Lord of Battles, Foehammer

Greater Power of Limbo
CN
PORTFOLIO: War, battle, warriors
ALIASES: Tempos (among the barbarians of Icewind Dale)
DOMAIN NAME: Limbo/Knight's Res
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Clangedding Silverbeard, Gond, Haela Brightaxe, Nobanion, the Red Knight, Uthgar, Valkur
FOES: Garagos
SYMBOL: A blazing silver sword on a blood-red field
WORSHIPPER ALIGNMENT: Any
Tempus (TEM-pus) is random in his favours, yet his chaotic nature favours all sides equally. Lord Tempus may be on an army's side on one day, and against them the next; such is the nature of war. Tempus is prayed to the most of all on the night before battles and regularly venerated by all warriors, regardless of their alignment. As a result, he is a strong, exuberant, and robust god - a warrior's God. Tempus sometimes appears at huge battles an important combats - and on rare occasions to individuals who are in a position to cause great strife by the decisions.
Although mighty and profoundly honourable in battle, Tempus answers to his own warriors code. His is quiet and solitary in relationships to others for Faerûnian deities, pursuing no long-lasting alliances or brief flirtations.
He is known to love food, drink, and the hunt, though he loves battle best. In recent years, he has sponsored the Red night and godhood. His relationship with her is one of a fond protective father to a brilliant daughter who works hard and successfully in the family business - war.
His diametric opposite him portfolio, Eldath, he considers naive and weak. However, out of respect for her convictions, he punishes those of his faithfull who abuse her priests, shrines, or temples. Perhaps he feels that war has little meaning without peace to define and highlight it. Sune, who considers him a foe, he regards as irrelevant and flighty and therefore unworthy of being his foe.
Manifestations
Tempus sometimes manifests before battles, appearing to one side or the other. If he rides Veiros upon one side, then that army will succeed in his battle. If he writes Deiros, then defeat is in the offing. Most often he appears riding with one foot on each horse as they gallop across the battlefield, indicating the chaotic nature of battle.
Priests praying to Tempus for spells or guidance may see visions of a god himself, or his mounts, or a famous dead warrior and must interpret what they see is an indication of the god's intent and favour. Only the images of dead warrior's in visions sent to mortals will ever speak the will of the war god directly. Tempus himself only snarls in battle fury or keeps silent. (in fact, he has been never been known to speak while in Faerûn.) lay worshippers praying to the war god usually see Veiros or Deiros. To those requesting aid in battle or self defence, the favour of Tempus may manifest as a weapon appearing beside them when they are weaponless.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, Specialty Priests, Crusaders, Shamans
CLERGY'S ALIGNMENT: LG, NG, CG, LN, CN, LE, NE, CE
TURN UNDEAD: Cleric: Yes, Specialty Priest: Yes, Crusader: No, Shaman: Yes (if good)
CMND. UNDEAD: Cleric: No, Specialty Priest: No, Crusader: No, Shaman: Yes (if neutral or evil)

All clerics, speciality priests, Crusaders, and shamans of Tempus receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus non- weapon proficiency. Tempus is worshipped by those of every alignment and lineage who wage war for all clauses. The Tempurian clergy may be found on both sides of a conflict, as no one can ever truly know whom the war-god will favour. Priests of Tempus tend to be human, male, and have the temperament that enjoys battle, though the clergy is open to all beings who have prayed privately to Tempus and received the blessing of a spell, a manifestation, or direct aid of some sort. In some societies, such as that of the Northmen of the Moonshae Islands and the Barbarians of Icewind Dale, Tempus is served by shamans. Temples of Tempus are usually what are more commonly known as walled military compounds than what most people picture as temples.
Military ranks within the faith are common. Ranks typical of many temples of Tempus are War Priest, Slung Sword, Terrible Sword, Lance of the Lord, Shield of the God, Battlelady/Battlelord, Swordmaster/Swordmistress, and Lady/Lord of the Field - but these are often superseded by titles that go with a position, such as Battle Chaplain of a shrine or Trusted Sword of the Temple. Ranks are assigned by those in authority in the Church in light of service, needs, and situation, and temporary commands are common in desperate situations. Special leaders of a temple or crusade are entitled to wear their heavy battle gauntlet of rank.
Dogma:
Tempus does not win battles - Tempus helps the deserving warrior win battles. War is fair in that it oppresses all sides equally and that in any given battle, a mortal may be slain or become a great leader among his or her companions. War should not be feared, but seen as a natural force, a human force, the storm that civilisation brings by its very existence.
A faithful of Tempus are charged to arm all for whom battle is needful, even foes. They should retreat from hopeless fights, but never avoid battle, and slay one foe decisively and bring battle to halt rather than hacking down many overtime and dragging on hostilities. They are to defend what they believe in, lest it be swept away, and remember the dead who fell fighting before them. Above all, they should disparage no foe and respect all, for valour blazes in all, regardless of age, gender, or-race.
Tempus looks favourably upon those who acquit themselves honourably and tirelessly in battle, smiting mightily when facing a foe, but avoiding such craven tricks is destroying homes, family, or livestock when a foe is away or attacking from the rear (except when such an attack is launched by a small band against foes of vastly superior numbers). Tempus believes that warrior's should responsibly consider the consequences of the violence they do beforehand and try not to hot headedly rush off to wage war recklessly. On the other hand, Tempus teaches that people with smooth tongues or fleet feet who avoid all strife and have defend their beliefs wreak more harm than the most energetic tyrant raider or horde leader.
Day-to-day activities:
Priests of the war got are charged to keep warfare a thing of rules, respected reputation, and professional behaviour, minimising uncontrolled bloodshed and working to eradicate feuding that extends beyond a single dispute or set of foes. At the same time, training and readiness for battle must be promoted if civilised human holdings are to survive in Faerûn in the face of monster raids and orc hordes - and the power of Tempus to aid those he favours in battle must also be promoted. Warriors - especially mercenaries - who employ poison or taint wells, sow fields with salt, kill non-combatants, indulge in torture or wanton destruction of innocents, when they are not at war, or commit similar sins against fair battle are to be denied the favourite of the god, their crimes are to be publicised far and wide, and they are to be made to atone for their deeds or perish.
Where priests must preserve the name of the honoured battle fallen, both on gravestones and other such memorials, in their prayers to Tempus, and in an annual chant at the March of the Dead, wherein priests of the war god go through the streets to call all folk, worshippers and non-believers alike, to the local feast of the Moon hosted by their temple. Priests are also charged to collect and venerate the weapons and armour of famous and respected warriors, even of these are broken or have deteriorated, for they retain something of the battlelust apart would happen and ate at have a higher up and energy associated but the deeds they participated in.
Holy Days / Important Ceremonies:
The ritual performed by most of the faithful is a prayer for valiant performance and survival in the fray ahead, made to the war god over the weapon the praying being most often fights with. If a new weapon comes into the believers possession before a battle - particularly in the form of hard won booty - it is taken as a sign of Tempus's favour, and this weapon is the one that used in worship.
The eves and anniversaries a great battles of a holy days of the Church of Tempus, and as such vary from place to place. The Feast of the Moon, honouring the dead, is the most important fixed date in the religious calendar. It is also expected that at least once a ten-day worshippers of Tempus bills a few drops of blood (preferably their own or a worthy foe's) and sing the Song of the Sword in Tempus's honour. Regardless of battle anniversaries, clergy perform at least two ceremonies each day: the Feast of Heroes at high sun and the Song of the Fallen at sunset. In most temples, a senior priest also conducts a Song of the Sword ceremony after dark for all lay worshippers desiring to attend.
Major centres of worship:
The most prominent Tempurian temple is the High House of Swords And Banners ("the Bloodhall") in Ormpetarr, which began centuries ago as a meeting house for the many mercenary companies active in the Vilhon and the lands east and became the first shrine of the Lord of Battles. Its original altar, a gigantic bowl over which an enormous enchanted flaming two-handed sword levitates and slowly rotates, still stands in the heart of the vast central hall. The High House now trains warriors for fees (simultaneously instructing them in the worship of Tempus), and also sells warrior's mounts, armour, and equipment of superior quality. Several raids on its fortified armouries in the past have failed, but such attacks have ceased since the warrior priests of the High House wiped out an orc horde 20 times the number in the year of the Sword (1365 DR).
Since the time the troubles, a site of great holiness in the Church of Tempus has been the Abbey of the sword in Battledale, which marks the spot where Tempus descended to Faerûn during the Time Of Troubles. The site was located after a priest of the war god followed Tempus's back trail away from his appearance at the battlefield of Swords Creek at Mistledale. The Abbey is built on the former site of the hold of the warrior Belarus, a devout worshipper of the war god in times past.
Affiliated orders:
The Tempurian Church has many affiliated orders. Two of note are the Order Of The Broken Blade and the Order Of The Steel Fang. The Order Of The Broken Blade honours those warriors and clergy who are injured in Tempus's service and can no longer fight on the front lines. Broken Blades often serve in support functions at temples and shrines and take a personal oath upon joining the order to defend the holy site where they reside o the death as a final line of defence. The Order Of The Steel Fang is an elite fighting order within the Church whose members are often assigned to the most hazardous duties. Steel Fang units are led by battle hardened members of the clergy. Many mercenary company's and knightly fighting orders of crusaders also avail themselves of a connection to the Church. One badge of the god seen among his affiliated mercenaries is a rusty brown dagger, shown diagonally with its point to the upper right, dripping catch four it drops of blood. No knightly orders of paladins serve Tempus, however.
Priestley vestments:
When not in battered armour, clergy of the war god wear helms or steel skullcaps, though there are careful never to cover their faces, for such close emulation of Tempus is thought to be affront to Lord of Battles. Some of the fanatical wandering priests never remove all of their armour at any time, but in the temples of the big cities clergy are rarely seen in a armour except at ceremonies held before whelmed armies leave or a siege begins.
The robes of a priest of Tempus always sport trim of the crimson hue of fresh blood, but vary in overall colour from place to place and rank to rank. Darker coloured robes are worn by those of the lower ranks. Most war Priests West ceremonial garments of brown or purple. Read or amber is worn by senior clergy say, and yellow or white by those of the most exalted rank.
Speciality priests of Tempus, particularly those of high rank, wear a spiked gauntlet as a symbol of office. The gauntlet costs 10 GP, although more elaborate and expensive ones may be found in more important churches. This gauntlet is size S, a piercing weapon with speed factor 2, and inflicts 1d4 points of damage to creatures of any size. To gauntlet is usually worn only by speciality priests with some form of authority - those in charge of temples or leading Crusades.
Adventuring garb
Adventuring garb is the same for both clerics and speciality priests of Tempus. Most wear the best they can obtain, though it is battle worn and battered as it is for use, not show. They prefer full plate armour or plate mail. A full helm his usual, but it is worn with either an open face plate or no face plate.

The Destroyer, the Raging One, the Stormstar, the Storm Lord

Intermediate Power of Pandemonium
CE
PORTFOLIO: Storms, destruction, rebellion, conflagrations, earthshakings, and vortices
ALIASES: Baelros/Bhaelros (Calimshan), Kozah (Anauroch, among the Bednine), Malyk (the Underdark)
DOMAIN NAME: Pandesmos/Towers of Ruin
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Auril, Malar, Umberlee, Velsharoon
FOES: Aerdrie Faenya, Angharradh, Arvoreen, Chauntea, Corellon Larethian, Cyrrollalee, Denier, Eldath, Gond, Hanali Celanil, Helm, Lathander, Mielikki, Mystra, Oghma, Rillifane, Rallathil, Savras, Sehanine Moonbow, Sheela Peryroyl, Shialla, Silvanus, Solonor Thelandira, Sune, Tyr, Valkur, Yondalla
SYMBOL: Three lightning bolts, each of a separate color, radiating from a central point
WORSHIPPERS ALIGNMENT: LN, N, CN, LE, NE, CE
Talos (TAH–los) is the destructive force of nature. He is the god of storms, forest fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and general destruction.
Talos is usually encountered as titanic, bellowing laughter in the heart of a gale. Sometimes the laughter is accompanied by two eyes like giant blazing coals, which are surrounded by swirling maelstorms of air. In urban areas Talos more often manifests as two fist-sized, swirling storm clouds. Talos also sometimes works through the presence or action of vargouiles, yeth hounds, quasits, wind walkers, and the elemental spirits known as tempests.
Talassans are taught that life is a combination of random effects and chaos, so the devout should grab what they can, when they can, as who can say when Talos will strike and bring them into afterlife ?
Talassan clergy are to preach to all of the might of Talos, warning them always of the forces only he can command - the fury of all Faerûn. They are never to cease in such speech, so that everyone may know that Talos is to be worshipped by all, and that in time to come he must be, or he will destroy all life with the forces at his command. His clergy should walk unafraid in all storms, forest fires, earthquakes and other disasters, for the power of Talos protects them. They should let others see this whenever possible, so that unbelievers will come to believe in the true power of almighty Talos.
Talassan clergy should make all fear Talos by showing the destruction that he and all of his servants can cause. To avoid tasting his fury, they are to pray to him energetically and tell all folk that such observances - and only such observances - can protect them from the furies of the gales, hailstorms, winds, floods, droughts, blizzards, hurricanes, and other natural dooms. Such forces can also be hurled at one's foes - an advancing orc horde, for instance - if Talos deems a place or a person worth defending. So one cannot afford to ignore Talos, but must bow down and worship him. The clergy of Talos are to proclaim this message to all and show everyone the destruction even the slightest of the servants of Talos can cause.
It should be noted that clergy of Talos enjoy destruction and arm themselves heavily to bring it about where spells may fail at all times. Talassans tend to go to one of two extremes: Either they armor themselves to the hilt in the most menacing-looking armor they can obtain, or they wear next to no armor and use protective magicks instead so that to the average observers they look almost suicidal in their fervor to get into the thick of destruction.
Talos is served by Auril the Frostmaiden, Malar the Beastlord and Umberlee the Bitch Queen. Together they are known as the Gods of Fury.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, Specialty Priests
CLERGY'S ALIGNMENT: LE, NE, CE
TURN UNDEAD: Cleric: Yes (if neutral), Specialty Priest: Yes
COMMAND UNDEAD: Cleric: Yes (if evil), Specialty Priest: Yes
Dogma: Talos the Destroyer is the dark side of nature, the uncaring and destructive force that lies waiting to strike at any time. Talassans are taught that life is a combination of random effects and chaos, so the devout should grab what they can, when they can, as who can say when Talos will strike and bring them into the afterlife?
Talassan clergy are to preach to all of the might of Talos, warning them always of the forces only he can command the fury. They are never to cease in such speech, so that everyone may know that Talos is to be worshipped by all, and that in time to come he must be, or he will destroy all life with the forces at his command. His clergy should walk unafraid in all storms, forest fires, earthquakes, and other disasters, for the power of Talos protects them. They should let others see this whenever possible, so that unbelievers will come to believe in the true power of almighty Talos.
Talassan clergy should make all fear Talos by showing the destruction that he and all of his servants can cause. To avoid tasting his fury, they are to pray to him energetically and tell all folk that such observances - and only such observances - can protect them form the furies of gales, hailstorms, winds, floods, droughts, blizzards, hurricanes, and other natural dooms. Such forces can also be hurled at one's foes - an advancing orc horde, for instance - if Talos deems a place or a person worth defending. So one cannot afford to ignore Talos, but must bow down and worship him. The clergy of Talos are to proclaim this message to all and show everyone the destruction even the slightest of the servants of Talos can cause.

Lady of Poison, Mistress of Disease,She of the Deadly Kiss, Mother of All Plagues

Lesser Power of Carceri, CE
PORTFOLIO: Disease, poison
ALIASES: Kiputytto
DOMAIN NAME: Cathrys/Palace of Poison Tears
SUPERIOR: None (formerly Bhaal)
ALLIES: Bane (now dead), Bhaal, Shar
FOES: Chauntea, Loviatar, Mielikki, Silvanus, Sune, Lliira, Kelemvor, Tyr, Shiallia
SYMBOL: Three golden amber teardrops on a purple equilateral triangle with point upward
WOR. ALIGN. LN, N, CN, LE, NE, CE
Talona (Tah-LOW-nah), one of the Dark Gods, is often depicted as a withered old crone with a scarred, tattooed face in religious texts. Where she walks, misfortune and death follow. She is an odd deity. Sages have described her as having the personality of a petulant, greedy child trapped in the body of a once-beautiful woman now scarred by horrific disease and ravaged by age: She is alternately desirous of attention at any cost like a small child and aloof like a wounded paramour who has been discarded by her love.
Talona’s power slowly wanes after each great plague in Faerûn. When she feels vulnerable in her position, she unleashes another wave of misery and disease-brought death and receives a torrent of prayers entreating her to spare the inhabitants of Faerûn from her withering touch. Her power then waxes again in an endless cycle of indifference, devastation, and appeasement. In particular, Talona’s power was ascendant during the destruction of Asram (after the erection of the Standing Stone), in the Year of the Clinging Death (75 DR), during the Rotting War (902 DR), in the Year of the Scourge (1150 DR), in the Year of the Empty Goblet and the Year of Beckoning Death (1252-1253 DR), and during the Great Plague of the Inner Sea (1317-1323 DR).
Some old texts of Talona refer to her as Kiputytto, but this is actually the name of a rival demipower who challenged Talona’s portfolio and lost. The battle between the two goddesses destroyed the Netherese survivor state of Asram in its wake. When Kiputytto attacked Talona, Talona plagued the ill-fated Asram in order to obtain the devotional power generated from the worship of its citizens, who hoped to appease Talona and lessen the effects of the disease. Kiputytto responded in kind in the same location, provoking a devastating series of increasingly virulent plagues (perhaps even magical in nature) that overloaded the curative resources of Asram’s various priesthoods and wiped out the entire population in less than a month. Even most of those who escaped the scourged area died soon after of disease. Shortly afterward, Talona won this devastating deific contest and murdered Kiputytto.
Representations of Talona’s symbol dated to before her battle with Kiputytto show it depicted as a flesh-colored equilateral triangle with point upward containing three teardrops arranged in a triangle with the uppermost black, the lower left purple, and the lower right green. Why the coloration was changed after her triumph over Kiputytto is one of the inner mysteries of the church not ever revealed to outsiders.
While he lived, Talona served Bhaal along with Loviatar, though Loviatar and Talona and are fierce rivals. Loviatar loves to torment and tease Talona over her ugly appearance, her scanty number of followers, her cowardly and ineffectual attacks, and her puny portfolio (in Loviatar’s words). Needless to say, Talona openly delights in any setbacks Loviatar experiences, and sometimes even aids good adventurers if she thinks they will damage Loviatar’s reputation. Talona has recently cultivated an alliance with Shar
Other Manifestations Talona may manifest as a flickering brown-and-yellow radiance above a place of disease or death (such as a battlefield). Her shape and movements resemble a dancing flame able to teleport itself for short distances. She is unable to speak in this form, but may write by burning letters in wood or other organic substances or scribing them in sand, ashes, dust, or other loose material. In this form, she can by touch bestow spells, enact her Touch (see above), and communicate mind-to-mind employing mental visions with any creature. (In practice, only Talontar are favored by such communications). She also sends chasme (tanar’ri), gulguthras (otyughs, neo-otyughs, and gulguthydras), imps and quasits, ironmaws, rats (pack of giant and normal-sized rodents), sewerms, shadowdrakes, spiders (gargantuan, hairy, and watch), terlens, and vorrs to inflict her wrath, show her approval, or aid her faithful. Her presence is sometimes indicated by the sudden appearance and rapid growth of a black lily or a poisonous herb or fungus. The talontar believe the discovery of a solitary piece of amber or jasper indicates the Lady of Poison’s favor, but if such a gem shatters when touched, the victim will soon die of disease (if amber is found) or poison (if jasper is happened upon).
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, mystics
CLERGY’S ALIGN.: LE, NE, CE
TURN UNDEAD: C: No, SP: No, Mys: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: No, Mys; No
All clerics, specialty priests, and mystics of Talona receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency. Talona, like most chaotic evil gods, is more feared than worshiped and is propitiated to avoid her attentions, not to draw them. The church of Talona operates underground, as can be expected of a faith that promotes death and disease. It IS strongest in those regions where plagues are rampant, and the faithful of Talona are often accused of creating such situations. Many wererats pray to the Lady of Disease for additional weapons of disease to use against the hated humans.
Those who actively worship Talona tend to gather in secret in the catacombs beneath cities or in wilderness ruins. Underground temples are often built above reeking, overflowing sewers or in humid grottoes overgrown with fungi and mold. Wilderness shrines are typically located in stagnant swamps and marshes rife with disease-laden mosquitoes and rich with the sickly sweet scent of decay. Twisted gargoyles carved to resemble mortals wracked with various diseases or poisons are positioned prominently throughout such structures.
The Lady of Poisons attracts the cruel to her service; her priests tend to be self-sufficient, capable—and sadistic. Priests of Talona are known as Talontar, and members of the faith as a whole (laity and clergy) are called Talonites. Talontar are partial to ritual facial tattoos and scarification over their whole bodies. Talonite priests of 2nd level or less are considered probationary initiates. Only upon reaching 3rd level are they formally inducted into the priesthood. Specialty priests of Talona, known as malagents, wield poisoned daggers and serve as the adventuring and internal policing arm of the faith. They make up about 45% of Talona’s clergy members and are slowly ascending to dominance of the faith, with clerics (40%) and mystics (15%) comprising the remainder of the priesthood. Specialty priests are addressed as “Most Fatal Horror” and are sometimes— not to their faces—known as “Fatals” to other Talonites. Other priests of the Lady of Poisons are addressed as “Most Debilitating Holiness,” though senior clergy usually call their juniors “Young Venom,” regardless of their relative ages.
Dogma: Talona’s ethos stresses that life and death are in balance, but that death is the more powerful and should be paid proper homage and respect. Life and death are balanced only because birthing and generation are so plentiful. Death is the true power, and the lesson that waits for all. lf it falls to the followers of Talona to drive home the point with the tip of a dagger, so be it.
Talona’s faithful are taught that if they respect death and the many ways the powers can deal it, that knowledge will allow them to live longer. If people think themselves invincible thanks to wealth or a swift swordarm or strong spells, the great equalizer of disease, Talona’s breath, will teach them respect and humility. Initiates to the faith are charged as follows: “Let pain be as pleasure to the faithful of Talona. She works upon you from within, and in weakness and wasting is her strength. She is forever and always with you, whomever you or the rest of the world believes in or serves. Let all living things learn respect from Talona and pay homage to her in goods and in fervent worship, and her dedicated priests will intercede for them so that Talona will not claim them—this time. Go and work in Talona’s name and let your doings be subtle or spectacular, but make them known as the will of the Mother of All Plagues.”
Day-to-Day Activities: Aside from selling poisons, antidotes, and medicines, the Talontar travel Faerûn as quietly as possible, constantly seeking out new diseases and afflictions and spreading rumors so as to augment the reputation of Talona. What seems to motivate Talontar in their day-to-day behavior is a quest for respect: respect that is due Talona for her potentially devastating abilities and due them as her representatives in Faerûn. Throughout their careers, Talona’s priests work with magic and inoculations to build their personal immunities to various poisons and diseases. Thus protected, they treat the diseased, take employment as food tasters for paranoid rulers, wealthy merchants, and nobles, and bun those who have died from diseases. Whenever a realm or city-state casts out or punishes any Talontar, for any reason, priests of Talona work to cause a plague in that place to exact “Talona’s price” for such insults. Rumors have circulated that certain unscrupulous Talontar have occasionally chosen wealthy folk as targets for disease so that wealth and properties can be seized by the church upon the death of these wealthy owners— with the threat of contracting disease keeping rightful heirs and claimants at bay.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The church of Talona observes thrice-daily prayers to the goddess (morning, highsun, and evening, though the timing of such rituals need not be precise), and daernuth (holy festivals) every 12 days. Festivals are events open to nondevotees, where such visitors are encouraged to pray and give offerings to Talona to spare themselves or loved ones from death, disease, wasting diseases, and the like. At such day-long celebrations, priests of Talona are always careful to show lepers and other victims of disfiguring diseases being cured by priestly magic before everyone and also to demonstrate their immunity to contracting disease by touching disease-carrying or filthy objects to the stillbloody ritual wounds of a Talontar (inflicted as during a private cicatrization ceremony). A long symphony of rolling drums, deep-voiced chanting, and glaur, shawm, and zulkoon music proclaims the power and veneration of Talona throughout the day, and minor priests busily sell poisons (for eliminating vermin, of course), antidotes, and medicines throughout the day, assisted by senior clergy who diagnose conditions (usually with great accuracy) and prescribe treatments in return for stiff fees (typically 50 or 100 gp per examination).
Annually at the daernuth falling closet to Higharvestide, initiates of the faith are formally inducted into the priesthood. This ascension is marked by horrifying private ceremonies involving ritual scarring and sacred tattoos. Exceptionally unappealing individuals (Charisma 3 or 4) who undergo the ascension ceremony find their personal Charisma raised by the ceremony due to the respect engendered in those viewing them by the fact that they survived the experience causing such scars (Charisma goes up to 5). The amount of scarring is so severe for specialty priests of the faith that their Charisma drops to a maximum of 11 if it was higher before the ceremony, though the same benefit for a dismally low Charisma is accrued.
Major Centers of Worship: The House of Night’s Embrace, a fortified temple-palace in Tashluta ruled by Lady Doom Thalaera Indlerith, is the most prominent site of Talona’s worship. The House is defended by an army of black-masked guards assisted by gargoyles and golems. In its secretive depths the battle-tested Priestesses of the Lady’s Night make poisons, potions that spread disease by touch or introduction into beverages, and antidotes to both (which they sell at very high prices). Agents of the Night’s Embrace maintain a busy touring schedule of wealthy houses, noble country seats, and royal courts throughout Faerûn posing as purveyors of fine wines and perfumes, but their true calling is an open secret Many of the priestesses employed in this duty dabble in local politics (and love lives) for their own entertainment, secure in the knowledge that fear of poisoning will keep them safe from the daggers that claim most intruders into such affairs.
Affiliated Orders: Talona is not served by any military or knightly orders, but she is served by several secret cabals of rogues and other vermin The Plague Rats are an elite organization of thieves, assassins, and wererats active throughout the Western Heartlands and the North. Their secret base is believed to be located in the depths of the Rat Hills and to have connections to Undermountain. It was apparently unaffected by the great Conflagration in the Year of the Shield (1367 DR).
The Plague-mother’s Children is a guild of thugs active throughout Chondath and the Vilhon Reach. Formerly composed of crusaders dedicated to the extension of the Rotting War as the ultimate test of Talona’s favor, it has degenerated in recent years into an informal brotherhood of warriors and thieves who run extortion rackets throughout the region and threaten Talona’s wrath if they are not given their monetary due. (Crusaders are no longer included among the faithful of the Mistress of Disease.)
During the Tune of Troubles, Talona appeared to an evil human wizard named Aballister and bade him to found a trifold order of wizards, priests, and warriors. Castle Trinity, a castle-in-mountain’s clothing, was built into a rocky spur on the northeastern edge of the Snowflake Mountains. Talona gave the wizard an unholy recipe, the Chaos Curse (named Tuanta Quiro Miancy — the Most Fatal Horror), with which he could destroy the agents of good in the region. Accessed by a dozen rocky tunnels, the stronghold was eventually collapsed and ruined through the work of Cadderly, a priest of Deneir based in the nearby Edificant Library, and his friends. They succeeded after countless battles in the Library, the Snowflake Mountains, the nearby Shilmista Forest, and in the town of Carradoon. Remnants of the triumvirate of Talona may yet survive in secretive fellowship.
Priestly Vestments: All priests of Talona wear gray and green robes with ragged sleeves. These are washed but never repaired and in time become faded rags. Out of pride, most priests continue to wear their old, worn-out vestments until they are nearly naked. Old and high-ranking priests tend to have ritual scars and tattoos all over their bodies, and some even sport many body-piercings so that their torsos are studded with small rings linked with fine chains. Female clergy and laity alike often wear earrings and elbow-dangles of black metal wrought in the shape of talons.
Adventuring Garb: If embarking on a possibly dangerous adventure or preparing to go into battle, Talontar favor black-and-purple armor adorned with spurs, horns, and spikes. They wear any armor in a pinch and prefer to wear as much armor as possible. Only specialty priests of Talona carry the special ceremonial poison daggers of the faith. They have no compunction against using them in combat. A nonbeliever caught with such an item attracts the unwanted attentions of Talona to his or her health as well as her church’s wrath.

Firehair, Lady Firehair, the Lady of Love, the Princess of Passion

Greater Power of Olympus, CG
PORTFOLIO: Beauty, love, passion
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Olympus/Brightwater
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Lliira, Selûne, Sharess, Milil, Lathander
FOES: Talos, Auril, Umberlee, Malar, Talona, Tempus
SYMBOL: The face of a beautiful, ivory-skinned human maiden with long, red tresses
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN
Sune (SUE-nee) Firehair is said to be the fairest of the powers. When she is represented, she is shown as the most beautiful woman in the Realms, with sweeping, radiant, red hair and incredible charms. The Sunite faith is a popular one in large metropolitan areas and among the nobility. Those of a literary or artistic bent, as well as people falling in love or looking for lifemates, often venerate the Lady Firehair.
Sune herself is said to be benevolent and sometimes whimsical, alternating between deep passions and shallow flirtations. She has been romantically linked with many of the Faerûnian powers in the myths of the Realms, although she has never borne any love at all for the gods of fury, Talona, or Tempus, since their functions posit the destruction of many beautiful things, both living and inanimate. Currently, she is rumored to have been rather smitten by the noble actions of Torm at Tantras during the Time of Troubles.
Sune is said to share the waters of the Evergold, a sacred pool, with the elven goddess Hanali Celanil, and a friendly but intense rivalry exists between the two over the innate superiority of elven versus human beauty. Sune abhors and actively opposes any force or deity that causes the marring of living beauty.
Other Manifestations
A common manifestation of Sune's presence or favor is a gentle, phantom caress or kiss, usually accompanied by a soft crooning that only the goddess and those truly loyal to her can emit. This sound is performed endlessly in most temples of the goddess and is familiar to all faithful worshippers of the Lady of Love. Alternatively, Sune can manifest as an unseen surge of excitement in the air that makes all beings n a locale happier, more energetic, and forcibly attuned to the sensual—that is, made acutely aware of the smells, tastes, and feel of their surroundings. Sune also shows her favor through the appearance or presence of fire doves, flame poppies, rubies, roses or rose petals (especially deep red ones), chestnut horses, satyrs, sylphs, nymphs, and dryads.
An individual (especially a member of Sune's clergy) enjoying Sune's special favor at the moment, or who has been charged with a task or the role of Sune's champion, often glows with a red, pink, and white scintillating aura signifying the favor of the goddess. When such an aura fades away, it bestows the effects of a heal spell on its wearer. This aura is the gift of the goddess; to ask for it would anger her and outrage any Sunite clergy who heard of the request.
Those priests who have earned a great boon from Sune by completing some great task in her name may be gifted with a draft of Evergold that raises the Charisma of the priest who consumes it by 2d4 points for one day and acts as a philter of love upon anyone who sees the drinker for one turn after the draft is quaffed. Only priests of Sune may benefit from this draft—to all others it is poison. Charisma may reach godly levels in this fashion. Charming effects wear off and followers and henchmen gained at high Charisma drift away after the draft wears off at the end of the day, but initial reactions and any enamoring effects remain.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, mystics
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: Yes, Mys: No
CMND UNDEAD: C: No, SP: No, Mys: No
All clerics, specialty priests, and mystics of Sune receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
Comely male and female humans, elves and half-elves serve the Lady of Love. Female clergy outnumber male clergy eight to one, but the men are all the more highly valued for their relative rarity. All clergy must possess an alluring or pleasing manner in addition to natural beauty, for high Charisma is essential for Sunite clergy. Ugly, physically imperfect, or marred beings are disparaged or pitied by devout Sunites, and an aquired imperfection that cannot be masked or healed by spells or other means of shapeshifting spells the end of a Sunite priest's career. Other faiths tend to regard Sunites as flighty, vain, and rather superficial, but basically harmless. Sunites have an intense rivalry with the followers of the elven goddess Hanali Celanil.
The Sunite church's organization is loose and informal, and it's leadership changes with the whims of it's clergy. The most charismatic Sunite clergy are usually the head priests and priestesses. Little is thought of a priest dropping everything and going bounding off into the wild, particularly if the goal is some beautiful object or some beautiful individual, and such behavior creates little scandal in the church.
Sunite temples are either stunningly beautiful edifices of fantastic design or classically elegant structures strategically enhanced by sculptured landscaping. Many Sunite temples sport formal gardens with gorgeous flower beds, trellises and bowers of well-trained vines, and carefully pruned trees and topiaries. Fine sculptures and sumptuous fountains that play with soft, magical lighting provide focal points in most Sunite temple gardens.
Dogma: Beauty is more than skin deep, say the Sunites; it issues form the core of one's being and shows one's fair (or foul) face to the world. The followers of Sune are believers in romance, true love winning over all, and following one's heart to one's true destination. Fated matches, impossible loves, and ugly ducklings becoming swans are all part of the teaching of Sune.
Novice Sunites receive the following charge: "Love none more than yourself save Sune, and lose yourself in love of the Lady Firehair. Perform a loving act every day, and seek to awaken love in someone new each day. Respond to love at least once in a day.
"Encourage beauty wherever you find it. Acquire beautiful items of all sorts, and encourage, sponsor, and protect the artists who produce such things whenever and wherever you find them.
"Keep your own body as comely as possible and as attractively displayed as situations warrant. Let hairstyle and clothing best suit your personal appearance, striving to stir and delight others who look upon you. Moreover, hide not away, but always seek to present yourself to those around you in a pleasing variety of garbs and activities so as to move them with love and desire.
"Love those that respond to your beauty and all beauty, and let warm friendship and admiration flower where love cannot or dare not."
Day-to-Day Activities: Sunites are aesthetes and hedonists, who actively seek out pleasure and beauty in all things. The pursuit of aesthetic enjoyment is their life.
Sunite clergy buy beautiful items of art, sculpture, and handiwork whenever they find it, sponsoring good artists where necessary and overpaying for such items so as to drive prices up, create more demand, and so increase the supply of things of beauty. This is to be done as often as funds afford and subtlety permits, and in disguise if need be.
Whenever Sunite clergy must perform dirty tasks, the use of disguise is encouraged to protect the body as well as to conceal identity. The devout priest always hires or supports adventurers and others to destroy beings who vandalize beautiful creations.
All clergy of Sune also strive to create beauty in a personal way, preferably as a creator of static fine art (blown glass ornaments, paintings or tapestries are all fashionable) but as a dancer if one fails at all else. When one gains expertise in crafting things of beauty, she or he is obliged to pass on such learning by training others and turning away no one who shows genuine promise. Any moneys made through such training should be given to the church to further the growth of beauty and love everywhere.
Although Sunite clergy can rebuff unwanted advances, they should strive to built friendships and romantic feelings between themselves and others and in general whereever they go so that love may prosper everywhere in the realms. As the lonely are in most need of such things (and the most likely to join in love of the Lady Firehair), they should be sought out by diligent clergy for friendship. Everyone, no matter how homely or disparate in faith from the path of the Lady, should be assisted by gifts of clothing, hair styling, cosmetics, and lessons in deportment, dancing, and manners so as to make themselves as beautiful as possible.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Greengrass is celebrated by Sunites with a great deal of outdoor frolicking, and Midsummer Night with night-long flirtatious chases through forests and parks, but local priesthoods can set the times of other celebrations to their own pleasure, as long as at least one Grand Revel befalls each month and at least one Feast of Love is celebrated in every tenday.
A Grand Revel is a dusk-to-dawn party to which outsiders are invited, dancing and minstrelsy dominate, and those of the faith seek to attract converts with fun and the exhibition of a few of a temple's or shrine's beautiful art objects or magical treasures. A Feast of Love is a more intimate, quiet affair, open only to the faithful, who lie on couches and indulge in the gentle sipping of liquers and nibbling at subtly flavoured bitelets (as savory hors d'oeuvres are called in the Realms) and sweet pastries while lone dancers perform. These dances are interspersed with readings of romantic verse and prose and lays of love sung by skilled minstrels. Such rituals always break up into private gatherings, though bards are always on hand to relate tales of courtly love or mysteries of Faerûn for those who do not feel like socializing more privately.
Sunites also offer personal prayers to Sune, always while dressed in beautiful ritual garments, standing in a pool or bath, and looking into a mirror lit only by natural light or candles. Those seeking guidance in life, entry into the faith, or atonement indulge in a night-long Candle Vigil. Sune sends guidance to them by visions visible in the mirror, often by altering the reflection of the worshiper in some ways.
Major Centers of Worship: One Sunite holy house has recently out-stripped the beautiful House of Firehair in Daerlun and the sacred parks in Everlund and Neverwinter to become preeminent in the worship of Sune: the Temple of Beauty in Waterdeep. This rich and important sacred site is a recently rebuilt house of graceful grandeur whose slender towers taper with exquisite smoothness as they reach up into the sky. Around these towers soft-hued driftglobes float, and their wandering light also illuminates the interior chambers of the temple. The temple is said to house chambers of great luxury where beautiful people gather from far across Faerûn. It serves as a safe neutral ground for Waterdhavian nobles of hostile houses to meet and pursue romance together. The Temple of Beauty is also a favorite destination for tourists of all faiths, but non-Sunites must make handsome and expensive offerings to the goddess to be allowed entry.
Affiliated Orders: The church of Sune sponsors an endless slew of honorary orders that seem to change with every new priestess or priest to rise to the head of a local temple. These titular orders convey honors for excellence in various artistic pursuits.
The church also has a small affiliated knightly order of fighters, paladins, and bards who serve to guard temples and holy sites along with the clergy and who sometimes pursue quests to do good work in Sune's name to promote her faith. (The gallant kit from The Complete Bard's Handbook is especially appropriate for these bards if the DM wishes to allow it.) To become one of the Sisters and Brothers of the Ruby Rose, a candidate stands vigil in a church of Sune all night. If the Lady Firehair appears to the candidate in a vision during the night or somehow shows her favor, the candidate is admitted to the order. Members in this order are given to writing essays and songs of courtly love when not engaged in vital business, and often adopt a beautiful individual to adore from afar whether that individual would be flattered by such attentions or not.
Priestly Vestments: Sunites are not bashful about their bodies. The standard ceremonial garb of Sunite priests is monastic robes for men and habits for women, both cur to show off the figure of the wearer and dyed a deep crimson. Hair is normally worn long and allowed to fall free during rituals. At other times, priestesses wear attractive wimples with v-shaped crown pieces, and priests bind their tresses back with crimson scarves. While red hair is considered touched by the goddess, all shades of hair and skin are welcome, provided they are unmarred and lovely.
Aside from her face, other, less-common symbols of Sune are a winking eye (often seen as an animated illusion on the doors of Sunite temples) or a pair of golden parted female lips with the tip of a vivid ruby-red tongue just visible between them, slyly touching the upper lip.
Adventuring Garb: At light-hearted social functions, members of the clergy often wear the lips of the goddess painted on a shoulder or their midriffs. At such times, they don garments cut away to display the badge of the goddess. When fighting or adventuring, clerics of Sune prefer as much protection (magical and otherwise) as they can afford. It is not that they are cowards, hut they want desperately to avoid scars or even the need for magical healing. Sunite clergy often wear oversized, ornate, heavily padded full body armor (such as plate mail or plate armor, or even scale mail or chain mail with full coifs, helmets, and shields) designed to afford the body maximum protection against visible marring. Often such armor is fluted, polished mirror-bright, or otherwise adorned so as to be as pleasing to the eye as possible.

Oak Father, the Forest Father, the Old Oak, Treefather, Old Father Tree

Greater Power of the Plane of Concordant Opposition, N
PORTFOLIO: Wild nature, druids
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Plane of Concordant Opposition/Tir na Og (in the Deep Forest)
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Eldath, Mielikki, Chauntea, Lathander, Lurue the Unicorn, Nobanion, Angharradh, Baervan Wildwanderer, Corellon Larethian, Cyrrollalee, Rillifane Rallathil, Sheela Peryroyl, Shialla, Solonor Thelandira
FOES: Malar, Moander (now dead), Talona, Talos
SYMBOL: A green, living oak leaf, an oak tree in summer, or a wooden staff sprouting tiny green leaflets and buds down its length
WOR. ALIGN.: Any
Silvanus (Sihl-VANN-us) is the god of wild and untamed nature in Faerûn; he is of equal power to Chauntea, who represents a more ordered nature. The two are on good terms, although Silvanus takes pride in his true neutrality. He is served by Eldath and Mielikki, and many of the followers of one deity venerate the others as well. They work closely together and seem genuinely trusting and affectionate toward each other.
Silvanus hates Talos and Talona, whom his priests refer to as "the Unbalanced." He most often reveals a beneficent, paternal nature towards his faithful, who number among them travelers, adventurers, explorers, sages seeking knowledge in nature, rural communities far from the protection of the local lord, guides, hermits, wise women and men, herbalists, and a few long-sighted woodcutters and hunters (harvesting only the dead, the excess, and the weak), as well as druids and rangers. He swiftly turns an uncaring and even righteously wrathful face toward any who threaten the wild places and woodlands of Faerûn. Those who disturb the balance are often found at the edge of the forest torn to pieces by wild animals who cannot be tracked.
During the Time of Troubles, Silvanus is reported to have been seen in the Winterwood and the Chondalwood, lending credence to the Emerald Enclave's (an activist circle/society of druids) claims that its efforts in the Vilhon Reach are greatly favored by Silvanus.
Other Manifestations
Rather than appearing as an avatar, Silvanus prefers to appear as an oak leaf blown out of nowhere as a sign, or if he must take direct physical action, as a fire-quenching, eerie green glow that is always accompanied by the sounds of faintly whistling wind and running or dripping water. Alternatively, he may manifest as a stag-horned, silent man with burning white eyes who appears among the trees and has shaggy brown fur that is almost barklike. As the Horned Man, Silvanus speaks only in the minds of those he touches and can point, lift, and carry things (even hurling trees or logs), inscribe words on wood by pointing with a fingertip, and cast spells (notably telekinesis of awesome weight capacity). The Horned Man most often simply materializes to show himself and indicate something by a gesture, a shake or nod of the head, or by pointing, and then fades away again.
Silvanus also indicates his favor or disfavor or sends aid through the presence or actions of treants, brownies, dryads, deer, badgers, unicorns, satyrs, atomies, sprites, pixies, and other woodland monsters.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, druids, shamans
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LN, N, CN
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, D: No, Sha: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: No, D: No, Sha: Yes
All clerics, druids, and shamans of Silvanus receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
The church of Silvanus is often referred to as the "greenleaf priesthood" after the symbol of its deity. Silvanus has a strong base among both clerics in urban areas and druids in the wilder territories. Like Chauntea he calls both his dear children, but in his case the druids are the favored of the two. Silvanus also has a few shamans among the nomadic and barbarian societies of Faerûn who spread his word of balance and respect for nature while tending to their tribes' needs.
Silvanus's clergy are spread throughout Faerûn, favoring small communities over large cities, though there are several large communities of Silvanites in major cities such as Waterdeep. Druids are the leaders and the backbone of the greenleaf priesthood and are most favored by Silvanus if they dwell in the forest and live in harmony with the land, where they are best able to be the stewards of Faerûn's wild places. Urban clergy of Silvanus more often become gardeners, trying to create a walled corner of wild forest in the city (or guard and revitalize an existing miniature wood). They often seek to attract followers by preaching of the peace and purity of the wilds and dispensing herbs and sweetsap drinks (especially maple syrup, mint teas, and sweetroot brews).
Dogma: Silvanus sees and balances all, meting out both wild water and drought, both fire and ice, both life and death. His priests tend to see the total situation, to view the macrocosm; their view is not confined to one person or one nation's idea of what is best. This is not to say that priests of Silvanus are neutral and take no sides. They are strongly on the side of wild nature, the natural state of matters, over any civilizing force.
All is in a cycle, deftly and beautifully balanced-and it is the duty of the devout to see this cycle and the sacred Balance as clearly as possible, to make others see it (whether they worship the Oak Father or no), and to work against all beings and things who seek to disturb the Balance. This is best done by watching, anticipating, and quiet manipulation. Silvanites should resort to violence and open confrontation only when pressure of time, situation, or hostile action makes it necessary. Ultimately, the faithful are to keep the Balance-when one must act in one way one day, take the opposing side on another day. Always keep the Balance.
Those aspiring to join the clergy of Silvanus are charged to fight against the felling of forests, banish disease wherever they find it, and defend the trees and plant new ones whenever possible. They are to seek out, serve, and befriend the dryads and learn their names. They are to kill only when needful, for all things in the forest are in balance, to destroy fire adn those who emply it, and to beware orcs and others who bring axes into the forest.
Day-to-Day Activities: Most disturbances of the sacred Balance are due to too-heavy hunting or farming, which bring with them land clearances-essentially population pressures. The greenleaf priesthood is kept busy working to redirect development and control populations through covert sponsorship of brigands, breeding and selective placing of predators, and other means. It is essential that such work is as secretive as possible, so that most folk view the servants of Silvanus as essentially benign lovers of trees. Wildlife breeding, nursing sick animals, and replanting trees and wild shrubs are all work that should be done as publicly as possible to support this perception-and as necessary work to redress the slipping Balance, of course.
To do this work properly, two skills are essential to all Silvanite clergy: learning through instruction and lifelong study the intricate workings of the life-cycles of all living creatures in Faerûn and learning to take the long-term view so that the manifold implications of every action and combination of actions can be seen clearly well into the future. By planning for the long term, Silvanite clergy hope never to take a serious mishap and worsen any shift of the Balance. Superior patience, natural knowledge, and anticipation are the hallmarks of a worthy servant of Silvanus. They are also the qualities that make any Silvanite priest a deadly foe. A Silvanite should never be surprised and always be three or four steps ahead of an opponent, prepared for victories well beyond the battles than an enemy can see.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Priests of Silvanus pray to the Forest Father at all times, though the god seems to respond best to prayers at sunset and in moonlight. Greegrass, Midsummer Night, Higharvestide, and the Night the Forest Walks are holy days to the greenleaf priesthood. The Night the Forest Walks can occur at any time during the year. It is a night when Silvanus is restless, and trees move, streams and ravines change their courses, and caves open and close in the forest. Forest-dwelling monsters are often stirred into action, and forest magic is especially strong and apt to go wild.
Many rituals of worship to the god take place in a crown stand of tall, ancient trees on a hilltop. The god must always be worshiped by sacrifice-but never by blood sacrifice. Instead, something made from material taken from a wood must be ceremonially broken and buried-not burned. For example, a wood must be ceremonially broken and buried-not urned. For example, a cart, wagon, or chair fashioned from the wood or felled trees could become a sacrifice to Silvanus.
The simplest prayer to Silvanus is the Call of Oak, Ash, and Thorn, wherein a priest gathers leaves of the three named sorts of trees, floats them on water, and entreats Silvanus to hear a prayer. For deeper concerns (a conversation with a servant of the god, or the receipt of godly favors or magical powers) a Vigil is often employed: The worshiper anoints his or her own body with a powder of crushed acorns and mistletoe leaves mixed with rainwater or spring water and lies down on, or in contact with, a growing tree for most of a night. Some part of the bare flesh of the faithful must touch green, growing moss, so moss-covered giant trees are most favored for use in Vigils.
The two most powerful and holy rituals of Silvanites are the Song of the Trees and the Dryad Dance. The first ceremony is a droning, haunting chant that is repetitive, leaps from sharp to flat in pitch, and increases in power the more worshipers are participating. Its performance always draws woodland creatures to gather in silent witness, laying aside their usual fears and their instincts to prey upon each other. The Song of the Trees heals burned, diseased, and scarred trees-and even, in rare moments of the favor of Silvanus, reerects trees that have fallen or been felled.
The Dryad Dance is a wild ritual of piping, dancing, and carousing that calls out any dryads or hamadryads from the woods around and empowers them to travel far from their trees for a lunar cycle (month) after the dance is performed (though they cannot use their charm ability when more than 360 yards from the tree). Dryads and their trees are healed and revitalized by the dance, and it is rumored that humans and dryads who tryst at this time cause the rapid spead of new oaks trees and the birth of new dryas linked to them.
Sadly, it seems the most often performed ceremony in the Silvanite canon is Thorncall, a ritual magic that raises thick walls of deadly tearing thorns out of the forest soil. These barriers are permanent and as labyrinthine as the presiding priest desires, but they can only be called up when a servant of Silvanus (a worshiper or a servitor creature, such as a stag) has been slain or shed much blood in the vicinity. The Thorncall ritual is used to keep out those who would burn or despoil the forest in such a way as to upset the balance.
Major Centers of Worship: The most major center of Silvanite worship is Old Oak Dell in the heart of the Forest of Tethir, due east of Mosstone in Tethyr. Lyon's Oak south of the River Icehilt in Impiltur, where a vast forest has been planted all around by Silvanite clergy, is fast rising to challegnge Old Oak's supremacy. Another strong contender for supremacy is the island of Ilighôn in the Vilhon Reach, where the Emerald Enclave has set up a faith magic zone.
Affiliated Orders: The church of Silvanus does not have any affiliated knightly orders. It has firm connections to several orders of rangers who serve Mielikki, since she in turn serves Silvanus, and its holy groves and forest pool shrines are often guarded by the seldom-seen clergy of Eldath along with the druids and clerics of the greenleaf priesthood. The Emerald Enclave, a large and aggressive society of druids active in the Vilhon Reach, has close ties to the church, but its members considered a tad radical by many Silvanites elsewhere in Faerûn who see their actions as likely to provoke a negative backlash against the Silvanite religion in the future. Finally, the church of Silvanus also has ties with the Harpers, an organization working against the rise of great powers, which tend to endanger all natural life and conditions around them by trying to reshape Fearun, and so endanger the Balance.
Priestly Vestments: The ceremonial dress for both clerics and druisd of Silvanus is a suit of armor made of overlapping leaves. For clerics, the leaves are made of metal plates and the suit functions as a set of scale mail. For druids, the leaves are made of green-tinted leather and the suit functions as leather armor. Either set is worn with green breeches and shirt. The outfit is topped with a large help with oak leaf-shaped wings.
In urban areas, where the clerics outnumber the druids, the standard dress has been simplified to a verdigrised-copper pin worn on the breast when a priest is not involved with the High Ceremonies.
Adventuring Garb: When adventuring, druids and clerics of Silvanus may wear their ceremonial armor or switch to something less flamboyant, depending on their mission. They are usually very practical in their dress, choosing outfits to suit the situation at hand.
Many of the wilder druids take to wearing only a loose, dusty brown cloak made of old hides adorned with feathers and carefully watered, woven-in clumps of mosses from day to day. Sometimes this body cloak is augmented by fur leggings or high boots. This garb, worn by priestesses of the Forest Father, has given rise to tales of wild women of the woods in many places around the Realms.

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

Demipower of the Happy Hunting Grounds, NG
PORTFOLIO: The High Forest, Neverwinter Wood, woodland glades, woodland fertility, growth, korreds (especially young korreds)
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Krigala/The High Glade
SUPERIOR: Mielikki
ALLIES: Chauntea, Eldath, Gwaeron Windstrom, Lurue the Unicorn, Mielikki, Silvanus, Tapann, Tree Ghost (Uthgar)
FOES: Auril, Malar, Talona, Talos
SYMBOL: A golden acorn
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN
Shiallia (Shee-AL-lee-ah) is the patron and caretaker of pregnant forest creatures. She is a planner of trees and a nurturer of seedlings. She rejoices in life and shields against death. Her worship is limited to the proximity of the High Forest, though she is also venerated in the vicinity of the Neverwinter Wood as the Lady of the Woods.
Shiallia is said to be the sister of the Tree Ghost (the collective spirit of the High Forest and one of the beast totems of Uthgar) and daughter of Tapann the Undying, Lord of Korreds and Father of the Dance. She serves Mielikki along with Lurue and Gwaeron Windstrom, and Mielikki in turn serves Silvanus. The relationship between them all is quite familial and supportive.
She calls enemy most of those who the other deities of nature despise: Talos, Talona, Auril, and Malar. She holds a special antipathy for Talona, who always struggles to take away from her the new life Shiallia works so hard to nurture, and for Malar, whom she regards as an insane killer hopelessly outside of the balance of nature because he emphasizes only a small and aberrant nature of its whole.
During the Time of Troubles, Shiallia allied with Gwaeron Windstrom against Malar. While Windstrom concentrated on pursuing the Beast Lord, Shiallia spent much of her time repairing the damage caused by the Malar's destructive rampages.
Shiallia is winsome and earthy, delighting in dancing and frolicking in the woods and playing with woodland creatures when she is not tending to their needs. She has a low, throaty voice, and enjoys retorting with clever (and often crudely suggestive) rejoinders when engaged in conversation. At times she seems to behave like the satyrs whom korreds resemble, but she has a more mysterious quality and unexpressed depths that a satyr, which plays all its cards in plain sight, would find incomprehensible. She is fiercely protective of her charges, but lets matters outside her purview go unchallenged, since they do not directly involve her, unless she is ordered to act by Mielikki or Silvanus.
Other Manifestations
Shiallia takes the form of many animals, all of them distinguished by their absolute perfection for their species. One of her favorite shapes, however, is that of a large but graceful doe. In this form she is often surrounded by multiple bucks (treat as wild stags with 6 HD and maximum hit points) who make no advances upon her nor fight amongst each other for her affections; they are purely hers to command.
Shiallia sometimes manifests as whirling, dancing motes of light that shine with green faerie fire. Contact with the radiance is warm and relaxing, has the effect of a heal spell, and eliminates any pains or complications related to pregnancy.
When korreds of the High Forest dance, Shiallia sometimes manifests as a shower of 2d10 acorns that appears in the middle of the circle. Eating the nut from an acorn triples the chance that a being will conceive (under the appropriate conditions for doing so) if the acorn is ingested within 24 hours of its appearance. Consumption of these acorns is never harmful, even if the period of their special effectiveness has lapsed.
Shiallia has been known to bestow acorns of desire upon favored worshipers. Such an acorn appears to fall from the sky and lands immediately in front of the feet of the lucky recipient. If held in a closed fist by the intended recipient and concentrated upon, the recipient's request is fulfilled as close as to his or her desires as possible within the limited wish (or occasionally, wish) effect of the acorn. The acorn of desirevanishes, leaving a permanent golden-hued tattoo in the shape of an acorn on its user's palm.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, druids, specialty priests, mystics, spellsingers
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG, N
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, D: No, SP: No, Mys: No, Spell: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: No, D: No, SP: No, Mys: No, Spell: No
All clerics, druids, specialty priests, and mystics of Shiallia receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency. Her clergy are usually female, and may be human, elf, half-elf, halfling, or korred. All human priests of Shiallia must be female.
The worship of Shiallia is limited to the proximity of the High Forest. Shiallia has few actual clergy, but many forest creatures venerate her name. Since the Time of Troubles, a few specialty priests have come to her calling, particularly in the southern reaches of the High Forest. In many ways her clergy as a whole are similar to druids, but Shiallia's church focuses very strongly on fertility.
Shiallia's priests are somewhat migratory in their movements, following long paths that can take them hundreds of miles afield, though not necessarily in annual cycles. They go wherever natural life needs a helping hand, then move on when there is nothing more than they can do. They almost always return later to check on the results of their labor and perhaps to cultivate whatever they have begun—hence their seemingly migratory behavior. Every priest has a favorite place to worship Shiallia in virtually every area along his or her trail, but there is no central temple of Shiallia nor any web of churches dedicated to her, aside from the Golden Oak in Silverymoon and the Glade of Life at the headwaters of the Unicorn Run.
The clergy of Shiallia are commonly known as the Sisters of Life and Mercy, although a few Brothers of Life and Mercy are included in their numbers as well. Prior to the Fall of the Gods, Shiallia's clergy was evenly distributed between clerics, who were often found on the edges of the High Forest, and mystics and druids, who wandered the deepest reaches of the woods. Since the Time of Troubles, most initiates to the faith have become the specialty priests known as woodwives, and the balance is now almost even between the four types. Shiallia's priests shun formal titles. Younger priestesses are addressed as Daughter, those of similar age are addressed as Sister, and senior priestesses are addressed as Mother. Males are addressed as Brother or Son or Elder Brother, but never as Father.
Dogma: The only true goal of any living thing is to procreate. Nature dictates the shape of the world, for good or ill, so the only concern of the creatures that inhabit it is survival. Death is not to be feared, for it is part of the natural cycle of life, but life, particularly the birth of new life, is to be encouraged and nurtured whenever and wherever possible.
Day-to-Day Activities: Shiallia's followers are husbands of nature, spending their days planting and nurturing, calling upon the weather, and tending to the ill and injured. They are not purely oriented to forest creatures, though that is their focus, and they extend their philosophy and favors to humans and demihumans who enter or live within the forest, as well.
Shiallia's clergy are sometimes known as the Silent Helpers, and tales tell how they watch over lost children and the foolish who wander through the reaches of the High Forest unaware of the dangers contained within. It is generally agreed that the only reason Olithard the Bard, of the Tale of Olithard's Tune, survived his meandering journey through the High Forest was by the secret shepherding of a trio of Silent Helpers.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Days that mark the passing of seasons are the most important of the year to followers of Shillia. In particular, Greengrass and Higharvestide are celebrated as holidays of birth and fruition, respectively. On all holy days (including Midwinter, Midsummer, and the Feast of the Moon) the faithful invite all friendly creatures to revel with them in feasting, singing, and dancing.
Weddings are welcomed and even solicited upon the change of seasons, and Shiallia's followers always enliven such occasions with as much faerie charm magic and romance as they can muster, creating a fantasy atmosphere under the stars. Therefore, many nonworshipers set their wedding dates on Shiallia's holy days in hopes of receiving her blessings and hospitality.
Major Centers of Worship: Shiallia's major temple outside of the High Forest is located in the city of Silverymoon. The Golden Oak doubles as a temple and an excellent and expensive inn. The temple is a simple, yet beautiful lodge constructed from timbers hewn from fallen oak trees and natural resins. It is dominated by a live oak tree growing up through the taproom with little lanterns hanging down from its boughs over each table. The rain comes in, so in stormy weather the taproom empties quickly to cellars downstairs and meeting rooms that open out a few steps up from the taproom on all sides. The proprietress and priestess of the Golden Oak is Izolda Three-corn, a middle-aged matron and leader of the small guild of woodwives in Silverymoon.
Within the High Forest, Shiallia's major place of worship is a holy site shared with the faiths of Chauntea, Eldath, Lurue, and Mielikki known as the Glade of Life. This glade is located near the village of Khle'cayre ("Last Aerie" of the aarakocra) at the foot of the Star Mounts. At the center of the Glade is the Fountain of Unicorns, a small spring that feeds the headwaters of the Unicorn Run. Surrounded by giant oak trees over a thousand years old, the Glade has a fey beauty found nowhere else in the Realms. Countless rings of korreds dance in the glade every night, sometimes joined on Midsummer Nights by the Dancing Goddess herself. Avatars of the other four goddesses have been seen in the Glade of Life on several occasions as well, and they sometimes join in the korred dancing circles.
A large fraction of Shiallia's clergy is based at the glade, but most priests wander throughout the High Forest the majority of the year, only rarely returning to the Glade. Shiallia's most senior high priest resides as the Glade of Life year round in a sylvan dell. She is a venerable female korred known only as Grandmother or the Dancer of Life who is reputed to have witnessed the fall of Ascalhorn (Hellgate Keep) as a young child. Priests and priestesses of the other four goddesses (known to the korreds as Tapann's Ladies) are welcome as well, but they seldom spend more than a few weeks in the Glade of Life before moving on.
Affiliated Orders: Shiallia sponsors no military or knightly orders, but an order of female swanmay rangers in the church of Mielikki have sworn themselves to protect the Sisters of Life and Mercy. This elite sisterhood, known as the Shields of Hope, wanders the High Forest in groups of three escorting the clergy of Shiallia through dangerous regions of that vast woodland so that they can minister to the goodly creatures who reside within.
In addition, the Harpers are on friendly terms with Shiallia's followers, and it is believed that Shiallia gives of her divine blessing to Master Harpers within the High Forest, even though she was not present at the Dancing Place in the Year of the Dawn Rose (720 DR). Master Harpers find that they can speak with any forest animal or plant in the High Forest and that they can dance with korreds without danger anywhere in the Realms.
Priestly Vestments: Priests of Shiallia have little in the way of formal raiment. They always wear their hair long and unbound and festoon it with garlands of oak leaves and acorns. Most garb themselves in flowing white robes and simple sandles woven from reeds during religious festivities and in simple robes of brown and green otherwise. They wear necklaces made of golden acorns or holding a golden acorn pendant around their necks as symbols of their faith.
Adventuring Garb: Priests of Shiallia do not wear the hides of animals or metal exposed to the forge. As a result, they are limited for the most part to padded armor made from heavy, woven clothes and sewn into a protective surcoat. If they feel it is necessary to arm themselves, most craft an oaken cudgel from fallen timber and cast a shillelagh spell on it. Some wield shears copied from the korreds. Shears weigh 2 pounds, are small in size, inflict type S damage, are speed 3, and inflict 1d4 points of damage against all sizes of creatures.

The Rider of the Winds, the Helping Hand

Lesser Power (formerly Demipower) of Gladsheim, CN
PORTFOLIO: Travel, exploration, long-range traders, miners, caravans, windghosts
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Gladsheim/Shaunidaur
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Akadi, Mielikki, Selûne, Shevarash, Solonor Thelandira, Tymora, Gwaeron Windstrom, Shiallia, Lurue the Unicorn, Nobanion
FOES: Beshaba, Shar
SYMBOL: An upright silver left hand with palm out and fingers together, its wrist trailing away into rippling winds on a black or deep purple background of circling winds
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, LN, NG, N, CG, CN
Shaundakul (SHAWN-da-kul) the Rider of the Winds, was the god of travel and exploration in old Myth Drannor. His existence may date back to the time of the Rus, forbears of the Rashemaar, or beyond. In the time of Myth Drannor, he was worshiped by humans and half-elves, particularly those who were caravan merchants, traders, explorers, miners and adventurers in the uncharted wilderness of the Moonsea North. He was a keen-eyed guide who pointed out the hidden lodes and ways of the North, and brought luck and battlevalor to worshipers in need.
In the days following the Dawn Cataclysm, Shaundakul is said to have had a brief dalliance with Tymora and spurned the advances of Lady Luck's sister, Beshaba. The Maid of Misfortune vowed revenge, and the Rider of the Wind's luck finally faltered during the assult on Myth Drannor. Shaundakul's worship fell with his followers when Myth Drannor was destroyed. Most of his faithful perished in the final battle against the Army of Darkness. Mielikki absorbed the surviving rangers, and Waukeen the traders.
At his high point, Shaundakul was an intermediate power, but after the fall of Myth Drannor he declined to the status of a lesser power and bordered on demipower status. By the Fall of the Gods, Shaundakul's clergy had fallen to a mere double handful of priests scattered throughout the North, and Shaundakul was a demipower reduced to brooding over fallen Myth Drannor. Only a few prospectors and caravan merchants still worshiped him in quiet, underground cults or fellowships.
During the Godswar, Shaundakul roamed the ruins of Myth Drannor with increased frequency and is believed to have battled and destroyed at least one demipower of the orc, gnoll, or giant pantheons. Since the Time of Troubles, a reinvigorated Shaundakul has increased his efforts to reestablish his worship throughout the North. Combined with the influx of traders and caravan merchants who have begun to venerate him with the disappearance of Waukeen (Lliira seems unconcerned by their collective choice), Shaundakul's faith has undergone a rapid revitalization. The Helping Hand is being called upon once again throughout the North and has just gained enough worship to reattain lesser power status. Whether Shaundakul will keep the worship of traders and caravan masters if Waukeen returns to the Realms is unknown at this time.
Shaundakul's spheres of influence overlap slightly with several other gods including Helm, Lliira (serving in Waukeen's stead), Mielikki, Selûne, and, in particular, Tymora. None is these powers is likely to tolerate any further encroachment on their portfolios, potentially severely curtailing the long-term growth of Shaundakul's faith.
Shaundakul is a god of few words. He lets his deeds speak for him. He is kind and yet stern, but often displays a rugged sense of humor. He is sometimes lonely and enjoys a good chat—especially if he can trade jokes. He is eager to gain new worshipers, and if given the opportunity, he tries to persuade any ranger, fighter, wizard, or thief of appropriate alignment to join his faithful. His avatar often wanders the ruins of Myth Drannor striding to the aid of otherwise doomed adventurers, and he knows much about Myth Drannor's history, mythal, and current inhabitants. In exchange for his aid in such situations, he demands one service that often involves destroying or driving out from Myth Drannor a fiend from the lower planes or another powerful monster. Shaundakul himself is said to stalk the layers of Gladsheim, and occasionally the Happy Hunting Grounds, hunting fierce beasts and evil giants with his attendant windghosts (detailed in The Ruins of Myth Drannor boxed set and the MONSTROUS COMPENIUM Annual: Volume One).
The "Kiss of Beshaba" still bedevils the Rider of the Winds in the lands of Anauroch. Shaundakul is cursed as the "Treacherous Lurker in the Sands" by the Bedine nomads who call the desert home. He is portrayed as a mischievous, malicious trickster appearing as a jackal-headed man. In truth, here he is impersonated and his reputation has been subverted by Beshaba, with the aid of the phaerimm living beneath Anauroch and, later, ruined Myth Drannor. In Anauroch, Shaundakul is now blamed for blinding folk, drying out oases, causing travelers to become lost, and all the other misfortunes that beset the Bedine. The only "windghosts" serving this false aspect of Shaundakul are mad watchghosts (detailed in The Ruins of Undermountain boxed set). Shaundakul is planning to reclaim his good name in the lands of Anauroch, but the phaerimm and Beshaba are likely to oppose this plan at every opportunity.
Other Manifestations
Shaundakul typically manifests as a great, disembodied hand glowing with unearthly radiance and surrounded by swirling winds. This hand speaks and points the way, and can issue forth spells from its forefinger. This appearance also accounts for Shaundakul's common appellation, the Helping Hand.
Shaundakul has also been known to send one or more windghosts to aid besieged worshippers making a desperate stand in the wild. He may aid faithful worshippers by creating moving wind walls to guard them in battle situations or even turn a trapped worshipper into wraithform to allow escape. He has also been known to send squirrels, wolves, long-ranging birds (gulls, hawks), and rabbits to guide or aid his faithful. He manifests his displeasure with one of his faithful by creating a wind wall in his or her path.
The Church
CLERGY: Specialty priests, crusaders, rangers
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: NG, CG, N, CN
TURN UNDEAD: SP: No, Cru: No, R: No
CMND. UNDEAD: SP: No, Cru: No, R: No
All specialty priests and crusaders of Shaundakul receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
Shaundakul has few temples in the Realms, as the members of his clergy are generally struck with wanderlust and rarely remain in one place. However, they have constructed numerous shrines to the Rider of the Winds throughout the Moonsea North. Typically, a shrine to Shaundakul is a stone dais built atop a high place, crowned with a stone seat or throne, and accompanied by one or more stone pillars pierced with holes that the wind whistles through. Many such shrines exist throughout the Moonsea North and the Stonelands, some of them over a thousand years old.
All clerics of Shaundakul became specialty priests at the conclusion of the Time of Troubles. About 10% of Shaundakul's clergy members are crusaders (known as windfists), 20% are rangers (known as zephyrs or mistrals), and the rest of specialty priests (known as windwalkers). At the conclusion of the Godswar, Shaundakul's only known priests were Juxril Thammarcast of Waterdeep (hm P9), who held services at the Plinth; Eldrisel Tylosar of Huddagh (hm P6); Aszerra Untlimmer in Ordulin (a fat, motherly hf P6); Phelos Mistarn in Hillsfar (an elderly, grim hm P7), a noted scholar on the history of the Dragonreach); Maurith Slindearyl in Elventree (a beautiful, very young P4); and Waertin Nanszrai (an aging, bespectacled hem P8) in Elmwood. Shaundakul's clergy has expanded dramatically since the Time of Troubles, and his clergy members now number several hundred and his church continues to grow.
There is no clear hierarchy in Shaundakul's faith, although those priests who served the Rider of the Winds prior to the Godswar hold positions of great respect in the church. Shaundakul's name is not well known in the cities of the Realms, but more and more travelers are visiting his shrines and invoking his name when traveling in the North.
Priests of Shaundakul use a variety of self-chosen appellations, but a loose hierarchy of standard titles does exist. In ascending order of rank, these include: Seeker of the Wind, Scout, Trailblazer, Explorer, Guide of the Hidden Ways, Rider of the West Wind, Rider of the South Wind, Rider of the East Wind, Rider of the North Wind, and Lord High Windhand.
Dogma: Priests of Shaundakul are usually quite reserved concerning their fellowship of worship, seeking to spread the teachings of Shaundakul through example. Priests of the Helping Hand are to actively work to reestablish their god's sphere of influence among traders, particularly trailblazers who explore new lands and open new trade routes. They are to act as scouts, guards, and leaders for parties of explorers, caravans, and mining expeditions. They are to unearth ancient shrines of Shaundakul and resanctify them.
The charge given to postulants is as follows: "Ride the wind and let it take you wherever it blows. Aid those in need and trust in the Helping Hand. The world is large with many lands as yet undiscovered. Seek out the riches of the earth and the sea and journey to distant horizons. Be the first to see the rising sun, the mountain peaks, the lush valleys; let your footsteps fall where none have tread. This is the wonder of the world."
Day to Day Activities: Priests of Shaundakul are expected to provide for themselves by living off the land, hiring themselves out as scouts and caravan guards. Many serve as guides for adventuring companies or as explorers. A very few are Harpers. All seek to visit the scattered shrines of Shaundakul as frequently as possible and to construct new ones when they acquire sufficient resources.
On occasion a priest of Shaundakul is accompanied by a windghost, a servant creature sent by Shaundakul. Such priests are typically engaged in a specific mission for the god and are usually powerful adventurers.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Shaundakul's clergy celebrates only one holy day per year. The 15th of Tarsakh is known as the Windride. No matter where they are, priests must seek out a strong breeze and cast a wraithform or wind walk spell at dawn. (Priests who do not have access to either spell are granted access to the former on this one day, regardless of level. In addition, the duration of either spell is extended to last from dawn to dusk.) Shaundakul's priests then spend the day soaring with the wind, swooping and swirling wherever chance may take them. They always land safely, usually in a region they have never been to before.
Shaundakul's clergy members have a few simple ceremonies they practice when appropriate. They are to utter a simple prayer every time the wind changes significantly. Whenever they discover previously uncharted territory (such as an undiscovered valley, lake, or island), they are to create a small throne of rocks marked with Shaundakul's symbol near the location where they first made the discovery. If of sufficient level, they are to create a shrine to Shaundakul using stone shape magics.
Major Centers of Worship: The major temple of the Rider of the Winds in the Realms at his faith's heyday was Shaundakul's Throne in Myth Drannor, though he had many shrines in the North, particularly in the Moonsea region. One shrine frequently visited today is Lanthalas's Requiem, located west of the Stonebolt Trail in the Stonelands.
Shaundakul's Throne still stands, guarded by the avatar of the god. It consists of two towers linked by walls that form an enclosed courtyard to a large central building containing an undercroft where the clergy lived in year's past and a huge dais (the Throne itself) open to the sky, where Shaundakul was worshiped. High-level members of Shaundakul's faith sometimes make a pilgrimage to the ancient temple, often receiving a great boon from the Rider of the Winds if they survive the dangerous trip.
Affiliated Orders: Since the Time of Troubles, several military orders have been founded in the name of Shaundakul. The Fellowship of the Next Mountain is an order of rangers and windwalkers who typically work alone, blazing trails in the uncharted wilderness areas of the Sword Coast North and Moonsea North.
The Knights of the Shadow Sword are an elite order of crusaders, windwalkers, and rangers. Founded by the half-elf Jax Nightsong and based in Shaundakul's Throne, they are dedicated to cleansing Myth Drannor of the evil that haunts its streets and ruins. Initially, they are fortifying the ancient temple as a base of operations and sending out scouts to reconnoiter the ruined city.
The Riders of the West Wind are an order of windwalkers and a few rangers who hire themselves out as a mercenary company to guard caravans heading through uncharted wilderness to distant lands. Having just returned from Sossal, they are rumored to be planning an expedition to the fabled lands of Anchorôme in the near future.
Priestly Vestments: Shaundakul's priesthood has straightforward ceremonial raiment. All priests sport a dark swirling cloak over garb appropriate for the trail. They wear a leather or chain gauntlet stained deep purple or tinted black (respectively) on their primary hand (and sometimes on their off hand as well). The symbol of Shaundakul—a silver upright left hand with its wrist trailing away into rippling winds—is depicted on the palm and back of the gauntlet.
Adventuring Garb: The adventuring garb of Shaundakul's priests is not noticeably different than their ceremonial vestments. His priesthood typically favors leather armor, but sometimes wears studded leather armor or chain mail. Its members favor great swords, such as the two-handed sword or claymore, and often wield long or short bows. They always wear dark, swirling cloaks and the gauntlet of their faith.

The Festhall Madam, the Lustful Mistress, Feline of Felicity, Succubus of Sensation, the Tawny Temptress, the Dancing Lady, Foe of Set, Mother of Cats

Demipower of Olympus and Gladsheim
CG
PORTFOLIO: Hedonism, excess, lust, sensual fulfillment, festhalls, cats, pleasure seekers
ALIASES: Bast, Bastet, Felidae, Zandilar the Dancer
DOMAIN NAME: Olympus/Brightwater and Gladsheim/Merratet
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Anhur, Hanali Celanil, Lliira, Milil, Nobanion, Selune, Sune
FOES: Set, Shar, Loviatar
SYMBOL: Feminine lips (Sharess) or a cat's head wearing delicate golden hoop earrings (Bast; older)
WORSHIPPERS ALIGNMENT: Any
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, mystics
CLERGY'S ALIGNMENT: NG, CG, N, CN; rarely and briefly, NE, CE
TURN UNDEAD: Cleric: Yes, Specialty Priest: No, Mystic: No
COMMAND UNDEAD: Cleric: No, Specialty Priest: No, Mystic: No
All clerics, mystics, and specialty priests of Sharess receive religion (Faerunian) and religion (Mulhorandi) as bonus nonweapon proficiencies.
Sharess includes a small but significant number of elves and half-elves among her clergy, most of whom venerate her as Zandilar the Dancer.
Sharess is worshiped in large urban areas such as Waterdeep, Calimport, and other cities along the Sword Coast. She is revered by male and female professional escorts who take pride in their professions, the decadent rich, and those who seek only endless pleasure in life. In Mulhorand, she is also revered by those who combat Set and rewards those who work long and hard against him with occasional nights of wild pleasure to inspire them to further efforts. Sharess's faith is still very young and its ceremonies very loose and fluid, with long worship services that resemble nothing so much as extended feasts and revels, heavy on the pleasures of the flesh and light on the teachings of the spirit. A goodly number of former followers of Waukeen who have rejected Lliira's teachings have become interested in Sharess.
The few temples of Sharess are typically located in large cities along the Sword Coast, but small shrines to the goddess of pleasure may be found in almost every festhall in the Realms. Her temples are typically constructed to resemble elaborate festhalls, with graceful, fluting pillars, octagonal domes, great halls sculpted to resemble forest glades, secluded nooks, bathing areas in natural mineral springs, great banquet halls, and richly scented massage parlors. Most are guarded by staunch fighters and even exotic sentient monsters who are sworn to protect all revelers who partake in the name of Sharess.
The clergy of Sharess are collectively known as Sharessin. Both male and female humans can be found in their ranks, but charismatic and physically beautiful female humans comprise the great majority of them. Specialty priests of Sharess are known as sensates. As there is no known connection between Sharess's faithful and the Outer Planar faction of the same name, this is a potential point of confusion.
The clergy of Sharess is split evenly between clerics and specialty priests, with the balance slowly shifting in favor of specialty priests. Alignment restrictions for Sharess's clergy (particularly clerics) are weak, and a gentle slide toward evil is still often tolerated. Those priests who remain evil and seem unwilling or unable to drift back toward neutrality in their behavior are secretly entreated by agents of Shar to shift their worship to the Dark Maiden while maintaining their position within the clergy of Sharess. The Feline of Felicity seems unwilling or unable to prevent such defections at this time, rare though they may be.
Dogma: Sharess's priests are expected to live their lives in the decadent sensual fulfillment of themselves and others. Pleasure is to be sought out at every opportunity and life is to be lived as one endless revel. Initiates to the faith are taught that: "Life is to be lived to its fullest. That which is good is pleasurable and that which is pleasurable is good. Spread the bounty of the goddess so that all may join in the Endless Revel of Life and bring joy to all those in pain. Infinite experiences await those who would explore, so try the new as well as savoring the old."
Day-to-Day Activities: Many priests and priestesses of Sharess run pleasure houses in large cities or directly serve decadent rulers. These pleasure houses cater to all the senses and include fantastic feasts, heavenly baths and massages, unique experiences, such as flight, and every other pleasure imaginable. Wealthy festhalls often employ one or two mid-level Sharessin, and some Sharessin wander the countryside, with Sharess's blessing, seeking new pleasing sensations to add to their repertoire.
Holy Days / Important Ceremonies: The clergy of Sharess celebrate more festivals than possibly any other faith in the Realms. They are known collectively as the Endless Revel of Life. The daily rising and setting of the sun, the yearly passage of seasons, the appearance of a full moon, or nearly any other event is cause for a celebration and wild revel to which the general populace is always invited. Each such festival has several outlandish titles and new festivals are added all the time as old ones are forgotten. Without comparison, however, Midsummer's Eve is the time of greatest rejoicing among Sharess's faithful and an occasion for the most extreme pursuits of boundless pleasure.
Major Centers of Worship: The center of Sharess's faith is the Festhall of Eternal Delight located along Calimport's waterfront. An earlier temple on this spot was destroyed during the most recent Night Parade, and the new temple is even more extravagant than the last. Dark marble columns, jutting spires, crystalline statues in enticing poses and vast, landscaped atriums decorate this sprawling complex. The temple baths are legendary for their recuperative powers and skilled masseuses, and the temple flowers are carefully selected for the reputed aphrodisiacal properties of their scents in some rooms and their calming or soothing properties in others. Gigantic fighters (several who appear to have giant or ogre blood), a sirine (somehow magically equipped to breathe air), and a faerie dragon, among other exotic protectors, stand guard against the frequent raids from the neighboring Temple of Old Night.
Affiliated Orders: Sharess is served by no military or knightly orders. Most professional escorts in major cities join formal or informal guilds led by her clergy, however. Sharess is served by a secretive sisterhood of female werecats known as the Eyes of Evening who also pay tribute to Selune. The aims and goals of this mysterious fellowship are unknown, although they are rumored to hunt cultists of Shar and Loviatar during nights of the full moon.
Priestly Vestments: All priests of Sharess wear their hair long and style it to show off their faces and bodies to their best advantage. The priestly raiment of Sharess's clergy varies widely according to the priest's gender, the local climate, current fashions, and the priest's taste. Waterdhavian courtesans favor highly suggestive evening dresses that make them seem half-undressed, while the women of Calimport's harem's wear diaphanous negligees, short vests, sheer pantaloons, gold dust, and endless gemstone beads and coins strung in ropes and made into decorative chains and fringes. Male clergy typically prefer tight-fitting breeches that are tailored to their charms and blousy open shirts. They often wear decorative belts and vests. Sharess's holy symbol is the image of feminine lips carved from dark amber or ruby and worn on a golden chain on the wrist or ankle.
The few priests and priestesses of Bast who remain in Mulhorand favor tight-fitting kalasiris (tight-fitting white linen knee-length skirts) and ornate pectoral collars draped suggestively over the chest or breasts. The holy symbol of Bast is a cat's head wearing golden hoop earrings.
Adventuring Garb: When adventuring, the clergy of Sharess endeavor to preserve the gifts of the goddess as best as they can and hence typically wear the best armor they can afford. There is no point to living life without pleasure, however, so they always decorate such armor as provocatively as possible.

Mistress of the Night, the Lady of Loss, Nightsinger

Greater Power of Hades
NE
PORTFOLIO: Dark, night, hatred, loss, forgetfulness, unrevealed secrets, caverns, dungeons, the Underdark
ALIASES: Ibrandul (Calimshan, the Shining South, Waterdeep/Undermountain)
DOMAIN NAME: Niflheim/Palace of Loss
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Myrkul (now dead), Shevarash, Talona, Vhaeraun
FOES: Amaunator, Ibrandul (now dead), Lathander, Selûne, Shaundakul
SYMBOL: A black disk with a border of deep purple
WORSHIPPERS ALIGNMENT: Any, but mainly evil
Loss is the nature of Shar (SHAHR). One of the Dark Gods, she is a deeply twisted and perverse being of ineffable evil and endless petty hatred and jealousy. She rules over pains hidden but not forgotten, bitterness carefully nurtured away from the light and from others, and quiet revenge for any slight, no matter how old. She is said to have the power to make her devout followers forget their pain, yet what occurs is that they become inured to the loss, treating it as a common and natural state of being. The basic inanity of life and foolishness of hope are the cornerstones of Shar's being. She revels in the concealed, in that wich is hidden, never to be revealed. She can always clearly perceive every being, object, and act performed within darkness.
In temples, representations of the goddes are either a black sphere outlined in racing, magically animated flames of purple or paintings of a beautiful human with long, raven-black hair dressed in swirling dark garb. She smiles coldly and her large eyes have black pupils and are otherwise solid purple.
Shar is the mortal enemy of Selûne and battles her ceaselessly on any planes through mortal worshipers and servitor creatures. The undying enmity between the two goddesses is older than recorded time.
During the Time of Troubles, Shar killed Ibrandul, a lesser power of caverns, dungeons, and the Underdark worshiped in Calimshan, the Shining South, and even Waterdeep, for daring to subvert those who venerate the dark away from her. She appropriated his portfolio. She continues to grant the clergy of Ibrandul spells in Ibrandul's name. She is quietly delighted that she is able to use this puppet church to subvert the worship of Selûne without drawing attention to her most faithful worshipers.
Other Manifestations
Shar frequently manifests as amorphous tendrils of darkness where there should be none. These tendrils swirl and writhe constantly and are surrounded by a purple aura. Such darkness sometimes has a single steadily gazing purple eye at its heart, but even if this orb is absent, beings within the darkness always feel the ceaseless regard of a fell awareness. These tendrils of darkness can touch the faithful and transmit messages from Shar directly to their minds, indicate items of importance or direction, or grant numbness and the ability to ignore pain. The tendrils do not heal just allow the faithful to continue on until they drop dead of fatigue or accumulated injury. Shar also works through darktentacles doom tyrants, and mysterious shadow monsters, using them as messengers, guards, and enforcers of her will.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, Specialty Priests, Crusaders, Mystics
CLERGY'S ALIGNMENT: LE, NE, CE
TURN UNDEAD: Cleric: No, Specialty Priest: No, Crusader: No, Mystic: No
COMMAND UNDEAD: Cleric: Yes, Specialty Priest: Yes, Crusader: No, Mystic: No
All clerics, specialty priests, crusaders, and mystics of Shar receive religion as a bonus nonweapon proficiency. All priests of Shar may see as well in natural or magical darkness as in light; however, this does not give them the heat-sensing abilities of infravision.
Shar is worshiped by blinded, nocturnal, or subterranean-dwelling humans and allied beings and by those who hate the light, such as goblinkin and their allies. She is also worshiped by many who favor dark surroundings or who must undertake deeds or do business in darkness. She is venerated by those who are bitter or are grieving over a loss and wish to find peace (especially through vengeance) and by individuals who want to forget. She is also placated by those who know their wits have been harmed and want to find peace or those who have been mentally harmed and want to remember fully or be restored in their minds. Many in Faerûn fear nightfall, the casting of the cloak of Shar, because of the dangers that lurk in its folds.
The church of Shar is largely composed of underground cells, rather than an overt, uniformed body of priests working from temples. As such, its adherents have a covert, widespread, and complex hierarchy wherein every full priest serves a direct superior, and overpriest responsible for a large area, and beings (both human and otherwise) who know the prist's Own Secret (the personal name Share gave them and the dark deed they performed for her in order to demonstrate their loyality and win that name). Clergy members revel in secrecy, and cells of the church are organized around small congregations of worshipers who know and are led by a single prist. Many priests may operate in the same area, and although they may know of and aid each other, they work independently. In this way, should one cell of the church fail, the others can still flourish in its absence.
Most Sharran clergy use such titles of address as "Brother Night" or "Sister Night." To superiors, they say "Mother Night" or "Father Night," and lay worshipers address them so. Their formal titles include Adept of the Night (a novice), Watcher (the least senior ordained priest). Hand of Shar (a battle-tested priest who leads a force of priests-adventurers or oversees several cells), Darklord/Darklady (a senior priest able to proclaim local policy), Nightseer (the oversett of all faithful in a realm or other large geographical area) and Flame of Darkness (archpriest or personally trusted servant of the goddess).
Specialty priests of Shar are called nightcloaks. Until five years ago, they were called nightbringers, only existed outside the standard church hierarchy, and served as contacts, messengers, and enforcers of the Dark Lady's will. They still perform such detached liaison and enforcement functions, but some nightcloaks have now become integrated into the cell structure/hierarchy of the church, especially among the clergy of the Dark Embrace, discussed below.
Shar's hatred of Selûne extends to her clergy and their relationships with the chruch of Selûne. The two faiths war continually, and jihads and assassination plots against Selûnites are common where Shar is strong. One of the reason the chruch of Shar remains so small is a byproduct of this endless war. Several holy wars and vendettas led by Sharrans against more powerful forces of Selûnites have resulted in many Sharran casualties.
Dogma: Dark Followers (the faithful of Shar) are instructed to reveal secrets only to fellow faithful and to never follow hope or turn to promises of success. They should quench the light of the moon (the faithful of Selune and their holdings, deeds, and magic) whenever they find it and hide from it when they cannot prevail. Above all, the dark should be a time to act, not to wait.
Faithful of Shar are not supposed to hope and are therefore forbidden to strive to better their lot in life or to plan ahead except in matters directly overseen by the clergy of the Dark Goddess. Consorting with beings of good alignment who actively serve their deities is a sin unless undertaken to take advantage of them in purely business dealings or to corrupt them form their beliefs into the service of Shar. Devotees of Shar must not speak out against clergy of the goddess, nor interrupt their devotional dances for any reason. Lay worshippers must prove their faith by obedience to the clergy and by carrying out at least one dark deed ordered by a priest of Shar every year - or bring at least one being to believe in, and worship, the Dark Goddess.
The lower clergy of Shar must obey their superiors in all matters, short of following orders that will lead to their own death - Shar desires to gain followers, not lose them. To win new followers and to keep the faithful truly loyal, clergy must see that some of the dark desires of worshippers are fulfilled (such as the elimination of business rivals).
Day-to-Day Activities: The clergy of Shar seem to pursue practical, local goals designed to further the power of the priesthood and of those who worship Shar, rather than to openly oppose other faiths (save that of Selûne). Shar desires to bring all humans under her sway by promoting general lawlessness and striefe. In this way, most folk will suffer loss and turn to her for peace (especially through vengeance), and the influence of all other faiths will be lessened.
Specifically, Sharran clergy are enjoined to work covertly to bring down all governments, particularly within cities, and to publicize Shar's patronage of avengers so that the desperate and despairing humans of other faiths turn to her to geht revenge and not the weakened demipower of vengeance, Hoar. Sponsorship of thieving guilds and hedonistic clubs of all sorts is a key part of this assault on order, as is the encouragement of political intrigue everywhere. Widespread war and slavery are things to be avoided, Shar wants to gain followers, not see them lives thrown away for no gain.
Shar's love of secrecy is strong. Her clergy work toward fulfilling her desire for secrecy by always acting through manipulation and behind-closed-doors intrigue. They also work through and promote shadowy cabals and organizations that appeal to human desires to be a part of something elite and important, to keep secrets, and to be involved in the mysterious. Fifty or more false cults that have arisen in the past two decades have been born of secret clubs and cabals begun by Sharran priests to corrupt the peace and lawfulness of various cities.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: As so many devotees of Shar keep their faith secret (and this secrecy is encouraged by senior clergy), the Sharran faith has no set holy days aside from the Feast of the Moon. To Dark Followers (the faithful of Shar) this holiday is known as the Rising of the Dark. They gather on it under cover of the more widespread venerations of the dead to witness a blood sacrifice and learn of any plots or aims the clergy want them to work toward during the winter ahead.
The most important Sharran ritual of worship is Nightfall, the coming of darkness. Clergy hold this ritual every night. It consists of a brief invocation, a dance, a charge or series of inspiring instructions from the godness spoken by one of the clergy or by a raven-haired female lay worshiper, and a revel celebrated by eating, drinking, and dancing together. Lay worshipers must attend at least one Nightfall (or dance to the goddess themselves) and must perform - and report to their fellows - at least one small act of wickedness in salute to the Lady every tenday. On moonless nights, Nightfall is known as the Coming of the Lady, and every congregation must carry out some significant act of vengeance or wichedness in the Dark Lady's name.
The most important ceremony of the priesthood of Shar is the Kiss of the Lady, a horrific night-long revel of slaying and doing dark deeds in the name of the lady that ends with a feast at dawn. Kissmoots are scheduled irregularly, whenever the priests of Old Night decree. Increasingly the rival clergy of the Embrace have been proclaiming that this ritual be celebrated at different times than those decreed by the temple of Old Night.
Major Centers of Worship: The Temple of Old Night in Calimport is the oldest, haughtiest seat of worship to Shar. It is a subterranean complex underlying much of the eastern city ruled by the highest-ranked known mortal servant of Shar: the aged Irtemara, the Dancer Before Dawn, a debauched and jaded Calishite woman famous for her revels and murderous whims (which, over the years, have brought about at least six changes of government in various realms across Faerûn). Irtemara is loyally served by three male priests who work covertly against each other. They will undoubtedly break into open battle for supremacy when Intemara dies.
The Temple of Old Night vies for supremacy over the Dark Followers with the Dark Embrace, a temple founded not quite 40 years ago by clergy of the Dark Goddess dissatisfied with the leadership of Old Night. The Embrace perches atop a crag in Amn, overlooking the midpoint of the trade road linking Imnescar and Esmeltaran. Its policies are more ruthless than those proclaimed in Calimport - the faithful of the Embrace are more openly active in local politics wherever they operate, employing assassinations where intimidation and the fulfillment of dark desires fail. The Embrace is led by a small circle of clergy whose leader seem to be the Eye in the Flame Aubert Heldynstar. Most clergy of the Dark Embrace are nightcloaks.
Affiliated Orders: The church of Shar sponsors no fighting orders or knighty orders. Crusaders who serve the faith are attached to perticular Sharran cells and temples, not the faith in general. Clergy of the faith who have killed one of the clergy of Selûne are rumored to gain access to an honorary order or secret society known as the Dark Justiciars. Many thieves' guilds have connections to Sharran cells, and such affiliated groups use each other for their particular plots mercilessly.
Priestly Vestments: The colors purple and black are used extensively in Shar's church and among her followers. Most Sharran clergy dress in black cloaks or soft, silent dark garb with purple trim, piping, or accessories during rituals. High ceremonial dress of those of rank or taking a special role in a ritual is a long-sleeved robe of deep purple over black tights or a black velvet chemise. A black skullcap covers the entire head, except for on woman with jet-black hair. Such hair is seen as a symbol of the Dark Lady's pleasure and is left to flow unfettered and long. Less commonly encountered versions of Shar's symbol than the one mentioned above are of a glistering purple eye outlined in black with a black pupil or a cowled hunting cloak of unadorned black stretched out flat.
Adventuring Garb: Sharran clergy wear practicular clothes in the fashion of the land they are in while pursuing day-to-day life. They are fond of jewelry fashioned from obsidian, black onyx, amethyst, and purple jade, but they are not required to wear it. When entering a situation where they might encounter hostilities they wear armor and take appropriate protective measures.

Our Lady of Silver, the Moonmaiden, the Night White Lady

Intermediate Power of Gladsheim , CG
PORTFOLIO: Moon, stars, navigation, navigators, wanderers, seekers, good and neutral lycanthropes
ALIASES: Bright Nydra (Farsea Marshes), Elah (Anauroch, among the Bedine), Lucha (Durpar, Estagund, and Var the Golden)
DOMAIN NAME: Ysgard/Gates of the Moon
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Mystra, Lliira, Sune, Tymora, Eilistraee, Sehanine Moonbow, Shaundakul, Eldath, Chauntea, Valkur the Mighty, Lathander
FOES: Shar, Umberlee, Mask, Moander (now dead)
SYMBOL: Two darkly beautiful human female eyes surrounded by a circle of seven silver stars
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG
When Selûne (Seh-LOON-eh) journeys to the Realms, she is said to appear in many forms and is depicted in religious art as everything from a female face on a lunar disk to a dusky skinned woman with wide, radiant eyes and long ivory-colored hair to a matronly, middle-aged woman whose dark hair is streaked with gray. In Durpar, Estagund, and Var the Golden, Selûne is worshipped as part of the Adama, the Dutparian concept of a world spirit that embraces and enfolds the divine essence that is part of all beings. Here she is known as Luche, She Who Guides. Lucha oversees connections and relationships, guiding herdsmen to good pastures, blessing marriages, helping lost ships at sea, and ensuring safe births. It can be safely said that as the moon changes, so does the nature of the moon goddess.
Selûne's eternal foe is the evil goddess Shar, and she battles her ceaselessly on many planes of existence, both through mortal worshipers and servitor creatures. The undying enmity between the two goddesses predates the existence of most, if not all, of the present-day existing Faerûnian deities. The enmity between Shar and Selûne carries into their priesthoods, such that open battle often occurs when followers of each faith meet. Selûne also struggles with Umberlee constantly over the fate of ships at sea and with Mask over the works of mischief and evil he performs in the shadows the moon's soft glow creates.
Selûne is a caring but quietly mystical power who often seems saddened by events perhaps millennia old. While she is normally calm and placid, her war with Shar is fierce, with neither side giving or receiving quarter. She is seen in many ways by her followers, who are a diverse group, and she is at times effervescently joyful and active, at others maternal, quiet, and almost poetic, and at yet others warlike and fierce, showing little mercy to her foes.
Before the Time of Troubles, Selûne had served Sune for some centuries after being independent for millennia. After the Godswar, she went her own way again. Her relationship with Sune and Lliira is still extremely friendly and cooperative.
Selûne is served by the Shards, a group of shining female servitors. The Shards can grow wings or banish them as they desire and have long, flowing blue hair and pearly-white skin. They are in reality planetars.
Other Manifestations:
Selûne often manifests as trails of dancing light motes known as "moondust" or "moon motes" that resemble will-o'-wisps. These guide folk who are lost at night or who must travel over treacherous ground; they also appear in order for her faithful to provide the light necessary to perform a delicate task. These moon motes may exude sparkling, glowing drops of pearly liquid—"drops fallen from the moon"—which Selûnite clergy gather and prize highly, using as an ingredient of power in many helpful potions and healing ointments. She also sends owls, weredragons, certain lycanthropes and shapechanging creatures, and the Shards to aid mortals or to show her favor or presence.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, crusaders, mystics
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: Yes, Cru: No, Mys: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: No, SP: No, Cru: No, Mys: No
All clerics, specialty priests, crusaders, and mystics of Selûne receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
Selûne is worshipped by a mixed bag of followers: navigators, sailors, women, female spellcasters (especially those born under a full moon or interested in divination), good and neutral-aligned lycanthropes, those who work honestly at night, those seeking protection from Shar, the lost, the questing, and those curious about the future. Couples look to Selûne to bless them with children when they are ready, and women look to her for courage, strength, and guidance. The demands she places on her followers are few, and the goddess is reputed to be free with her gifts and boons to mortals.
Selûne's priesthood is as diverse as her worshipers; with hers being truly a faith that promotes equal access and understanding. Reflecting the chaotic and scattered nature of the church of Selûne, its hierarchy is a hodgepodge of clerics, specialty priests, crusaders, mystics, informed or blessed lay individuals, and a smattering of good-aligned lycanthropes (both natural and infected). All cooperate in relative—if rollicking—peace under the symbol of Our Lady of Silver. Members of this diverse group all worship the goddess in their own styles. Her churches vary, as do the phases of the moon, from opulent temples in Waterdeep to simple shrines in the Dalelands, from hermitages and hilltop dancing circles to ornate mansion temples.
A great deal of moon-related activity occurs in and around Waterdeep, and most of this is attributed to the temple to Our Lady of Silver. Most Selûnites, however, tend toward smaller shrines and individual worship, since "Anywhere the full moon shines is the place for Selûne." Selûnites refer to night conditions as being either "moonlight" (the moon is present, though perhaps not immediately visible) or "nightgloom" (the moon is not out or is dark).
Selûnite priests use a wide variety of titles, but novices (not yet fully priests) are always known as the Called, and human females tend to dominate the ranks of the more powerful clergy. Typical Selûnite titles (in ascending order) include: Touched, Enstarred, Moonbathed, Silverbrow, Lunar, Initiate, and High Initiate. All of these titles are followed by "Priestess/Priest." Those titles that follow these in rank tend to begin with "Priestess/Priest of the" and end in some form traditional to the individual temple or shrine the priest is affiliated with. It must be stressed that outside of Waterdeep and other larger city temples, many departures from these forms of titles will be found. The elite specialty priests of the goddess are known as silverstars.
Selûne as Lucha is worshipped by nearly everyone in Durpar. Her worshipers believe that she will guide them to the most profitable customers. It is widely believed that Lucha herself watches over all marriages performed by her clergy, and nearly all marriages in Durpar are performed by priests of Lucha. Her priests work ceaselessly against those of Mask and other evil gods.
Dogma: Selûne's ethos seems to be one of acceptance and tolerance over any other overriding principle. All are to be made welcome in her faith and seen as equal, and fellow Selûnites should be aided freely, as if they were one's dearest friends. "May Selûne guide your steps in the night, and bring them to the new dawn" is the common blessing of priests of Selûne to the faithful.
Novices are charged with the words of the goddess: "Let all on whom my light falls be welcome if they desire to be so. As the silver moon waxes and wanes, so too does all life. Trust in my radiance, and know that all love alive under my light shall know my blessing. Turn to the moon, and I will be your true guide."
Day-to-Day Activities: Priests of Selûne spend their time wandering Faerûn reaching out to the faithful and to potential worshipers of the moon goddess, since Selûne can be worshiped anywhere on the surface world. They make much small coin by telling fortunes, because folk who try to read the stars never achieve the same success rate in predictions as do clergy members who can call on Selûne for real guidance. In this way, Selûne steadily gains worshipers from the ranks of those who look to the night sky for guidance.
Members of the Selûnite priesthood also face lycanthropes fearlessly and thereby win respect among farmers and other members of the common folk. They are also, by the Lady's command, generous with their healing, often charging very little beyond a meal and a warm place to sleep for straightforward healing. Selûne's way thus makes the goddess ever more popular and keeps her clergy hardy, well-traveled, and in practical touch with the natural world.
The Moonmaiden's clergy are encouraged to be self-reliant, humble, and yet make as much of a success as they can in the world while always remaining as helpful and friendly to the lonely and to decent folk as possible. By this long-sighted policy Selûne allows her clergy to become happy, fulfilled, important people, and sees her faith steadily gain power thereby. Our Lady of Silver is inclined to be lenient in matters of alignment and religious observance. Self-reliance and finding one's own, practical path are more important than fussy detail in her faith, and so Selûne is also gaining favor among eccentrics, adventurers, and mavericks of all sorts, including outcasts. Many sages expect Selûne to rise again to great might among the powers, perhaps within their lifetimes.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Selûnite clergy embroider their rituals into quite individual, unique observances. The basics of these are open-air dances and prayers under the moonlight with offerings of milk and wine poured upon a central altar during the nights of every full moon and new moon. These rituals are often called night stalks and during them her priests reaffirm their closeness to the Night White Lady and commune with her when possible.
The most sacred rituals of Selûne are the Conjuring of the Second Moon and the Mystery of the Night. The Conjuring of the Second Moon is performed only during Shieldmeet. It summons the Shards to do the bidding of the mortal clergy, often to do battle with minions of Shar. The Shards always take one mortal priestess to be one of them before they depart.
The Mystery of the Night must be performed at least once a year by every priest. During the Mystery ritual, Selûnite priests cast certain secret spells and lie before the Moonmaiden's altar, from whence they fly upward and spiral around the moon in a trance while they speak personally with Selûne via mental visions. This ritual causes a mortal ld12 points of damage as it is so draining, but this damage heals normally through rest or the use of healing magic.
When the goddess is pleased, she causes moonlight to bathe the wine or milk poured out on her altar, which transforms it into moonfire: an opalescent, glowing, soft-as-silk, ambulatory fluid mass the consistency of custard. The moonfire flows down from the altar to touch or envelop beings and items. Its touch destroys undead, enchants objects to make them magical items for the use of Selûnite clergy, and confers special powers on creatures. Moonfire vanishes when Selûne wills and bestows power as she wills. Those who steal it gain nothing, and there is no known means of forcing it to yield up a specific power.
Typical magical items Selûne creates with her moonfire include bracers of defense, mooncloaks, moon motes, potions of moon-healing, rings of shooting stars, and various magical shields. Moonfire-created bracers of defense in addition to working as other such bracers, allow their wielder to dimensional dooronce a night from one moonlit place to another. A mooncloak is a silvery-gray cloak that combines the powers of a cloak of protection +1 with water walking and levitate at will. A moon mote is a round, smooth stone that can become dancing lights upon command under the directional control of whoever is holding the mote; range and duration for the effect are as if dancing lights were cast by a 22nd-level wizard. Potions of moon-healing restore 4d8+4 points of damage to injured mortals and can be split into four doses that cure 1d8 points of damage each. To natural and infected lycanthropes, potions of moon-healingrestore 8d8+8 points or yield four doses that cure 2d8 points of damage each.
Moonfire can also bestow magical powers upon mortal worshipers of Selûne under special circumstances. They work, when applicable, as if their users were 22nd-level. Typical special powers include:

• Dispel magic at will once per moon (month).
  
  
• Feather fall in moonlight at will or when unconscious and descending uncontrolled.
  
  
• Fly (as the wizard spell) for as long and as often as desired one night per moon.
  
  
• Identify objects by touch seven times per moon.
  
  
• 30-foot infravision.
  
  
• Locate object at will with no time or space limit within Faerûn once per moon.
  
  
• Remove curse by touch once per moon.
  
  
• Telekinesis once per night for as long as desired, but only when in moonlight. The ability ends abruptly in darkness or in nightgloom.
  
  
• Immunity to all powers of and damage from elven moonblades.
  
  
• Complete control over lycanthropic transformations for seven moons for lycanthropes of any type.