Post by Avvy on Oct 28, 2011 18:12:05 GMT -5
Prince of Lies, The Dark Sun, The Black Sun
Greater Deity
Symbol - White jawless skull on a black or purple sunburst.
Home plane - The Supreme Throne.
Alignment - Chaotic Evil
Portfolio - Murder, Lies, intrigue, deception, illusion.
Worshippers - Former worshippers of Bane, Bhaal & Myrkul, Power-hungry (Primarily young) humans.
Cleric Alignments - CE, CN, NE
Domains - Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Illusion, Trickery
Favoured Weapon - Longsword
Cyric (pronounced seer-ick) is a petty, self-centered & megolamaniacal deity who holds himself above all other deities. He has an immense following throughout Faerun: The unholy radiance of the Dark Sun draws power-hungry mortals like moths to a flame & then inexorably consumes them. Cyric was once insane, but his bout with divine madness has finally ebbed & he no longer believes himself more powerful than all other deities. The Prince of Lies delights in spinning webs of deception that lead both mortals & deities to their ruin & pit friends & lovers against one another. He has assumed many guises since his ascension: a blood wraith, a cloud of poisonous smoke, or a sudden gloom containing the phantom images of whirling human skulls & the intent gaze of tow black eyes. However, his true form is believed to be that of a slim man with blazing dark eyes & chalk-white skin.
The church of Cyric is widely & justly hated across all Faerun, for the Dark Sun's followers are pledged to spread strife & work murder everywhere. The followers of good-aligned deities hate Cyric's church for the wicked acts of it's members. The followers of neutral aligned deities & even the faithless detest the intrigues, murder & discord sown by Cyricists that disrupt the lives of all. The followers of evil aligned deities view Cyric's church as mad with power & a threat to their own influence - the Prince of Lies has shown himself willing to do almost anything, including kill rival deities whose power he covets.
Cyric's clerics pray for spells at night, after moonrise, when the Dark Sun's radiance is at it's height. Cyric's church has few holy days & does not even celebrate the date of the deity's ascension, for to do so would also honour Mystra ("the Harlot", To Cyric's worshippers) & imply that Cyric has not held the mantle of divinity for all eternity. However, whenever a temple acquires something or someone important enough to sacrifice to Cyric, it's high cleric declares a Day of the Dark Sun to signify the holiness of the event. Eclipses are always considered holy & are often celebrated by feasts, fervent prayers & the murder of a high-ranking cleric or Paladin of Lathander. Cyric's clerics often mutliclass as Assassins, Blackguards, Illusionists, Rogues & Strifeleaders.
History & Relationships;
Once mortal, Cyric was elevated to divine status by Ao at the conclusion of the Time of Troubles in 1358 DR, as was Midnight (Mystra). Upon his ascension, Cyric claimed the portfolios of Bane, Myrkul & Bhaal, largely subsuming their churches into his faith as well. The Dark Sun then slew Leira, Lady of the Mists, with the aid of Mask in the form of the sword Godsbane.
A decade later, in 1368 DR, Cyric created the Cyrinishad, a tome of great power that proclimaed him the One True Deity. Cyric unwisely read his own book, a mistake that cost him his sanity & led to the loss of Myrkul's former portfolio to Kelemvor, a mortal with whom Cyric had once adventured. Moreover Oghma & Mask conspired to create another tome entitled The True Life of Cyric, and with it the Dark Sun's plot was foiled - although not before the destruction of much of Zhentil Keep. However, caught in the web of his own plots, Mask read the Cyrinishad as well, enabling Cyric to steal the portfolio of intrigue from him, along with some of the divine power of the Master of All Thieves.
A year later, in 1369 DR, Cyric was accused of innocence by reason ofinsanity, thereby failing in his divine duty to spread strife & discord. Cyric's chosen, a former Calishite merchant named Malik, arranged for his patron to read The True Life of Cyric & thus regain his sanity. A tribunal of greater deities then found the Dark Sun guilty of his crimes & allowed him to keep his divine status.
Now Cyric continues his murderous intrigued with renewed fervor, ever striving to undermine his fellow deities & destroy all that they hold precious in the mortal realm. He has no allies, although from time to time he pretends to work with various deities in order to ensure their eventual downfall. The Prince of Lies particularly hates Mystra & her former lover, Kelemvor. He exacted a small measure of vengeance against them by engineering the rft that forever sundered their mortal bond of love. However, Cyric now views Vane as the greatest threat toh is power, and the brewing war between these two lords of evil may eventually consume Faerun in a great holocaust.
Dogma;
Death to all who oppose Cyric. Bow down before his supreme power & yield to him the blood of those that do not believe in his supremacy. Fear & obey those in authority, but slay those that are weak, of good persuasion, or false prophets. Battle against all clergy of other faiths, for they are false prophets & forces who oppose the One True Way. Bring death to those that oppose Cyric's church or make peace, order & laws, for only Cyric is the true authority & all other authority must be subverted. Break not into open rebellion, for marching armies move the false deities to action. Fell one foe at a time & keep all folk afraid, uneasy & in constant strife. Any method or means is justified if it brings about the desired end.
Clergy & Temples;
Clerics of the Dark Sun pledge to srpead strife & work murder everywhere to make folk fear & believe in Cyric. They support rulers with a taste for cruelty & empire building, but indulge in intrigue in every land. They avoid plunging realms into widespread war, which would pay homour only to Tempus the War deity. At least, this is the ideal Cyricists pay lip service to. In truth, Cyricist spend most of their time scheming against one another, each striving to strengthen his or her personal power in an endless struggle of cabal against cabal. To make matters worse, during his madnessCyric spoke often to his faithful clergy, but not with one voice. As they all fear him, & each believes what he says is the One True Way, his words set Cyricist temples at cross purposes. His clerics are at one another's throats as often as they are promoting the defeat of other religions.
Cyric's temples are festering sores of evil that vary widely in appearance, reflecting the deity's chaotic nature. Many are hidden within caves or existing structures, including abandoned buildings, crumbling sewers & forgotten dungeons, from which terrifying screams echo at irregular intervals. Many such complexes once served as temples of Bane, Bhaal or Myrkul & thus resemble the grim, foreboding keeps of the Black Lord, the hidden guildhalls of the Lord of Murder, or the tomblike vaults of the Lord of Bones. All have in common a bloody sacrificial altar & a great hall where the local high cleric can rant to the assembled worshippers at irregular intervals.
When not disguising themselves to move in secret among the general populace, clerics of Cyric dress in black or dark purple robes trimmed with silver, with or without hoods. They wear silver bracers or bracelets (usually stamped with the skull & sunburst symbol of Cyric) to symbolise the Church's enslavement to Cyric. Some clerics paint the symbol of their deity on their cheeks or foreheads on high holy days.
The Prince of Lies recognises no single pontiff who rules over the entire faith, althout a dozen or more powerful clerics believe that Cyric intends them to achieve such a role. Such conflicts stem from the time when the Dark Sun in his madness deliberately pitted his faithful against one another. Although the Prince of Lies has ceased doing so overtly, schisms within the faith have by no means healed & the chaotic nature of his followers makes it unlikely that they ever will. Clerics of Cyric dominate most factions, although powerful sorcerors, wizards, barbarians, fighters, rangers & blackguards play important roles as well.
currently, the two most powerful factions are found in Amn. Watchful Skull Tynnos Argrim is high cleric of the Mountain of Skulls in the Cloud Peaks & founder of the devout order of Assassins known as the Flames of the Dark Sun. He has consolidated his influence over the Dark Redoubt, a temple in the Tejarn Hills once led by a rival sect, & allied himself with the armies of Amn against the Sythillisian Empire. Blackwill Haarken Ahkmelere, high cleric of the Twin Towers of the Eternal Eclipse, is working with the army of monsters led by two Ogre Magi from the city of Murann & now maintains a stranglehold over trade passing along the Trade Way.
A third faction, growing in strength, wars with the clergy of Bane in Darkhold for control of the western branch of the Zhentarim. The leader of this faction is at present unknown.Some belive a charismatic cleric named Dag Zoreth has assumed the mantle of leadership, while others claim that a military commander known as the Pereghost commands the loyalty of the Dark Sun's faithful. In any event, it is this faction of Cyricists who are likely to ignite an open holy war with the church of Bane.
Avatars;
Cyric's avatars seldom appear on Faerun, but when he does send one, it usually appears as a slim human male with blazing dark eyes & chalk-white skin. A typical avatar of Cyric speaks sarcastically & acts duplicitously but with a firm purpose. Cyric prefers his avatars to work from behind the scenes, inciting strife, furthering intrigue, spreading lies & crafting illusions. His avatar always commits at least one murder during each visit to the Realms, usually in furtherance of the above goals.
Greater Deity
Symbol - White jawless skull on a black or purple sunburst.
Home plane - The Supreme Throne.
Alignment - Chaotic Evil
Portfolio - Murder, Lies, intrigue, deception, illusion.
Worshippers - Former worshippers of Bane, Bhaal & Myrkul, Power-hungry (Primarily young) humans.
Cleric Alignments - CE, CN, NE
Domains - Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Illusion, Trickery
Favoured Weapon - Longsword
Cyric (pronounced seer-ick) is a petty, self-centered & megolamaniacal deity who holds himself above all other deities. He has an immense following throughout Faerun: The unholy radiance of the Dark Sun draws power-hungry mortals like moths to a flame & then inexorably consumes them. Cyric was once insane, but his bout with divine madness has finally ebbed & he no longer believes himself more powerful than all other deities. The Prince of Lies delights in spinning webs of deception that lead both mortals & deities to their ruin & pit friends & lovers against one another. He has assumed many guises since his ascension: a blood wraith, a cloud of poisonous smoke, or a sudden gloom containing the phantom images of whirling human skulls & the intent gaze of tow black eyes. However, his true form is believed to be that of a slim man with blazing dark eyes & chalk-white skin.
The church of Cyric is widely & justly hated across all Faerun, for the Dark Sun's followers are pledged to spread strife & work murder everywhere. The followers of good-aligned deities hate Cyric's church for the wicked acts of it's members. The followers of neutral aligned deities & even the faithless detest the intrigues, murder & discord sown by Cyricists that disrupt the lives of all. The followers of evil aligned deities view Cyric's church as mad with power & a threat to their own influence - the Prince of Lies has shown himself willing to do almost anything, including kill rival deities whose power he covets.
Cyric's clerics pray for spells at night, after moonrise, when the Dark Sun's radiance is at it's height. Cyric's church has few holy days & does not even celebrate the date of the deity's ascension, for to do so would also honour Mystra ("the Harlot", To Cyric's worshippers) & imply that Cyric has not held the mantle of divinity for all eternity. However, whenever a temple acquires something or someone important enough to sacrifice to Cyric, it's high cleric declares a Day of the Dark Sun to signify the holiness of the event. Eclipses are always considered holy & are often celebrated by feasts, fervent prayers & the murder of a high-ranking cleric or Paladin of Lathander. Cyric's clerics often mutliclass as Assassins, Blackguards, Illusionists, Rogues & Strifeleaders.
History & Relationships;
Once mortal, Cyric was elevated to divine status by Ao at the conclusion of the Time of Troubles in 1358 DR, as was Midnight (Mystra). Upon his ascension, Cyric claimed the portfolios of Bane, Myrkul & Bhaal, largely subsuming their churches into his faith as well. The Dark Sun then slew Leira, Lady of the Mists, with the aid of Mask in the form of the sword Godsbane.
A decade later, in 1368 DR, Cyric created the Cyrinishad, a tome of great power that proclimaed him the One True Deity. Cyric unwisely read his own book, a mistake that cost him his sanity & led to the loss of Myrkul's former portfolio to Kelemvor, a mortal with whom Cyric had once adventured. Moreover Oghma & Mask conspired to create another tome entitled The True Life of Cyric, and with it the Dark Sun's plot was foiled - although not before the destruction of much of Zhentil Keep. However, caught in the web of his own plots, Mask read the Cyrinishad as well, enabling Cyric to steal the portfolio of intrigue from him, along with some of the divine power of the Master of All Thieves.
A year later, in 1369 DR, Cyric was accused of innocence by reason ofinsanity, thereby failing in his divine duty to spread strife & discord. Cyric's chosen, a former Calishite merchant named Malik, arranged for his patron to read The True Life of Cyric & thus regain his sanity. A tribunal of greater deities then found the Dark Sun guilty of his crimes & allowed him to keep his divine status.
Now Cyric continues his murderous intrigued with renewed fervor, ever striving to undermine his fellow deities & destroy all that they hold precious in the mortal realm. He has no allies, although from time to time he pretends to work with various deities in order to ensure their eventual downfall. The Prince of Lies particularly hates Mystra & her former lover, Kelemvor. He exacted a small measure of vengeance against them by engineering the rft that forever sundered their mortal bond of love. However, Cyric now views Vane as the greatest threat toh is power, and the brewing war between these two lords of evil may eventually consume Faerun in a great holocaust.
Dogma;
Death to all who oppose Cyric. Bow down before his supreme power & yield to him the blood of those that do not believe in his supremacy. Fear & obey those in authority, but slay those that are weak, of good persuasion, or false prophets. Battle against all clergy of other faiths, for they are false prophets & forces who oppose the One True Way. Bring death to those that oppose Cyric's church or make peace, order & laws, for only Cyric is the true authority & all other authority must be subverted. Break not into open rebellion, for marching armies move the false deities to action. Fell one foe at a time & keep all folk afraid, uneasy & in constant strife. Any method or means is justified if it brings about the desired end.
Clergy & Temples;
Clerics of the Dark Sun pledge to srpead strife & work murder everywhere to make folk fear & believe in Cyric. They support rulers with a taste for cruelty & empire building, but indulge in intrigue in every land. They avoid plunging realms into widespread war, which would pay homour only to Tempus the War deity. At least, this is the ideal Cyricists pay lip service to. In truth, Cyricist spend most of their time scheming against one another, each striving to strengthen his or her personal power in an endless struggle of cabal against cabal. To make matters worse, during his madnessCyric spoke often to his faithful clergy, but not with one voice. As they all fear him, & each believes what he says is the One True Way, his words set Cyricist temples at cross purposes. His clerics are at one another's throats as often as they are promoting the defeat of other religions.
Cyric's temples are festering sores of evil that vary widely in appearance, reflecting the deity's chaotic nature. Many are hidden within caves or existing structures, including abandoned buildings, crumbling sewers & forgotten dungeons, from which terrifying screams echo at irregular intervals. Many such complexes once served as temples of Bane, Bhaal or Myrkul & thus resemble the grim, foreboding keeps of the Black Lord, the hidden guildhalls of the Lord of Murder, or the tomblike vaults of the Lord of Bones. All have in common a bloody sacrificial altar & a great hall where the local high cleric can rant to the assembled worshippers at irregular intervals.
When not disguising themselves to move in secret among the general populace, clerics of Cyric dress in black or dark purple robes trimmed with silver, with or without hoods. They wear silver bracers or bracelets (usually stamped with the skull & sunburst symbol of Cyric) to symbolise the Church's enslavement to Cyric. Some clerics paint the symbol of their deity on their cheeks or foreheads on high holy days.
The Prince of Lies recognises no single pontiff who rules over the entire faith, althout a dozen or more powerful clerics believe that Cyric intends them to achieve such a role. Such conflicts stem from the time when the Dark Sun in his madness deliberately pitted his faithful against one another. Although the Prince of Lies has ceased doing so overtly, schisms within the faith have by no means healed & the chaotic nature of his followers makes it unlikely that they ever will. Clerics of Cyric dominate most factions, although powerful sorcerors, wizards, barbarians, fighters, rangers & blackguards play important roles as well.
currently, the two most powerful factions are found in Amn. Watchful Skull Tynnos Argrim is high cleric of the Mountain of Skulls in the Cloud Peaks & founder of the devout order of Assassins known as the Flames of the Dark Sun. He has consolidated his influence over the Dark Redoubt, a temple in the Tejarn Hills once led by a rival sect, & allied himself with the armies of Amn against the Sythillisian Empire. Blackwill Haarken Ahkmelere, high cleric of the Twin Towers of the Eternal Eclipse, is working with the army of monsters led by two Ogre Magi from the city of Murann & now maintains a stranglehold over trade passing along the Trade Way.
A third faction, growing in strength, wars with the clergy of Bane in Darkhold for control of the western branch of the Zhentarim. The leader of this faction is at present unknown.Some belive a charismatic cleric named Dag Zoreth has assumed the mantle of leadership, while others claim that a military commander known as the Pereghost commands the loyalty of the Dark Sun's faithful. In any event, it is this faction of Cyricists who are likely to ignite an open holy war with the church of Bane.
Avatars;
Cyric's avatars seldom appear on Faerun, but when he does send one, it usually appears as a slim human male with blazing dark eyes & chalk-white skin. A typical avatar of Cyric speaks sarcastically & acts duplicitously but with a firm purpose. Cyric prefers his avatars to work from behind the scenes, inciting strife, furthering intrigue, spreading lies & crafting illusions. His avatar always commits at least one murder during each visit to the Realms, usually in furtherance of the above goals.
