to true power in the land in the face of the might of the older merchant families who rule. The Goldspires is ruled by the Holycoin Voice of the Lady Tharundar Olehm, an aged patriarch of huge size and impressive white-browed mien. He is assisted by no fewer than five ambitious, beautiful women of various ages and backgrounds, the "Five Furies": Barasta Cleeith, Daerea Ethgil, Faerthae Garblueth, Halanna Jashire, and Satiila Tebrentan. These women are all Overgold sisters who pursue a vicious game of quiet in-fighting to become Tharundar's successor as the supreme head of the church of Waukeen in Faerûn.
Affiliated Orders: The church of Waukeen has no church-affiliated knightly orders. It readily sponsors adventuring companies who can present a reasonable prospect of showing a profit and promise a 20% tithe to the church, and it often hires mercenary and adventuring companies to guard trade caravans and shipments of church trade goods overseas. Persistent rumor holds that many individual Waukeenar (if not the church itself) have long-standing connections with the Iron Throne.
Priestly Vestments: Waukeen's clergy members are among the most lavishly dressed, rivaling those of Sune, Milil, and Lathander in their rich robes. Waukeenar ritual garb is gaudy and ornate, with white silk undergarments, slashed and fluted sleeves and boots, pince-nez and lorgnettes (if the priests have any weakness of vision), various useful items dangling from silk ribbons, and tall gilded and begemmed miters. Tunics, trousers, hose, or tabards may be worn as desired (or as the season makes practical), but these are always of the finest, most costly fabrics and furs, dyed and arranged for the most vibrant display possible. The entire ensemble is covered by a gilded scarlet cloak heavy with the weight of thousands of wheels, plates, clasps, and flourishes of various precious metals. The constume is finished off with white gloves and a gilded rod or staff, which is either magical or ornately carved and set with gems. (Many Waukeenar carry staffs of curing so as to heal wounds in return for substantial donations to the church. These staffs or curing represent the sole major magical energy left in the church at present.) High clergy usually wear coronets with their miters, and outshine many monarchs with their garb.
Adventuring Garb: Waukeenar wear the clothing of rich merchants when in the streets, and armor that is gilded, white-enameled, and painted with elaborate scenes when they ride into danger. They use chariots enchanted to make them float or ornate curtained palanquins. (Horses still pull the chariots, but the weight is much less and the ride both fast and smooth.)

Valkur The Mighty, Captain of the Waves

Symbol: Cloud with three lightning bolts on a shield
Home Plane: Warrior's Rest
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Portfolio: Sailors, ships, favorable winds, naval combat.
Worshipers: Fighters, rogues, sailors
Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG
Domains: Air, Chaos, Good, Ocean, Protection
Valkur (val-kurr) the Mighty is a sailor's god, a lesser power who intercedes to protect ships against the cruel whimsy of Umberlee and the destruction of Talos. He is a chaotic good deity, and not always responsive to his followers' prayers. As a result, worship among the sailors is more in line with trying to placate the Gods of Fury rather than seek protection from them--protection that may never come.
Other Manifestations:
Valkur sometimes uses dolphins as his sign that his presence is near.
The Clergy: The church of Valkur is only loosely organized, with clergy members coming together in worship only when serving on the same ship or in a port at the same time. Some clerics of Valkur captain sailing ships that sail the length of the Sword Coast or across the Sea of Fallen Stars. Most serve as officers on some ship or other. Few clerics of Valkur serve on pirate ships, but many enjoy serving their homelands as privateers. While in port, Valkur's clerics provide care and small amounts of monetary support to sailors down on their luck and to families whose chief breadwinner has been lost at sea. Other clerics run shipyards or administer fleets of merchant ships. Valkur's clerics are also fond of contributing to (if not totally sponsoring) seaborne exploration and long-distance trading expeditions because of the challenges and opportunities they present.
Clerics of Valkur pray for their spells at around dawn, whenever the first hint of a breeze begins to stir. The church of Vlakur celebrates only one holy day per year: The Shattering is always held in early spring, but the exact date varies from year to year. The festival is held to mark the end of winter and the beginning of the sailing season in the North and is celebrated even in the South where the winter ice does not block or trouble ocean travel. Valkur is said to communicate to his High Captains the exact date of the festival each year, and it often varies from city to city. The Shattering is marked by the unfurling of many new sails throughout the port districts of coastal cities and the christening of at least one new ship that then departs for its maiden voyage crewed by Valkur's clergy. Valkur's clergy regularly perform over a dozen separate ceremonies in the course of their duties. Most of these rituals are related to ships and voyages, including ceremonies at a ship's christening, before departing on a voyage, when arriving at a new port, and when returning to the home port, among others. Many clerics multiclass as divine champions, fighters, or rogues.
Valkur's priests are diligently trying to build up the popularity and strength of his church by showing that Valkur can indeed be counted on to protect the helpless from the gods of Fury. Since the clergy is a reflection of the god, they strive to appear tranquil, slow to anger, and not prone to sudden changes of plans, opinions, or mindsets. Their reliability is impeccable, since they want others to see that the faith is solid and trustworthy. Their patience is hard earned, because Valkur isn't as trustworthy as a devotee might wish, and the priests need to live with their god's chaotic behavior.
Priest of Valkur use clubs, staves, daggers, tridents, and cutlasses in battle. Due to the impediments of armor to a swimmer, priest of Valkur do not wear any. The spell selection consist of major access to the spheres of All, Divination, Elemental (air, water), Healing, Protection, Summoning (aquatic creatures only), and Weather, with minor access to Animal, Chaos, Charm, Combat, and Plant.
HISTORY/RELATIONSHIPS: Valkur is the sworn foe of the Deities of Fury and looks to Selune to guide him across the oceans and seas of Faerun. He may have once been a sea captain from Mintarn who dared challenge Umberlee and won. The Red Knight, and through her Tempus, is trying to persuade Valkur to take more of an interest in the disposition of naval conflicts, but he feels his primary responsibilities lie in the protection of sailors.
DOGMA: There is nothing more invigorating than challenging the elements. The feel of wind and spray on one's face and the deck pitching beneath one's feet is the greatest feeling in the world. If humankind is to expand its reach, daring men and women must defy the odds and dare the impossible. The thrill of exploration is sweeter than wine or rum. There is always risk, but without risk life is empty. Life is to be lived and damn the consequences. One's loyalties are first to one's mates, then to one's ship, and then to Valkur, who protects all sailors. Rely not on Valkur's hand to always extract you from difficulties, for such is coddling and leads to a lack of challenge and the room to grow. Rather, Valkur helps those actively solving their own problems by helping their plans work.

Father of the Uthgardt, Battle Father

Alignment: CN
Worshipers: Totem Alignment
Clerics: Totem Alignment
Symbol: that of the individual beast totem spirit Domains: Animal, Chaos, Retribution, Strength, War, Wrath
Psionic Mantles: Conflict, Justice, Natural World, Physical Power
Portfolio: the Uthgardt barbarian tribes, physical strength
Favored weapon: Appropriate beast totem spirit (battleaxe)
Specifically Opposed Deities: Auril, Helm, Ilmater, Malar, Torm, Tyr
Festivals:
* Holy Day of the Beast Totem (19 Ches)
* Holy Day of the Beast Totem (20 Kythorn)
* Runemeet (21 Eleint)
* Holy Day of the Beast Totem (20 Nightal)
Popular Regions
* Uthgardt Tribesfolk (Human)
Father of the Uthgardt barbarians of the Savage Frontier, Uthgar (uhth-gar) is a proud, fierce, and independent warrior. According to some legends he is the son of Beorunna (a Netherese warrior hero whose followers became the barbarian tribes of the North), while others claim he is the divine offspring of mighty Tempus. The Battle Father has few friends and has remained relatively uninvolved in divine politics. Uthgar's full and hearty laugh rings out whenever he hears a good joke. He enjoys sensual pleasures of the flesh, even in his divine state, and likes to hunt, eat, drink, and be merry in his feast halls with the warrior spirits he has called to serve him. Although he is a tireless and methodical tactician, his battle strategies are not terribly inspired. He is driven to win in the long run, however, especially if the Uthgardt barbarians (his people) are threatened. Uthgar has many faces, in his guises as the various beast totems, but in his hall he is always depicted as a tall, burly bearded, blond-haired warrior with eyes of piercing blue dressed only in a battle harness, leather breechcloth, and furred boots.
Little known outside the harsh realm of the North, the church of Uthgar does not exist per se outside the collected ranks of those who venerate the various beast cult shamans. Although generally seen as savage and frightening by other inhabitants of the Savage Frontier, in truth the character of the church of Uthgar varies greatly from tribe to tribe. In recent years, Uthgar's people have worked to remove the stain on their reputation caused by the cruel actions of the now-defunct Blue Bear Tribe (whose totem was defeated and absorbed by Malar the Beastlord), and that fact has increased acceptance of Uthgar outside the barbarian tribes. Religious fervor within the tribes has increased because several infants in each tribe have been born with a beast-totem birthmark, which has been taken as a sign of great favor. These two factors have caused Uthgar to rise to the level of a lesser deity.
Clerics of Uthgar pray at dawn or sunset. They are almost exclusively male, and each worships the beast totem spirit of his tribe. The spring equinox and both solstices are holy days, and all tribes converge upon their ancestral mound (or Beorunna's Well, the holiest of the ancestral mounds) during the autumn equinox to perform ceremonies, make agreements, and commune with ancestral spirits. During the Runemeet, Uthgardt youths desiring to be adults (and warriors of all ages) participate in the ritual of the Runehunt, in which those involved seek victory over one of the tribe's ritual enemies-- usually orcs. When youths complete a Runehunt successfully, Uthgar's clerics hold a ceremony, known as the Telhut, to initiate them into manhood. Uthgardt clerics of Chauntea initiate Uthgardt girls into womanhood at this time as well.
Rather than follow the one step rule, clerics of Uthgar (and those who take him as a patron deity) must abide by the somewhat broader alignment guidelines of the beast totems who mediate between Uthgar and his people. Any alignment that fits the guideline for a beast totem is suitable for a cleric of Uthgar of that totem. The names and alignment guidelines of the totems are: Black Lion (CG), Black Raven (CE), Blue Bear (CE), Elk (CN), Gray Wolf (CN), Great Worm (CG), Griffon (N), Red Tiger (CN), Sky Pony (CN), Tree Ghost (NG) and Thunderbeast (CN). Uthgar's clerics often multiclass as barbarians, druids, or rangers.
HISTORY/RELATIONSHIPS: Uthgar was once a mortal Northlander from Ruathym named Uther Gardolfsson, brother to Morgred (the "Morgur" of Morgur's Mound), who gained fame by invading the fabled realm of Illusk before moving into the northern interior. There, his followers united with Netherese refuges who had reverted to a primitive way of life to form a dynasty of barbarians, the Uthgardt. As he lay dying of wounds received in battle with Gurt, Lord of the Frost Giants, Uthgar was raised up as a demipower by Tempus, who admired his fighting spirit. Uthgar counts only the Lord of Battles as an ally. The Father of the Uthgardt dislikes Helm, Ilmater, Torm, and Tyr, for they have stolen away the devotion of all but one cleric of the Black Lion tribe. He holds Malar responsible for the destruction of the Blue Bear tribe (a fragment of which survives as the new Tree Ghost tribe), and he hates Auril for turning the Elk tribe away from his worship. Other than enmities stemming from encroachment upon his followers, Uthgar holds himself aloof, unconcerned with divine politics and struggles.
DOGMA: The dogma of the Uthgardt religion varies slightly from tribe to tribe as each beast cult emphasizes different "barbarian" virtues. In general, shamans are charged as follows when they are initiated into the Uthgardt faith: Strength is everything. Civilization is weakness. Men should fight, hunt, and raid from the weak to provide for their wives and families. Family is sacred, and its bonds are not cast aside lightly. Arcane magic is effete, self-indulgent, and ultimately leads to weakness. Reliance upon arcane magic is an evil and false path that leads to death and ruin. Revere Uthgar, your ancestors, and your tribe's spirit. Study the beast so that you know its virtues and its weaknesses; claim its virtues as your own and weed its weaknesses from your spirit. The beast holds wisdom and raw power that you can make your own. Make the others of your tribe fear and respect your power and knowledge so they heed the wise words of your ancestors speak through you to them.
CLERGY AND TEMPLES: The church of Uthgar is divided among the eleven beast totem spirits that serve Uthgar as intermediaries to the Uthgardt tribes of the Savage Frontier. Uthgar is not worshiped directly, but each tribe venerates one of these servant spirits as the divine embodiment of the spirit of their tribe--the symbol of its vitality, wisdom, mystical ability, endurance, speed, and moral nature. Uthgardt shamans tend to the respective needs of their tribes, teaching tribal history and customs passed down by heroic tales and lineage chants in an oral tradition spanning centuries. They provide healing for their tribes, initiate youths into manhood after they complete their tribal quests (often missions against a tribe's ritual enemy), and provide counsel to the tribe's chieftain and elders. When the tribe faces a new situation or a quandary, shamans consult with the ancestral spirits and totem animal great spirit to find guidance. All Uthgardt shamans believe that personal strength can demonstrate purity of purpose, and so arguments are often settled by a test of strength or a battle of first blood, to surrender, or to the death-if the matter is serious enough. At Runemeet, shamans officiate over the tribal rites of passage. Uthgar has neither temples nor shrines, and his clerics can perform necessary ceremonies in any location, though their tribes' ancestral mounds are their most holy sites. (Each tribe and its beast totem are tied to a particular ancestral mound.) These huge earthwork mounds, often shaped like the totem beasts of the tribes that gather at them, are sacred burial grounds where only the greatest shamans and chiefs are interred. Most tribes believe their tribal founders are buried in the ancestor mound. Although there are many lesser burial mounds and shrines revered by smaller clans within the tribes, it is to the large mounds devoted to their most ancient and holy ancestors that the Uthgardt tribes return each fall to spend their winters near the protection of their ancestors. The ancestor mounds are all roughly similar. Two mound rings called cairn rings surround a large central altar mound. The ancestor mounds of large tribes may also be surrounded by smaller, nondescript burial mounds. Usually all mounds are formed of turf-covered earth. The Uthgardt correctly believe that the spirits of dead ancestors protect the graves from harm.

The Lord in the Ice, The Eternal Sleeper, Father of Giants' Kin

Slumbering Demigod of the Astral Plane
LN
Portfolio: Glaciers, polar environments, arctic dwellers
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Astral Plane
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: None
FOES: Annam
Symbol: Necklace of blue and white crystals
WORSHIPPERS ALIGNMENT: LG, LN, LE
Ulutiu (oo-loo-tee-oo), the slumbering god of glaciers, the polar environment, and arctic dwellers, is lawful neutral. His titles include the Lord of the Ice and the Eternal Sleeper. Long ages ago, Annam, the head of the giant pantheon, discovered that Ulutiu was having an affair with his wife. To save her from Annam’s wrath, Ulutiu voluntarily went into exile, sinking himself deep into the cold sea to the north of Faerûn. His enchanted necklace froze the water in an everexpanding mass of ice, forming the Great Glacier. Although he has all but withdrawn from the world, the peoples of the Great Glacier and other arctic lands still worship him. They are often the leaders of their tribes and pass down the accumulated lore of their peoples from generation to generation. The domains associated with Ulutiu are Animal, Law, Ocean, Protection, and Strength.
The Church
CLERGY: Specialty Priests, Shamans
CLERGY'S ALIGNMENT: LG, LN, LE
TURN UNDEAD: Specialty Priest: No, Shaman: No
COMMAND UNDEAD: Specialty Priest: No, Shaman: No
All clerics and speciality priests of Tymora receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus non-weapon proficiency
The Ice Hunters are a people who wandered off across Abeir-Toril's polar ice cap to the North above the Spine of the World from the peoples of the Great Glacier over a millennia ago. They bear the closest resemblance in conduct and philosophy to the Nakulutiuns of the Great Glacier. (See FR14, The Great Glacier, for more information on the Nakulutiun people.) The Ice Hunters worship Ulutiu and the beast totem great spirits, including Clever Oomio the Gray Seal, Grandfather Walrus, Great White Bear, and Pindalpau-pau the Reindeer Mother.
In many ways, the Ice Hunters' regard for Ulutiu and their totem animals parallels the regard of the Uthgardt barbarian tribes for Uthgar and the Uthgardt beast totems. Ulutiu and the Ice Hunter beast totems are served by Ice Hunter specialty priests of Ulutiu, known as iceguardians, and shamans. The iceguardians are able to cast all wizard spells with a cold (not a life-draining) effect as mages, but only function as mages of half their actual shaman level. This gives the most ancient iceguardians limited use of powerful ice, snow, and cold magic.
Dogma: No person is the superior of another, with the exception of Ulutiu’s clerics, who are his representatives in this world and who are set in positions of leadership to pass on his wisdom to his people. Because animals share the same emotions, thoughts, and mortals as people (but express them differently) they should be respected on pain of Ulutiu’s wrath. The villagers of the Great Glacier also believe that magic from any source is blasphemous and those that practice it should be shunned and driven away.

The Even-Handed, Grimjaws, the Maimed God, the Blind Overlord, the Wounded One, the Just God

Greater Power of the Seven Heavens and Gladsheim, LG
PORTFOLIO: Justice
ALIASES: Anachtyr (Calimshan)
DOMAIN NAME: Lunia/The Court and Ysgard/Asgard
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Ilmater, Torm, Lathander
FOES: Mask, Talos, Bane (now dead), Bhaal (now dead), Cyric, Talona
SYMBOL: A balanced set of scales set upon the head of an upright war hammer
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, NG, LN
When he is depicted in religious art, Tyr (TEER) appears as a noble warrior missing his right hand, lost to Kezef the Chaos Hound in proving his resilience and strength of spirit. In recent years, he has been shown blinded as well, a fatality of the wrath of Ao during the Time of Troubles. Tyr's symbol shows his nature: justice through benevolent force and armed vigilance. He opposes all beings who deal in trickery, rule-breaking, and unjust destruction or misdeeds. He is said to be a latecomer among the powers of Faerûn, appearing over a millennium ago but after most other Realms powers had established themselves. His faith is popular, as everyone knows exactly what Tyr expects his faithful to do and everyone can trust Tyrrans to be honorable, honest, just, and righteous.
Tyr is rather enigmatic to those outside his faith. He represents such stern justice that it is difficult to see the more subtle qualities of the god. He is a courageous father figure to his faithful and struggles continually to achieve for his follows a paradisiacal state of affairs in Faerûn that he knows will never come in an imperfect world. In his more affectionate moods, he sometimes refers to his abode in Lunia as the Just House, and one senses from him at times an odd sort of longing to want to be able to deal with troubles as one could among a perfect family: with love, courage, and the knowledge that everyone will try their best and not betray their fellows because of a special bond that all share. Unfortunately, he also knows that this will never happen, and so emits a undercurrent of stern sadness for what can never be. He is terribly protective of his priesthood, and because of this, he is more likely to manifest in some form to aid them than many other powers.
Torm and Ilmater serve Tyr, and the three deities are sometimes called the Triad.
Other Manifestations
To denote his favor or the occurrence of important deeds, decisions, or utterances, Tyr frequently manifests as the echoing stroke of a gong, accompanied by an exultant wordless chord sung by unseen male voices. Tyr also shows his will through the image of an upright, glowing war hammer accompanied by telekinesis effects that demonstrate the god's intent and feelings. The hammer may also move, point, strike, or emit spells to further the will of Tyr. In addition, Tyr sometimes acts through extremely obedient, intelligent, large, and well-groomed war dogs that appear out of nowhere.
The Church
CLERGY: Specialty priests
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LG
TURN UNDEAD: SP: Yes
CMND. UNDEAD: SP: No
All specialty priests of Tyr receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
While some paladins preferring a straight black-and-white choice revere Tyr, he is most popular with the bureaucrats, judges, and merchants who make the entire system move efficiently. Worshipers of Tyr see the world in clear-cut moral terms; they like to see Faerûn firmly cleansed and ordered by laws that are evenly and diligently applied. They are not very tolerant of other world views and do not find parody, mockery, or even questions about their faith amusing. Tyr survives very well in the civilized world, and most of his temples are in larger cities. He is also worshiped on the Rock of Bral, rumored to be one of the Tears of Selûne.
Tyr had no specialty priests for over 10 yeras after the Time of Troubles. Sages theorize that he wished to favor none of his clergy members over the others. Recently, all clerics of Tyr received a stern vision from their god in which he stated that he had seen that other faiths were mocking the hard way of justice with their divinely granted special favors and that the Tyrran church had served nobly and struggled valiantly against the weight of such odds. In reward for their perseverance under such conditions, Tyr declared that henceforth all clergy of Tyr would have special powers to aid them in their enforcement of justice. All priests of Tyr are therefore specialty priests after the Feast of the Moon in 1369 DR.
The Church of Tyr is a highly organized, formal priesthood that maintains internal rules and a system of fortified temples. At Tyrran temples, the faithful can find lodging, fresh mounts, healing, spell aid, weapons, gear, and holy advice. If a worshiper or priest knows that she or he has stinted in service to the Just One, confession and penance are also available. Level titles used by the clergy in recent years, in order of ascending rank, are: Acolyte of Laws, Solemn Brother/Sister, Lawkeeper, Sword of Tyr, Hammer of Tyr, Vigilant Watcher, Just Captain, Avenger, Master Avenger, Abbot, High Lord Abbot, High Avenger, Knight Commander, Hammer Lord, Defender of Justice, and Keeper of the Balance. Maverick titles are few indeed, as this is a closely regulated priesthood.
Dogma: Novices of Tyr are charged to "Reveal the truth, punish the guilty, right the wrong, and be always true and just in your actions." Tyr and his followers are devoted to the cause of justice, to the righting of wrongs and the deliverance of just vengeance. This is not necessarily equality or fairness, as some make the maimed god out to represent, but rather the discovery of truth and the punishment of the guilty. Tyrrans tend to be stiff-necked about theology and to see matters in black and white terms.
Clergy of Tyr are sworn to uphold the law wherever they go, and to punish those wronged under the law. They are to keep complete records of their own rulings, deeds, and decisions. Through these records, a priest's errors can be corrected, his or her grasp of the laws of all lands can grow and flourish, and lawbreakers can be identified by others. No known injustice done by a Tyrran priest must go unbalanced. Priests of Tyr should also always be vigilant in their observations and anticipations, seeking to see what forces and which beings intend or will cause injustices and threaten law and order in the future. They should then act to prevent such challenges in justice in coming to pass. In short: Abide by the laws, and let no others break them. Mete out punishment where lawbreaking occurs.
Day-to-Day Activities: Priests of Tyr serve as judge, jury, and executioner in wilderness areas where there is no law but that of the sword. When doing so, their code cleaves fairly close to "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," but does adhere to common trade custom leavened by "the mercy of ignorance." This last means that if a being is truly ignorant of the proper behavior, minor transgressions can be forgiven once with a warning, an explanation of the proper law—and a record of the warning being written down in the priest's Book of Lawgiving for later distribution to other Tyrrans so that the particular being will not be forgiven a second time.
In civilized areas, Tyrrans (inevitably called "tyrants" behind their backs by nonbelievers) become legal experts and serve as the lawyers of Faerûn by dispensing advice and "speaking for" accused persons in trials. The fees they charge go to the Church of Tyr.
Tyrrans often go about lecturing others on their shortcomings as to following laws, rules, and regulations, but they also serve to fearlessly take complaints about such formalities to the authorities who make such rules. No Tyrran will enforce a law that contradicts other laws or can be shown to be unjust. Note the concern is not that it is unfair, but unjust—defined in the Tyrran church as out of compliance with the principles and definitions adhered to by other laws in the body of legal doctrine of which it is a part. Priests of Tyr also have the duty of delivering just vengeance as punishment on the part of those who cannot do it themselves. Tyrrans undertake formal missions to do this, making promises to those to be avenged and forcing open confrontations with those the vengeance is to be visited upon, rather than working behind the scenes or employing intrigue.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The priesthood of Tyr follows a monthly cycle of high rituals, beginning with Seeing Justice on the first day of each month, the Maiming on the thirteenth day of the month, and the Blinding on the twenty-second day of each month. These major rituals involve chanted prayers, thunderously sung hymns to the god, and conjured illusions: a gigantic war hammer that glows blinding white hanging over the heads of the congregation at Seeing Justice; at the Maiming, a gigantic right hand that bursts into view above the congregation surrounded by a nimbus of burning blood, then tumbles away into darkness and fades from view; and two eyes that burst into fountains of flaming tears until they have entirely spilled away and are gone at the Blinding. Early in the ceremony of the Blinding, symbolic blindfolds of diaphanous damask are bound over the eyes of the celebrants by clergy to remind the worshipers of Tyr's blindness.
In addition to the high rituals, Tyrrans celebrate daily rituals of prayer to the god, which take the form of a sung invocation, a series of responsive prayers led by a senior cleric, a short sermon of instruction or reading of wisdom from the Sacred Judgments of Tyr, and a rousing closing anthem. In temples and abbeys dedicated to the god, such rituals are celebrated every two hours around the clock, with the most important offices taking place at dawn, highsun (noon), the equivalent of six o'clock, and the equivalent of none o'clock. The dawn ritual, The Awakening, is a gentle, uplifting renewal of faith. The noonday ritual, the Hammer at Highsun, is a stirring, exultant expression of the church's vigilance and martial might. The evenfeast ritual, High Justice, is a stern, proud celebration of Tyr's commandments and the church's purpose. The evening ritual, the Remembrance of the Just Fallen, is a haunting, softly chanted reverence for those who have laid down their lives for justice, both inside and outside the faith—a ritual of quiet dignity and respect that always leaves many witnesses, even those who do not follow Tyr, in tears.
Major Centers of Worship: The Fortress Faithful in Tethyr, south of Zazesspur, is probably the most important temple of Tyr at the moment, as clergy of the Just God are converging on it to help restore law and order to war-torn Tethyr. They work in large, well-armed patrols sent out of the castle-abbey.
More holy, older, and supreme in the well-ordered hierarchy of the church of Tyr, however, is the House of Tyr's Hand in Milvarune, in Thesk. The House is the home of the Just Knights, heavy cavalry whose gleaming armor and lowered lances are the last sights many an invading warrior of Thay has seen. Some sages have called this superb army "the Simbul's least likely yet staunchest allies" because of their efficiency in hurling back Thayan armies over the years.
Also of note is the one known Tyrran temple in Realmspace not on the surface of Abeir-Toril. The Tyrran church on Bral (one of the Tears of Selûne) is known as the Pantheist Temple of Tyr. Its clergy and ceremonies conform to the standards of the Torilian faith, but its priests worship Tyr as a warrior god as well as one of justice. They consider Tyr the patron of all good warriors. Pantheistic priests of Tyr recognize any lawful good deity of justice or war as an avatar of their deity and often gain access to spells in many crystal spheres that do not know Tyr by that name. As a deity of justice, Tyr is not very popular in Bral, which is known as a pirate haven. The priests of the temple feel obligated to take on crime and injustice wherever they find it, and this as led to several small, crusading wars. Priests of Tyr and lawful good warriors from any crystal sphere find a warm welcome at the Pantheistic Temple of Tyr, although they may have a hard time adjusting to the idea promoted here that Tyr goes by different names in different places.
Affiliated Orders: The church of Tyr has many affiliated knightly orders. Individual temples often have special orders or companies attached to them or supported by them, such as the Just Knights of the House of Tyr's Hand in Milvarune, mentioned above. Two church-sponsored orders of paladins are the Knights of Holy Judgment and the Knights of the Merciful Sword. The first order tends to attract those who emphasize the "lawful" in their alignment, and the second the "good." Knights from either order may join an elite order of paladins (of 7th or greater experience level) known as the Hammers of Grimjaws.
To join the Hammers, a paladin must be nominated by a member of the Hammers, and his or her nomination must be seconded by a senior priest of Tyr. If both these requirements are met, she or he must stand vigil in the holy sanctuary of a temple of Tyr all night. If the paladin is judged worthy by Tyr, Tyr sends the paladin a vision of his war hammer. If no vision appears, the paladin is deemed yet too inexperienced, but not a failure, and may be nominated again after some time has passed. If Tyr sends a vision of his sword, the paladin has knowingly or unknowingly failed Tyr in some way and must immediately complete a quest to atone. If the quest is completed, Tyr is pleased and forgives, and the knight is admitted into the Hammers. There is no quitting a quest under these conditions; either the paladin succeeds or dies trying.
Priestly Vestments: The vestments of Tyr are blue and purple robes with a white sash. A white glove or gauntlet is worn on the left hand and a black one on the right to symbolize the loss of the god's right hand.
Adventuring Garb: For everyday use, most priests of Tyr wear armor or practical clothing adorned on the shoulders and back with the symbol of the hammer and scales of Tyr.

Lady Luck, the Lady Who Smiles, Our Shining Lady, Tyche's Fair-Haired Daughter

Intermediate Power of Olympus, CG
PORTFOLIO: Good fortune, skill, victory, adventurers and adventuring
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Olympus/Brightwater
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Baravar Cloakshadow, Dugmaren Brightmantle, Erevan Illesere, Finder Wyvernspur, Garl Glittergold, Haela Brightaxe, Hanali Celanil, Lathander, Marthammor Duin, Selûne, Shaundakul, Vergadain
FOES: Beshaba, Bane (now dead), Moander (now dead)
Symbol: A shining, featureless disk of silver
WOR. ALIGN.: Any
Tymora (Tie-MORE-ah) is sometimes called Tyche's fair-haired or fair-tressed daughter or Beshaba's bright sister, but these are more poetic titles than designations of her maternal lineage or her hair colour. In actuality, Tymora is half of the deity once known as Tyche, with Beshaba being the other half. Tymora inherited Tyche's grace and kindness when that goddess split into two beings in the Dawn Cataclysm, a war among the gods that preceded the Time of Troubles and is said to have heralded the fall of Myth Drannor. Besheba garnered more of Tyche's wanton, willful nature, sensual side, and restless energy.
Tymora's faith is one of the most common in the Faerûn, in particular since it caters most heavily to a highly mobile, relatively wealthy, and intrinsically powerful group who live by their wits and by their luck: adventurers. Tymora is fickle and playful and never vengeful or malicious. She likes a good joke and has been known to play an occasional practical joke on some of the more straight-faced Facuinian deities such as Helm and Tyr. She is reputed by sages to have had short-lived romances with several of the good male deities of Faerûn, but these ended amicably on both sides after a short while. She likes merriment and festive occasions and rumours abound at gaming houses throughout Faerûn of people who spotted her at the tables during one holiday or another, laughing and having a good time with all.
Other Manifestations
When manifesting on Faerûn, Tymora often takes the form of a silver bird or a silver pegasus. She also sends servant creatures to aid mortals in these shapes, as well as those of einheriar, faerie dragons, foo lions, swanmays, and unicorns. When showing her favour for a particularly blessed gambler, she has sometimes been known to manifest as a silver glow about a gambler that is evident only to that person and not those around him or her. When this happens, something favourable will happen in regard to the wager, whether it is the wagerer being more likely to win or even the bets being forced to be called off, in cases where the bet was rigged by the opposition.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, Specialty Priests, Mystics
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: N, CN, NG, CG
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: Yes, Mys: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: No, SP: No, Mys: No
All clerics and speciality priests of Tymora receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus non-weapon proficiency
Tymora is an extremely popular goddess among adventurers, and her temples may he found wherever there is a strong adventuring population. Lady Luck is beloved by those who live and work in danger, for she rewards the faithful and others who live in the manner she deems proper—daring all and trusting to chance—with her favor: good luck. The Lady's ways may seem fickle to the uninitiated or nonbelievers, for by her very nature the support she gives is uncertain in all particulars. "The joy of the doubt and the danger," also known as the Lady's Joy and the Lady's Way, is that which is most dear to her true followers. Many pay her lop service in times of needl her answers then seem truly random, for the Lady helps those who help themselves.
Tymora's priests are the first choice of a badly wounded adventuring party dragging itself into town, and as a result, the church is relatively wealthy. With that wealth comes a strong independent streak among the different churches of Tymora. Each Tymoran temple is its own independent operation with it's own clergy, and each temple reflects the tastes of its high priestess or priest. A large network of shrines and temples to Lady Luck has spread throughout the heartlands of Faerûn. While the shining, featureless disk that is Tymora's symbol most often marks these houses of worship as belonging to the Lady Who Smiles, in some temples, Tymora's symbol is represented as a floating, randomly and slowly turning sphere of everbright silver.
In the face of the independent tradition of the organised Tymoran faith has come an attempt in the recent past to unify the church under a grand patriarch in the manner of the oid faith of Oghma. Leading this suggestion is Dramos Lauthyr, High Priest of the Lady's House in Arabel. It was in Lauthyr's temple where Tymora manifested during the Time of Troubles, and she remained there. protecting the city with her power, during the worst of that time. The other churches have been extremely resistant to proclaiming the Arabellan church the centre of Tymoran faith.
Both sexes and all races are equal in the eyes of Tymora and her clergy, though in practice human women occupy most of the more exalted ranks of the priesthood. Of the nonhuman races, a few elves and half-elves have decided to become Tymoran clergy even in the face of the chilly reception such a calling receives in elven society. Mystics of Tymora serve both within temple ranks and as itinerant servants of the goddess who report to none but her (though Daramos would like to change this).
The Fateful Coin
Old tales tell that Luck plays a crucial role in each person's life. When each new-born baby enters into the Realms, Tymora flips a coin formed from the remnants of the original goddess of luck, Tyche. Beshaba calls it in the air - the moon (heads) or the cloak (tails). If Beshaba is right, that person is cursed with misfortune for the rest of his or her days. If she's wrong, Lady Luck smiles on that child for the rest of his or her life. For some rare beings, the coin lands edge on - and these luckless few can forge their own fates, for they have more freedom over their destinies than the powers themselves.
Among the followers of Tymora titles are used and changed with ease and informality, but "Lord Priest" and "Lady Priestess" are respectful titles of address that apply to all, and "High" is added in front of this for clergy senior in years or in demonstrated power, who are referred to as "the High." A "favored of Tymora" is a being chosen by the goddess to enter her clergy. A "fallen of Tymora" is one who has left her service and spurned chances for atonement and forgiveness. An "Atalara" is a priestess of Tymora whose body has at some time or other been directly possessed by the goddess so as to act and speak for her, which usually changes all body hair to a deep blue, and the pupils of the eyes to bright silver.
Dogma: Tymora's faith teaches that one should be bold, for to dare is to live. The battle cry of the followers of Tymora is "Fortune favour the bold." A brave heart and willingness to take risks beat out a carefully wrought plan nine times out of ten. One must place oneself in the hands of fate (meaning in the hands of Tymora) and trust to one's own luck.
Tymoran clergy are told that the Lady's own luck never fails. If she appears to mortals as a victim of mischance or misfortune, she is doubtless causing this state of affairs as a deliberate test. Clergy members should know this, but not speak of it to those not in the Lady's service. Priests of Tymora should bear and conduct themselves as their own masters, showing their good fortune - and acceptance of bad fortune - as a confidence in the Lady and in themselves. Lady Luck bids that each mortal chase his or her own unique goals, and it is in this chase that the Lady aids. Those who have no direction or goals soon know the embrace of the Lady's dark sister, Beshaba' for those on no set course are at the capricious mercy of misfortune, which is no mercy at all.
Day to Day Activities: The clergy of the Lady go throughout Faerûn urging folk to take chances and pursue their dreams, and not spend all their days planning and daring nothing. (They do not, as some folk say, encourage folk to indulge in reckless whims and frivolity.) Having offered such counsel, Tymoran clergy are duty bound to aid those who have dared with healing spells and other magical aid (sometimes surreptitiously) so as to reinforce the message of the good fortune one can win by trusting in Tymora.
Holy Days/lmportant Ceremonies: The church of Tymora has no set rituals, and cermoanies and duties vary widely from temple to temple - but the clergy headed by Daramos Lalithyr of Arabel seem to be steadily organising and imposing order on the previously freewheeling priesthood of the goddess.
Whatever their differences throughout the years' the clergy ot Tymora have always adhered to rituals of greeting, touching their silver disks (the holy symbols of Tymora) to each other (and often embracing to do so) after watchwords of recognition have been exchanged. To unknown persons and beings they know to be worshipers of Tymora, but possibly laity, they say: "Life is short. Live it as Tymora means it to be lived!" This is answered by: "Dare all, and trust in the Lady." The watchwords between friends, or when both parties know each other to be clergy of Tymora, are simpler: "Defy" answered by "Dare much.''
Midsummer is the most important festival of Tymora - a wild, nightlong revel of reckless, mischievous derring-do .and romantic trysts. It is a time for the wandering clergy to gather and meet with Harpers, thosc of allied faiths and relatives. Many missions and plans are laid at such times.
The most holy festival of Tymora is Starfall, which occurs on the 22nd day of Marpenoth which is believed by the followers of Tymora - though not by the rival clergy of Beshaba - to be the date of Tyche's destruction and Tymora's birth. On this date, clergy who have earned advancement are formally acclaimed and presented with tokens and vestments appropriate to their new station.
Major Centers of Worship: During the Time of Troubles, Tymora's earthly avatar appeared in Arabel (after her furious, drawn battle with Beshaba) and stayed in her temple there, which created a great sensation in Cormyr. The fact that Arabel was spared most of the destruction visited on Waterdeep, Tantras, and other cities during the Godswar was taken as a boon from the goddess herself. With the end of the Godswar a thick fog covered Arabel, and when it lifted, the goddess had gone with it.
High Priest Daramos Lauthyr now leads a growing Assembly of the faithful at the Lady's House, the templye of Tymora in Arabel. Daramos is attempting to codify and record a set of rules for the clergu, using his influence as the head of the temple Tymora dwelt in during the Time of Troubles. The rest of the Tymoran clergy are strongly resisting any such restrictive regimen. Most agree to the wisdom and preeminent rank of Daramos, but not to a written set of laws. The are also strongly resisting Daramis's claims that the seat of the Tymoran faith ought to be the Lady's House and it's leader should head the church.
Affiliated Orders: The church of Tymora has a continuing relationship with the Harpers, a secret society working for good through Faerûn and involving members of many races, classes and other faiths. The church sponsors some adventurning companies, and countless adventuring groups have independantly dedicated themselves to Lady Luck after she has smiled on them in a sticky sityation. A special fellowship of clergy within the church itself, the Fellows of Free Fate (or Triffs, as they are colloquially known), have dedicated themselves to countering the efforts of Beshaba, and especially of the Black Fingers, her assassins. Any clergy member may join who shows experience, dedication to the cause, and is vouched for by a senior fellow.
Priestly Vestments: The standard clerical dress varies from temple to temple, ranging from full habits and headpieces in Arabel to simple robes in Shadowdale. Blue and silver are colours often seen. Personal taste of the matriarch or patriarch influences the dress code, as does climate (natural and political) and availability of fine clothing. The common item worn by all clergy is the disk of Tymora, usually carried on a small chain.
Adventuring Garb: All adventurering or traveling clergyy members wear whatever garments they please, though the colours blue and silver are still predominant. High boots also seem favourite fashion elements. All priests continue to wear Tymora's silver disk next to theur skin, usually as a medallion around the neck, however, many clergy also wear smaller holy symbols as anklets, bracelets, or at their hips, under their clothing.

The True, the True God, the Brave, the Foolish, the Loyal Fury

Lesser Power of the Seven Heavens, LG
PORTFOLIO: Duty, loyalty, obedience, paladins
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Mercuria/Trueheart
SUPERIOR: Tyr
ALLIES: Tyr, Helm, Ilmater, Red Knight, Lathander, Clangeddin Silverbeard, Moradin, Gaerdal Ironhand, Arvoreen, Cyrrollalee, Yondalla
FOES: Bane (now dead), Bhaal (now dead), Cyric, Mask
SYMBOL: A right hand metal gauntlet held upright, palm open and toward the viewer, or a silver or gray metal shield bearing the open-handed gauntlet device with three black arrows embedded in the shield
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG, LN
Torm (TORM) is the patron of paladins and those who face danger for a greater good. In life, Torm was the most faithful of warriors, obeying all the commands of his king regardless of personal danger. Today he is the war arm and champion of Tyr, Lord of Justice, delivering justice to those who are evil, deceitful, and destructive, and acting to keep law, order, and loyalty everywhere. The Loyal Fury is unflinching in his duty and judges his faithful accordingly. He is stern, righteous, and unyielding, yet his heart is filled first and foremost with goodness, and he can be a kind and gentle power when dealing with the young, the weak, and faithful friends of all sorts.
Together, Ilmater, Torm, and Tyr are sometimes called the Triad. Torm and Ilmater see themselves serving opposite sides of the same coin and are close allies and friends. Torm and Helm have always been allies, although their followers are often rivals. At Tyr's urging, Torm has begun to cultivate a close relationship with the Red Knight in the hope of drawing her into the fold of justice and away from war for its own sake.
Torm figured significantly in the struggle over the Tablets of Fate during the Time of Troubles. Prior to his battle with Bane, Lord of Strife, Torm discovered a great evil being done in his name by his then-current high priest (named Tenwealth). The followers of Torm had always dominated the religious and political activity of Tantras, but during the time of Torm's Coming, they began to actively persecute all "unbelievers" (in other words, followers of other gods). With the aid of the fallen cleric of Sune named Adon, Torm implicated the chief conspirators and accused them of their crimes.
When the avatar of Bane marched across the Dragonreach to seize the Tablet of Fate hidden in Torm's temple (without the Lord of Duty's knowledge), Torm absorbed the souls of many of his true worshipers, including the heretical leaders of his clergy, and assumed the form of a monstrous lion-headed man. He then battled Bane in a battle of mutual destruction, in the process destroying the besieging Zhentarim navy and creating many dead magic areas.
Because Torm died in service to his own ethos (following orders) and Torm's native plane was the Prime Material itself, he was reinstated by Lord Ao. Soon after, Tyr rewarded his faithful paladin with elevation to lesser power status. In the Year of the Sword, the Lonely Citadel, an isolated tower of massive size that crowned a rocky spire in the remote Ice Mountains north of Citadel Adbar, vanished in a burst of divine radiance and reappeared on the flanks of Mt. Celestia as Torm ascended to the Outer Planes. It now forms the heart of his realm, Trueheart, on the layer of Mercuria.
Torm was also active in the battle against Cyric 10 years after the Time of Troubles. The Lord of Duty assisted Mystra, Oghma, and Mask in dethroning Cyric as Lord of the Dead, although Cyric was not destroyed. Torm's actions have earned him and his followers the undying hatred of Cyric, Prince of Lies.
Torm still frequently stalks the Realms in avatar form, as he did when he was a demipower, battling legendary monsters and evil incarnate. In the liturgy of the Tormish church, it is said that Torm will perish in the final battle of the gods, saving the Realms once and for all from Cyric's madness by his self-sacrifice.
Other Manifestations
Torm often appears as a floating, flying metal gauntlet of gigantic size (up to 12 feet in length) that glows with a white aura and is surrounded from time to time with arcs of lightning. It can point, speak with Torm's voice, carry beings or even quite tiny, fragile items, and smite walls, doors, or creatures (at AC -1, 75 hp, MV 15, the same magic resistance and saving throws as Torm's avatar, and THAC0 1, dealing 5d12 points of damage at a blow plus 4d8 points of electrical damage if Torm desires). Torm also occasionally manifests as an animated weapon (usually a two-handed sword) or a shield that aids Torm's faithful or causes.
Torm is served by gold and silver dragons, ki-rins, lammasus, pegasi, shedus, watchghosts, xavers, and the Ghost Guard: the souls of the most loyal warriors who ever lived, who live on as einheriar or similar beings who ride pegasi across the sky into battle at Torm's direction. He occasionally manifests his favor as a blinding white diamond set into a door or stone wall, the image of a gauntlet, shield, or sword burned into fabric, or as a pure white rose growing in a castle gate or narrow mountain path.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, Specialty Priests, Paladins, Crusaders
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: Yes, Pal: Yes, Cru: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: No, SP: Yes, Pal: No, Cru: No

All clerics, specialty priests, and crusaders of Torm receive religion as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
Torm's popularity is increasing, particularly in the wake of the events of the Time of Troubles. He benefits from an enthusiastic following of worshipers who appreciate his unswering devotion to serving mortals—unusual for a deity—and a number of fighting orders and paladins who have devoted themselves to the True God. Priests and lay worshipers of Torm together (that is, anyone of his faith) are known as the Tormish. The members of the priesthood are known as Tormtar. Most Tormtar are human males, but both sexes are welcome within the faith—and as the numbers of the elf and dwarf peoples dwindle and they increasingly see the vital need for law and order among human communities to ensure their own survival, people of the Fair Folk and the Stout Folk are embracing the True Faith and the Unbending Way of Torm in ever-greater numbers.
The followers of Torm organize themselves into a three-level hierarchy of worshipers. Length and quality of service and rank are of particular importance to the followers of Torm and form the basis of the hierarchy. Specialty priests, called holy champions, make up 40% of the priesthood and often serve as the leaders of the faith. Clerics, crusaders, and paladins make up 30%, 20%, and 10% of the remaining clergy members, respectively.
The top level of the hierarchy in Torm's faith is comprised of the Tormtar, who are arranged in their own strict hierarchy. The hierarchy among Torm's disciples ascends from the Unproven (novices), to the Andurans (confirmed priests of lower rank), Faithblades, Wardens, Vigilants, Watchful Venturers, Loyans, Enforcers, Guardians, Knights, Vanguardiers, and Champions. These ranks are separate from duty-titles such as (in ascending order): Patrol Captain, Revered Messenger, Doorwarden, Seneschal, Templemaster, High Priest, and Priest Inquisitor (the teachers and internal disciplinarians of the faith).
The second level of the hierarchy of the faith is comprised of the knightly orders dedicated to Torm. Members of these groups serve as the adventuring and warrior branches of Torm's clergy and go on many quests in the service of Torm. The members of this tier are known as the Swords of Torm, and most (if not all) of the Swords are crusaders and paladins in various knightly orders, such as the Order of the Golden Lion, that are allied with the clergy members but not under their direct command.
The third tier of the hierarchy of the faith comprises the lay followers of Torm. Torm's faithful include many warriors and government officials, among others. Following the Time of Troubles, many have made pilgrimates from all over the Realms to the Temple of Torm's Coming in northern Tantras. Torm's followers are expected to make yearly tithes to the local temple of Torm as they are able. In addition, they must follow the general religious tenets of Torm as espoused by his clergy.
Temples of Torm are typically citadels of righteousness and are constructed as impregnable fortresses, often high up on a mountain's flanks where they command an impressive view of the surrounding terrain. Such castles are often built of white granite and radiate a continuous, pure light. Statues of lions and armored knights line the halls, and the badges of knights who fell in the line of duty decorate the walls.
Dogma: Torm's is one of the most ethically pure of all faiths in that it is devoted to loyalty and obedience. This is not a blind obedience, and a servant working for an evil master is responsible to a higher authority in his loyalty. The Tormish believe that salvation may be found through service, that every failure diminishes the Lord of Duty, and that every success adds to his luster. They strive to maintain law and order and to obey their masters to their utmost power with alert judgment and anticipation. The Tormish stand ever alert against corruption and are expected to strike quickly and hard against any rot in the hearts of mortals. As the sword arm of justice, the Tormish are expected to bring painful, quick deaths to betrayers. They are to question unjust laws by suggesting improvement or alternatives, not additions. Their fourfold duties are to faith, family, masters, and all good fellow beings of Faerûn.
Following the Time of Troubles, the religious hierarchy of Torm's faithful was completely overhauled. Incensed by his followers' persecution of other goodly religions under Tenwealth's misguided direction, Torm has dictated a series of responsibilities and obligations for his followers to atone for their collective failings. These "debts" are collectively referred to as the Penance of Duty, detailed below. Tormtar are required to actively implement and coordinate efforts and actions dictated by the Penance of Duty in addition to following the normal tenets of their faith. Tormtar are required to follow the Penance of Duty without fail, and, at least once every other level, serve in some fashion that helps alleviate one of the debts mentioned in the Penance of Duty. The Penance of Duty is as follows:
Debt of Persecution: To repay their persecution of other religions, the truly faithful must aid other goodly religions in reestablishing themselves.
Debt of Dereliction: To atone for their abdication of duty to guard against strife, the Tormish must expend all possible effort to eliminate any surviving cults of Bane, as well as to oppose all efforts of Cyricists, Xvimists, and the Zhentarim.
Debt of Destruction: Followers of Torm are obliged to relieve the destruction to the magic weave incurred during the Time of Troubles. All dead magic areas are to be reported and repaired. In addition, all permanent results of the magical chaos of the Time of Troubles are to be similarly undone and all wild magic areas reported and eradicated.
Day-to-Day Activities: Tormish provide training for, give sanctuary to, and lend support (moneys, gear, mounts, armor, and weaponry) to guardians, orders of paladins and loyal knights, and loyal courtiers across Faerûn-and send forth agents to ferret out corruption in such groups and in all courts and organizations, particularly those who set themselves up as righteous or having a sort of superiority or moral authority. They also watch for impending trouble (from orc hordes and warlike realms, for instance) and young folk who could be recruited into the service of Torm or into positions as loyal warriors or bodyguards. On rare occasions, they act militarily against forces of evil, disloyal citizens readying coup attempts, and thieving or outlaw organizations.
A few adventuring Tormtar are permitted more leeway in their personal deeds than other clergy of the faith, but in return for this personal discretion as to their activities, they are pledges to tithe heavily (60% or more, plus payment for magical aid) to the church and to observe and report back on all they can of regions, beasts, and concerns their brethren seldom see so that the church of Torm can know Faerûn as well as possible (despite the static demands of guardianship). Torm himself often speaks to his clergy members to provide guidance and to reassure doubtful priests that a fellow Tormtar who is an adventurer is allowed to act thus and so in Torm's full favor (or that Torm is displeased and the following penance should be placed on the individual).
While the gods Helm and Torm may be on good terms, their priesthoods are not. The two faiths have long been engaged in a rivalry, and its friendliness has been waning over the years, particularly since the Time of Troubles. Tormtar now keep a close eye on all faithful of Helm they encounter, anticipating betrayal at any time.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: During the year, the Tormish celebrate two great festivals (and on some years, three): the Divine Death on the 13th of Eleasias (commemorating Torm's death in battle just north of Tantras during the Time of Troubles, when he and Bane destroyed each other), the True Resurrection on the 15th of Marpenoth (when Torm returned to his powers, at the end of the Godswar), and the Shieldmeet.
The Divine Death is a solemn ceremony of remembrance for all the fallen who died for just causes, while guarding others, or in the holy service of Torm. After prayers and a huge feast, Tormtar go at dusk to the graves or battle sites where departed ones dear to them fell or now lie, light special candles, and pray through the night, recounting the deeds of the fallen to Torm so that none who fell may truly be forgotten. Torm often sends comforting dream visions to Tormtar on this night-but it is said among the faithful that if one sees Torm's death in a vision, it means that person's death in his service in the coming year.
The True Resurrection celebrates Torm's rise anew to power and is a joyous feast and revel where laws are set aside just for this one day and night so that Tormtar can stray from their principles of law and order once a year. Most use this opportunity merely to shock others by speaking freely or by enjoying sensual pleasures with their fellow Tormtar-but a few every year employ it to bring vengeance down on someone. (For example, a noble protected against all physical punishment by the laws of a realm but who ordered others mutilated might himself be mutilated on the night of the Resurrection.) Torm traditionally sends inspiring visions into the dreams of all his faithful in the sleep that follows this festival-and grants the Loyal Boon to a few, as a mark of his appreciation for their outstanding service: A new prayer is placed in their minds, granting them once chance to cast a new spell they would otherwise not be able to cast until they rose in experience by another level.
Shieldmeet celebrations are rituals expressing loyalty and renewing oaths and pledges. Tormtar prefer to marry, perform marriages, and finalize apprenticeship or training agreements on this day.
Throughout the year, faithful of Torm are expected to pray to the True God at least four times per day: at noon, dusk, midnight, and dawn. Prayers to Torm are uttered in a prescribed litany, which sounds like a rolling chant, and ask for guidance from the Lord of Duty, Loyalty, and Obedience. Since the Time of Troubles, the Penance of Duty has been included as part of the litany. To these rituals and prayers are added special prayers said when a follower of Torm needs extra inner strength to follow orders, to do a necessary but unpleasant task, or to support an ally or friend.
The faithful of Torm need practice only three special rituals: Torm's Table, Investiture, and Holy Vigil. Torm's Table must be observed at least once every two months. To perform this ritual, a Tormtar purchases or prepares a grand meal and then turns it over to a stranger (usually a beggar or citizen in need) to consume while they fast, waiting on the table. Within three days after the feast is done, the priest must confess any personal sins, failings, or shortcomings to anothe Tormtar priest and report on his doings to a superior.
Investiture is the solemn ceremony wherein a novice becomes a priest or priestess. It is the duty of every Tormish priest or holy warrior within a day's ride of the announced place of ritual to attend. The supplicant (only one priest is invested at each ceremony) prepares beforehand by rolling in mud or dust and then donning the oldest, filthiest clothes they can find or beg for. Thus attired, she or he fasts for a day and then in the evening (after the gathered priests have feasted) is brought in to the temple and washed clean with water by the visiting Tormtar. The supplicant is formally introduced to the presiding priest and accepted into the service of Torm-provided she or he passes the Holy Vigil. All the clergy then join in a hymn of hope, and withdraw, leaving the supplicant locked in the temple sanctuary alone to complete the Holy Vigil.
The Holy Vigil is repeated every time an individual advances in rank within the priesthood. Before departing, the presiding priest solemnly raises a naked bastard sword from the altar and casts it up into the air. By the grace of Torm (and a secret spell cast beforehand), the blade rises up and moves to hand a man's height above the supplicant's head, point downward. The more the supplicant gives in to fear or slumber or dwells on any doubts about his or her faith in Torm, the lower the sword slips. Though such swords move slowly enough that they rarely seriously injure when they touch the priest below them, the magic is broken if the sword draws blood, and the shame of being found with a fallen sword the next morning is extreme. If a Vigil is thus failed, the presiding priest prays to Torm for guidance and follows the True God's dictates: the Vigil may be repeated on the next night, or the failed one may be cast out of the church or charged with a penance or quest.
Major Centers of Worship: The Temple of Torm's Coming in Tantras, where Torm appeared during the Time of Troubles, is a scarred and severe battle-fortress frowning down over its white granite walls (and extensive granary cellars below the ground) on the city below. The temple stands hard against the inside of the north wall of the city atop the city's highest hill. Here High Priest Barriltar Bhandraddon leads a wealthy and ever-growing group of clergy members and congregation in the worship of Torm. Barriltar's temple sponsors knightly orders Faerûnwide and spreads the values of obedience and loyalty to all who will listen-and in crowded urban areas, such folk who dream of freedom from lawlessness, thievery, and rowdiness are many.
Temples of Torm may also be found in Eagle Peak (the Citadel of the Rampant Eagle) and Procampur (the House of the Hand) and within temples of Tyr (such as the Halls of Justice in both Neverwinter and Sundabar), among other places. Shrines to Torm are located in Hillsfar, Ravens Bluff, Scornubel, and Urmlaspyr, among other cities.
Affiliated Orders: Following Torm's rebirth, the church founded a new order of paladins, known as the Order of the Golden Lion, to serve as holy warriors of Torm. Led by First Champion of Torm Sir Dylan Lionshand, these holy warriors are especially dedicated to actively serving the Penance of Duty, and they wander the Realms in Torm's service. (For example, the Champion Reborn, Sir Gwydion the Quick, serves Torm by escorting Rinda the scribe who bears the Cyrinishad.) Many members of the Order of the Golden Lion are found guarding the temples of a wide variety of peaceful faiths, while others embark on quests to recover lost relics of various goodly gods. Failure to actively serve the letter and the spirit of the Penance of Duty by any member of this order results in the loss of paladinhood, reclaimable only through the casting of an atonement spell and the completion of a difficult quest in the service of Torm set according to the goals of the Penance of Duty.
Knights of the Order of the Golden Lion cannot advance in level without serving in some fashion that helps alleviate one of the debts mentioned in the Penance of Duty. Torm rewards this faithful devotion from time to time by bequeathing a minor quest spell known as the lion's roar, equivalent in effect to a great shout (as the 8th-level wizard spell with all the attendant penalties). The ceremonial costume of the Order of the Golden Lion is the same in the field as in the temple-a full suit of well-polished battle armor with an ornate helm. The armor polish used is a bright golden color.
Priestly Vestments: Priests of Torm wear clean, bright, smooth-polished plate armor (or robes, a breastplate, and bracers), ornate helms, and gauntlets inscribed with the Penance of Duty. The hue of the armor (or robes) denotes the rank of the wearer: Unadorned metal is for the Unproven, dark crimson is for Andurans, rose red is for Faithblades, deep amber is for Wardens, sunrise orange is for Vigilants, harvest yellow is for Watchful Venturers, pale green is for Loyans, dragon green (bottle green) is for Enforcers, sky blue is for Guardians, and dusky purple is for Champions, the most holy priests of the faith, as well as the greatest heroes of Torm.
Adventuring Garb: In potential combat situations, Tormtar always wear their best armor and weaponry. They are expected to keep their armor clean and brightly polished even in the worst conditions, except where such activities would interfere with the execution of their duty.