Page 32 - D&D - Player's Handbook

is given credit. When one hears three rolls of thunder provide succor when they can, but also use force to
in succession, it is thought to be a sign from Hoar that put an end to torture and suffering inflicted on others.
some act of.vengeance has been performed. Many Ilmater's priests travel to places where the worst pos-
human societies have the custom of ringing a bell or a sible conditions exist, ministering to the needs of the
gong three times when judgment of a crime is rendered oppressed, the deceased, and the poor. They put others
or an execution takes place. ahead of themselves, are sharing of all they have, and
Folk speak Hoar's name when they want revenge, emphasize the spiritual nature of life over the welfare of
particularly when they are incapable of avenging them- the material body.
selves. This invocation might be in response to a petty Priests of Ilmater who are on a quest to aid others
slight or a true injustice, and the acknowledgment of can be recognized by their hair shirts, vests of coarse
Hoar might be a short prayer said aloud or might be fur worn against the bare skin. It is taboo to harm such
written down somewhere. It's generally believed that priests as they go about their duties, such as when they
the more permanent the form of the prayer, the more administer to the wounded on a battlefield. The taboo is
likely it is to be fulfilled. For this reason, some etch so strongly felt among humans that other races respect
their prayers in lead and bury it or hide their prayers the custom. Even ores and goblinoids will avoid directly
inside diaries. Aside from bounty hunters and those on attacking a peaceful priest of Ilmater, as long as the
crusades of vengeance, few truly revere Hoar, and he is priest administers to their fallen warriors as well.
served by fewer still who would call themselves priests. Most folk deeply respect the work and the sacrifice
Temples or shrines of Hoar are almost nonexistent ex- of Ilmater's faith, and lend aid to such endeavors where
cept for ancient sites in Chessenta and Unther. they can. When a temple of Ilmater sends its faithful to
Hoar became a member of the Faerfinian pantheon help refugees of war or victims of plague, their willing-
when his worship extended beyond the lands that origi- ness to sacrifice their own well-being always prompts
nally revered him. Most consider Tyr to be the arbiter of ordinary people to support them, whether they are in-
laws, and Hoar to be the god who metes out punishment spired or shamed into action.
that comes as a result of breaking those codes. A judge
might favor the worship of Tyr, while a jail or or a heads- ERG AL
man is more likely to pray to Hoar.
The Final Scribe, the Pitiless One, the Bleak Seneschal
lLMATER Legend has it thatJergal is an ancient deity. The story
goes that in the time of Netheril he was worshiped as
The Crying God, the Rack-Broken Lord, He Who
the god of death, murder, and strife. Yet with the passing
Endures
of time, he became bored with his position. Then one
Ilmater is the god of suffering, martyrdom, and perse- day three mortals, each a powerful adventurer, metJer-
verance, renowned for his compassion and endurance. gal in the lands of the dead, determined to destroy him
It is he who offers succor and calming words to those and take his power. Instead,Jergal calmly abdicated his
who are in pain, victimized, or in great need. He is the throne of bones and allowed each of the three mortals to
willing sufferer, the one who takes the place of another take part of his divinity. Thus it was that Bane assumed
to heft the other's burden, to take the other's pain. He is the portfolio of strife, Myrkul the rulership of the dead,
the god of the oppressed and the unjustly treated. and Bhaal the portfolio of murder.] ergal lost his former
It is said that if he had his way, the Crying God would stature and became a scribe of the dead.
take all the suffering in the world onto himself, so as to Jergal is now seen as an uncaring custodian of the
spare others. Since he can't, he blesses those who endure dead. He is thought to record the passing of the living
on others' behalf, and he alleviates suffering when he can. and to aid Kelemvor in seeing that souls are properly
Martyrs who die that others may live are always blessed bound to their appropriate afterlife. He is rarely ac-
by II mater with a final rest and reward in the god's after- knowledged directly, except for being mentioned at
life, should they so choose. funerals and among those who practice the custom of
Ilmater's priests take in the ill, the starving, and the writing the name of the deceased on a sheet of parch-
injured, and his temples give most of what they receive ment and placing it in the corpse's mouth. This rite is
to help offset the suffering of the world. His followers

SYMBOL OF lLMATER

SYMBOL OF JERGAL

CHAPTER 1 I WELCOME TO THE REALMS