#He worships Oghma

[soyochii]

Baldur's Gate 3 targets the mentally ill. (I am the mentally ill)

[strigital]

girl help he's manifesting once again on the eve of the game's release 😫

EDIT: have s'more

[aliensmoothie]

bg3 updates

i made baloney

he does not look very much like baloney but i will settle

he is multiclassing as a necromancy wizard bcs i couldnt have a death domain cleric ( SAD . oh well )

i made him as the dark urge because i thought the memory loss character option was very appropriate

and also VERY funny given his real backstory ( this is an alternate version of baloney though and that is okay with me )

i have been calling him boney for short and i realized thats a good nickname for him .

i will return with pictures .

[y-rhywbeth2]

Gods and Clergy: Bane

Link: Disclaimer regarding D&D "canon" & Index [tldr: D&D lore is a giant conflicting mess. Larian's lore is also a conflicting mess. You learn to take what you want and leave the rest]

Religion | Gods | Shar | Selûne | Bhaal #1 | Bhaal #2 | Mystra | Jergal | Bane #1 | Bane #2 | Bane #3 | Myrkul | Lathander | Kelemvor | Tyr | Helm | Ilmater | Mielikki | Oghma | Gond | Tempus | Silvanus | Talos | Umberlee | Corellon | Moradin | Yondalla | Garl Glittergold | Eilistraee | Lolth | Laduguer | Gruumsh | Bahamut | Tiamat | Amodeus | The rest of the Faerûnian Pantheon --WIP

Well, I did the murderhobos, might as well cover the deity and daily business of our favourite hot-topic-shopping dictator and co. now? Ahahahahaaaaa There is too much goddamn material on Bane, I'm going to kill Ed Greenwood-

Intro: If you're not consumed with fear and hatred while trying to take over a city which you intend to rule with cruelty and an iron fist then this is not the religion/political party for you. If this is not the religion/party for you, please lower your neck so that I can attach this slave collar to it.

Banites: The hierarchy and rituals and stupid toys of the church of Bane is what you get when Lawful Evil and Lawful Stupid have a horrible, overcomplicated offspring called Lawful Sadistic. Bring me the avatar of Bane I'm going to stab this fucker Also, being goth is mandatory.

Dreadmasters: More teleporting! Bossy, immune to fear and fond of magic rods. Also, do you remember that "divine oath" Durge and Gortash swore...?

The Chosen: Should be way more impressive than what we saw in game. Forging unbreakable oaths! Pet beholders! Detachable shadow spies! Etcetera!

Bane: Boy, the world (and my sanity) would've been a much better off if this dude had gotten intensive therapy instead of divine power!

(This thing is too fucking long and should perhaps be split into two posts but ooooh my god am I not editing this anymore.)

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Bane's clergy often hear their god whispering his dogma in their dreams:

"Serve no one but me. Fear me always - and make others fear me even more than you do. The Black Hand always strikes down on those who stand against it in the end. Defy me and die - or in your death find loyalty, for I shall compel it. Submit to my will, [as uttered by my ranking clergy] since true power can only be gained through service to me. [Spread the dark fear of Bane.] It is the doom of those unguided by me to let power spill through their hands. [Those who cross the Black Hand meet their dooms earlier and more harshly than those who worship other deities.]" - Bane's Dogma [with 14th century addendums in brackets]

Bane is basically the quintessential villain of the Realms. When a person pictures the face of evil, they picture this god and his followers.

The most important thing to know about Bane and his religion, in my opinion, is summed up here:

"The summons [from Ao] had come wearing the face and form of that which each of the gods feared most. [...] To the Black Lord, Bane, the summons came in the guise of absolute love and understanding, its light searing his essence as it carried him from his kingdom." - Shadowdale

You want to give one of the most evil bastard in the pantheon a panic attack? Give him a hug.

Following a brief version of a backstory that has been given for him; the mortal who would be Bane was born on Abeir, Toril's linked twin planet/parallel universe. There he was a nameless battle slave to Maram of the Great Spear - an ancient primordial being of absolute evil whom the Netherese had summoned into the world, where it broke free and started inflicting horrors upon the world. While in the service of said horrifying evil, the young slave nurtured ambitions of having absolute power for himself.

While on Toril he teamed up with his two future frenemies, Bhaal and Myrkul, and they killed (or possibly subjugated) his master and took his power for themselves, before heading off to nag Jergal for his job. After bickering, the ex-slave known only as "the Bane of the Ancients" wins the draw and gets to be what he always wanted - the epitome of tyranny with godlike power. The next step for him is to conquer the mortal world and destroy all the other gods so that none have power and control over him.

Banite religion is founded on the principle of making Bane's dream of global domination possible. Every Banite is a link in the chains of Bane's power. What they rule, he rules. All Banites strive to take over something (village, city, kingdom, army, whatever). All Banites are expected to aid and obey their superiors in this domination.

When in control, a Banite is to use their power to "further the cause of hate, fear, destruction and strife." Doing so within the control of the law is preferable, but chaos is tolerated as long as that chaos is wielded as a tool with perfect control. You can get voted into power by stirring up people's fears of minorities, or start the apocalypse and present yourself as the saviour - but you must not be overwhelmed, or you have failed.

The world is divided into slaves who have no power and exist to serve, and the powerful who command them. Bane is the rightful master of all and all are to serve him, and by extension his followers (those with the strength to seek, take and hold power), willingly or by force. Control is the key virtue in the eyes of the faith. Always be in control and/or be controlled by somebody more capable/deserving of power than you. As their lessers are expected to obey every order perfectly, the superiors are expected to be competent in their leadership and wield perfect command.

Banites pride themselves on being cold and decisive in all that they say and do. They also enjoy cutting sarcasm. It's vital to appear in command of yourself and the world around you - shouting, loss of temper and other outbursts of behaviour that suggest a lack of control/power are avoided like the plague. Two Banites on the brink of killing each other may appear to be in the midst of only a polite, but insistent disagreement.

Bane used to enjoy watching his power hungry idiots backstabbing each other to climb the ranks while overzealous worshippers splintered into factions and started killing each other (most notably a divide between the divine-magic based orthodoxy and the arcane-magic based reformers/"Transformers".) Then Mystra technically killed him during a fight with Torm in the Time of Troubles, and Cyric took over his church. When Bane made a comeback in the 14th century he immediately decided they wouldn't be doing that anymore. Now it's an united rigid hierarchy from top to bottom, and Banites are a well organised, well equipped unit.

The laws of the heathens are irrelevant, but a Banite who gets caught breaking those law trying to achieve their goals is expected to suck it up and do the time for failure - unless they've been doing such a good job that everybody's too far under their control to try and punish them for it, in which case great job. A+ in Bane worship.

Banites typically establish themselves in an area by finding a location out of sight of a civilisation and building a fortress, where they build their power until they are too strong a force to drive off. Taking over an existing fort is also a possibility. The temple is run like a military base: spartan, with only tapestries showing Bane's symbol and religious texts on it for decoration. The courtyard is meant for military drills and rituals, and there's a mass hall for dining and holding prayer. They like pointy architecture. And black. Oh, and the torture basements! Can't forget those. It's also where they keep a variety of trained monsters in pens. You may end up sharing your cell with a displacer beast or something, but don't worry about it.

Banites have a secret network of teleporting spells. The actual "portals" will be any space of stone big enough to stand on, which are magically connected to other points (also stone). If you stand on one and speak the correct password, then it will teleport you to the destination designated by that password. There are no spells or barriers that can prevent the teleporter from arriving at their destination. Banites can bring others along with them if they are physically connected when the password is said. They can't bring more than 100lbs of inanimate matter with them.

All are welcome to convert to Bane. There will be an interview where your intentions are checked, although if it turns out you're not actually evil-aligned you can still join. There's a good chance that they'll use magic to turn you into an "incorruptible champion of evil and uncompromising disciple of order" anyway; "for Bane recognizes the value of those who have seen the lure of good and turned away from it to serve evil."

Or just use dark magic to twist you from a person into a weapon/guard/servant bound to the service of Bane anyway.

Banites are also able to ensure loyalty with a magically binding divine oath called the Dark Promise, cast by his favoured priests (Dreadmasters). It's an old spell, back from the early days when Bane was a new god and his followers were vulnerable, and is not used as often. When the spell is cast and the oath is made, a set of circumstances are set into motion that targets of the spell must follow to the letter. The promise must have Bane's interests at heart and the conditions and stipulations cannot be endanger the individuals' lives. If the oath is violated, it drains the oath breaker's life force. The damage done by this spell cannot be healed, and if the oath breaking does not cease then they will die.

Bane is one of the few exceptions amongst the gods in that his worshippers are all henotheistic rather than polytheistic. Banites consider worship of other deities "foolish," Bane is the only master you should truly serve. All under Banite rule will be forced to convert to the worship of Bane. They are however willing to cooperate with the followers of Loviatar (pain), Talona (disease), Malar (predation), and Mask (thievery) as Bane has terrified these gods into allying with him. From a certain school of Banite thought, this means that they and their followers are part of the chains of Bane's will (the gods/faithful in question probably wouldn't agree). Bhaal was, or perhaps still is, a servant of Bane and he and Myrkul have also been counted amongst Bane's allies in the past, despite their tendency to squabble, so cooperation with Bhaalists and Myrkulites is not unimaginable when it serves both their deities.

Banites do not get on so well with... anybody, but they particularly hate worshippers of Ilmater (compassion), Tyr (justice), Helm (non-Banite order), Lathander (optimism/renewal), Torm (champion of the innocent), Oghma (knowledge) and Mystra. If they get their hands on one they'll usually torture them and leave their mutilated bodies somewhere for the distressed public to find. Bane and Cyric are still at war, both due to humiliation and the fact that they're still fighting over areas of divine power that the other has stolen/reclaimed from the other, and the corpses of Cyricists that fall into Banite hands are usually found with "heretic" branded on their foreheads as a warning to others who worship the usurper.

Banite clergy are expected to always be armed, and it is mandatory that you at least wear something black at all times. For ceremonial purposes, Banites wear black armour or robes with a blood-red cape. Wizards like to enchant their robes so that they swirl and give off illusions of glittering with "black stars" and have blood dripping off the hem. The higher in the ranks you go, the fancier the clothes get. Banites used to have facial tattooing, although this made them rather easy to identify and kill off when Cyric took over and some purges took place. The highest ranking Banites can be identified by a gem that they wear on their forehead. Banites are not expected to wear anything that would identify their religious affiliations if it would get them persecuted, but they do like decorating their clothes with spikes and are are expected to dress in a certain specific colour that I'm getting sick of typing out. When Bane rules the world we will all be dressing as goths under threat of execution...

Each priest has a ceremonial staff denoting their rank, which they will have at these rituals. When a Banite dies they are buried with it. They are unenchanted and purely for ceremony, at most being used to light braziers. It starts with a simple black wood staff [level 1], which at higher ranks has an ivory skull at the top [lvl 2-4]. Higher yet they add silver plating, and the skull is the size of a fist [lvl 5], and the even higher level priests that skull has ram horns [lvl 6]. After that you get real human skulls! [at lvl 7+]! They're allowed to decorate theirs how they like, as well as adding enchantments. So gemstones, magic runes, etc.

Bane's holy symbol is the Black Hand, a symbol of terror recognisable to the entire Realms. Versions include a black handprint, a black claw or a metal gauntlet embedded with jewels. Priests usually wear a replica of the hand as a carved pendant of black stone. There is another Black Hand seen on his high-ranking priests: elbow-length gloves crafted of flexible metal mesh or chainmail, usually worn on the left hand. It emits an eerie dark radiance, i's supposed to be black, and a non-Banite found wearing one can expect every Banite on the planet to hunt them to the ends of the world for this blasphemy (also it's about 50,000gp in value jfc). The gauntlet cannot be damaged by force and absorbs all spells of third level or less. Area of effect spells are not negated, but cannot affect the wearer. It can drain magic out of items, should the wearer touch them with intent to do so. The wearer can then discharge all of the absorbed magic into the body of another by touching them, causing them damage. They can also paralyze undead and living beings via touch.

To question or disobey a superior is to question or disobey Bane himself, and is answered by torture, disfigurement and/or death. The word of a Banite of superior rank is law, and you will do literally anything they ask you to do.

Banites have invented a magic whip (a mystic lash) that does all sorts of fun nonsense in case that happens. It's made of glowing red energy. If the priest needs their hands free then the whip can actually wield itself (need to scourge that annoying initiate, but you don't want to look up from your book? Then good news!) If the wielder choses, a lash of the whip may cause one of the following; paralysis, memory loss, seizures, extra damage plus the disintegration of equipment, or electrocution.

One is expected to greet those of higher rank by kneeling in front of them and kissing their boots

At the bottom of the hierarchy are the novices, who are addressed by the title of "slave." If they're good enough, Bane will send them a dream vision or manifest as a voice speaking from one of his altars - he will name them, and they are allowed to enter the first rank of the priesthood… of which there are 12 ranks with their own unique addresses, which everybody is expected to memorise. Disrespect to a higher rank will, as mentioned, involve insulting Bane and lead to torture, disfigurement and potential death.

The only time you're not expected to use the titles is when in the presence of heathens, Banites will address each other as Brother/Sister Faithful (when speaking to an equal/lesser) or Dread Brother/Sister (when addressing a superior).

Banites do not refer to each other by name, only by the name of their rank (unless there are too many individuals of the same rank. In the case you had a room full of Black Fangs, you would address them individually as Black Fang [Surname].) It's generally impossible for eavesdroppers to learn the names or personal details of a Banite.

The rankings are determined by character level, and are as follows:

Watchful Brother/Sister/Sibling

Deadly Adept

Trusted Servant

Willing Whip

Hooded Menace

Black Fang

Striking Hand

Vigilant Talon

Masked Death

Dark Doom

Higher Doom

Deep Mystery

The Deep Mysteries include the Deeper Mysteries… which have their own ranks! Secret, higher levels which are unknown to those of the first 11 levels who must address all higher ranking Banites as "Deep Mystery." There is no official means by which a Banite is bestowed this title, they bestow them upon themselves if they believe they should have the rank. The test lies in the fact that in order to keep the title their fellow Banites must also begin using them - in other words if you are not a pretender and truly have the power and authority to hold this title, then your siblings in the faith will follow.

The ranks of the Deep Mysteries, in order of authority, from lowest to highest:

Vigilator

Lord/Lady of Mysteries

Lord/Lady of the Hand

Imperceptor

Dark Imperceptor

Grand Bloodletter

High Inquisitor

The High Imperceptor is the Banite of highest rank of the Deep Mysteries, supreme living servant of Bane, and unlike the prior titles this one cannot be self-bestowed. I haven't seen any explanation for how it is bestowed, but I imagine Bane decides.

Banites don't bother with set holy days. We will have a holy day whenever the leading priest decides we're having one, and it will be called whatever they decide it is. This usually means a) somebody fucked up, time for a public punishment; or b) we've got an enemy/traitor, time for human sacrifice.

Rituals are to be held in as close to pitch darkness as is possible, gathered around the Black Altar (a wood table covered in a black cloth, a block of black stone - whatever, just so long as it's black so we can give it an ominous name). The Black Altar is to be made holy by having a replica of the Holy Hand of Bane floating above it (this too has to be black in colour). This is a levitating 6 foot tall stone hand that can sense alignments within a 60 foot radius, and it will attack good-aligned people on encountering them. When not in use it patrols Banite locations, seeking out spies and intruders and killing them.

And that the Seat of Bane will be placed in front of the Black Altar. The chair is black, its back is carved into the shape of a hand. Senior clergy sit in the throne when acting as Bane's voice for the rest of the congregation. So the leader of the area's Banites sits in the chair, and that means Bane is sitting in the chair. While sitting in it, the seated can read the thoughts of all beings within 90 yards. it can project a forcefield around the chair; can nullify magic in the area; allows the seated to see through illusions and invisibility; know the alignment of everyone present; allow the seated to speak with dead; and also conjure walls of fire. If the chair is knocked over, it causes a massive explosion of fire that kills everyone around it.

Then the party. With minimum partying and maximum solemn, ominous chanting and deep, heavy drum beats. Those guilty of disobedience or other failures will be chained to the altar and whipped in front of the congregation. And then there's the human sacrifice: "Sacrifices had to be humiliated, tortured, and made to show fear before dying to be acceptable to Bane, and they usually met their deaths through slashing, flogging, or being crushed by the Hand of Bane."

The traditional power base of the Banite faith was Zhentil Keep, the base of operations for the Zhentarim. The Black Network has once again been taken from Bane by Cyricists however, after the death of Fzoul Chembryl a few decades back - Fzoul was a Chosen of Bane and basically his favourite servant (who has since been made into a quasi-deity bearing some of Bane's divine power, that he may continue to serve) and Zhentil Keep is currently in ruins. The loss of the Keep (for a second time) destroyed Zhentarim power, and now they're mostly just a bunch of mercenaries with good connections on the black market trade routes (slaves, drugs, weapons, etc) as far as I can find.

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The Dreadmasters are Bane's specialty priests, making up 10% of all Banites. Dreadmaster is a unisex title. They spend their time doing all the spellwork and making all the delightful inventions that have been giving me a headache. They have a stupid number of spells given to them. Nobody else's specialty priests have this many fucking spells.

They cannot feel fear from sources other than Bane

They can, however, project the feeling of absolute terror into every being within 10 feet of them, usually causing everyone to run screaming.

They can completely destroy the souls of the dying

Create extra evil undead

Create powerful, still sapient undead servants from dead Banites (from ghouls up to vampires)

Create animated suits of armour that serve the Banites, powered by people's souls

Make a warding symbol drawn with a mixture containing three drops of blood from a collection made by sacrificing 30 people. The ward is invisible and cannot be detected, and when activated it drains the life out of everyone present.

They have a supernatural knack for reading other's true moods and intentions They have a supernatural level of charisma and authority over their servants, who cannot help but be fanatically loyal

They are exceptionally skilled in the artificing of magical wands, rods and staves. When they use them the magic of the items is increased.

They're the ones who cast the stonewalk spells that make the teleport network run.

They're also the priests responsible for binding the Dark Promise.

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"The Chosen of Bane are tyrants in every sense of the word, consumed with the quest for absolute power. Hand-picked by the deity of tyranny and fear, [they] are both charismatic and filled with hate [...] They seek only to rule with absolute, unchallenged authority over every living and undead create across the world."

They are unbothered by temperature, both hot and cold, as well as resistant to being burned or electrocuted.

They do not age, though they will still die at an age where they would've died if they did age.

Supernatural insight into motives and emotions, and a massive boost to their charisma.

They can mind control people, are immune to fear, can share this immunity with others or increase the fear they feel.

They can also cast gaes, which is basically exactly the same as the Dark Promise, but doesn't necessarily have to benefit Bane (blasphemous as that sounds).

They can summon undead beholders to serve them

They can grant their own shadows independence as an undead creature of the same name (shadows), While separate the shadow is free-willed, though the two remain telepathically linked.

They are served by a retinue of their own master's servants including: doppelgangers; helmed horrors; beholders; undead Banites; hell hounds; imps; displacer beasts; Banelar nagas (evil snake things with human faces)

-

Bane doesn't like using avatars, if he needs to manifest on Toril he just possesses people in positions of wealth and power who transform into handsome, yet "oily" looking black haired men as long as he's inhabiting them. The souls of these people are forced to watch as the god does what he wants. Once the body is "worn out" from all the punishment he puts them through (mortal shells, so fragile) he'll move to another evil or neutral mortal via touch.

If he strikes out with his gauntleted hand, then there is a good chance that the person stuck will drop dead.

In combat he warps the face into a more beastial visage. His hands become talons capable of "rending flesh and bone" and in the Time of Troubles when he was first forced to manifest as a normal human he immediately started editing the body into a more demonic visage although that might've been because he'd just crash landed in his own temple and destroyed it, and only had a few moments until his torture happy zealots turned up to find what seemed to be some random dude standing in the wreckage. He was in kind of a panic trying to make sure they saw Bane, God of Tyranny not... that.

His other manifestations as a pair of blazing red eyes staring out from the darkness, and a black, taloned hand which was the temperature of ice to the touch. They work exactly like his other manifestation.

Bane sometimes announces his presence, and that he is paying attention to you, with the sudden manifestation of the giant footprint of a boot, scorched into the earth. He shows his approval of his followers through their sudden discovery of a black sapphire. His disapproval is shown through the sudden appearance of red carnelian, ground into dust.

He is served by various devils, beholders, death tyrants (the undead remains of beholders that failed him), black dragons, banelar nagas and pride incarnates

Bane can cast any spell at will, save those that heal or create.

Bane was slain in the Time of Troubles. After his death his followers had an even bigger row between those who were loyal to Bane (orthodoxy) and those who worshipped his portfolio instead of the god himself and switched to Cyric. Many of the Orthodoxy began worshipping Iyachtu Xvim the Godson, son of Bane (whose mother was either a fiend or a fallen human paladin, nobody's sure).

Xvim was doing a pretty ok job in his nascent godhood up until 1372 DR, when Bane hijacked the essence of himself he'd left in his son and destroyed him - being reborn within his body and immediately regaining the rank of Greater Deity. About a few years following the Bhaalspawn Crisis, the year where Bhaal was supposed to be reborn from the death of his kids but failed.

Bane went on to continue being one of the most infamous, powerful and dangerous gods on Faerûn up until the Second Sundering, when suddenly we've got confusion.

In BG3 canon, the Dead Three are clearly greater than quasi-deity status. Due to new rules that WotC pulled out of their ass, gods of lesser deity status or higher cannot manifest avatars. Bane can still empower clerics and have Chosen, so he's most likely still a Greater Deity in BG3.

In Descent into Avernus, the Dead Three are apparently quasi-deities now, forced to exist in permanent avatars on Toril and unable to grant spells of have Chosen.

I think this nicely explains what I mean when I say D&D has no fucking "real" canon, it's all just a mountain of everyone's headcanons.

[beetlethebug]

so we know that like, Kristen's whole deal is religion and such, right? I'm just kinda thinking about the other Bad Kids and the Gods. Maybe it's my own multi-deity pagan ass just wanting to consider what it would look like. (I'm using primarily Forgotten Realms Gods and my absolutely vague knowledge of them).

This got long so read under the cut ;u;

Gorgug is absolutely Garl Glittergold's favorite child. He loves the shenanigans. Do you think he starts connecting with Gruumsh when he starts connecting with his birth parents? Baby Gorgug leaving bits of metal and toys he accidentally broke on the altar the Thistlesprings' have in their workshop. Gorgug pre-artificer offering up the songs he makes as a tricky sort of "metal" working. Feeling a connection to Gruumsh in the heats of his rage, the nudge of a hand during his frenzy guiding him to the right target. Keeping bits of scrap from their enemies to melt down into his next artificing project. He also probably talks to Helm, sometimes, asking for guidance on how to best protect his friends. Gorgug has big protector energy.

Adaine who is, in a way, a deity in her own right, depending how revered the Oracle is. I don't know if Adaine would connect with Elvish gods, but she and Oghma vibe. I think that after the Bad Kids all talk and bond, Kristen makes a joke about her being a Gruumsh follower with her furious fist and so Adaine jokingly buys a pin to wear in offering. Jawbone also had a talk with her about sometimes it can help to talk to someone about your anxiety--whether that be a counselor or even the Gods, sometimes. Just Adaine praying to Gruumsh to have the strength to punch her anxiety in the face is very beautiful to me. Azuth is the god of wizards, so he and Adaine might vibe. Adaine feels like the type to vibe with the Gods mostly in jest; she talks to them sometimes, but they're silly little guys to her. Because of Tracker and Jawbone's lycanthropy, I think she either has a small shrine to Galicaea or has the biggest beef with her imaginable. Maybe a little bit of both.

Riz. God. I think once Riz meets his Father, he definitely like, sets up a little shrine to him. Ancestor work feels really important to Riz. He dedicates a lot of self-care things to his dad, I think. Mainly sleeping and drinking water. Does he do them? No. But it's the thought that counts. Riz is definitely the like, mundane acts of worship. Incorporating it into miniscule parts of his day that would go undetected unless you knew him and where to look. He also probably has some devotional jewelry to Yondalla; I think that Penny probably had a habit of repeating prayers while touching the beads of her bracelet (kind of like a Rosary) and that rubbed off on him, especially when she was babysitting him. The whole family also probably have at least some sort of worship to Tyr due to their connection to justice and law enforcement. I think Sklonda is more connected with some of the deities associated with Goblins, specifically Gruumsh (can you tell I love him?) and Maglubiyet. He prays to war gods to get through the absolute shitshow of Adventuring school. He and Adaine probably dedicate their research to Oghma.

Fig is really interesting because I feel like she is probably in the vein of demon work instead of divinity. Although I think that she unironically thinks Riz's dad is super cool so like, playfully worships him. Fig is the Bad Kid that I feel like collects all the different pieces of her friends and wears them proudly upon herself. She dedicates concerts to Kristen's new deity of the week. She sighs and asks Oghma for help on exams; she includes prayers to Gruumsh in her tracks. I feel like Fig also might have a tendency to like, worship the people in her life. She thinks they're so important and she cares about them so much. So she elevates them to the status of a God in her mind. They are invincible. They are young and powerful and the bonds they share are much, much magical then some God who pretends to be high and mighty. Her body is an altar--she wears jewelry and draws sigils and uses so much color magick. She is, in a way, a walking beacon to the gods, saying, "Look at us! We're just as good as you, and if you doubt it, then we'll kick your ass!"

Fabian Seacaster my beloved. This man follows his Father's footsteps for a long time. He worships Gods of the tempest, of the sea and sailing. Yondalla holds a special place in his heart. Riz nearly has a conniption when Fabian corrects him on a prayer to Yondalla, and the two of them bond about it. But once this man starts dancing, this man worships Corellon Larethian with his whole chest. He does a lot of his worship through dancing. Moving his body, getting in touch with his roots. Because of the fire elemental, he also does some like, elemental magic? But I think a lot of his forms of worship come through bodily experiences. Braving a storm, dancing in front of a crowd, making just the right maneuver to protect his friends in battle. Sometimes he and Fig and Gorgug will sit together and make devotional playlists!

[mightymizora]

there's a dialogue path where milil tells you what happened - long story short when he wrote that song making fun of cyric circa a century ago, cyric trapped milil in the fugue plane and his worship has, according to bg3 canon, been dying out a bit, hence the lack of recognition. withers got milil out of the fugue plane in exchange for milil, and this is milil quoting withers, "honoring the worthy."

withers buddy i know you don't socialize very much these days but do you think this was maybe a slightly over the top way of getting good music at your party for your specialist little guys

Anon THANK YOU FOR THIS! I've only played through once and missed this, I am fed so well, this is incredible!

I knew that Milil worship was essentially gone by 5e and people just worship Oghma now but I had forgotten that Cyric tidbit! (side note I love how petty Cyric is forever)

[47crows]

Kinris, another npc

Kinris runs the local alchemist shop. He was fun to design. I like to imagine that triton come in all sorts of fishy shapes and sizes. Freshwater triton like kinris tend to have more fin-like hair, more fish like facial proportions, and come in a range of colors, like beta fish.

His description reads

Kinris Ousath, Alchemist, 65, triton (he/him)

Kinris has very long, straight, dyed purple hair and golden eyes. He has lovely cyan skin and stands at 5’5” with an athletic build. He has an edgy, alluring face and occasionally smokes a pipe with herbs grown in Fernglow Lake.

Kinris openly worships Oghma, god of knowledge, invention, and inspiration and is a very optimistic person, it can get him in trouble, but he always looks on the bright side of even that. He’s prone to using long words, and has a tendency to give advice even when it’s unwanted.

[thedragonagelesbian]

@hexblooddruid replied to your post “Funniest part of the oghma wiki page hands...”:

Absolutely

​yiseeril is still to this day nursing the wound from when gale asked her if she was learned in magic and she said 'oh yes of course as part of my worship of oghma--' and he was like 'no that doesnt count'

[avionvadion]

Name: Astra Tav'aria Duskraalis

Race: Seldarine Drow

Class: Sorcerer/Bard

Personality: With a Wood Elf for a mother, she was raised to be kind, but her Seldarine Drow father raised her to survive. She’ll often try to help others if she can, but sometimes the risk may be too great and she’ll let things sort out on their own if she doesn’t like the reward.

Why should she risk her own skin if there’s nothing useful to be gained? Helping others is good, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of yourself.

She does have a tendency to get a little too excited and carried away, though, which leads to some… interesting situations, especially when curiosity gets the best of her. Her sense of humor can also be kind of twisted at times, which is mostly the result of growing up in the Underdark, but also a little goofy. She discovered a love for the arts while on the surface, and with it a love for puns- to the annoyance of those around her.

Her parents: Althea and Zilvra Duskraalis

Zilvra was blinded years ago in his left eye during a fight with some Lolth-sworn Drow, and was found wounded by Althea. He quickly became enamored with the powerful sorceress, and after a while managed to convince her to remain in the Underdark with him, Althea even helping in his battles against the Lolth worshippers.

The Duskraalis family was nearly entirely wiped out during one such battle, with Zilvra being the only survivor, and the two went into hiding. Sometime later, Astra was born. The spitting image of her dragon-blooded mother, but holding the Drow traits of her father, she herself is magic.

Backstory: Astra spent majority of her life in the Underdark learning to control her magic before her family was attacked by a Drow determined to prove himself to Lolth. Giving their lives to help her escape, Astra makes her way to the surface where she eventually finds an interest in the arts thanks to a kind Dragonborn Cleric, Kriv, that worships Oghma.

As Drow aren’t necessarily favored above ground, she joins an artisan guild- using disguise magic to make herself more closely resemble her late mother- and makes a name for herself in Baldur’s Gate. There, she befriend a young Tiefling Wizard- Valuria- who sees through the disguise magic and offers a helping hand in getting Astra settled into the city. While out searching for inspiration for new art pieces/books, she gets nabbed by the Mindflare ship. With the threat of being turned into a monster by the tadpole looming over her head, she's stopped caring about how other people perceive her and has taken to walking around without her disguise magic.

Something that's proven to be particularly helpful, what with all this Absolute nonsense going on...

When she learns they have to descend into the Underdark to reach Moonrise Towers, Astra can't help but wonder if this is the moment she's been waiting for all this time- the moment to avenge her parents, by hunting their killer. If this is what everything in her life has been leading up to.

Normal Astra and Disguised Astra

Astra is a Sorcerer by blood, but a Bard at heart.

The Tiefling and the Dragonborn she met had a huge influence on her, and quickly became her only friends in the large city. Despite her willingness to help others (depending on what it is and how dangerous, and if dangerous what the reward is) she doesn't trust easy. Years after meeting Valuria and Kriv, she found someone she was particularly fond of- but upon dropping the disguise and revealing her Drow heritage, she was rewarded with a slash to the face and claws to the throat.

Astra may have instinctively lashed out with her lightning magic when that happened, and Valuria helped her deal with the aftermath. Kriv was furious upon hearing what happened, and he is not one who angers easily.

Valuria and Kriv

The two most loyal weirdos you could ever meet, lol. Valuria was drawn to Astra by intrigue- as a Drow is not a common encounter, and one disguising themselves as a Wood Elf even less so. She probably encountered Astra in Sorcerous Sundries, reading up on poetry and ancient art and searching for inspiration.

Seeing Kriv with her, someone not easily mislead or deceived, only strengthened that intrigue, and before long she approached her. Astra thought she was in for a fight when Valuria called her out on her disguise magic, but quickly realized the Tiefling held no ill will- merely curiosity. Kriv, though reasonably surprised, was fast to get over his shock, and happily introduced Astra and Valuria to one another.

When Astra goes missing, the two are beset with worry- but with the threat of the Absolute's army coming to Baldur's Gate, they can't bring themselves to go looking for her. They have no doubt she's capable of fending for herself- with her magic and charisma, there's little Astra can't do, but... when they see her again, with a group of the strangest travelers that would most certainly never be seen together under normal circumstances, they can't help but wonder what the hell happened.

Name: Veldrin

The man that killed Althea and Zilvra. Despite having wiped out nearly the entirety the Duskraalis clan, he failed to prove himself to Lolth- for one survivor escaped. Astra. He ends up forsaking the goddess and his own clan in favor of the Absolute, and winds up stationed at Moonrise.

He recognizes Astra as soon as he sees her, and wonders if perhaps his purpose was never to kill her- but to make her his. Why else would she be there now, alive, thriving, chosen to be a True Soul? Destiny led her to Moonrise, and therefore to him.

Veldrin is as deluded as could be, and is not at all pleased with her closeness to a certain silver-haired High Elf.

Needless to say Astra ends up killing him.

Astra's "Guardian" is based off of Kaelis, the Mephistopheles Tiefling who found her shortly after she reached the surface from the Underdark, and who led her into finding comfort in Selûne. It was his protection that helped her reach Baldur's Gate safely, and she respects him to this day- though his whereabouts the past few years have been unknown.

[ralofofriverwoods]

Oghma for the skyrim ask game!

oghma: which deity would you gladly form a pact with? if able to set the terms, what would you gain or lose in this deal?

If I was the Dragonborn I’d likely make a pact with herma mora or nocturnal! Mora because like come on. His realm is a librarians dream! I’d love to collect books straight from his little area, I’d just have to be careful that he doesn’t pull a miraak and keep me there for thousands of years. And nocturnal is pretty cool, love her bonuses in game, and we love a sneaky queen that is canonically the patron of thieves. I’d hate to live in her realm though. Terrible graphics. Very bad gamma scaling. Not even any little guys to keep me company

If I’m a normal joe I’d do something with either arkay or Hircine. Arkay because his whole deal is pretty neat tbh, the wintersun version of him(where u actually get to worship a god) is very neat as well. I wouldn’t pray for shit but I’d do his little rites and stuff for the dead. Hircine because I could be a werewolf. Who doesnt wanna be a werewolf? That would be rad. And he’s arguably one of the better daedra, at least from the little we see of him in Skyrim. He’s like the only one who doesn’t curse your entire bloodline if you tell him to go fuck himself lol

No matter what I’d make it very clear that I’m not obligated to go to their realm after I die, especially for the daedra. Nothing worse than selling your soul, then when you finally die you decide that you don’t want that actually. I’d also make sure that my pets can follow me to wherever I go if they wanted to, with eternal protection. My sweet babies should get to do whatever and never worry about their immortal souls being in peril<3

[maddiedott]

The Mourning Dove

Chapter Five

Warnings: very short, talks of religion, self esteem issues, self worth, past Dovie, parental issues

A/n: hii! I’ve been sick with the flu and am just now starting to feel better so bear with me while I try to get chapter 6 out <3 enjoy!

Often I questioned my parents, the other nobles, even the gods. For what was the purpose of life if not curiosity. My mother would quote that curiosity killed the cat. My father however, said that it was the way into the world, challenging the mind for an answer and a reason.

That was one of the only things he’s taught me. That he’s said to me and not within passing.

I was caught trying to enter the library that was off limits to me and my mother as it was in the west wing- my father’s side of the house. I wasn’t allowed to be there. But strangely, he didn’t anger once my tiny feet stumbled forward as I pushed the door open. It was made of solid wood, giving little me a difficult start.

I had managed to trip into the room and in front of his feet. My head slowly lifted, meeting his gaze with a sheepish one. I knew what I had done was wrong, yet I held no regret for it. He stared back at me for a while before turning around and walking behind the maze of bookshelves stocked to the brim.

He indulged my curiosity to learn. That was the only time I had seen him for the kindhearted, warm man my mother would talk about in stories. While he never stayed or sat and read with me, he extended an olive branch. Allowing my presence in his, as small as it may be.

“It’s a wonderful thing. To explore that around you for answers you don’t have yourself.” He would say.

As I grew so did my inquiries.

I learned of gods and goddesses, their ways and what they require of their followers. I wanted to get into religion, and wanted something to believe in. Something that would warrant me something to live for. To dedicate myself to.

I leaned towards Selûne and Oghma.

The goddess of the moon. Of hope for so many people. The war between her and her sister was poetic, if not a little cliché. The forces of darkness and light, hope and loss. Yet her teachings didn’t truly resonate within me. Sure there were aspects where I would find myself pursuing and agreeing to her ways. But never felt as if I would be able to call myself a follower of the lady of the moon.

Then there was Oghma. The god of bards. Of inspiration and invention.

Eloise had spoken so fondly of the god, she was raised to worship him as her mother did. Perhaps that’s why I yearned to be accepted by Oghma. To share something with someone who held my heart in the palm of their hands, to share it with the deity they devoted themselves to.

Or maybe it’s because I wanted someone to be devoted to me in that way. To love me wholly and deeply without a fault. To be cared for as if I was a goddess myself. Be seen as something more than a bastard child who longed for nothing but the sounds of lute strings and calluses covering her fingers and palms.

Just to have a place in the world where I could be more than what was thought of me. To be myself. To have the privilege of not knowing the consequences, of not caring for what comes next.

Perhaps in order to do so, I have to devote myself to some higher power to find my sense of self. After all, inspiration and invention didn’t seem entirely awful to be a part of. He did accept anyone with any moral alignment.

Perhaps he’ll be able to accept me. Maybe I’ll find a sense of self. My place in this life. To finally feed the howl of curiosity that is seeded within me.

[nattosushi]

Baldur's Gate 1/2 Original character: Elena Kiraed

Basic background (Baldur's Gate 2 setting)

Name: Elena Kiraed (of Candlekeep)

Race: Human

Age: 21

Profession: sorceress

Religious affiliation: Helm

Initially, I feel she would probably worship Oghma or Mystra, since the former seems to be the dominate deity in Candlekeep, while she is a sorceress. But it would really be more of a lip service. That is why I feel she would most likely be influenced by Ajantis and ended up worshiping his God, as she would actually start to think of what the doctrines mean.

Alignment: lawful good

The three siblings' alignment is a rather interesting combo of extremes: lawful good, chaotic evil and true neutral.

Additional note

I am not fully sure why, but I started to dislike Imoen. I didn't really mind in the beginning, and I think a part of the reason I dislike her is due to how modders always try to show her as being super cheerful to the point of being stupid, as well as playing pranks that are not always funny. However, upon reading a few dialogue files, she actually does this in the original game (Such as the conversation with Keldorn). I just don't find her funny at all. So I decided that with my stories, Imoen would not really play a big part, and she would often be portrayed in a negative way.

In addition, this is still something up to the player. Just as there are dialogues of the player saying they are siblings, there are also options where the PC can say that they are actually not very close despite growing together, as she/he find Imoen annoying.

Biography

Elena and Sarevok are the twin children of Alianna with Bhaal. The two of them would grow up in the temple with various other children of Bhaal, as well as their half sister Dahlia. Elena would be sheltered and isolated from the others by both Sarevok and Dahlia, who both sought to protect and look after her.

When the temple was attacked, Elena would go with Gorion due to the belief that Sarevok would follow. However, what happened was rather traumatic for her, which resulted in her losing the majority of her memories. She remembered that she had two siblings, and were separated due to them fleeing that night. It would be something she wonder about quite often.

Elena would grow up in Candlekeep as Gorion's foster daughter. She discovered her skill as a sorceress at a very young age, and would be taught by Gorion. She is also very well read. Imoen would arrive a few years later and the two of them were friends, although Elena still preferred to spend a large amount of her time reading, while Imoen had chores to do.

At 20, Gorion would be killed during their trip and she would first find Jaheira and Khalid, as well as meeting Ajantis and various other companions. Jaheira will be the one to tell Elena about Dahlia. Elena and Ajantis would soon fall in love and even become engaged.

Upon finding out about her real heritage, Dahlia would finally tell her the truth, as well as how the three of them ended up being separated. Despite feeling betrayed by her sister, Elena still kept the other with her. Sarevok would actually offer to have Elena at his side as his consort and despite her belief that he could be redeemed; she was force to kill him.

Elena would part ways with both Ajantis and Dahlia, the former having to return to Athkatla, while the latter was severally injured from their confrontation with Sarevok. However, she does manage to reunite with both of them in the events of Baldur's Gate 2.

Post Baldur's Gate 2/Pre Baldur's Gate 3

I actually have a few ideas in regard to what happened to Elena in this period, and I am not fully sure which one I would use. One possibility is that when Sarevok decided to worship Bhaal once more and start a cult, she would go and confront him, only to fail. She would be in a catatonic state, neither dead or living. Eventually Isela (Tav) would kill Sarevok and allow Elena to have a proper death, where she would be reunited with Ajantis. The other alternative is that she stayed with Ajantis and the two of them lived the rest of their life together happily.

Elena is a rather naïve character, to reflect how I created this character when I was very young, and made her quite a Mary Sue. However, by working with this character again, I plan to show that her actions would have consequences and she would be called out for this. One of the biggest issues is naturally her belief that Sarevok could be a good person, because he was always good to her. She does not realise that she is the exception. Her insistence that she would be able to convince him to not do evil would actually be the cause of her possible 'bad ending'. Unlike Dahlia, Elena believes that just because someone is nice to her, this means that they would not be an evil person.

Out of the three siblings, she is the one who grew up the most privileged, because Gorion really did love her as a daughter. She also lived a very sheltered life in Candlekeep. Sarevok is obviously the one in the worst position due to an abusive foster father, while Dahlia is a bit of an in between. Dahlia grew up with someone who is often emotionally distant from her. Even though she was sheltered to an extent due to going to the academy and then returning to Beregost, I feel that both her life in the academy and her life in a small town, still prepared her a bit more.

The illustration

Elena has red hair and I used to describe how it was flame like or it was as red as blood (the writing skills of a teenager who wanted to dye her hair bright red). So the illustration actually shows a rather natural shade of red. I want to show her in her room reading to reflect her sheltered and content life in Candlekeep. The dressing table might have been a bit modern for the setting, but I really like the rest of the picture. There is a sense of serenity in regard to this picture.

The style is oil coloured. I like the idea of her dressing rather simply to as a way to show that she was very sheltered, who did not really focus on her appearance due to the way she was raised. Most of those she was closed with in Candlekeep regarded her as a child, and I feel that Gorion would also have been a bit over protective by keeping her away from any possible young men.

[mollfie]

Tell Us About Your Tav!

what's your tav's name, class, and race?

Lito Duskryn, fighter, drow Jet Nyx, warlock, tiefling Zinadove Dawntracker, wizard, high elf

which background do they have? how does it play into their story? (and if you're doing a durge playthrough, how did your tav come to be the haunted one?)

Lito: Criminal. Worked with the Zhentarim, no issues with committing a crime, deceiving others or persuading them to let him so what he wants. Doesn't go out of his way to hurt people but will if necessary. Trying to be better. Would encourage Mol to do whatever it takes to protect herself the other kids.

Jet: Entertainer. Desperate for attention, good or bad, and always performing.

Dove: Acolyte. Has spent her whole life dedicated to serving Oghma and the pursuit of knowledge. Generally a good person but can have tunnel vision. Nosy.

what feats have you picked for them?

Genuinely can't remember haha

favourite weapon type to beat away goblins with?

Lito: Longsword

Jet: Fire (mmmm barbeque gobbos)

Dove: Magic missile (simple but effective)

for the spellcasters, what's their favourite spell?

Jet just sets fire to everything and Dove favours summoning others to do the fighting for her

any scars or facial tattoos? how did they get them?

Everyone's pretty scarless

typical party lineup?

Lito: Astarion, Lae'Zel and Shadowheart

Jet: Astarion, Halsin and Lae'Zel

Dove: Gale, Wyll and Karlach

did they romance anyone? who's the lucky companion(s)?

Lito: Astarion

Jet: Lae'Zel, Astarion, Halsin, The Emperor, Mizora, the Drow Twins, Haarlep. Astarion was her main squeeze but she'll screw it up somehow eventually.

Dove: Gale (although Wyll is hard to resist)

what's your tav's dnd alignment?

Lito: Neutral evil

Jet: Chaotic neutral

Dove: Chaotic good

are they double-classing in anything?

Lito has a little bit of Bard to give him a boost. He would have liked to be a musician but was pushed into being a fighter and it is what he's good at. So, he dabbles.

what are their best skills? arcana, history, sleight-of-hand?

Lito: manipulating everyone into doing what he wants

Jet: fucking around and finding out, she relies heavily on charisma

Dove: history and arcana

did your tav let astarion bite them? (did they let him kill them. be honest.)

Lito: Yes, and he's into it

Jet: Yes, because she's curious and impulsive

Dove: No, but she's nice about it

does your tav willingly do the "silly" options, eg. licking the spider, kissing the goblin's foot, etc.?

Lito: maybe if he thinks it'll be funny, otherwise he's intimidating everyone into backing off

Jet: anything for a giggle

Dove: Absolutely not

what was your tav's life like before they got kidnapped by the mindflayers?

Lito: Working with the Zhents

Jet: Travelling entertainer and professional bad decision maker

Dove: Literally just set out on her second adventure after her husband died and this is what she gets?? Has spent the majority of her life living and working in a temple

is your tav leaning into their newfound illithid abilities, or rejecting them altogether?

Jet is the only one who gobbles those bad boys down like gummy worms. She narrowly avoids turning but learns nothing in the process, of course

how do they feel about raphael? did they take him up on his offer?

Lito: thinks he's a bit of a dick but appreciates the hustle

Jet: would smash

Dove: lacklustre poetry and a little frightened by the whole devil thing

for paladin or cleric tavs that worship a certain deity, how did they come to worship them? do they fully believe in their god, or is their trust wavering?

n/a

what made them train in the class they fight in?

Lito: didn't get a choice, he's a first born drow male

Jet: ruined her life and everyone else's, got lost and frightened so when a devil popped up and offered her a pact she signed up

Dove: she's a huge nerd

when talking to people, which sort of answers do they go for? eager to help, sassy and sarcastic, apathetic?

Lito: depends on who you are and how much you're paying him

Jet: flirty, a little mean but mostly just being silly

Dove: always polite and kind, unless you're rude to her and then she'll fully match that energy

does your tav have a best friend in the party? what's their dynamic like?

Lito: Shadowheart and Halsin

Jet: can't keep friends, always screws it up eventually

Dove: once Astarion and Shadowheart realise she loves to gossip they would be great friends

in act one, did your tav side with the tieflings or the absolute's cult members? (did you do it for minthara? i won't judge.) Everyone sides with the tieflings. I do also have a surge playthrough with Lito and I'm going to do and evil run with Jet because in that au I think she would love Minthara. I have also knocked out Minthara in my redemption durge playthrough so I could have her and Halsin which was funnny.

who was your tav's family? did they have any?

Lito: as far as he knows everyone is still alive and well plotting each others murders in Menzoberranzan

Jet: she accidentally killed them

Dove: she has extended family across the country and a brother in Neverwinter.

did your tav's dream visitor manifest as anyone in particular, or someone random that they've never seen before?

Lito: his mum which was a terrible idea because he hates her

Jet: no one in particular

Dove: her dead husband

what was your tav up to in baldur's gate? did they live there, or were they in the wrong place at the right time when the mindflayer ship came through?

Lito: lives there

Jet: passing through

Dove: visiting

regarding your tav's companions, who propositioned them for a private evening after the party with the tieflings? who did they take up on the offer?

Astarion propositions everyone. Lito and Jet both took up the offer but Dove rejected him to dream about Gale instead.

is your tav prioritising certain personal quests over others - for example, are they on the hunt for magical items for gale, infernal iron and other materials for karlach, etc?

I don't prioritise anything really, just do everything in an area and go back and forth a lot until everything is done. I prioritise getting the party together first and then wander about.

how does your tav react to wyll's pact and patron? if they're a warlock, was there anything specific?

Lito: doing the math, Wyll was a kid and this is fucked up

Jet: *rattling the bars of her cage* hot lady, would have signed that contract instantly without even reading it if Mizora had approached her

Dove: can we go five minutes without another problem please? get this bitch out of my camp and leave the poor boy alone :(

how does your tav feel about sex? are they all for it or kind of "meh" about it?

Lito: likes sex but is fine without it, loves taking care of someone

Jet: yes please, it's like a fun pastime for her

Dove: very monogamous and not into casual sex at all

after baldur's gate is saved, what will your tav do?

Lito: got to sort out that vampire spawn in the Underdark problem they caused

Jet: back to bouncing around Faerun

Dove: settles down with Gale

who's their favourite animal companion at camp?

Shovel comes with me everywhere

[y-rhywbeth2]

Gods & Clergy: Bhaal #2

Link: Disclaimer regarding D&D "canon" & Index [tldr: D&D lore is a giant conflicting mess. Larian's lore is also a conflicting mess. You learn to take what you want and leave the rest]

Religion | Gods | Shar | Selûne | Bhaal #1 | Bhaal #2 | Mystra | Jergal | Bane #1 | Bane #2 | Bane #3 | Myrkul | Lathander | Kelemvor | Tyr | Helm | Ilmater | Mielikki | Oghma | Gond | Tempus | Silvanus | Talos | Umberlee | Corellon | Moradin | Yondalla | Garl Glittergold | Eilistraee | Lolth | Laduguer | Gruumsh | Bahamut | Tiamat | Amodeus | The rest of the Faerûnian Pantheon --WIP

Because I found some extra stuff on Bhaalists.

Briefly featuring; secret identities, how to consecrate an altar, acceptable targets for sacrifice, red rooms, mummification, do not steal a Bhaalist's knife, and maybe some other stuff.

-

"Murder is natural. Slaying is what all creatures in Faerûn do, daily if they can. At least daily, slay something living—and the Lord of Murder is most pleased if the victim is one of your own kind and as formidable as, or more powerful than, you. Kill with swift skill, not by torture, forced suicide, falls, or collisions. Do it personally, with ever-greater deftness and elegance, and teach others the skills and the delights of slaying. "Deathbringers are to slay with enough skill that witnesses are impressed. They are always to challenge those more powerful than themselves, the clergy of other deities being prize targets. Slay with pleasure, but never with anger. Be in exquisite control of yourself. Utter the name of Bhaal so the victim can hear it. Ideally, it should be the last word a victim hears." - more Bhaalist dogma

Deathbringer appears to be a generic term for a Bhaalist who is part of the church. Or it's an alternative term for Deathstalker, it's hard to tell. Going on context, I assume it means the former.

In the time between his death and his resurrection, Bhaal no longer spoke directly to his followers even though he seemed to be answering prayers. He contacted them only rarely, and only in the form of nightmares.

Worshipping Bhaal is legal and persecuting his followers is considered... risky. Nobody wants to offend the gods. Murder, on the other hand, is very much illegal. Due to the fact that Bhaal is worshipped by committing very illegal murders, this gets complicated.

As with all evil and disruptive faiths, Bhaalists are permitted to worship so long as they don't disrupt functioning society and follow various stipulations: keeping their religious practices out of public view; not rocking the boat and causing the public to panic; and performing agreed upon services for the government for example. If they keep their end of the agreement, the law politely turns to look away.

Bhaalists protect their ability to worship the Lord of Murder by courting the halls of power, making themselves indispensable to the local government and nobility, and infiltrating law enforcement to cover their tracks. Many of them cut out the middleman and take positions of power themselves.

To make life easier for themselves, most Bhaalists have a "daytime identity" as a regular citizen, and keep their personal shrines out of sight (part of the restriction violent and evil faiths must follow in order to be permitted to operate in the Realms). The public should not be able to identify random Bhaalists walking amongst them.

Incidentally, Bhaalist shrines are kept holy by being anointed with the followers' own blood.

Bhaalists use their daily life to observe the city and consider their target. Preferred targets include:

Adventurers and travellers nobody knows. -

Criminals and troublemakers people will be glad to be rid of. -

People who are rising in power who might cause trouble for Bhaalists with that power -

The clergy of Bhaal's enemies: (Chauntea, goddess of agriculture; Helm, god of guards and law; Lathander, god of birth and renewal; Torm, protector of the common folk; Ilmater, god of martyrs; and Lliira, goddess of joy)

Favourite hunting grounds for Bhaalists tend to be either the main streets and markets (if they're looking to draw attention to the sacrifice, perhaps to make a statement) or the slums and poorer areas.

A daily murder is preferred by Bhaal, but only once a tenday is the murder of a person mandated. When the time comes, the Bhaalist will don their religious clothing and head out on their hunt.

Once the target is dead, they will take some trophy from them (and likely strip them of their wealth and possibly ransack their house, if possible). This trophy could be a personal possession, or a body part (for example; a finger, or their heart). The "trophy" is offered up to Bhaal on the altar, with a prayer, and Bhaal permits his followers to keep whatever wealth they acquire to fund their daily life and "continue their holy work." Many Bhaalists aim for a wealthy life, both for the comfort and for the fact that power and money are great ways to avoid anybody arresting you if you fuck up.

If in a city with a larger temple, then the worshipper is to tithe 50% of all coins taken this way to the temple.

If there is no temple in the area, then every member will be assigned a higher ranking priest as a handler of sorts, and they will give that 50% to them instead.

The church couldn't care less about non-monetary gains and land deeds, you can keep those.

Temples are not open to the public and may not be placed in view of the public, hence why they are built beneath the streets. There are also remote monasteries and monastic orders beyond the reach of the cities, which presumably hunt travellers on the roads at night and put the fear of their god into the hearts of nearby villages and farmers.

Bhaalists recruit by essentially running red rooms and snuff shows in secret locations at night; often cellars, basements and also private rooms in the upper floors of more well-to-do buildings. Guests wear masks to protect their privacy (the Bhaalists will presumably be wearing their full religious veils instead of masks).

The targets chosen for the spectacle will typically be those public opinion deems deserving of death. Violent criminals, for example. These slayings will not be considered a crime by viewers, and with a reputation for vigilantism, the cult may even come to be viewed favourably by some. Joining the cult means you get to "volunteer" the next guest star.

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While I don't know how widely practiced this is, Bhaalists do mummify their dead. Invading a Bhaalist tomb may backfire when the long-dead priests take issue with their visitors.

Bhaalists blades may be cursed, in case they're stolen (particularly those they bury with their dead). Once unsheathed, the blades can't be returned to their scabbard until they've been used to take a life. Attempts to remove the curse with counter-magic will cause them to explode violently in a burst of metal shrapnel and fatal poison (which will be absorbed into the body on skin contact).

[tales-of-avelia]

Paul Shadowwalker

Historian of the Shadow Order 4th of the Shadowwalker Brothers

Name : Paul Shadowwalker

Mask : grey owlbear Mask

Mask Meaning : protection

Age : 30 y.

Hight : 5''8

Former : Historian of the University of Toara

Important Info: Functions as the Historian and Researcher of the order

Role in the Inn: Son of Brunhilda, Regular

Sexuality/Open to Ship(s)?: Pansexual

Religion/Deity worship: Oghma

Personality: Calm, friendly

Fun Facts: could have been a bard , loves to sing and play his guitar, had to flee the city and let the love of his life behind so she and their son could survive , has a three year old son

Enemies: Quite probably, he's roamed far and wide. But never intentionally gained.

IC Triggers: someone endangers his family

[umbralstars]

Fódlan Ideas Time

While I'm writing this fic, I want to talk about the various Fódlan worldbuilding ideas that I've had for years. They are likely not supported by canon, but I don't really care since they're all either expansions on things or stuff that I made up for my own enjoyment.

Under the cut cause this got long.

Fódlan was actually split into many different human ethnic groups in pre-Calamity times each with their own cultures and religions. These religions were largely polytheistic and animist who did incorporate Sothis as one of their many Gods, and aspects of these old faiths survive in the Church of Seiros

After the Calamity and the devastation of Fódlan many ethnic groups, along with their cities and nations, were utterly destroyed. The human population dropped enough that many groups merged into the precursor Fódlanic culture that would spin off into the ethnic groups of modern Fódlan

The post-Calamity period saw a sharp increase in Sothis worship and the beginnings are the current henotheistic faith of Fódlan

Old beliefs and practices of these people have survived and evolved in modern Fódlan as folklore, folk practice, and names of many places in Fódlan

Some in Fódlan live apart from the rest of the continent in isolated villages to better preserve their heritage or simply do not have much contact with wider Fódlan on a regular basis

Agartha was only one nation among many, but the most powerful at the time due to their advanced technology and a once close relationship with the Nabateans. They fought with many Human groups even before their relations with Nabatea grew sour

Agartha itself was a very multi-faceted empire, and those who would go on to become Those Who Slither in the Dark were a minority of Agarthan superiority extremists even before the Calamity

Zanado was a muli-ethnic city state who was home to Humans and Nabateans alike pre and post-Calamity. The entirety of the Oghma Mountains, including the sections underground which is now Abyss, was the main center of Nabatea's culture and civilization

The Nabateans lived alongside Humans in Fódland for thousands of years and aided many Human groups as they built up prosperous nations. Outside of the few Nabateans who left on Sothis' direction to aid Human nations most stayed in Zanado with the only others leaving being merchants or travellers

The Nabateans were not as heavily decimated as Humans during the Calamity, but they were already far less numerous than Humans. Their population in Zanado at the time of the Massacre was roughly 30,000 Nabateans with Humans making up roughly another 100,000

CW For Death and Genocide:

Some Nabateans and humans from Zanado were able to flee during the Massacre and the Nabateans who lived outside of Zanado left the continent all together going to live in other lands. Overall, their population only numbers in the few hundreds at the very most with only four left in Fódlan proper

The vast majority of Nabateans were not able to be turned into weapons or have their blood used to give Crests to Humans. All the senseless violence and slaughter was to find the few exceptionally powerful Nabateans

Those in the Holy Tomb were all that Rhea could find and not many have their full bodies intact. Not all are Nabateans with some being Humans who died trying to protect their friends, family, and neighbors

Leicester is the area in Fódland who best preserves pre-Empire Fódlandic culture and religions. It's also the most diverse area of Fódland ethnicity wise

The Alliance has always been ambivalent towards the Church and does have many practitioners of Old Fódlandic Faiths who incorporate the Goddess into their pantheon. These faiths have had contact with Almyran religious practices for millenia so there are syncretic beliefs and practices. They are unrecognized by the Church, but mostly left to their own devices

The Alliance has plenty who are devoted to the Church and the Goddess, but is the most diverse part of Fodlan overall

The Noble Houses all follow the Church of Seiros officially, and many truthfully, but any given noble's true religious leanings are personal and largely private in the Alliance

Almyrans, and other ethnic groups in Almyra, have immigrated to the region for years between different conflicts and some of Alliance territory was once under previous nations connected to modern Almyra.

Leicester, the Golden Deer, is emblematic of the Alliance's difference from the rest of Fodlan as, even though he is the Alliance's symbol, the Deer is recognized by many Leicesteran faiths as a deity of the forest, the hunt, cleverness, fertility, kingship, and even a creator deity among a few

The Eastern Church and its adherents plays down the deity aspect of Leicester and has spent much time trying to redefine the Golden Deer as a servant of Sothis

Faerghus also preserved much of its own cultural identity from pre-Empire times, but due to how much influence the Church has had on their culture and politics these beliefs manifest more as folk beliefs than indicative of other religions

The Kingdom has a major ethnic split between the north and south parts of the country because of differing climates (warmer in the south and far more frigid in the north) and how they relate to the former empire. This split manifests in different folk beliefs and cultural practices and has been there even before the Empire was founded

Adrestia, despite the title of "Empire," is actually more ethnically homogenous than either Faerghus or Leicester especially. They've had a long culture of enforcing a pan-Adrestian identity to strengthen the Empire and that practice was one of the many things that lead to Faerghus and Leicester rebelling

As the region had their own ethnic groups their folk beliefs differ wildly from Leicester and Faerghus, but their beliefs did influence and cross ethnic lines extensively during the Empire's unified period