#Update: this was not all of it

[y-rhywbeth2]

Gods & Clergy: Bane #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 | 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

-

Apparently, they are a beautiful combination of every dictatorship ever with some flavouring from the fucking mafia. They also sort-of have a Pope, and sometimes papal schisms.

Social Darwinism for everybody! And remember, Bane is always watching you - do not make him get involved, kiddies.

Can these people get any more delightful??

---

"The world is made stronger by mighty and ordered rule, with the ruled made to fear their rulers and to hate common foes. Weakness and frivolity should be publicly destroyed for all to see and heed. Good is but a shelter for weakness and the whims of those who profess noble goals. Evil is the true state of nature, for winning is everything, and oppression is natural. Fight against good, and exalt evil. Tyrannize and destroy the weak, so that all in time become better and stronger, everyone knowing their place and not daring to question or foment disorder. "Be a tyrant. Make others fear and hate you, but awaken in them hatred of others. Aid tyrants and oppressors, but if they disagree with you or fellow Dark Hands (clergy of Bane) over policy, or turn back from tyranny or oppressing others, shatter them. We are the forge that tempers rulers, to make them ever harder, stronger, and more evil. Laws and rules, not wanton chaos, should reign. Eliminate lawbreakers. Kill or thwart a good creature every day (kill is better). Bring down arbitrary law keepers, and aid the brutally law-abiding. Make others fear Bane—and fear you—whenever possible." - Yet more Banite dogma

Good is evil, and Evil is good. Good is a lie, and Evil is the truth. The one thing all Banites agree on is that implementing Bane's rule is the only good option for the world.

Banite teaching is clear that a world of firm laws and an orderly society is the only acceptable world to live in. Chaos exists only as a tool to achieve this, and is otherwise sinful. This ideal lawful and regimented society will, naturally, be a surveillance state. The overabundance of divination spells and artefacts used for monitoring thought crimes, and the rank "inquisitor," don't exist in the church for nothing.

Society will be made better when the weakness is purged. By punishing the weak, one of two things will happen; they will break, and either clear the way for the strong, or they will take on the hatred and use it to make themselves stronger.

Dissenting opinion is bad, it breeds chaos and undermines order - and Banites are quite firm in their opinion that nobody else is governing their lands properly.

Under Banite rule, people suddenly "going missing" is just a fact of life. Sometimes they turn up a little worse for wear and/or with a mysterious new personality. Often they're just not coming back.

The good news is that since the death of the last High Imperceptor in recent years, the church hierarchy has apparently fallen apart again!

Banites are no longer quite so united by one long, globe-spanning chain of command and are all splintered into factions, backstabbing each other and fighting over which leader's vision and right to lead is greater than the others'. The lower ranks scheme to take the place of their hated superiors, even as they bow and scrape and dance perfectly to the tune of every command.

Bane is willing to tolerate this to a limited degree, because it keeps his higher ranked followers from abusing their authority for personal gain if the lower ranks have space to undermine them when they're unworthy. A "healthy" amount of infighting will cull the weak and ensure he only has the strongest followers.

There are limits though; start rocking the boat too much and Bane will personally smite you dead in front of everyone to make a point.

The Dark One watches his clergy, keeping an eye on those with potential rising through the ranks, and those whose behaviours are a little erratic for his liking. He's known for speaking directly into their minds, or the minds of the followers around them. Although sometimes he turns away to focus on something beyond mortal ken, which can last years, which is when the infighting tends to get really bad. Elminster likens it to unsupervised rats in a cage, gnawing on each other in frustration.

A Banite who shows signs of weakness and "wavering faith" will be demoted... if they're lucky. Other possible fates include the standard Banite fare of maiming and potential death.

Banites in favour with their deity and superiors will enjoy luxury and promotions: Having fun is allowed as a reward for being a good servant, but is not something you're allowed to take for granted. That's "frivolity" and will breed weakness.

The church mostly gets things done nowadays simply because the lowest ranks of the clergy usually attach themselves to some charismatic mid-higher rank, becoming their obedient and fawning slaves in the hopes that by helping them rise in the ranks their superior will elevate them too. Through this, teamwork is achieved and shit gets done. In the higher ranks, where everybody's too afraid of losing their hard won power, this cooperation tends to die.

The head of a region's Banites is the Inquisitor, all of whom answer to the High Inquisior, who is regarded much like the Pope is by Catholics on Earth. Sometimes the High Inquisitor isn't providing their role as arbiter of Bane's divine will on Toril right, and one or more other Banites make the case for themselves as Bane's real High Inquisitor and schisms result with all the usual drama.

When Banites of equal rank clash on something, technically the deciding factor in who gets the final say is supposed to be who has the highest levels in the cleric class (and thus their higher personal status with Bane). If it's equal, then it comes down to who has the highest influence/reputation amongst the other Banites. Ultimately though, the biggest factor is actually which of them their regional leader likes best (you're either in favour, or out).

Particularly within urban areas, Banites are usually hidden kingpins and crime bosses, working from the shadows. Those who seek power and influence may always turn to the followers of the Black Hand for aid; they are always happy to make friends and lend favours. You want to win the next guild election? You want to be governor? They can do that for you. They will employ bribery, kidnappings, blackmails, arrange assassinations, whatever it takes to get you in power. And then you will have that position you wanted, and you will owe it all to the Church of Bane, and to Bane himself, as their loyal puppet. You will obey every edict of Bane as yet another link in his chains. You will know that they did this for you, that they can do all this to you, and that everybody will know this should you go back on your end of the bargain.

The people who serve those people will also serve Bane, unknowingly. Eventually the entire city will serve, never realising who rules them, until one day the Banites' hold over the region is so ironclad that when they step forward to rule openly, and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

Banite infiltrations are highly organised, and are likened covert military operations, with the leaders given their tasks directly from Bane.

Through these methods, the Church takes over businesses, governments and even entire noble families.

Businesses are of particular interest, as Banites will seek to establish at least some degree of control over regional trade - especially contraband and other illegal businesses, and especially the trade of weapons and slaves. The money they make from this will go towards both the church and their own personal funds.

Few Banites are comfortable openly taking positions of power for themselves until they are certain that it is safe to do so. There's also that little drawback where your siblings in the faith will watch you carefully while holding their breath for a while, to see if you're as secure in your power as you seem to be - and then there's a target on your back because they all want your power for themselves.

Despite losing control, it seems some Banite presence lingers amongst the Zhentarim, where the divide between the cleric-based Orthodoxy and the reformist wizards lives on. The simmering tensions and would-be civil war are held in check only by the presence of beholderkin who will make an example of any idiots that try anything. Bane has no particular interest in seeing his clerics and mages fighting each other, and in most Banite circles the schism has died down. Some of them are even friends and "companions."

(Yes, even Banites have friends. Mr "frivolity should be publicly destroyed - make others fear and hate you" doesn't necessarily approve, but his followers are still only human[oid].)

-

"…Bane is rash, impetuous, and arrogant. He’s no patient, long-term schemer, but lives in the present moment (he wants results NOW). And his pride often makes him over-estimate his own prowess, and ignore his own faults." - Ed Greenwood

Going by some lore; Bane is also an unwitting puppet of Jergal (who is The long-term schemer), intended for one of the older deity's infinite supply of schemes - although his strings are not currently being pulled. He is the dead soul of a mortal man, imbued with divine essence and Jergal's portfolio of Tyranny. "Jergal [on his end] has no intention of treating Bane like a puppet until he has to."

Bane died long before the Three reached Jergal, and the god "stored" his soul away, recognising a similar "quenchless hunger to rule all, and be feared by all through the maliciousness and malevolent [attentiveness] of his rule."

Bane's memory of this has been removed by the Forgotten One, and he wouldn't believe you if you told him so. Whether the other two have had their memories so edited is unknown, but possible.

His original, pre-Time of Troubles holy symbol was intended to be a severed hand in a spiked black gauntlet, dripping blood from the stump (the middle droplet being the longest). The presumed reason for it not appearing in official Realms products is wariness of the Satanic Panic leading to its censorship.

[sayruq]

Like clockwork

[s0up1ta]

toxic yaoi or something idk i haven't watched gravity falls

[yourfavecharacterisqueer]

hypothetical scenario for you all: the real king arthur returns. you meet him and you welcome him into your home. what is the first thing you do with him? keep in mind, this is a man from the 500s (he died in 542), and you are from the 21st century (2024).

[lonniemachin]

List of Palestinian Evacuation And Support Fundraisers

Last Update: 05/28/2024

All fundraisers have been looked into by me or vetted by others. If anyone notices issues in validity with any of the fundraisers listed please let me know. Funding updates daily!

Fadi Al-Sharif and family ($26,961/$62,500 goal)

Hayam Taha and family (€18,052/€30,000 goal)

Deyaa and family (€20,046/€30,000 goal)

Deyaa reached the initial evacuation fee for his family and they have extended the goal to pay to support themselves after they evacuate.

Fatima Alshanti (kr22,300 SEK/kr150,000 goal)

Shahed Ghazi and family ($31,049 CAD/$94,838 goal)

Little Yusuf and family (€33,893/€85,000 goal)

Sara & Huda Hajjaj and family ($9,807/$25,000 goal)

Mohammed JH Shamia's family (kr50,017 SEK/kr250,000 goal)

Maram Ahmed and family (€10,425/€30,000 goal)

Hamza Almofty and family ($7,331/$35,000 goal)

Mahmoud Jomaa (€3,143/€10,000 goal)

Dr. Mohammed Shaga ($2,785/$20,000 goal)

Abdulrahman Alshanti and family (kr148,607 SEK/kr350,000 goal)

Besan Almabhouh's family (€9,027/€25,000 goal)

Said Tanani and brothers (€33,829/€50,000 goal)

Donia Tanani and family (€78,277/€100,000 goal)

Hussein Shamiya, his pregnant wife, and son ($19,816/$40,000 goal)

Mohammed Shamia and family ($35,729/$50,000 goal)

Amro Bakr & kids Bakir and Tala (€15,294/€28,000 goal)

Almadhoun family ($27,523/$80,000 goal)

Child Mohammed and family (€20,297/€30,000 goal)

Sana'a and family (£28,657/£70,000 goal)

Noha Ayyad and family ($35,374/$95,160 goal)

Maryam Ayyad and family ($1,065/$15,000 goal) - Maryam is related to Noha listed above, who is managing her fundraiser.

Hamza Sameer and family ($6,940/$55,000 goal)

Hamza is related to Noha, he is her uncle’s son.

Nazmi Mwafi and family ($6,823/65,000 goal)

Ibrahim Almofty and family ($8,341/$40,000 goal)

Hamdi Hejazi and family ($25,552/$150,000

Mohammed Ali and family ($10,891/$25,000 goal)

Heba and family (€65,972/€80,000 goal)

Mohammed Abuhasanein and family (kr11,156 SEK/kr 350,000 goal)

Rawan and Yemna (kr52,492 SEK/kr319,315 goal)

Laila Auda (€7,784/€35,000 goal)

Ola Madi (€3,284/€40,000 goal)

Tawfik Satoom and family ($6,587/$45,000 goal)

Laila Abd El Bari, her husband, and unborn baby Sham (€8,088/€25,000 goal)

Abdullah Mohammed and family ($7,577/$47,000 goal)

Ruba Abushaban and family (€17,539/€50,000 goal)

Hala, her husband, and their daughter ($7,517 CAD/$50,000 goal)

Hoda and Abdul Rahman ($3,211/$18,000 goal)

Al Maghari family (£4,974/£74,000 goal)

Arwa Abudawaba and family (kr246,856 NOK/kr500,000 goal)

Hani Alhajjar’s family (€19,680/€50,000 goal)

Ouda family ($20,709 CAD/$50,000 goal)

Rawan Ahmed and family ($17,798/$40,000 goal)

Dr. Wael Eldahdouh's family (€6,001/€110,000 goal)

Abdullah Lulu and family ($8,881/18,000 goal)

Lara, Abdalla, and family (€12,812/€50,000 goal)

Firas Salem and family (€22,687/€65,000 goal)

Amal Abu Shammala's family (€49,805/€53,000 goal)

Dr. Mohammed Alshaer and family (€6,032/€18,000 goal)

Roqaya Al-Hayek and Mohammad Jamal Al-Hayek (€14,769/€25,000 goal)

Haya and family (€7,192/€60,000 goal)

Mohammed Dahdooh and family (£46,445/£65,000 goal)

INITIAL GOAL COMPLETE!!! Mohammed is now raising money for his family to support themselves once they evacuate.

Ahmad Iyd and family (£7,615/£150,000 goal)

Renad and family (£5,996/£25,000 goal)

Mohammed Aljbour and family (€5,501/€25,000 goal)

Sarah's mother (€6,266/€15,000 goal)

Sarah reached her initial goal to evacuate her mother and has raised the goal to provide support for she and her family once they are in Egypt.

Dr. Hasan Adwan and family (€6,149/€98,000 goal)

Marah Atallah and family ($2,285/$27,000 goal)

Dr. Nasrallah Almassri ($9,333/$30,000 goal)

Afnan Hasaballah (€12,011/€15,000 goal)

Muhammad Al-Thalateeni and family (€8,497/€20,000 goal)

Al-Zaeem family ($9,009/$50,000 goal)

Mahmoud Al Tibi and family (€9,193/€60,000 goal)

Almoghrabi family (€8,454/€25,000 goal)

Mohammad's family (€9,578/€30,000 goal)

Aziz and his mother ($3,063/$50,000 goal)

Mohammed, his wife, and their newborn son ($1,101 CAD/$50,000 goal)

Tala, her aunt, and their family (€20,588/€50,000 goal)

Ala Osama ($165/$50,000 goal!!!)

Aesha Balaha and family ($1,867/$10,000 goal)

Farah and family (€4,691/€35,000 goal)

Zinh Dahdooh ($6,991/$40,000 goal)

Rana and family (€9,285/€30,000 goal)

Al-Alami family ($3,798 CAD/$100,000 goal)

Khaled and family ($252/$15,000!!!)

Tamer Alnoaizy and family (€4,115/€20,000 goal)

Ahmed Dawoud and family ($2,300/$87,000 goal)

Omar and family (€7,869/€20,000 goal)

Haytham and family ($2,748 CAD/$70,000 goal)

Hamdi and family ($770 CAD/$62,000 goal!!!)

Mahmoud & Rawan (€1,154/€15,000 goal)

Hashem, Samar, and baby Omar (€385/€45,000 goal!!!)

Aseel Maher and family (€3,295/€30,000 goal)

Mayada Jihad and family (€2,220/€30,000 goal)

Amal, her children, and her unborn baby ($3,991/$15,000 goal!!!) URGENT! 6 DAYS TO COMPLETE!!!

Margaret, Sara, and Maxine's friend and her family (£38,325/£50,000 goal)

Tahani Shorbajee and family ($5,785/$50,000 goal)

Baby Youssef and family (€8,282/€50,000 goal)

Iman Eyad and family (£4,010/£60,000 goal)

Mohammed & Hamza Hilles and family (€755/€30,000 goal!!!)

Bilal Salah and family (€25,078/€70,000 goal)

Rabah Dawoud and family ($46,500/$70,000 goal)

Mayess and family ($357/$45,000 goal!!!)

Aahed Hisham and family (€2,807/€50,000 goal)

Hammam Hilles and family (€887/€30,000 goal!!!)

Hazem's family ($104,420 AUD/$100,000 goal)

GOAL COMPLETE!!!

Hazem has made it from Gaza to Egypt, but he and his family are still in need of support.

Mohamed, Samah, and family (€28,951/€63,000 goal)

[adaarsvitaar]

reminder to myself and whoever else needs it to stop feeding the machine. I'm aware I'm yelling into the void but look at the past couple years of games. They're pushing $70, $80, $100!!! for games that are completely unfinished, unpolished, and sometimes completely unplayable. Yes the game showcases were cool. The doom game looks sick and I don't even go there, but they're shaking the shiny keys to distract you and get you swept up in the hype. They're going to push so much fomo marketing to get you to jump for it full price.

Wait for sales. Wait and buy a used copy. Hell, wait a couple days (even hours!!!) after launch and reviews and breakdowns will start coming out. Our game backlogs are already packed, and mr big AAA studio can deal with some of us waiting to see if they actually delivered what was promised.

[goldiipond]

if there's anything i've learned from the current state of social media it's that this is one of the worst possible notifications you can receive upon opening an app

[martyrbat]

the memes and jokes about biden dropping out are all great but PLEASE dont turn away and forget the victims of him directly funding a genocide. these are real people that are still being impacted by his cruelty, their tragedies are still ongoing and they need our support more than ever.

if I can suggest a Palestinian family to support, I'll highly recommend Yusuf and his family—who has been vetted for [here]. The GoFundMe breaks down the costs, including the urgent need for an eight year old child to have a kidney replacement, but only €8,404 is currently needed for his family to pay crossing and coordination fees!!

[bananonbinary]

here's your fucking feedback @staff

list of problems the removal of icons causes:

i cant see my friends

ruins the sense of community

can't tell at a glance who's online right now and what they're interested in

literally cannot tell without scrolling back up who put a post on my dash if it has a single addition attached to it. or like. 2 paragraphs in the op.

i cant click my own icon at the top of the dash to quickly view my own blog

can't tell who someone used to be if they change their username

squashes the margins between the menu and posts, making the whole dash feel more cramped

ruins the quick visual cue of how long each post is and where it ends when you're trying to scroll past ones youve seen before

people put a lot of creativity and individuality into icons, and now i never see them

makes people who primarily reblog instead of make their own posts all but completely disappear

list of problems solved by removing icons:

?????

who the fuck was asking for this

ive never in my life seen a website or app that has profile pics forcibly HIDE them, so i guess you did it you made the dash unique again in the worst way

here's some more feedback: maybe when you run an a/b test you should, idk, actually have a feedback form people can fill out about it somewhere

[pangur-and-grim]

the last photo I took of Belphie this morning......he truly is an insect

[junglejim4322]

this is a permanent list of palestinians with vetted fundraisers that have reached out to me to boost them, if you've reached out to me and you're not on here please message me again. this list will be linked in my about page and regularly updated.

Rescue Mahmoud's Family: A Call to Escape Gaza's Devastation @mahmoodeltibi - vetted by el-shab-hussein, family of 15. €10,261 raised of €60,000 goal

Standing with a Family Escaping the Horrors of War in Gaza. Help Tamer get his family of 4 out of Gaza @tameraldeeb - Vetted by ibtisams, 90-ghost, el-shab-hussein, as well as being #191 on the vetted fundraisers google doc. €17,887 raised of €40,000 goal

Help Dina and her children survive through the war. Dina is a widowed mother with a 7 year old, a 5 year old and a newborn trying to reach safety. @dina179 - vetted by ibtisams. $4,146 CAD raised of $20,000 goal

Yousef Hussein is trying to get his nieces out of gaza after the death of their mother and father. boosted by 90-ghost. $8,412 raised of $50,000 goal

shahed @shahednhall is trying to get her family (her sisters are sick with hepatitis C) through rafah crossing in the next weeks opening period. she is number 224 on the vetted list of vetted fundraisers by nabulsi and el-shab-hussein. $17,267 raised of $50,000 goal

Ola's Family Call for your Support Amid Crisis @olagaza. Number #205 on the vetted list of fundraisers $19,195 raised of $50,000 target

[corrodedparadox]

⚠️

[sayruq]

[archerdepartures116]

Ill post this au( inspired by tweet above) i started on my twt on Tumblr too

First part

more comic panels below

Second part

Third part

Fourth part

Shenanigans side extra

this is currently an ongoing series, if this does well here, I will continue posting these in bulk (～￣▽￣)～

for more frequent uploads, you can follow my twitter at ArcherD116, feel free to ask me ab this au and give your suggestions!

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

i will never understand why more people in their 80s don't commit felonies. you reach that age and surely there's something illegal you always wanted to do but didn't bc Consequences

dammit, GO FORTH GRANNIES!!! rob an armored car! hold up that bank! tunnel your way into fort knox! what are they gonna do, sentence you to 20 years? good fuckin luck with that

[heroesriseagain]