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DDH_101
Master of Realmslore

Canada
1272 Posts

Posted - 02 May 2005 :  06:23:25  Show Profile  Visit DDH_101's Homepage Send DDH_101 a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth

quote:
Originally posted by DDH_101

Other than the "religious war" happening between Cyric and Bane, I'm surprised that there's no other big conflicts happening between other deities. One that I would expect to occur a long time ago would be Bane and Torm. After all, Torm killed Bane during ToT and I'm sure the God of Strife is still angry over that.



Lol WOTC are never going to live that stuff up down





LOL. I just realized the mistake. Thanks, Dargoth. Haha... stupid Faiths & Pantheons...

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Rajorke
Acolyte

USA
15 Posts

Posted - 02 May 2005 :  23:53:28  Show Profile  Visit Rajorke's Homepage Send Rajorke a Private Message  Reply with Quote
so if no one is doing it right now and no such wars have happened in the resent past, then who do you all believe would instigate such a war and for what purposes? (i think this is a very interesting topic that i have thought about involving in my campaings on several occasions, but never had the time to flesh out)

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DDH_101
Master of Realmslore

Canada
1272 Posts

Posted - 03 May 2005 :  04:18:13  Show Profile  Visit DDH_101's Homepage Send DDH_101 a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Rajorke, that's the thing: all the deities have good reasons and purpose to start a war with another deity. Shar and Mystra could start a war because of the whole Shadow Weave/Weave issue. Torm and Bane could start a war because Torm killed Bane during ToT. Lathander could start a war with Shar because one is darkness and the other is light. Tempus could start a war with any deity just because he's the God of War. Lol.

My point is, you could randomly pick two gods out from the Faerunian pantheon and could make up reasons for them to fight.

"Trust in the shadows, for the bright way makes you an easy target." -Mask
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Kuje
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USA
7915 Posts

Posted - 03 May 2005 :  04:20:52  Show Profile Send Kuje a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I've been pondering this a little.... And to me the deities and thier clergy don't make large scale wars because it would decimate thier followers. Nations would be annoyed and deeply upset that thier cities and or lands are being used as a battle ground. Magic would also decimate large swathes of lands, etc.

I just don't see FR as a setting where large divine wars would happen. There are to many factors that would restrict them.

But that's my opinion.

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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
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Posted - 03 May 2005 :  04:49:27  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by kuje31

I've been pondering this a little.... And to me the deities and thier clergy don't make large scale wars because it would decimate thier followers. Nations would be annoyed and deeply upset that thier cities and or lands are being used as a battle ground. Magic would also decimate large swathes of lands, etc.

I just don't see FR as a setting where large divine wars would happen. There are to many factors that would restrict them.

But that's my opinion.



It's my opinion, as well.

Having minor skirmishes and a kind of divine Cold War going on is something I could easily see. Doing too much more than that could upset the Balance and bring down the wrath of Ao -- and no one wants that! It's like two young children -- they're only too happy to squabble with each other, but unless they know Mommy or Daddy is going to side with them, they want to avoid parental involvement.

And as I've said elsewhere, what one deity wants and can actually accomplish are not the same thing. Unless a deity was obviously close to achieving a domination of their portfolio over another (for example, Shar was close to extinguishing the sun), then I don't see a large-scale holy war erupting. That's what priests, proxies, and divine servants are for -- to do the dirty work and to prevent stuff like that from happening without directly involving the gods.

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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31701 Posts

Posted - 03 May 2005 :  05:01:34  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

quote:
Originally posted by kuje31

I've been pondering this a little.... And to me the deities and thier clergy don't make large scale wars because it would decimate thier followers. Nations would be annoyed and deeply upset that thier cities and or lands are being used as a battle ground. Magic would also decimate large swathes of lands, etc.

I just don't see FR as a setting where large divine wars would happen. There are to many factors that would restrict them.

But that's my opinion.



It's my opinion, as well.

Having minor skirmishes and a kind of divine Cold War going on is something I could easily see. Doing too much more than that could upset the Balance and bring down the wrath of Ao -- and no one wants that! It's like two young children -- they're only too happy to squabble with each other, but unless they know Mommy or Daddy is going to side with them, they want to avoid parental involvement.

And as I've said elsewhere, what one deity wants and can actually accomplish are not the same thing. Unless a deity was obviously close to achieving a domination of their portfolio over another (for example, Shar was close to extinguishing the sun), then I don't see a large-scale holy war erupting. That's what priests, proxies, and divine servants are for -- to do the dirty work and to prevent stuff like that from happening without directly involving the gods.

I'd have to agree with that as well. If I wanted divine conflict on a regular basis, I would run a Scarred Lands campaign.

I do prefer the subtle actions of deities working to undermine the faiths of their major foes, while working just as hard to ensure a certain level of professionalism and decorum in the Cynosure and when opposing gods are forced to interrelate.

They have an almost "plausible deniability" aura surrounding them. That they cannot be directly held responsible for the minor skirmishes between faiths that their disciples may initiate. All the while, they secretly support the godly "Cold War" that plays out against the background of daily life in the Realms.

"Mortals are nothing more than pieces on a chessboard."

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Edited by - The Sage on 03 May 2005 05:03:15
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Kuje
Great Reader

USA
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Posted - 03 May 2005 :  05:02:37  Show Profile Send Kuje a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
It's my opinion, as well.

Having minor skirmishes and a kind of divine Cold War going on is something I could easily see. Doing too much more than that could upset the Balance and bring down the wrath of Ao -- and no one wants that! It's like two young children -- they're only too happy to squabble with each other, but unless they know Mommy or Daddy is going to side with them, they want to avoid parental involvement.

And as I've said elsewhere, what one deity wants and can actually accomplish are not the same thing. Unless a deity was obviously close to achieving a domination of their portfolio over another (for example, Shar was close to extinguishing the sun), then I don't see a large-scale holy war erupting. That's what priests, proxies, and divine servants are for -- to do the dirty work and to prevent stuff like that from happening without directly involving the gods.



Yup and I was going to say above: If you want a setting that has large scale divine wars then use Dragonlance, at least Krynn. :) That part of Dlance smacks of that type of setting while FR does not. There's to many pantheons, to many different followers, to many different nations, etc, for it to happen in FR.

Again my opinion. :)

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Dargoth
Great Reader

Australia
4607 Posts

Posted - 03 May 2005 :  05:03:59  Show Profile  Visit Dargoth's Homepage Send Dargoth a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Weve had a couple of Crusades in Faeruns history

Tyr's crusade against Valigan Thirdborn in the years following Jhaamdaths destruction.

I believe GeorgeK siad there was a cursade in Impiltur lead by the gods of the Triad

There was a crusade by followers of Cyric against followers of Oghma and Mystra that resulted in an attack on Candlekeep (See The Trial of Cyric the Mad)

I also recall reading somewhere that followers of Tempus have gone on a crusades in the past

Its strongly hinted that their will be a Crusade war between the followers of Bane and Cyric in th near future

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SiriusBlack
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USA
5517 Posts

Posted - 03 May 2005 :  05:08:11  Show Profile  Visit SiriusBlack's Homepage Send SiriusBlack a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
Its strongly hinted that their will be a Crusade war between the followers of Bane and Cyric in th near future



I wonder if they will tackle that subject, if it becomes a reality, with a novel series or via gaming products.
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31701 Posts

Posted - 03 May 2005 :  05:09:46  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by kuje31

Yup and I was going to say above: If you want a setting that has large scale divine wars then use Dragonlance, at least Krynn. :) That part of Dlance smacks of that type of setting while FR does not. There's to many pantheons, to many different followers, to many different nations, etc, for it to happen in FR.
That, I have to disagree with.

Most, if not all, of the conflicts on Krynn have involved mortals. The First Cataclysm, while a godly event, was not a war. As was the Chaos War. Little actual divine conflict between faiths, but rather mortals fighting against a primordial power. The War of Souls, again another divine-influenced event, was actually not a god war either. In each instance, mortal races have played the most significant roles in each conflict, often determining the course and conclusion of each war.

Now, if you were talking about conflicts that involved divine presences, then yes, you'd be correct. But the scale and relativity of divine conflict between faiths on Krynn isn't any more prevalent than those in the Realms.

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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31701 Posts

Posted - 03 May 2005 :  05:17:01  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth

I believe GeorgeK siad there was a cursade in Impiltur lead by the gods of the Triad
Yes, that was during 726DR to 732DR. It is when Impiltur was overrun by the Scaled Horde - which was an army of fiends, teiflings and other demonic nasties. The Triad Crusade was led by Sarshel Elethlim, and it saw the overthrow of these beasts during the Fiend Wars.

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Dargoth
Great Reader

Australia
4607 Posts

Posted - 03 May 2005 :  05:18:35  Show Profile  Visit Dargoth's Homepage Send Dargoth a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Theres another cause of Crusades Ive just thought of.

No doubt a few crusades have been inspire by the Deific conflict caused by a collpsed Pantheon

Id be willing to bet that when the Netherese Pantheon collpsed Gargos and Tempus followers where going at it Hammer and tongs, and I bet Talonas and Kipputtitos followers (Yes I know Ive mispelled it) where doing the same

If the Mulhorand pantheon collapses or joins the Faerunian pantheon then there will be wars between current Faerunian deities and the Mulhorandi ie Tempus vs Anhur

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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31701 Posts

Posted - 03 May 2005 :  05:19:25  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Further, here's George's original reference -

quote:
If you read the Damaran section in Races of Faerun, it notes that Impiltur was overrun by fiends in 726DR. From 729-732DR the Triad Crusade (churches of Tyr, Torm and Ilmater) conducted the Fiend Wars and wrested control of the realm back into human (and very religious) hands. The leader of the Triad Crusade, the paladin Sarshel (namesake of the Impilturian city) was proclaimed king of Impiltur in 732DR, establishing the Elethlim dynasty.


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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 03 May 2005 :  05:46:48  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage

Further, here's George's original reference -

quote:
If you read the Damaran section in Races of Faerun, it notes that Impiltur was overrun by fiends in 726DR. From 729-732DR the Triad Crusade (churches of Tyr, Torm and Ilmater) conducted the Fiend Wars and wrested control of the realm back into human (and very religious) hands. The leader of the Triad Crusade, the paladin Sarshel (namesake of the Impilturian city) was proclaimed king of Impiltur in 732DR, establishing the Elethlim dynasty.





That's not really a religious war... Sure, it was led by a paladin and left the area in the hands of religious folk, but at the same time, the deities in question were basically enforcing their portfolios and not warring against other deities.

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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31701 Posts

Posted - 03 May 2005 :  06:40:13  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Indeed.

That was one of the points I also wanted to bring up about divine conflict in DL. It is, much the same, as this reference details. Krynnish divine conflict has sometimes revolved around the "enforcing of divine portfolios". But, I fear discussing this side-topic of divine war on Krynn any further, for I hear the sandled foot falls of Alaundo the Wise echoing from down the hallway... .

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Edited by - The Sage on 03 May 2005 06:43:42
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khorne
Master of Realmslore

Finland
1073 Posts

Posted - 03 May 2005 :  11:27:21  Show Profile  Visit khorne's Homepage Send khorne a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Well it`s true that wars between gods are uncommon because of a certain thingy called Ao.....But haven`t there been instances where gods dislike and hate each other so much that finally they simply can`t resist going for each others throats, and the balance be damned?

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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
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USA
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Posted - 03 May 2005 :  17:33:45  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by khorne

Well it`s true that wars between gods are uncommon because of a certain thingy called Ao.....But haven`t there been instances where gods dislike and hate each other so much that finally they simply can`t resist going for each others throats, and the balance be damned?



It's not as much that they care about the Balance as it is that they care about what Ao would do to them for upsetting it.

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Fletcher
Learned Scribe

USA
299 Posts

Posted - 05 May 2005 :  17:22:01  Show Profile  Visit Fletcher's Homepage Send Fletcher a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by kuje31

I've been pondering this a little.... And to me the deities and thier clergy don't make large scale wars because it would decimate thier followers. Nations would be annoyed and deeply upset that thier cities and or lands are being used as a battle ground. Magic would also decimate large swathes of lands, etc.

I just don't see FR as a setting where large divine wars would happen. There are to many factors that would restrict them.

But that's my opinion.



Another thought is that there are very few locations in the Heartlands where the majority of any location is one religion. It is hard for a mass uprising when only a 5 percent of the population worships that deity as a primary god.
Second there seems to be most religions active in most areas. Every city you look at has at least 2 or 3 major temples, and a couple of shrines, not to mention the hidden churches.
Kind of hard to go and smack down the evil baddies when the good guys make up a third of the town guard trying to protect their families.

Think of it like this: The President would have a hard time convincing congress that attacking the Nazis, when 30% of the armed forces of the 3rd Reich are americans defending their families, is a good thing. That would be americans killing americans. Needless to say there would be an uproar at home, and congressmen would lose their seats.

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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
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Posted - 05 May 2005 :  17:37:53  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
'Tis a good point. Taking it a bit further... Most real-world religious wars were either "my deity is better than your deity!" or "my deity is better than your pantheon!" or vice-versa. In a world where there are a gazillion deities covering so many aspects of life, religious wars become less likely. When the average person might call on a half-dozen deities on a daily basis, it's harder to motivate him to go to war over another deity. The people most likely to participate in religious wars are the clerics and those who are exceedingly devout worshippers of only one deity.

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The Blue Sorceress
Learned Scribe

107 Posts

Posted - 06 May 2005 :  05:54:42  Show Profile  Visit The Blue Sorceress's Homepage Send The Blue Sorceress a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Another thought is that there are very few locations in the Heartlands where the majority of any location is one religion. It is hard for a mass uprising when only a 5 percent of the population worships that deity as a primary god.


But that doesn't take into account places like Dambrath where the government is a theocracy. Everone in the nation might not claim Loviatar as their personal patron, but the people who run the government do. If they were so inclined I could easily see them declaring a "holy war" on their neighbors as an excuse to promote their own power and their goddess'.

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DDH_101
Master of Realmslore

Canada
1272 Posts

Posted - 06 May 2005 :  06:23:31  Show Profile  Visit DDH_101's Homepage Send DDH_101 a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I agree with The Blue Sorceress. The perfect example of this was in Prince of Lies. Cyric basically had the whole Zhentil Keep under his religious control and used the city as his center of worship.

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Fletcher
Learned Scribe

USA
299 Posts

Posted - 06 May 2005 :  16:28:18  Show Profile  Visit Fletcher's Homepage Send Fletcher a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by The Blue Sorceress

quote:
Another thought is that there are very few locations in the Heartlands where the majority of any location is one religion. It is hard for a mass uprising when only a 5 percent of the population worships that deity as a primary god.


But that doesn't take into account places like Dambrath where the government is a theocracy. Everone in the nation might not claim Loviatar as their personal patron, but the people who run the government do. If they were so inclined I could easily see them declaring a "holy war" on their neighbors as an excuse to promote their own power and their goddess'.

-Blue


Oh sure! Take one specific example out of about thirty available that shoots down my whole theory.

On a more serious note: I could easily agree that there are theocracies that could and probably would order attacks on neighboring states. And I can see those more evil theocracies even forcing a diplomatic tiff, in order to start that war. Or doing a judicious amount of bad mouthing their target to the populace. Sort of a publicity campaign to invade the target nation.
I can even see a goodly aligned theocracy starting a holy war to stop slavery or wipe out some enclave of shadow sorcerers.

Others I see doing a more quiet annexation, like Cormyr and its annexation of what used to be Tilverton. They just sort of moved in and refused to leave.

That is the beauty of FR. It is so diverse and has so many options.
But I think the main reason we haven’t see the holy wars is that the authors have focused on other things. Perhaps to not strain relations, perhaps because they see the whole religious war thing as a cliché, or perhaps because they enjoy developing a couple of characters in detail.

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Xysma
Master of Realmslore

USA
1089 Posts

Posted - 06 May 2005 :  20:01:35  Show Profile  Visit Xysma's Homepage Send Xysma a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Rajorke

this may be a long shot, but it could possibly come about as an agreement by the churches of say Tyr Ilmater Torm and possibly Sune to band together in some way to deal with the religious and political tyranny of a nation like Mulhorand and fight on the side of Unther to free from Mulhorandi rule. Like I said this is a long shot but it seems like a situation that could be considered a massive holy war in the realms that doesn't involve the Zhentarim. Many established nations have strong ties with those dieties' churches so they could back the churchs' ambitions to fight the war... i'm just throwing this out there



The church of Hoar would undoubtedly participate in any war against the Mulhorandi pantheon, that's almost Hoar's dogma.

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tauster
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Germany
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Posted - 06 May 2005 :  21:28:52  Show Profile  Visit tauster's Homepage Send tauster a Private Message  Reply with Quote
the following is my variant of the "religious war - theme". it´s part of a larger campaign, centered around the plot of the night below- campaign, placed in mistledale, campaign date 1371.

the good:

shaundakul
one pc is a speciality priest (2nd edition, the party is around lvl. 10) of shaundakul and at the moment organizing the rebuilding of an old keep at the fringes of cormanthor in eastern mistledale (where in canon lore the wild "beast lands" are). he helped to free waukeen from gra´azzt (sp?) by slowing a horde of minor demons on the celestial staircase, thus keeping the rescuers of the goddess out of additional trouble. during the triumphant return of waukeen on her homeplane, the market eternal, he met a small congregation of shaundakuls faerunian priests that were present (together with their god) to witness the new alliance between the the helping hand and the traders friend. of course after the ceremony (see "for duty and deity" for more details) the priests were busy talking with each other and since the character belongs now to the more important (i.e. higher level-) priests of shaundakul, he managed tp persuade a handful of the others to help him establish a new temple in the old keep in mistledale.

back from the market eternal, shaundakul took about two dozen priests with him to his temple in myth drannor, where he explained some of the changes to come: the new portfolio of portals for example, and that his followers are about to devolope new spells (see portal domain in "underdark" and "magic of faerun"). the god hinted that moander is not as dead as everyone thought and that trouble from that direction might be expected in the near future but said even he does not know more at the moment. after the "hearing", every priest was sent home.

half a dozen npc priests from all over the realms are now on their way to mistledale, and the rebuilding of the keep is already well underway. it will be called "the eye of the storm" and is meant to be the staging ground for the campaign to prevent the god of corruption from returning.

waukeen

the eye of the storm will also house a shrine to waukeen. when waukeen´s avatar burst into a shower of golden coins as she received her divinity back from liira at the market eternal, many of the attendees managed to grab several of these coins. the priest of shaundakul and his collegues own several dozen of them, and plan in to collaborate with waukeens priests (whoever that will be in the near future) to create a series of minor magic items (with the tendency to alleviate travel, bargaining and perhaps the looming war against moander). since the priest played an important role during waukeens liberation, the shrine or temple might become an important place of pilgrimage soon.

lathander
the keep also houses a shrine/temple dedicated to lathander, as the rosestone, a minor artifact from myth drannors temple was recovered recently and brought into the keep.


the bad

"the bad" are several evil gods or demon-worshipping cults. the main protagonists i called "the dark triade", and consist of cults ot moander, turaglas and tharizdun. the players already wiped out two minor groups of magic user- kidnapping followers of cyric (the main plot of night below) and encountered a revenant (the former leader of one of those groups, sent back by xvim to punish the pc).

turaglas
see dragon magazine #312 for details of this god. in short, turaglas is a god of hunger and destruction. several small cabals of the ebon maw try to free him from his planar prison, where he is trapped since eons.

tharizdun
i´ll integrate, besides "the forgotten temple of Tharizdun" (WG4), the monsters from "Children of Tharizdun" (dragon annual #5). these cabal is the 3rd and least powerful group of the dark triade, it´s place in the story arc is still undefined and will be determined by the course of the pc´s actions. i already introduced one follower of the dark god (modelled after the entropomancer, see http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040502a) that haunts the pc from time to time without showing himself (invisibility), so the players are left clueless who or what harasses them.

moander
the slain god of corruption is not quite dead yet: in ancient times, moander ripped out a part of his divine self and hurled it against an elven city. the city was completely destroyed, but the divine part of moander was trapped beneath the surface by elven high mages (iirc). see volos guide to the realms, the entry of dark watch (high dale, iirc) for more details. several decades ago someone discovered old lore about that event and founded a new cult cell with the goal of freeing moander.

the older sister of one pc (one of the party´s two mages) recently appeared in game. the player had mentioned in his background story that more than ten years ago (well before the campaign started), she ran away from home and finally hooked up with the rot grubs in ordulin, a minor thiefes guild. when the group was attacked by demonic minions of turaglas in waterdeep several sessions ago, she unexpectedly emerged and helped to save their skins, getting badly injured herself during the battle. she told her brother that she has quitted the rot grubs long ago, becoming a mage like her younger brother and began hunting not only the cult of the dragon in sembia but also dedicated herself to eradicate cult cells of turaglas, whose history she stumbled over several years ago.

she revealed that she had died at least once and was brought back to life (but without telling which god granted her ressuraction) and discovered that magic and blood are closely related to each other since that crucial event for her (i made her a blood mage from "tome and blood"). in truth, she is follower of moander, has discovered what happens at hunters down and has founded the cult cell that tries to free the last surviving bit of the god of corruption. she thinks that she can smehow "merge" the bound turaglas with the divine pieve of moander, so she hunts down cult cells of turaglas to prevent them from freeing their lord before she is ready. ...wheels within wheels within wheels...


...and the unrelated:

there´s a temple of ghaunadar in the underdark below ordulin that the group destroyed, at the moment not related to the other religious groups, and the temples of chauntea and silvanus in mistledale are not contacted by the players yet. it is possible that they will join in the fray in the future, it depends on what the players will do.

that´s the gist of my little inter-religious war.
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lowtech
Learned Scribe

USA
315 Posts

Posted - 07 May 2005 :  09:17:37  Show Profile  Visit lowtech's Homepage Send lowtech a Private Message  Reply with Quote
The Faerunian Gods that might get involved in a religious war with the Mulhorandi Pantheon are Hoar (read 2e Powers and Pantheons), Selune (FRCS), Mystra (the Messemprer(sp) wizards), Tiamat (Powers and Pantheons), Bane (Mourktar), and Tempus(there's the Furrifax faction if one needs a direct connection,he would fight for the principle of the thing, anyway).

While the Faerunian Dieties for obvious reasons are hesitant to sponser crusades, I think the Mulhorandi invasion will make it unavoidable. I do NOT think either side will send Avatars into the fray, because the likely result will be another wasteland of purple dust. (Besides, its much more interesting to have mortals act on their behalf.)
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Defender
Acolyte

24 Posts

Posted - 26 May 2005 :  13:37:05  Show Profile  Visit Defender's Homepage Send Defender a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Excuse me for raising this topic up again, since there are religious wars on Faerun. I wonder how did the various religious factions of followers fight with each other, surely each religious faction possess a military wing such as The Faction of Selune followers possess a military wing known as the Silverstars(heard that more women than men in the ranks) and I heard that Mystra followers also has a military wing though I can't recall the military wing name.
Do they fight each other with their military wings or through paladins of the various factions? What about the other religious factions of followers who do not possess a military wing, do they fight their god/goddess enemies(including the enemy god followers) by stealth and trickery or other means such as messy melee warfare?

Justice is swift and will strike when you least expect it.
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Shadovar
Senior Scribe

785 Posts

Posted - 26 May 2005 :  13:44:43  Show Profile  Visit Shadovar's Homepage Send Shadovar a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Well, i beleive the various religious factions of followers worshipping various deities fight with the opposing deity followers with their own religious military wings. Mystra followers do have a military wing called the Sisters of the Silver fire(Please do not be mistaken that the military wing are comprised of the Seven Sisters or the other Chosen)
Selune followers also have two military wings:
1) The Moon Guard

An elite group, handpicked from the finest of the Silverstars. It is their duty to guard and protect the Priestess of the High Moonlight, and the main Temple to Selűne in Deephaven. They are the only Silverstars not required to leave the city on Field duty on a regular basis.
Within their own ranks there are many levels and rankings, but this works internally and is kept a secret amongst their own. This is to better protect their officers from infiltrators and threats from outside such as the many secret cults dedicated to Shar.

2) SilverStars

These are the Protectors of the Faith. Their ranks consist mainly of Fighters, often with minor Incantation or Healing skills.
They will fight with any weapon, but Maces are preferred. The mace will almost always carry the blessing of the Lady; these weapons are referred to as a Moons Hand. The Moon Guards' version of this weapon is always smooth-headed, and usually inset with pieces of Moonstone.

Silverstars are not always actual members of the Faith. Those who receive Bloodstones can choose to accept Her blessings and fight in Her name and need only a Selűnite of Priestly ranking or higher to bless their weapons.

Well, for the religious factions of followers lacking a military wing, I guess they will just attack a follower of a deity who is the enemy of their deity on sight. They are unlikely to go to the extent of all out warfare against the other unless Avatars of their patron deities are there to lead them. Otherwise, i think it is a hide and seek game of hunt or be hunted.


We have fostered trust, recruited loyalty, and gathered the faithful. We have trained thousands. Our legions can cover the land, fill the sky and travel through the darkness. We can hunt any and all that would deny our heritage. Now is our time, now is the time of the Dark Reign(Rain) of the Empire of Shadows.
- High Prince Telemont Tanthul, Lord Shadow
In a speech given to the citizens of Shade Enclave
At the celebration of the Shinantra Battle victory when he revealed that he was THE Lord Shadow of legend.
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StromLancer
Acolyte

41 Posts

Posted - 26 May 2005 :  13:58:40  Show Profile  Visit StromLancer's Homepage Send StromLancer a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Hide and seek game? Well I think those religious factions without a military wing of their own may seek outside the faith services to complete the destruction of an enemy deity followers except perhaps those who follow Bhaal. Bhaal is widely worshipped by assassins before Bhaal death, so I guess these followers do not need a military wing at all since the followers already comprise the military wing as they all posssess martial skills of their own.
Yes, Shadovar is right. Unless an avatar comes to lead a deity followers in a campaign against an opposing faith-which may mean another RSE- who is considered a deity major enemy, they will just wage pocket wars of their own.

Lead the war fate commands you to!
...but are you fighting the true enemy?
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silvermage
Seeker

77 Posts

Posted - 26 May 2005 :  14:02:43  Show Profile  Visit silvermage's Homepage Send silvermage a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Shadovar
Mystra followers do have a military wing called the Sisters of the Silver fire


Sisters of the silver fire? Strange name, I had never heard that Mystra followers do have a military wing. Is there information on this military wing of Mystra?

Edited by - silvermage on 26 May 2005 14:03:06
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31701 Posts

Posted - 26 May 2005 :  14:28:00  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by silvermage

quote:
Originally posted by Shadovar
Mystra followers do have a military wing called the Sisters of the Silver fire


Sisters of the silver fire? Strange name, I had never heard that Mystra followers do have a military wing. Is there information on this military wing of Mystra?

The Sorority of the Silver Fire serve Mystra. They are a secretive sisterhood of spellcasters who have dedicated themselves to opposing Sammaster and his vile plans.

They are detailed in the Cult of the Dragon tome, available for free download on the WotC site.

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