Hello everybody Jorphdan here the PH is silent.
I’ve had some questions in the comments section regarding how many and which gods
I’ll be covering.
So right now I’m going through the deities listed in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
and I do realize that list doesn’t include certain deities that are part of the Forgotten
Realms.
Or gods that maybe aren’t in the Forgotten Realms but are fan favorites of the Dungeons
and Dragons.
So fear not I’ll do my best to cover some of the more prominent deities once I finish
with the Sword Coast adventures guide.
If you have a favorite that you think won’t get covered you can always leave a comment
and I’ll add it to my list.
But for today let’s talk about Bhaal, the lord of murder!
Bhaal like Bane was one of the dead three.
Originally mortal he obtained the divine portfolio of death from Jergal and ascended to godhood.
Due to being the god of death and Bhaal’s evil ways influenced him to become known as
the lord of murder.
Assassins came to worship him and common murderers would worship him to justify their sadistic
actions.
As a result Bhaal is feared throughout Faerun.
During the Time of Troubles Bhaal, along with Bane and Myrkul took the tablets of fate and
were forced to walk Faerun as mortals.
Bhaal was slain by the mortal Cyric using a sword named Godsbane that was actually the
avatar of Mask who is the lord of thievery and shadows.
But much like Bane, Bhaal foresaw his death and impregnated many women creating heirs
known as the Bhaalspawn.
This attempt at resurrection was thwarted once all Bhaalspawn were thought to have been
removed from the Sword Coast.
But it wouldn’t be interesting unless one remained.
It turns out that in order for Bhaal to be reborn all his Bhaalspawn need to be murdered.
Which they were, throughout the history of the Forgotten Realms.
When we suddenly come to the Sundering and there are two Bhaalspawn left.
The two end up battling in an adventure called “Murder in Baldur’s Gate.”
The victor transformed into a bloody beast that contained the essence of Bhaal.
This monstrosity was defeated and in its murder resurrected Bhaal who returned to the
Faerun Pantheon.
Although this is kind of a cool story I can’t help think again that 5th edition was the
big reset button on the DnD Universe.
I think it’s sad they spent all this time world building, having these story changing
events only to reset everything to AD&D times.
But most people are happy I suppose.
Being a follower of Bhaal seems like a difficult task.
Bhaalists believe that murder strengthens Bhaal.
They view it as a pastime and a duty.
Bhaalists are required to deal death once in every tenday, and if they miss that they
must murder twice for each one missed.
Can’t be easy to follow Bhaal and commit that many murders.
On a lighter note, up next is the goddess Chauntea.
Also known as the grain goddess, or the great mother Chauntea is the goddess of all life.
She is the embodiment of all agriculture.
In some sense, Chauntea is the manifestation of the earth itself, or rather, of the twin
worlds Abeir-Toril.
Chauntea is one of the eldest gods of Faerun.
Shar and Selune gave her life when they created the world of Abeir-Toril.
She was the one that begged for warmth so she might nurture life on the planet.
Selune obliged by igniting a nearby planet using the plane of fire and creating the Sun.
Because of this some of her worshipers claim that she is the progenitor of all the mortal
races.
Early on she was known as the Earthmother, a wild deity that ran with animal packs and
rejoiced in the unhindered growth of the wilderness.
In the Moonshae isles she is still worshiped as this Earthmother aspect.
However she grew with her children who learned to harness the land and grow crops.
Chauntea became enamored with the idea of living off the land and nurtured this in the
mortal races of Faerun.
She left behind the wilderness to other deities and has helped shape civilization as it is
known.
With food becoming controllable races moved from hunter gatherers to farmers, which allowed
them to build kingdoms and discover magic.
To grow and learn, safely within their walls.
She has probably shaped the course of history more than any other deity.
Chauntea opposes some of the elemental deities such as Auril, Talos, and Umberlee.
Talona, Lady of Poison, is Chauntea’s most hated foe.
Talona’s blights, poison, and disease destroy what Chauntea hopes to create filling her
with great fury.
Her dogma revolves are growing plants and repairing your surroundings.
Destruction for its own sake is frowned upon, destruction occurs but is an opportunity to
rebuild or repair.
Nurture and tend to plants whenever possible.
Protect trees and save their seeds so what is destroyed can be replaced.
There are two types of clerics for Chauntea.
Those that remain in cities who minister to farmers and agricultural workers, and those
of a more wilder sect that cater to wilderness.
Druids may also follow Chauntea, and many of her clerics and druids often double as
farmers or at the least gardeners.
Not totally surprising but many cities sport temples to the Earthmother.
They are large, with many windows and often double as granaries or open gardens.
In the wilderness ceremonies take place under the light of the sun or moon, with clerics
holding special services in their homes next to small shrines.
A great respect is intended for the natural world and in the case of Chauntea the domesticated
world.
The birth of live stock is celebrated as much as a successful and bountiful harvest.
And that’s it for today.
Bhaal was a absent for pretty much all of 3rd and 4th edition
But if you check out Faiths and Avatars the 2nd edition book he's in there in detail.
His return to the Faerun Pantheon is documented in the adventure “Murder in Baldur’s Gate.”
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