More formal shrines to Beshaba exist in places where
folk frequently hope to ward off misfortune. These sites
tend to be posts or stones painted red with blackened
antlers attached to them, or a red, triangular wall-
mounted plaque with attached antlers. Both types have
a stone or bronze bowl where coins can be tossed or
burnt offerings made. The Red Wizards of Thay com-
monly erect such shrines outside their ritual chambers
to guard against unfortunate mistakes.
Few dare to take Beshaba as a patron. The rare cler-
ics of the Maid of Misfortune are those who have been
deeply affected by great misfortunes and who seek to
warn others of the essential unfairness of life-or to in-
flict that unfairness upon them.BHAAL
The Lord of Murder
The folk of Faerfm don't normally pray to or acknowl-
edge Bhaal. He is seen as a deeply evil and destructive
deity who hungers for death-meaning the death of any
sentient beings through unlawful means.
Some people pray to Bhaal when they want to commit
murder. A person might have good reason to resort to
murder, such as when one is unable to redress some in-
justice through lawful means. But it's far more common
for prayers to Bhaal to be uttered by those who seek to
kill someone out of jealousy, greed, or wrath. It's rare for
anyone but assassins or compulsive killers to take Bhaal
as a patron, and clerics who revere Bhaal often qualify
on both counts.
Murder cults of Bhaal have arisen in the past, each
led by a charismatic, self-styled priest of Bhaal, but or-
ganized worship of the Lord of Murder is extremely un-
common. Temples and shrines are similarly rare. Those
who erect a shrine to Bhaal usually do so to thank him
for a successful murder. Such shrines typically feature
a skull or a severed head surrounded by drops of blood
(often both from the murdered victim).
CHAUNTEA
The Great Mother, the Grain GoddessChauntea is goddess of agriculture: sowing and reaping,
seeding and harvest, breeding and butchery, shearing
and weaving. In this aspect she is a rural deity rarely
prayed to behind the walls of a city except by kitchen
gardeners. But Chauntea is also the Great Mother, a
goddess of crib, hearth, and home. And as such she is
SYMBOL OF BHAALTHE EARTHMOTHER
The druids of the Moonshae Isles worship the Earth-
mother, she who is the generative power of the land itself.
To some mainlanders, the Earthmother is an aspect or
manifestation of Chauntea, but to the Ffolk, she is simply
the Earth mother, and always will be. The moonwells of the
isles are her sacred sites and her windows onto the world.
See "Druids" in chapter 4 for more information.welcomed into all homes at mealtimes and at the birth
of children, and folk give her thanks whenever they
experience the pleasure of settling by a fire and feeling
safe and loved.
Chauntea's faith is one of nurturing and growth. Agri-
cultural aphorisms and farming parables dot her teach-
ings. Growing and reaping, the eternal cycle, is a com-
mon theme in the faith. Destruction for its own sake, or
leveling without rebuilding, is anathema to her.
Temples of Chauntea maintain a great body of lore
about farming and cultivation. Her priests work closely
with communities in rural areas, and they are willing to
roll up their sleeves and dig their hands into the dirt.CYR IC
The Prince of Lies, the Dark Sun
The worship of Cyric derives directly from the story of
his ascension to godhood. Cyric was a mortal during the
Time of Troubles and the key to how that chaotic period
resolved, but he was also a selfish traitor and a mur-
derer. When he became a god, Cyric continued to work
various plots of deceit and murder-the most famous of
which is that, according to legend, Cyric murdered Mys-
tra and thus caused the Spellplague over a century ago.
Those who don't worship Cyric see him as a god of
madness, strife, and deceit, although his priests con-
sider such claims to be heresy. Their Prince of Lies
isn't a twisted madman, but a god of dark majesty who
proves that, ultimately, all bonds between folk corrupt
and wither away.
Cyric's church works openly in Arnn, where the citi-
zens espouse the principles of ambition, self-reliance,
and "buyer beware." Those who take Cyric as their
patron tend to be sadists, con artists, power-mad conniv-
ers, and worse. Other folk pray to Cyric when they want
to do wrong but don't want others to find out about it.
"The Dark Sun," originally one of Cyric's epithets, has
become a metaphor for strife in the Realms. "A Dark
Sun has risen o'er this court" might be spoken as aSYMBOL
OF (HAUNTEASYMBOL OF CYRIC