Faerûnian Pantheon: Nobanion - Waukeen
Nobanion (no-ban-yun), the god of lions, wemics, feline beasts, and royalty, is lawful good. He is known as Lord Firemane, the King of the Beasts, and the Lion King. He is a noble and regal creature and teaches that in order to live in harmony with others and with nature, one must act with tolerance, moderation, and dignity. Rulers, leaders, and those who work against such things must be removed if they are truly dangerous. He is an ally and close friend of both Lurue and Sharess. The domains associated with him are Animal and Good, and his favored weapon is the heavy pick.
Clergy of the Lion God, known as the Pride of Nobanion, are not given to elaborate titles. Specialty priests are known as Firemanes and are commonly referred to as Lights of the Lion's Mane. Clerics and crusaders are known as Roaring Avengers, while shamans are addressed as Speakers of the Paw and Roar. Lammasu and greater lammasu are considered part of the clergy and are addressed as Elders and Reverend Elders, respectively.
Priests of Nobanion have little in the way of formal raiment. Typically they garb themselves in cloaks made from the hide of a gazelle or antelope and wear a necklace of the teeth and claws of vanquished opponents around their neck. Their symbol is a single, unblinking lion's eye which each priest paints on his or her forehead. Priests also often depict the face of Nobanion on their robes in stitchery, beadwork, or quill-work or on their chests in paints or as a tattoo.
Oghma
Oghma (ogg-mah) is the most powerful deity of knowledge in Faerûn. A cheerful and wise power with a gift for persuading others to his point of view, he tends to implement complex plots that he has puzzled through mentally first rather than taking direct action. He sits in judgment over every new idea, deciding if it is to remain with its creator or be allowed into the world. The church of Oghma is responsible for the accumulation and distribution of books, scrolls, knowledge, and lore. The church accepts people of any alignment as long as they are interested in the promotion of knowledge. Clerics of any alignment can serve Oghma. The clergy consists of cloistered sages and archivists who analyze, file, and copy the temple’s archives, as well as traveling clerics and bards who seek out new knowledge to bring back to the temples. Most temples support themselves by selling maps (never intentionally inaccurate), spell scrolls, and scribework. The domains associated with him are Knowledge, Luck, Travel, and Trickery, and his favored weapon is the longsword.
All priests of Oghma are called loremasters. Other clergy include a smattering of bards and wizards. All races are freely admitted to the priesthood. Acolytes in the service of the Binder are called Seekers, and those of some accomplishments are Senior Seekers. When an acolyte demonstrates clear (good and useful) inspiration, solid service in Oghma's cause, or true loyalty to the god to the discernment of at least two priests of the Wise God, those two priests confirm the acolyte as a true priest of Oghma, bestowing upon him or her the title of loremaster. Those who rise in the service of Oghma may win various titles in different places and jurisdictions, but the most widely recognized hierarchy of ranks (in ascending order) is: Loremaster, Loremaster Amanuensis, Loremaster Venturer, Loremaster Bold, Lore- Scribe of the God, Wise Anticipator, Inspirator, Inspirator High, Atlar, Higher Atlar, Loremaster High, Loremaster Most High, Eye of Oghma, Divine Hand of Oghma. The Church of Oghma in Sembia and the Pursuers of Pure Knowledge in Mintar use the titles (in ascending order) of: Advocate, Accomplished Advocate, Loremaster of the Twelfth, Loremaster of the Eleventh (and so on up to Loremaster of the Second), Loremaster First, Loremaster High, Learned One, and Patriarch. Clergy address each other as "brother" and "sister" regardless of rank, and a polite form of address for outsiders and lay worshipers to use when dealing with any priest of Oghma is "lady (or lord) loremaster". Specialty priests are called Lorekeepers.
All priests of Oghma have the same ceremonial dress - white shirt and trousers with a vest of black and gold brocade. The shirt sleeves are wide, but tied at the wrists. The vests, known as kantlara, depict many glyphs, sigils, runes, and symbols of magical power, arcane meaning, and significance in various realms of Faerûn down through the ages. Such markings are sewn on by the wearer using gold braid. They may be of any sort and size and are displayed on any spot on the garment that the wearer desires. At any time a priest ascends a level, she or he usually sees the symbol to be sewn in a dream vision. Kantlara are thus personal and individual garments.
Red Knight
The Red Knight (red nite), the goddess of strategy and planning, is lawful neutral. She is also known as the Lady of Strategy. She is an up-and-coming power whose following has grown as warfare and strategy have become more complex. She and her followers believe that good preparation and sound strategy and tactics is the key to any victory, and few engage in combat without some sort of plan based upon past learning or experience. They always have backup and contingency plans in mind in case the unexpected happens. She is allied with Tempus and good friends with Torm. The domains associated with her are Knowledge, Travel, and War, and her favored weapon is the longsword.
Only in recent memory has the Red Knight emerged as a demipower in her own right, distinct from Tempus. Most folk still view her as a follower or aspect of Tempus, similar to Veiros and Deiros, the Foehammer's twin steeds. The clergy of the Red Knight is known as the Red Fellowship. Evenly divided into clerics, crusaders, monks, and specialty priests (known as Holy Strategists), this relatively small priesthood has only organized into a distinct faith since the Time of Troubles and is concentrated around Baldur's Gate and Tethyr. Regardless of class, priests of the Red Knight are regimented in a strict hierarchy with corresponding titles. In ascending order, these titles include: Page, Squire, Knight, Knight Quartermaster, Knight Commander, Knight Captain, Lord Knight, Lord Knight Commandant, and Lord Knight of the Red Standard. Higher-ranking priests precede their title with their relative rank within the clergy (for example, the eighth-highest ranking priest of the Red Knight's faith is known as the Eighth Lord Knight of the Red Standard), although this practice may be abandoned as the clergy grows in size.
Clergy of the Red Knight wear blood-hued suits of plate armor or plate mail for ceremonial functions over which is worn a white tabard embroidered with the Red Knight's symbol. They are not forbidden to cover their faces with their helms like Tempuran clergy are, however, and so they often sport full helms when visibility is not a concern and they wish to convey a grand impression. When not armored, their clerical robes are red, although the shading varies slightly from darker to lighter with increasing rank. They wear the symbol of the Red Knight carved from a red-hued gemstone on a chain around their necks.
Savras
Savras (sahv-ras), the god of divination, fate, and truth, is lawful neutral. He is known as the All-Seeing, He of the Third Eye, and the Diviner. He is an ancient god of magic, and was long ago defeated and magically imprisoned by then-mortal Azuth. In recent years he was freed from his imprisonment and now serves Mystra and his former jailor as the god of divination magic. He and his followers seek to discover the (sometimes hidden) truth in all things and ponder the mysteries of the future. They seek to uncover what has been hidden and find the whereabouts of that which has been lost. The domains associated with him are Knowledge and Magic, and his favored weapon is the dagger.
Savras is little known in the Realms outside of the coterie of diviners and fortunetellers. Those outside the ranks of his faithful who know of the All-Seeing One typically hold him in poor regard. Savras's penchant for speaking the truth, even when it is unlooked for, have earned him more foes than allies. In addition, the clergy of Azuth have long contributed to sullying Savras's name. Only in recent years has the church of Azuth moderated its invectives against Savras. With the resurgence of Savras's faith in the aftermath of the Time of Troubles, priests of the All-Seeing One have begun a campaign to improve their deity's standing in the Realms. Upon his release from the Scepter of Savras, Savras has added mainly specialty priests, known as Sibylites, and monks to his clergy. Currently about 65% of the clergy of Savras, known collectively as divinators, are specialty priests, 5% are clerics, 15% are monks, and the remainder are specialist wizard diviners. Novices are known as Truth Seekers. In ascending order, priests in the clergy of Savras are known as Truth Speakers, Savants, Scholars, Sages, Clairvoyants, Soothsayers, Prophesiers, Prophets, and Oracles. Higher-ranking priests have their own unique titles, a tradition begun during the centuries of Savras's imprisonment.
Divinators of Savras garb themselves in pale yellow robes with a depiction of their power's holy symbol sewn to their chest. They wear simple sandals on their feet and a colored sash of muted hue tied around their waist. All of Savras's clergy tattoo a depiction of the third eye of Savras on their brow. High-ranking and wealthy priests have clear or white crystals or gemstones of some value bonded to their brows in the centers of their tattoos.
Selûne
Selûne (seh-loon-ay) is a caring but quietly mystical deity. She is calm and placid, often seeming saddened by ancient events. In contrast to her typical demeanor are the fierce battles she has with her archnemesis, Shar, which range across the sky and onto other planes. Selûne takes many forms, reflecting the changing face of the moon itself. She is accepting of most beings. Churches of Selûne are made up of a diverse bunch of worshipers, including sailors, nonevil lycanthropes, mystics, and female spellcasters. Despite the differences between the various worshipers and between different churches, all are friendly and accommodating toward each other. The appearance of Selûne’s temples varies as much as their constituents, from small shrines in the wilderness to open-air or skylighted buildings as large as great mansions. The temples perform fortune-telling, fight evil lycanthropes, give healing generously, and practice self-reliance and humility. The domains associated with her are Good, Protection, and Travel, and her favored weapon is the heavy mace.
Selûne’s priesthood is as diverse as her worshipers, with hers being truly a faith that promotes equal access and understanding. Reflecting the chaotic and scattered nature of the church of Selûne, its hierarchy is a hodgepodge of clerics, specialty priests, crusaders, mystics, and monks informed or blessed by individuals, and a smattering of good-aligned lycanthropes (both natural and infected). All cooperate in relative - if rollicking - peace under the symbol of Our Lady of Silver. Members of this diverse group all worship the goddess in their own styles. Her churches vary as do the phases of the moon, from opulent temples in Waterdeep to simple shrines in the Dalelands, from hermitages and hilltop dancing circles to ornate mansion temples. Selûnites refer to night conditions as being either “moonlight” (the moon is present, though perhaps not immediately visible) or “nightgloom” (the moon is not out or is dark).
Selûnite priests use a wide variety of titles, but novices (not yet full priests) are always known as the Called, and human females tend to dominate the ranks of the more powerful clergy. Typical Selûnite titles (in ascending order) include: Touched, Enstarred, Moonbathed, Silverbrow, Lunar, Initiate, and High Initiate. All of these titles are followed by "Priestess/Priest". Those titles that follow these in rank tend to begin with "Priestess, /Priest of the" and end in some form traditional to the individual temple or shrine the priest is affiliated with. It must be stressed that outside of Waterdeep and other larger city temples, many departures from these forms of titles will be found. The elite specialty priests of the goddess are known as Silverstars.
The ceremonial costume of Selûnites varies from place to place. Selûnite clergy members wear everything from plain brown robes to only a little moonstone jewelry as an accent to normal clothing to rich bejeweled gowns of the finest make and haughtiest fashion with enchanted, animate trains and capes and accompanying moonstone crowns. The finest can be found at the House of the Moon in Waterdeep, where the high priestess Naneatha Suaril presides over rituals in a wide-bottomed hooped skirt with a large fanlike collar rising at the back of its neck. Both skirt and collar are stiffened with whalebone and set with clusters of pearls and other gemstones
Shar
Shar (shahr) is a twisted and perverse being of hatred, jealousy, and evil. She can see every being, object, and act performed within darkness and holds dominion over pains hidden but not forgotten, carefully nurtured bitterness, and quiet revenge for old slights. She spends much of her energy battling her old nemesis, Selûne, in a war that is older than recorded time. She is the creator of the highly secret Shadow Weave, a dark alternate to Mystra's Weave. This Shadow Weave, however, still suffers the same instability in these uncertain times as other forms of magic. The church of Shar is made up of independent cells that have strong, authoritarian leaders. All cells in a particular region are under the purview of a superior priest. Clergy members revel in secrets, using them to tie each other together in loyalty and community. They pursue practical goals of advancing the power of the priesthood and of Shar’s worshipers while avoiding direct opposition of other faiths (except that of Selûne). The clergy of Shar work to overthrow governments, promote Shar’s patronage of avengers, organize secret cabals, and create false cults to further their ends. The domains associated with her are Evil, Knowledge, and Magic, and her favored weapon is the chakram.
The church of Shar is largely composed of underground cells, rather than an overt, uniformed body of priests working from temples. As such, its adherents have a covert, widespread, and complex hierarchy wherein every full priest serves a direct superior, an overpriest responsible for a large area, and beings (both human and otherwise) who know the priest's Own Secret (the personal name Shar gave them and the dark deed they performed for her in order to demonstrate their loyalty and win that name). Clergy members revel in secrecy, and cells of the church are organized around small congregations of worshipers who know and are led by a single priest. Many priests may operate in the same area, and although they may know of and aid each other, they work independently. In this way, should one cell of the church fail, the others can still flourish in its absence.
Most Sharran clergy use such titles of address as "Brother Night" or "Sister Night". To superiors, they say "Mother Night" or "Father Night",
and lay worshipers address them so. Their formal titles include Adept of the Night (a novice), Watcher (the least senior ordained priest), Hand of Shar (a battle-tested priest who leads a force of priest-adventurers or oversees several cells), Darklord/Darklady (a senior priest able to proclaim local policy), Nightseer (the overseer of all faithful in a realm or other large geographical area) and Flame of Darkness (archpriest or personally trusted servant of the goddess). Specialty priests of Shar are called Nightcloaks. Until five years ago, they were called Nightbringers, only existed outside the standard church hierarchy, and served as contacts, messengers, and enforcers of the Dark Lady's will. They still perform such detached liaison and enforcement functions, but some nightcloaks have now become integrated into the cell structure/hierarchy of the church, especially among the clergy of the Dark Embrace.
The colors purple and black are used extensively in Shar's church and among her followers. Most Sharran clergy dress in black cloaks or soft, silent dark garb with purple trim, piping, or accessories during rituals. High ceremonial dress for those of rank or taking a special role in a ritual is a long-sleeved robe of deep purple over black tights or a black velvet chemise. A black skullcap covers the entire head, except for on women with jet-black hair. Such hair is seen as a symbol of the Dark Lady's pleasure and is left to flow unfettered and long. Less commonly encountered versions of Shars symbol than the one mentioned above are of a glistening purple eye outlined in black with a black pupil or a cowled hunting cloak of unadorned black stretched out flat.
Sharess
Sharess (shah-ress), the goddess of hedonism, sensual fulfillment, festhalls, and cats, is chaotic good. Her titles include the Tawny Temptress, the Feline of Felicity, and the Dancing Lady. Originally the Mulhorandi goddess Bast, she long ago set out to explore Faerûn, and after merging with the essence of a minor elven goddess, became known as Sharess. Later she fell under Shar’s influence, but during the Time of Troubles, Sune freed her. She and her followers are dedicated to sensual pleasure and revel in hedonistic fulfillment. Her followers often run festhalls, while others travel to discover new sensations, both good and bad, to savor. The domains associated with her are Good, Travel, and Trickery, and her favored weapon is the claw bracer.
Sharess's faith is still very young and its ceremonies very loose and fluid, with long worship services that resemble nothing so much as extended feasts and revels, heavy on the pleasures of the flesh and light on the teachings of the spirit. A goodly number of former followers of Waukeen who have rejected Lliira's teachings have become interested in Sharess. The clergy of Sharess are collectively known as Sharessin. Both male and female humans can be found in their ranks, but charismatic and physically beautiful female humans comprise the great majority of them. Specialty priests of Sharess are known as Sensates. The clergy of Sharess is split evenly between clerics and specialty priests, with the balance slowly shifting in favor of specialty priests. Alignment restrictions for Sharess's clergy (particularly clerics) are weak, and a gentle slide toward evil is still often tolerated.
All priests of Sharess wear their hair long and style it to show off their faces and bodies to their best advantage. The priestly raiment of Sharess's clergy varies widely according to the priest's gender, the local climate, current fashions, and the priest's taste. Waterdhavian courtesans favor highly suggestive evening dresses that make them seem half-undressed, while the women of Calimport's harem's wear diaphanous negligees, short vests, sheer pantaloons, gold dust, and endless gemstone beads and coins strung in ropes and made into decorative chains and fringes. Male clergy typically prefer tight-fitting breeches that are tailored to their charms and blousy open shirts. They often wear decorative belts and vests. Sharess's holy symbol is the image of feminine lips carved from dark amber or ruby and worn on a golden chain on the wrist or ankle.
Shaundakul
Shaundakul (shawn-da-kul) is a deity of few words, letting his deeds speak for him. Kind but stern, he has a rugged sense of humor. Because he is sometimes lonely, he enjoys talking and trading jokes. He has a habit of rescuing doomed adventurers (particularly in Myth Drannor), although the price for this help is a service, usually involving the destruction of an evil being in his favorite city (which is Myth Drannor). His worship is on an upswing, and he is very aggressive in recruiting new members to the faithful. Shaundakul’s church is loosely organized, and its branches are largely independent. Because the clergy members love to wander, the temples constantly have new clerics arrive as others leave. Members of the clergy are expected to live off the land and work as guides and protectors of travelers, caravans, and mining expeditions. Ever since Shaundakul added portals to his portfolio, his clerics have been tasked with locating and identifying portals that would be useful for trade and exploration. Shaundakul has few temples. He prefers shrines, most of which are uninhabited and in remote places. He is not commonly worshiped within cities. The domains associated with him are Air, Protection, and Travel, and his favored weapon is the greatsword.
Shaundakul has few temples in the Realms, as the members of his clergy are generally struck with wanderlust and rarely remain in one place. However, they have constructed numerous shrines to the Rider of the Winds. Typically, a shrine to Shaundakul is a stone dais built atop a high place, crowned with a stone seat or throne, and accompanied by one or more stone pillars pierced with holes that the wind whistles through - some of them over a thousand years old. All clerics of Shaundakul became specialty priests at the conclusion of the Time of Troubles. About 10% of Shaundakul’s clergy members are crusaders (known as Windfists), 20% are rangers (known as Zephyrs or Mistrals), and the rest are specialty priests (known as Windwalkers).
There is no clear hierarchy in Shaundakul's faith, although those priests who served the Rider of the Winds prior to the Godswar hold positions of great respect in the church. Shaundakul's name is not well known in the cities of the Realms, but more and more travelers are visiting his shrines and invoking his name when traveling in the North. Priests of Shaundakul use a variety of self-chosen appellations, but a loose hierarchy of standard titles does exist. In ascending order of rank, these include: Seeker of the Wind, Scout, Trailblazer, Explorer, Guide of the Hidden Ways, Rider of the West Wind, Rider of the South Wind, Rider of the East Wind, Rider of the North Wind, and Lord High Windhand.
Shaundakul's priesthood has straightforward ceremonial raiment. All priests sport a dark swirling cloak over garb appropriate for the trail. As a holy symbol, they wear a leather or chain gauntlet stained deep purple or tinted black (respectively) on their primary hand (and sometimes on their off-hand as well). The symbol of Shaundakul - a silver upright left hand with its wrist trailing away into rippling winds - is depicted on the palm and back of the gauntlet.
Shiallia
Shiallia (shee-al-lee-ah), the goddess of woodland fertility, glades, and the woodlands of the North, is neutral good. Her titles include the Dancer in the Glades, the Daughter of the High Forest, and the Lady of the Woods. She holds sway over the procreation, birth, and growth of forest plants and creatures, and pregnant woodland beasts especially are her concern. She is a joyous goddess, often seen dancing in forest glades, and she enjoys frolicking and playing with forest animals. She and her followers protect the woodlands and their creatures, ensuring their continued fertility and existence. The domains associated with her are Animal, Good, and Plant, and her favored weapon is the quarterstaff.
The worship of Shiallia is limited to the proximity of the High Forest. Shiallia has few actual clergy, but many forest creatures venerate her name. Since the Time of Troubles, a few specialty priests have come to her calling, particularly in the southern reaches of the High Forest. In many ways, her clergy as a whole are similar to druids, but Shiallia's church focuses very strongly on fertility. The clergy of Shiallia are commonly known as the Sisters of Life and Mercy, although a few Brothers of Life and Mercy are included in their numbers as well. Prior to the Fall of the Gods, Shiallia's clergy was evenly distributed between clerics, who were often found on the edges of the High Forest, and mystics and druids, who wandered the deepest reaches of the woods. Since the Time of Troubles, most initiates to the faith have become the specialty priests known as Woodwives, and the balance is now almost even between the four types. Shiallia's priests shun formal titles. Younger priestesses are addressed as Daughter, those of similar age are addressed as Sister, and senior priestesses are addressed as Mother. Males are addressed as Brother or Son or Elder Brother, but never as Father.
Priests of Shiallia have little in the way of formal raiment. They always wear their hair long and unbound and festoon it with garlands of oak leaves and acorns. Most garb themselves in flowing white robes and simple sandals woven from reeds during religious festivities and in simple robes of brown and green otherwise. They wear necklaces made of golden acorns or holding a golden acorn pendant around their necks as symbols of their faith.
Siamorphe
Siamorphe (sigh-a-morf), the goddess of nobles and royalty, is lawful neutral. She is called the Noble. She teaches that the noble class has a right to rule, but it must balance this by ruling fairly, honestly, and in the best possible manner over its subjects. Her followers teach that nobles must be raised from birth to rule wisely and be educated in how to govern justly and fairly. Her temples keep detailed genealogies of royal houses so that struggles for succession will not arise. Her worship is especially popular among nobles in Waterdeep and Tethyr. The domains associated with her are Knowledge and Sun, and her favored weapon is the light mace.
Most members of Siamorphe's clergy are titled nobility themselves, and Siamorphe is little known outside of the nobility, and even less known by the noble classes outside of Waterdeep and Tethyr. Members of Siamorphe's clergy are collectively known as the Scions of Siamorphe. This practice arose from the fact that most of her priests are directly descended from the mortal form of the goddess (or one of her predecessors) and theoretically could inherit the mantle of divinity themselves someday, as unlikely as that may actually be. Siamorphe's clergy includes fighters, paladins, and wizards drawn from the nobility, clerics, and specialty priests, known as Highborns. The breakdown among the various classes is roughly 5%, 10%, 10%, 40%, and 35%, respectively. Within the clergy, officially there is a strict hierarchy of titles and ranks, but in practice this hierarchy is less important than the actual noble ranks of the clergy. The official hierarchy of titles, in ascending order, is as follows: Lord (or Lady) Scion, Baron (or Baroness) Scion, Viscount (or Viscountess) Scion, Count (or Countess) Scion, Marquis (or Marquise) Scion, Duke (or Duchess) Scion, and High Lord (or High Lady) Scion.
Scions of Siamorphe wear primarily deep purple robes fabricated from the finest silk, furs, gems, and filigree. No two robes are alike, and the relative ostentatiousness of priests' vestments often have more to do with their families' wealth than their rank in the priesthood or their piety. Scions of Siamorphe are never without one of the two holy symbols of the faith: silver circlets adorned with a miniature golden sun or silver goblets (often containing holy water).
Silvanus
Silvanus (sihl-vann-us) is a beneficent, paternal deity to his worshipers. He is emotionally distant when it comes to the necessity of having a balance in nature and wrathful toward those who threaten wild places. He is worshiped by those who live in or depend on the wild or remote places of the world. His great mallet fells dead trees to prevent the spread of fire and more easily let them become one with the soil. His church favors small communities over large cities, although clusters of his clerics work in large cities to create garden-like walled areas of wild forest within the city limits and preach the peace and purity of nature compared to the haste and corruption of the city. Most of his clergy are druids who work independently, with other druids in circles, or with rangers in the wild. His clergy work to serve the balance of forces in nature and spend most of their time stalling or reversing the encroachment of civilization. This clergy’s methods sometimes involve sponsoring brigands or breeding and placing predators - activities that have to be done in secret so that outsiders continue to view the clergy as benign tree-lovers. Tending plants, nursing sick animals, and replanting trees are done publicly to promote this image. The domains associated with him are Animal, Plant, Protection, and Water, and his favored weapon is the maul.
The church of Silvanus is often referred to as the “Greenleaf Priesthood” after the symbol of its deity. Silvanus has a strong base among both clerics in urban areas and druids in the wilder territories. Like Chauntea he calls both his dear children, but in his case the druids are the favored of the two. Silvanus also has a few shamans among the nomadic and barbarian societies of Faerûn who spread his word of balance and respect for nature while tending to their tribes’ needs. Druids are the leaders and backbone of the Greenleaf Priesthood and are most favored by Silvanus if they dwell in the forest and live in harmony with the land, where they are best able to be the stewards of Faerûn’s wild places.
The ceremonial dress for both clerics and druids of Silvanus is a suit of armor made of overlapping leaves. For clerics, the leaves are made of metal plates and the suit functions as a set of scale mail. For druids, the leaves are made of green-tinted leather and the suit functions as leather armor. Either set is worn with green breeches and shirt. The outfit is topped with a large helm with oak leaf-shaped wings. In urban areas, where the clerics outnumber the druids, the standard dress has been simplified to a verdigrised-copper pin worn on the breast when a priest is not involved with the High Ceremonies.
Sune
Sune (soo-nee) is the fairest of goddesses. Benevolent and sometimes whimsical, she has been romantically tied to many of the other deities of Faerûn. She alternates between deep passions and casual flirtations, enjoys attention and sincere flattery, and avoids anyone who is horrific or boorish. She loves and protects her followers, who in turn manifest and protect the beauty of the world. The church of Sune is a loose and informal organization. Generally, the most attractive and charismatic clerics readily rise to lead it. Sune’s temples are always beautiful and are constructed with numerous picturesque paths and promenades and surprising and enchanting nooks in which to share moments of love, beauty, and passion. Sune’s clerics sponsor artisans, build friendships and romances with themselves and among others, and destroy those who vandalize things of beauty. Sune has seen the benefits of Tymora’s patronage of adventurers and wishes to tap into this source of worshipers, so the church supports gallant knights and explorers who are willing to search for lost jewels and priceless works of art - or who are on missions to rescue their true loves. The domains associated with her are Good and Protection, and her favored weapon is the whip.
Comely male and female humans, elves, and half-elves serve the Lady of Love. Female clergy outnumber male clergy eight to one, but the men are all the more highly valued for their relative rarity. All clergy must possess an alluring or pleasing manner in addition to natural beauty, for high Charisma is essential for Sunite clergy. Ugly, physically imperfect, or marred beings are disparaged or pitied by devout Sunites, and an acquired imperfection that cannot be masked or healed by spells or other means of shapeshifting spells the end of a Sunite priest’s career. Sunites have an intense rivalry with the followers of the elven goddess Hanali Celanil. The Sunite church’s organization is loose and informal, and its leadership changes regularly with the whims of its clergy. The most charismatic Sunite clergy are usually the high priests and priestesses. Little is thought of a priest dropping everything and going bounding off into the wild, particularly if the goal is some beautiful object or some beautiful individual, and such behavior creates little scandal in the church. Specialty priests are called Heartwarders.
Sunites are not bashful about their bodies. The standard ceremonial garb of Sunite priests is monastic robes for men and habits for women, both cut to show off the figure of the wearer and dyed a deep crimson. Hair is normally worn long and allowed to fall free during rituals. At other times, priestesses wear attractive wimples with v-shaped crown pieces, and priests bind their tresses back with crimson scarves. While red hair is considered touched by the goddess, all shades of hair and skin are welcome, provided they are unmarred and lovely. Aside from her face, other, less-common symbols of Sune ate a winking eye (often seen as an animated illusion on the doors of Sunite temples) or a pair of golden parted female lips with the tip of a vivid ruby-red tongue just visible between them, slyly touching the upper lip.
Talona
Talona (tah-loh-nah), the goddess of disease and poison, is chaotic evil. Her titles include the Lady of Poison and the Mistress of Disease. She is a twisted and loathsome deity who releases new plagues so that terrified mortals will pray to her and donate to her church in order for her to spare them. Her priests actively spread disease for these purposes and do a brisk black-market business in poisons and antidotes on the side. The domains associated with her are Destruction and Evil, and her favored weapon is the unarmed strike.
Talona, like most chaotic evil gods, is more feared than worshiped and is propitiated to avoid her attentions, not to draw them. The church of Talona operates underground, as can be expected of a faith that promotes death and disease. Those who actively worship Talona tend to gather in secret in the catacombs beneath cities or in wilderness ruins. The Lady of Poisons attracts the cruel to her service; her priests tend to be self-sufficient, capable - and sadistic. Priests of Talona are known as Talontar, and members of the faith as a whole (laity and clergy) are called Talonites. Talontar are partial to ritual facial tattoos and scarification over their whole bodies. Talonite priests of 2nd level or less are considered probationary initiates. Only upon reaching 3rd level are they formally inducted into the priesthood. Specialty priests of Talona, known as Malagents, wield poisoned daggers and serve as the adventuring and internal policing arm of the faith. They make up about 45% of Talona’s clergy members and are slowly ascending to dominance of the faith, with clerics (40%) and mystics (15%) comprising the remainder of the priesthood. Specialty priests are addressed as “Most Fatal Horror” and are sometimes - not to their faces - known as “Fatals” to other Talonites. Other priests of the Lady of Poisons are addressed as “Most Debilitating Holiness,” though senior clergy usually call their juniors “Young Venom,” regardless of their relative ages.
All priests of Talona wear gray and green robes with ragged sleeves. These are washed but never repaired and in time become faded rags. Out of pride, most priests continue to wear their old, worn-out vestments until they are nearly naked. Old and high-ranking priests tend to have ritual scars and tattoos all over their bodies, and some even sport many body-piercings so that their torsos are studded with small rings linked with fine chains. Female clergy and laity alike often wear earrings and elbow-dangles of black metal wrought in the shape of talons.
Talos
Talos (taahl-ose) personifies the destructive aspects of nature. He is an angry, rage-filled deity that acts on his impulses and often acts just so that he doesn’t appear weak or compromising to anyone. He exults in unhindered destruction and in many ways is like a twisted bully with incredible power and a short temper who proves his worth to himself by pounding upon those who cannot oppose him. Talos’s church is small and scattered, for worship of the Storm Lord is outlawed in many countries. His followers are fanatical in their love of destruction and are unafraid to call storms upon ships, towns, or cities in the name of their crazed deity. Talos’s clerics often live like brigands, wandering from place to place demanding loot and threatening great destruction if they don’t get it. They cow people into worshiping and placating Talos out of fear, and they occasionally recruit a new cleric into the fold. The few lands where Talos has openly established churches vacillate between cordiality and open hostility to them, which pleases Talos no end. The domains associated with him are Air, Destruction, Evil, and Fire, and his favored weapon is any spear.
Talos’s name is invoked by individuals who wish to escape his attentions, not suffer them. He has few direct followers who support (and encourage) his depredations. Rather, he is more feared than worshiped, which seems to account for the pernicious underground presence of his church throughout Faerûn as much as anything. All would-be priests of the Storm Lord are confirmed his service through the manifestation of Talos as two small storm clouds. The clouds strike a supplicant with a red lightning stroke that does him or her no harm, and it is revealed to the supplicant’s mind that she or he is indeed chosen to serve the Stormstar. This is referred to as being “Touched by Talos.” In the priesthood of Talos, specialty priests, known as Stormlords (a title used irrespective of gender), are by far predominant and clerics are in the minority. The split is about 80/20. Clerics are usually found only as adventurers and free operatives outside the scattering of church cells, which are all led by Stormlords. Typical titles used by clergy of Talos, in ascending order of rank, are: Storm Supplicant, Weatherwise, Talon (full, confirmed priest), Lord/Lady of Fury, Eye of the Storm, Reaver, Stormherald (high priest), High Stormherald, and Weathermaster/Weathermistress.
High clergy of Talos have ceremonial robes of blue-white streaked with crimson that seem to crackle with lightning due to a minor Illusory glamer, but all clergy dress in robes and cloaks of black shot through with teardrops and jagged lines of gold or silver - garb which has earned them the unflattering name “doom crows,” as they go about the Realms preaching of devastations to come. The robes have jagged hems and rough, uneven sleeves. A black eyepatch is also worn, even if the clergy member has good vision in both eyes.
Tempus
Tempus (tem-pus) is random in his support, but his chaotic nature ends up favoring all equally in time. The god of war is liable to back one army one day and another one the next. Soldiers of all alignments pray to him for help in coming battles. Mighty and honorable in battle, he answers to his own warrior’s code and pursues no long-lasting alliances. He has never been known to speak. He uses the spirits of fallen warriors as intermediaries. The church of Tempus welcomes worshipers of all alignments (though its clerics abide by the normal rules), and its temples are more like walled military compounds. Tempus’s clerics are charged to keep warfare a thing of rules and respected reputation, minimizing uncontrolled bloodshed and working to end pointless extended feuding. They train themselves and others in battle readiness in order to protect civilization from monsters, and they punish those who fight dishonorably or with cowardice. Collecting and venerating the weapons of famous and respected warriors is a common practice in Tempus’s church. Clerics are expected to spill a few drops of blood (preferably their own or a worthy foe’s) every tenday. The domains associated with him are Protection, Strength, and War, and his favored weapon is the battleaxe.
Priests of Tempus tend to be human, male, and of a temperament that enjoys battle, blessing of a spell, a manifestation, or direct aid of some though the clergy is open to all beings who have prayed privately to Tempus and received the sort. Military ranks within the faith are common. Ranks typical of many temples of Tempus are Warpriest, Swung Sword, Terrible Sword, Lance of the Lord, Shield of the God Battlelady/Battlelord, Swordmaster/Swordmistress, and Lady/Lord of the Field - but these are often superseded by titles that go with a position, such as Battle Chaplain of a shrine or Trusted Sword (seneschal) of a temple. Ranks are assigned by those in authority in the church in light of service, needs, and situation, and brevet (temporary) commands are common in desperate situations. Special leaders of a temple or crusade are entitled to wear the heavy battle gauntlet of rank.
When not in battered armor, clergy of the war god wear helms or steel skullcaps, though they are careful never to cover their faces, for such close emulation of Tempus is thought to be an affront to the Lord of Battles. Some of the fanatical wanderlng priests never remove all of their armor at any time, but in the temples of the big cities clergy are rarely seen in armor except at ceremonies held before whelmed armies leave or a siege begins. The robes of a priest of Tempus always sport trim the crimson hue of fresh blood, but vary in overall color from place to place and rank to rank. Darker-colored robes are worn by those of lower ranks. Most war priests wear ceremonial garments of brown or purple. Red or amber is worn by senior clergy, and yellow or white by those of the most exalted rank.
Tiamat - Dragon gods are not available for divine worship on TDN
Tiamat (tee-a-maht), the goddess of evil dragons and greed, is lawful evil. She is known as the Dragon Queen, the Chromatic Dragon, and the Dark Lady. Originally a deity of ancient Unther, she is now fully a part of the Faerûnian pantheon. She appears as a huge five-headed dragon, possessing one head for each of the main types of chromatic evil dragon. She commands her worshipers to follow her commands unhesitatingly and to accumulate power and treasure in her name and for her use in her plot to overthrow the other gods of Faerûn and set herself up as supreme ruler. She is heavily worshiped in Chessenta, having secretly absorbed the essence of the draconic founder of that nation. The domains associated with her are Destruction, Evil, and Trickery, and her favored weapon is the heavy pick.
Tiamat is little known in the Realms outside of the Old Empires of Unther, Mulhorand, and Chessenta. Those who know of her are more likely to think of her as a powerful, legendary monster than a divine power. She is said to be the mother and/or queen of the evil subspecies of dragons. Among dragons, Tiamat is traditionally considered a human goddess - worthy of respect and fear but not worship. In recent decades, a few chromatic dragons have joined her cult, but they are still relatively rare. Tiamat's clergy is composed of equal numbers of specialty priests, known as Wyrmlairds or Wyrmkeepers, and clerics. The remainder, about 20% of the total, are crusaders. Wyrmlairds are specialty priests of Tiamat specifically dedicated to her aspect as Tchazzar, Father of Chessenta, and are found only in that nation. Many lower-ranking Wyrmlairds are unaware that Tchazzar has been subsumed by the Dragon Queen. Wyrmkeepers are found everywhere else throughout Faerun, especially in Unther. Tiamat's priests are regimented by a strict hierarchy of ranks and corresponding titles. Acolytes of the faith are known as Wyrmfodder. In ascending order of rank, priests of the Dragon Queen are known as: Custodian of the Copper Chalice, Defender of the Silver Shield, Warden of the Electrum Mail, Guardian of the Gold Scepter, Keeper of the Platinum Crown, Scale of the White Wyrm, Horn of the Black Beast, Wing of the Green Gargantua, Talon of the Blue Baatoran, and Breath of the Red Ravager. Higher ranking priests of the Dragon Queen are collectively known as the Dark Scaly Ones, a practice originating in Unther.
The ceremonial garb of most clergy of Tiamat is a form-fitting body suit of reptile skin, preferably hewn from the hide of a great metallic wyrm, and a gem-encrusted dragon mask depicting the stylized image of one of the great chromatic beasts. Diaphanous, multi-hued cloaks of woven spider silk are draped over the back to suggest wings. Steel gauntlets, tinted red and painted to resemble dragon's claws, guard the hands. Snakeskin boots complete the ensemble.
Torm
Torm (torm) is a stern, righteous, and unyielding deity who leads the fight against evil and injustice. His heart is filled with goodness, and he is kind and gentle when dealing with faithful friends, the weak, and the young. His greatsword “Duty’s Bond” is the same holy avenger he carried when he was a mortal. Torm’s church is popular and served by several orders of warriors and paladins. The church trains, guides, provides sanctuary for, and supports guardians, loyal knights, paladins, and loyal courtiers. It sends agents to ferret out corruption in good groups, watch for impending trouble from hostile opponents, or seek out potential servitors of Torm. A few clergy of his church are assigned to explore Toril and report back so that the guardians learn more of the outside world. Each cleric must follow the three debts of the Penance of Duty, which are aiding other good religions, opposing all efforts of the followers of Bane and Cyric, and reporting and repairing areas of wild and dead magic. Torm’s church has a cool rivalry with that of Helm. The domains associated with him are Good, Healing, Protection, and Strength, and his favored weapon is the greatsword.
Priests and lay worshipers of Torm together (that is, anyone of his faith) are known as the Tormish. The members of the priesthood are known as Tormtar. Most Tormtar are human males, but both sexes are welcome within the faith—and as the numbers of the elf and dwarf peoples dwindle and they increasingly see the vital need for law and order among human communities to ensure their own survival, people of the Fair Folk and the Stout Folk are embracing the True Faith and the Unbending Way of Torm in ever-greater numbers. The followers of Torm organize themselves into a three-level hierarchy of worshipers. Length of and quality of service and rank are of particular importance to the followers of Torm and form the basis of the hierarchy. Specialty priests, called Holy Champions, make up 40% of the priesthood and often serve as the leaders of the faith. Clerics, crusaders, and paladins make up 30%, 20%, and 10% of the remaining clergy members, respectively.
- The top level of the hierarchy in Torm’s faith is comprised of the Tormtar, who are arranged in their own strict hierarchy. The hierarchy among Torm’s disciples ascends from the Unproven (novices), to the Andurans (confirmed priests of lower ranks), Faithblades, Wardens, Vigilants, Watchful Venturers, Loyans, Enforcers, Guardians, Knights, Vanguardiers, and Champions. These ranks are separate from duty-titles such as (in ascending order): Patrol Captain, Revered Messenger, Doorwarden, Seneschal, Templemaster, High Priest, and Priest Inquisitor (the teachers and internal disciplinarians of the faith).
- The second level of the hierarchy of the faith is comprised of the knightly orders dedicated to Torm. Members of these groups serve as the adventuring and warrior branches of Torm’s clergy and go on many quests in the service of Torm. The members of this tier are known as the Swords of Torm, and most (if not all) of the Swords are crusaders and paladins in various knightly orders, such as the Order of the Golden Lion, that are allied with the clergy members but not under their direct command.
-The third tier of the hierarchy of the faith comprises the lay followers of Torm. Torm’s faithful Include many warriors and government officials, among others.
Priests of Torm wear clean, bright, smooth-polished plate armor (or robes, a breastplate, and bracers), ornate helms, and gauntlets inscribed with the Penance of Duty. The hue of the armor (or robes) denotes the rank of the wearer: Unadorned metal is for the Unproven, dark crimson is for Andurans, rose red is for Faithblades, deep amber is for Wardens, sunrise orange is for Vigilants, harvest yellow is for Watchful Venturers, pale green is for Loyans, dragon green (bottle green) is for Enforcers, sky blue is for Guardians, twilight blue (deep, metallic blue) is for Knights, amethyst is for Vanguardiers, and dusky purple is for Champions, the most holy priests of the faith, as well as the greatest heroes of Torm.
Tymora
Tymora (tie-more-ah) is a friendly, graceful, and kind deity. She is fickle but playful, never vengeful or malicious, and always able to turn something to her advantage. She enjoys jokes and has been known to play tricks on some of the more rigid deities such as Helm and Tyr, but she always finds a way to soothe hard feelings. Shrines and temples to Tymora are spread across Faerûn. Her church is popular in cities frequented by adventurers, and such people fill its coffers in exchange for healing, making the temples wealthy. This wealth allows each temple a great deal of independence. The church encourages people to take chances and pursue their dreams rather than spending all their days planning and daring nothing. The church is duty-bound to aid those that have dared by providing them with healing and minor magic items (sometimes surreptitiously) to reinforce the good fortune that comes to those that trust in Tymora. A standard greeting among the faithful is to touch holy symbols, and worshipers often embrace to do so. The domains associated with her are Good, Luck, Protection, and Travel, and her favored weapon is the shuriken.
Tymora is an extremely popular goddess among adventurers, and her temples may be found wherever there is a strong adventuring population. Tymora's priests are the first choice of a badly wounded adventuring party dragging itself into town, and as a result, the church is relatively wealthy. With that wealth comes a strong independent streak among the different churches of Tymora. Each Tymoran temple is its own independent operation with its own clergy, and each temple reflects the tastes of its high priestess or priest. Both sexes and all races are equal in the eyes of Tymora and her clergy, though in practice human women occupy most of the more exalted ranks of the priesthood. Of the nonhuman races, a few elves and half-elves have decided to become Tymoran clergy even in the face of the chilly reception such a calling receives in elven society. Mystics of Tymora serve both within temple ranks and as itinerant servants of the goddess who report to none but her.
Among the followers of Tymora titles are used and changed with ease and informality, but "Lord Priest" and "Lady Priestess" are respectful forms of address that apply to all, and "High" is added in front of this for clergy senior in years or in demonstrated power, who are referred to as "the High". A "favored of Tymora" is a being chosen by the goddess to enter her clergy. A "fallen of Tymora" is one who has left her service and spurned chances for atonement and forgiveness. An "Atalara" is a priestess of Tymora whose body has at some time or other been directly possessed by the goddess so as to act and speak for her, which usually changes all body hair to a deep blue, and the pupils of the eyes to bright silver. Specialty Priests of Tymora are Luckbringers.
The standard clerical dress varies from temple to temple, ranging from full habits and headpieces in Arabel to simple robes in Shadowdale. Blue and silver are colors often seen. Personal taste of the matriarch or patriarch influences the dress code, as does climate (natural and political) and availability of fine clothing. The common item worn by all clergy is the disk of Tymora, usually carried on a small chain.
Tyr
Tyr (teer) is a noble warrior who is strong in spirit and dedicated to justice. He lost his right hand to Kezef the Chaos Hound and is sometimes depicted as blind. Though he sees himself as a father figure who wants to deal with others with love, courage, and the strength of the bonds of family, he knows that such can never be in an imperfect world. He is instead viewed by outsiders as a stern arbiter of justice. Tyr’s church is strong in civilized areas. His clergy see the world in clear-cut moral terms. They want Faerûn cleansed and ordered by just laws that are applied diligently and evenly. They do not tolerate mockery, parody, or the questioning of their faith. Tyr’s church is highly organized and does not deny lodging, equipment, or healing to the faithful in times of need, although later service is sometimes required for this aid. In lawless areas, Tyr’s clerics serve as judge, jury, and executioner. In civilized places, they become legal experts, speaking for accused persons and dispensing advice. They never enforce a law that can be shown to be unjust. The domains associated with him are Good, Knowledge, and War, and his favored weapon is the longsword.
The Church of Tyr is a highly organized, formal priesthood that maintains internal rules and a system of fortified temples. Level titles used by the clergy in recent years, in order of ascending
rank, are: Acolyte of Lairs, Solemn Brother/Sister, Lawkeeper, Sword of Tyr, Hammer of Tyr, Vigilant Watcher, Just Captain, Avenger, Master Avenger, Abbot, High Lord Abbot, High Avenger, Knight Commander, Hammer Lord, Defender of Justice, and Keeper of the Balance. Maverick titles are few indeed, as this is a closely regulated priesthood. Specialty Priests are called Holy Justices.
The vestments of Tyr are blue and purple robes with a white sash. A white glove or gauntlet is worn on the left hand and a black one on the right to symbolize the loss of the god’s right hand.
Ubtao - Not available for divine worship on TDN
Ubtao (oob-tay-oh), the god of jungles, Chult, and dinosaurs, is neutral. He is called the Creator of Chult and the Father of the Dinosaurs. Long ago, he bargained with the other gods of Faerûn that in exchange for guarding the Peaks of Flame, mountains from which Toril’s doom is prophesied to one day come, he would have Chult as his exclusive domain. Most inhabitants of the Chultan peninsula worship him as the creator of their homeland, its jungles, and its mighty dinosaur inhabitants. His followers believe that life’s journey is like a maze that they must pass through before joining Ubtao after death. The domains associated with him are Planning, Plant, Protection, and Scalykind, and his favored weapon is the heavy pick.
Ubtao watches over the world with disinterest, letting women and men go about their lives without any interference. He demands no formal worship, but in return offers little divine guidance. Three main religions have evolved in Chult, and they bear little resemblance to the pantheistic faiths so elsewhere in Faerun. All three religions venerate aspects of Ubtao, whether their faithful recognize that fact or not. Jungle Druids worship the essence of the jungle created by Ubtao. Shamans of the Tabaxi, known as Spiritlords, venerate the myriad spirits of the dead, of animals, and of nature, all of which are fragments of Ubtao's greater being. Mazewalkers, a type of specialty priest, venerate Ubtao directly as the Creator of Chult, the Father of the Dinosaurs, and the Founder of the great city of Mezro. Throughout the jungles of Chult, priests of all three religions are equally common, but Mazewalkers make up a slight majority of priests in Mezro while Jungle Druids and Spiritlords dominate in the more remote regions of the Chultan peninsula. Priests of Ubtao of all varieties eschew formal titles aside from their profession, though affectionate titles of respect are sometimes given them by their clans.
The only true temple of Ubtao is known simply as the Temple of Ubtao or the Maze of Life, and it dominates the city of Mezro. Members of and clergy from all three faiths may worship there. The temple does not hold any organized services, though impromptu ones may be organized among those present at the temple or groups may independently request that a time or day be held open for their use.
Due to the agreement between the Faerunian and Mulhorandi pantheons and Ubtao, clergy of other pantheons who attempt to establish more than temporary shrines in Chult will be discouraged from doing so by their deities (at first through visions and then through more heavy-handed methods, such as the cessation of spell granting and special powers).
Mazewalkers favor loose-fitting tobes (TOE-bays) that are comfortable in the ever-present humidity. During worship ceremonies they adorn themselves with intricate designs painted around the eyes and tabards carved from wood and painted with intricate mazes. Spiritlords wear simple loincloths, even if the rest of the tribe favors tobes, and sometimes wear decorative overskirts made of long, furred animal tails. They adorn themselves with necklaces of animal and dinosaur fetishes and carry intricate masks carved from ironwood, which play a central role in their rituals. Jungle druids wear the garb common to their clans, but often decorate their garb with symbols or pictures of animals and dinosaurs. Mazewalkers and jungle druids usually wear a small depiction of a maze made of gold, silver, or (more typically) carved semiprecious stone, ivory, or bone as a holy symbol. Spiritlords' masks function as their holy symbols.
Ulutiu - Not available for divine worship on TDN
Ulutiu (oo-loo-tee-oo), the slumbering god of glaciers, the polar environment, and arctic dwellers, is lawful neutral. His titles include the Lord of the Ice and the Eternal Sleeper. Long ages ago, Annam, the head of the giant pantheon, discovered that Ulutiu was having an affair with his wife. To save her from Annam’s wrath, Ulutiu voluntarily went into exile, sinking himself deep into the cold sea to the north of Faerûn. His enchanted necklace froze the water in an ever-expanding mass of ice, forming the Great Glacier. Although he has all but withdrawn from the world, the peoples of the Great Glacier and other arctic lands still worship him. They are often the leaders of their tribes and pass down the accumulated lore of their peoples from generation to generation. The domains associated with Ulutiu are Animal, Law, Ocean, Protection, and Strength, and his favored weapons are the longspear or the shortspear.
Ulutiu is venerated by the Nakulutiuns of the Great Glacier and their kin, the Ice Hunters of the Savage Frontier. The Ice Hunters primarily (but not exclusively) revere beast totem great spirits who serve Ulutiu, including Clever Oomio the Gray Seal, Grandfather Walrus, Great White Bear, and Pindalpau-pau the Reindeer Mother, rather than directly worshiping the Lord in the Ice. In many ways, the Ice Hunters' regard for Ulutiu and their totem animals parallels the regard of the Uthgardt barbarian tribes for Uthgar and the Uthgardt beast totems. Ulutiu and the Ice Hunter beast totems are served by Ice Hunter specialty priests of Ulutiu, known as Iceguardians, and shamans, who both serve similar functions as the nakurits of the Nakulutiuns. Ulutiu has no true temples, at least as defined by those who live in the lands south of his domain.
Ulutiu's clergy have no formal ceremonial raiment. Some carry sacred bundles and others small holy symbols, but otherwise, they communicate their faith simply through words and actions in their small communities. They use specially chosen ice crystals as their holy symbols, and these never melt while in their possession.
Umberlee
Umberlee (uhm-ber-lee) is a malicious, mean, and evil deity who breaks agreements on a whim and takes great pleasure in watching others die by drowning or in the jaws of sea predators. Vain and desirous of flattery, she is excessively greedy for power and revels in exercising it. Weresharks are her creations, and theirs is one of the few races that worship her out of admiration rather than fear. Umberlant temples are mainly vehicles for sailors and merchants to make offerings of candles, flowers, candies, or coins to appease the Bitch Queen’s wrath. Her clerics support themselves with these offerings and sometimes hire themselves out aboard ships as guardians, since sailors think Umberlee won’t take one of her own. The church of Umberlee is disorganized and run differently in different locales. Its clerics are given to dueling each other to settle disputes of rank or ability. The church spreads respect for the goddess by preaching of the doom she has wrought on those that ignore her. The domains associated with her are Destruction, Evil, and Water, and her favored weapon is the trident.
Umberlant priests are a varied, disorganized lot, much given to dueling with hooked, sicklelike knives to settle differences of primacy and rank. Umberlant priests roam coastal cities, living primarily off the offerings left by fearful sailors. Umberlants are also paid handsomely to travel on ships from port to port, for their presence (it is thought) guarantees that Umberlee will not destroy a vessel. There is little in the way of an organized clergy of Umberlee. Those who relish her power and potential become her specialty priests. Specialty priests make up most of Umberlee’s clergy, since the advantages of the faith prove to be quite handy when superstitious sailors want to dump a priest overboard at the first sign of a storm. A few clerics have made some progress in status in the faith, and most of them work in the adventuring order of the church. Novice priests are known as the Untaken, but once Umberlee has confirmed an individual as a priest, she or he is entitled to take offerings, lead prayers, and bestow blessings in her name. Full Umberlant priests can adopt any of the following titles (regardless of true rank and powers): Flood Tide, Dark Breaker, Puissant Undertow, Wave of Fury, Savage Seawind, and Wavemistress or Wavelord. Specialty Priests are known as Waveservants or true servants of the wave and use the same titles as other Umberlants with the addition of the word “Dread” in front of them.
The ceremonial garb of the priests of Umberlee consists of a skin-tight blue or green body stocking worn with a voluminous cape of blue or green trimmed with white fur (to represent foaming breakers). A tall collar, similarly trimmed, rises from the back of the cape's neck. A popular badge of rank is the magically preserved skeletal hand of a drowning victim.
Uthgar
Uthgar (uhth-gar) is a proud, fierce, and independent warrior. He has few friends and has remained relatively uninvolved in divine politics. He loves a good joke, enjoys sensual pleasures of the flesh, and likes to hunt, eat, drink, and be merry with the warrior spirits that serve him. Although he is a tireless and methodical tactician, his battle strategies are not terribly inspired. He is driven to win, though, especially if the Uthgardt barbarians (his people) are threatened. The church of Uthgar is divided among the eleven beast totem spirits that serve Uthgar as intermediaries to the Uthgardt tribes of the Savage Frontier. Uthgar is not worshiped directly, but each tribe venerates one of these servant spirits as the divine embodiment of the spirit of their tribe - the symbol of its vitality, wisdom, mystical ability, endurance, speed, and moral nature. Uthgar has neither temples nor shrines, and his priests can perform necessary ceremonies in any location, though their tribes’ ancestral mounds are their most holy sites. (Each tribe and its beast totem are tied to a particular ancestral mound.) Dogma varies from tribe to tribe depending on the nature of a tribe’s beast totem, but Uthgar’s priests are responsible for spiritual guidance, performing rituals, healing, the teaching of tribal history and customs, and advising the chieftain. The spring equinox and both solstices are holy days, and all tribes converge upon their ancestral mound (or Beorunna’s Well, the holiest of the ancestral mounds) during the autumn equinox to perform ceremonies, make agreements, and commune with ancestral spirits. The domains associated with him are Animal, Strength, and War, and his favored weapon is the battleaxe.
Uthgar has no personal symbol, and the symbol of one of the Uthgardt beast totem cults (Black Lion, Black Raven, Blue Bear, Elk, Gray Wolf, Great Worm, Griffon, Red Tiger (Snow Cat), Sky Pony, Tree Ghost, and Thunderbeast) always serves to represent him instead. Uthgar has neither temples nor shrines in the standard sense; shamans (he has no clerics) perform ceremonies in his name and that of their tribal totem beast wherever necessary, though the ancestral mounds of the Uthgardt people are Uthgar's most holy sites. Uthgar has no real church; rather, his people all worship him as the ultimate Uthgardt warrior and the symbol of all that they hold virtuous. He is the master of all the beast totems, which they also venerate. Uthgardt shamans hold various titles, which vary widely between tribes.
For high rituals at the ancestral mound or when honoring the appointment of a new chieftain for the tribe, shamans dress in a high holy regalia of leather-and-fur tunics, breeches, breechcloths, and boots covered in intricate, mystic designs and ornamentation including thongs and fringes to which are attached beads and holy relics of personal importance (usually revealed to them as objects of power by spirits in visions). Rather than a holy symbol, Uthgardt shamans carry a sacred bundle, a leather satchel containing spell components, objects too holy for others to see, and small carved miniature depictions of the shaman's totem animal.
Valkur
Valkur (val-kur), the god of sailors and ships, is chaotic good. He is known as the Mighty and the Captain of the Waves. He is the protector of all who sail on the sea, and constantly strives to safeguard his worshipers against the whims of Umberlee and Talos, who are his sworn enemies. He is a god who relishes shipboard life and the thrill of exploration. He exhorts his followers to live life with vigor and to strive against anything the Gods of Fury may throw against them. The domains associated with him are Air, Good, and Protection, and his favored weapon is the cutlass.
The church of Valkur is small but influential. Valkur is little known in inland areas, but along the coasts of great bodies of water he is venerated by many who earn their livelihood from the sea, whether they be sailors, merchants, or simple fisherfolk. Valkur's temples are always found in city port districts, typically right on the wharf. Valkur's clergy comprises approximately 40% clerics and 60% specialty priests. The recent rise in prominence of Valkur's faith is attributable in part to the efforts of the latter group, known as Wavetamers, and the number of clerics in Valkur's service is slowly dwindling. Within each temple hierarchy, priests are strictly ranked, but priests of different temples rarely recognize each other's position. Titles vary from region to region, but along the Sword Coast, most temples use the following hierarchy: Novices are known as swabs. In ascending order of rank, priests are known as Gob, Seaman, Sailor, Boatswain, Third Mate, Second Mate, First Mate, Captain, Commodore, and Admiral. The highest-ranking priest of any temple is known as High Captain, regardless of level.
When in port, priests of Valkur garb themselves in flowing robes of white and blue with silver trim that flap in any sort of wind and carry cutlasses. At sea, Valkur's priests dress as simple sailors or as appropriate to their rank. They bear a small vial of sea water on their person at all times as a holy symbol, though some clergy sport a piece of sturdy jewelry bearing Valkur's symbol for the same purpose.
Velsharoon
Velsharoon (vel-shah-roon), the god of necromancy, liches, and undeath, is neutral evil. His titles include the Vaunted, the Archmage of Necromancy, and the Lord of the Forgotten Crypt. He is a new power, having only ascended to godhood in recent years. Originally helped in his ascendance by Talos, he has more recently abandoned his untrustworthy sponsor and has instead become the ally of Azuth and Mystra. Many necromancers and intelligent undead creatures worship him, and he commands his followers to increase the number of the unliving and further the study of the art of necromancy. The domains associated with him are Death, Evil, and Magic, and his favored weapon is the quarterstaff.
Velsharoon is largely unknown throughout Faerun, but in the past year or so many bards have begun to relate fanciful tales of his ascension to audience's seeking to be frightened by stories of horror. Outside of secretive cabals of necromancers, those mortals who are aware of this evil demipower perceive Velsharoon as the lord of liches and a power able to organize the undead against the living. Cultists of Velsharoon gather in dusty crypts, abandoned mausoleums, and neglected graveyards. The Necromancer has few true temples, but those few which have been constructed are located in ancient catacombs or necropolises and resemble brooding stone mausoleums carved with ghastly depictions of the dead, the dying, and the undead.
Velsharoon's clergy is composed primarily of specialty priests, known as Necrophants. Both groups are represented in roughly equal numbers. About 20% of the Necromancer's clergy are clerics, holdovers from before the Time of Troubles who served Myrkul, the former Lord of the Dead, and who have little interest in serving Kelemvor, the new Lord of the Dead, or Cyric, who briefly preceded him. Novices and acolytes of Velsharoon are known as Pallbearers. Higher ranking priests have titles such as Soul Stalker, Cryptguardian, Dead Walker, Bleeder, Life Leech, Spirit Sepulcher, Seeker of the Seven Truths, and Necromaster. Higher-ranking priests have unique individual titles conferred upon them by Velsharoon himself.
Velsharan vestments resemble once-resplendent, rotting wizard's robes. The Necromancer's clergy wear garments of varying colors - any shade except red - but their habits are uniformly of somber hue. Most adorn their vestments with depictions of skulls and bones, but the faith is still young enough that fixed patterns of adornment for the various ranks have not developed.
Waukeen
Waukeen (wah-keen) is a relatively young, vibrant, vivacious deity who is eager to get things done. She loves wealth not for itself but for what can be done and acquired with it. She enjoys bargaining and the hustle and bustle of the marketplace. She rules over deals done above and below the table - legitimate as well as black-market commerce. She is interested in innovation, but can also be stubborn and persistent, which sometimes gets her into trouble. Waukeen’s church is not above using illegal methods to influence trade, but it publically denies such practices and makes sure that clerics who do such things act subtly. Waukeen has only just returned from her Abyssal capture by Graz'zt and is still recovering her church from Lliira's safekeeping. Her faith has suffered greatly through Amn from the actions of the Sythillisian Wars and with the great temple of Goldspires cooperating with the monsters, a deep fracture is widening within her already damaged following. The domains associated with her are Knowledge, Protection, and Travel and her favored weapon is the nunchaku.
The (remaining) clergy members of Waukeen are known as Waukeenar, but most other faiths call them “Coinspinners.” This name comes from the fact that they are not misers, but wild spenders, displaying the bounty of the goddess to all. The church is approximately 40% clerics and 60% specialty priests. It is organized in a loosely hierarchical manner, and all temples of Waukeen in Faerûn answer to one head of the church, who holds the title of Holycoin. Specialty priests of the faith are known as Goldeyes because their pupils turn that blazing hue due to the touch of the goddess. Goldeyes are among the most successful prospectors and tomb-treasure finders in Faerûn. Novices are known as Telchar among Waukeenar. In ascending order, the ranks a priest may rise through after she or he is confirmed are: Coin, Abreeant, Counter, Trabbar, Investor, Halanthi, Lender, Syndo, Manycoins, Grand Trabbar, Spender, Grand Syndar, Overgold (a general term for high clergy), and Holycoin.
Waukeen’s clergy members are among the most lavishly dressed, rivaling those of Sune, Milil, and Lathander in their rich robes. Waukeenar ritual garb is gaudy and ornate, with white silk undergarments, slashed and fluted sleeves and boots, pince-nez and lorgnettes (if the priests have any weakness of vision), various useful items dangling from silk ribbons, and tall gilded and begemmed miters. Tunics, trousers, hose, or tabards may be worn as desired (or as the season makes practical), but these are always of the finest, most costly fabrics and furs, dyed and arranged for the most vibrant display possible. The entire ensemble is covered by a gilded scarlet cloak heavily with the weight of thousands of wheels, plates, clasps, and flourishes of various precious metals. The costume is finished off with white gloves and a gilded rod or staff, which is either magical or ornately carved and set with gems. High clergy usually wear coronets with their miters, and outshine many monarchs with their garb.