Tempus teach that war conducted properly is fair in
that it oppresses all s ides equally, and that in any given
battle,a mortal might be s lain or might become a great
leader among his or her companions. Mortals shouldn't
fear war but should see it as a natural force, the storm
tha t civilization brings about by its very existence.TORM
The Loyal Fury, the True, th e Hand of Righteousness
Torm is the god of duty and loyalty, revere d by those
who face danger to bring about a greater good. Those
who favor Torm believe that one's salvation can be found
through service, that every failure to perform one's
duty diminishes Torm, and that every s uccess adds to
hi s luster. Those who take Torm to heart must strive to
fulfill hi s commandment to go out into th e world and
be an active force for good, to right wrongs, and to help
the hopeless. They must strive to maintain peace and
order while opposing unjus t l aws. Followers of Torm
stand ever a lert against corruption and are expecte d to
s trike quickly and hard against any evid ence of rot in the
hearts of mortals. As the sword arm of justice, Torm's
faithful are expected to bring quick deaths to betrayers.
Considering these tenets, it s hould be no surprise that
most human paladins have Torm as their patron.
Most temples dedicated to Torm are fortresses built
on heights. These structures offer austere quarte rs for
residents and visiting knights , drilling grounds, and
stables. White granite, lion statu es, and armored figures
predominate in the architecture, w ith the coats of arms
of fallen heroes decorating the walls of the great halls.
Torm is seen as th e good ri ght hand of Tyr, and a s uch
his symbol is a white gauntlet made for the right hand.
It represents Tyr's sword ha nd, but it is also a symbol of
forbearance. Torm is frequently depicted with his right
gauntlet extended pa lm forward, which worshipers call
the Hand Resolute. It s ignifies the principle that the
just and true must pause before acting to judge whether
their inte ntions uphold Torm's ideals. Temples, civic
structures, a nd the homes of the faithful are often dec-
orated with images of the Hand Resolute as a constant
reminder of this principle.
Worshipers of Torm come from most walks of life, for
he welcomes any who seek the best in themselves and
others, who uphold his tenets of loyalty, responsibility,
duty, a nd kindness, or w ho are willing to sacrifice to
keep evil from gaining ascendancy in th e world. The
faithful know that all of them will s tumble from time
SYMBOL OF T EMPUSto time while following in Torm's footsteps, but Torm's
priests teach that the s hame of a minor fall from grace
is far less severe than declining to rise oneself up to
Torm's standards.TYMORA
Lady Luck, Our Smiling Lady
Tymora is the bright-faced goddess of fortune, the one
to whom gamblers and game-players pray in Faerun.
Our Smiling Lady is said to love none so much as those
who gamble with the utmost s kill and daring. Yet she
is thought to watch over all who take risks to better
the ir fortunes.
The battle cry of the followers of Tymora is "Fortune
favors the bold." Someone might say words to Tymora
be fore any endeavor in which a little good lu ck would
help, but not when an incid ence of bad luck might occur.
(On such occasions folk pray to Beshaba to spare them
from bad luck; praying to both is thought to anger both
goddesses.) One common me thod of divining the future
is to toss a coin to a stranger (typically a beggar) and ask
if it's heads. If it is, the coin is left with th e stranger as
payment for Tymora's favor. If it's not, the stranger can
choose to keep it (and the bad luck) or return it.
Those who favor Tymora-as distinct from folk who
invoke her name by mumbling over the dice-tend to be
daring sorts. Adventurers and gamblers make up much
of their ranks. They all have the belief that what is good
about their lives is the result of having both good luck
and the bravery to seek it out. Tymora has worshipers
among all sorts of folk: the dashing young noble, the
risk-ta king merchant, th e daydreaming field hand, and
the scheming ne'e r-do-well.
Priests of Tymora and temples devoted to Lady Luck
are scarce, since he r faith tends not to stress a need
for intermediaries: "Let the lu cky man and the Smiling
Lady suss it out," as th e old saying goes. Shrines to
Tymora at gambling parlors aren't unusual, however,
a nd sometimes such establishme nts attract a priest and
effectively become temples.SYMBOL OF TORMCHAPTER 1 J WELCOME TO THE REALMS