Bhaul,God of murder

Title(s)

Lord of Murder Dread Lord

Adjective

Bhaalist Aspects/Aliases Bale BOOOAL Niynjushigampo

Power level

Quasi-deity Gender Masculine

Alignment

Neutral evil

Symbol

Skull surrounded by ring of bloody droplets

Portfolio

Murder

Domains

Death

Worshipers

Assassins, compulsive killers

Introduction

Bhaal, also known as Niynjushigampo among his Gugari worshipers, was a deity that instilled fear in the hearts of many. As the Faerûnian god of violence and ritualistic killing, he was often associated with bloodshed and death. His followers, who were known for their brutal practices, were feared by many across the land.

"I choose death...I can destroy your kingdom, Bane, by murdering your subjects, and I can starve your kingdom, Myrkul, by staying my hand."
— Bhaal

Description

Bhaal was the Faerûnian god of violence and ritualistic killing, and his three avatar forms were the stuff of nightmares. The Slayer, with his feral face and black ichor flowing from his ivory skin, was typically seen in urban areas. The Ravager, a 30-foot monster with fiery eyes and massive horns, preferred to take on this form when visiting the rural regions of Toril. Finally, the shape-shifting Kazgoroth was a monstrous and inhuman form that only the most powerful of Bhaal's mortal Bhaalspawn children could take on after his death. These avatars were terrifying killing machines, but still weaker than a true god's avatars.

Personality

Bhaal was a being of pure, unadulterated malice. His existence was dedicated solely to the pursuit of murder, his only desire to see the living brought down to the dead. The mere presence of the living would stir in him an insatiable bloodlust, driving him to hunt and kill without mercy or remorse. His cruelty knew no bounds, and he reveled in the suffering of those he deemed his prey. At times, he would exhibit a cold and calculated ruthlessness, methodically plotting the demise of his targets, while at other times his primal instincts would take over, driving him into a frenzy of savage violence.

Divine Realm

Listen closely, for I shall tell you of the terror that is Bhaal. Before the Time of Troubles, the Lord of Murder held sway over the Throne of Blood, a realm of crimson terror located on the first layer of the infernal plane of Gehenna known as Khalas. It was a place of ceaseless violence and death, a reflection of Bhaal's own twisted desires. His followers believed that every drop of blood spilled in the mortal realm was a sacrifice to their god, feeding his insatiable hunger for slaughter. And when Bhaal descended to the material plane, his presence alone would stir a dark and malevolent energy, causing even the bravest of souls to cower in fear.

Relationships

As a god, Bhaal was an object of fear and disgust to many, a deity of bloodshed and terror. He was held in contempt by most of his divine peers, who saw his worshipers as nothing more than depraved and bloodthirsty fanatics. Bhaal's own followers were often driven by an insatiable desire for murder and carnage, seeing death as the ultimate expression of power. Bhaal's dark influence extended beyond his worshipers, as he was known to grant power to assassins, bounty hunters, and other killers. He was served by a number of malevolent beings, including the goddesses Talona and Loviatar, who shared his love for death and suffering. And while he himself was subservient to the god Bane, Bhaal was a force to be reckoned with in his own right.
During his time as a deity, Bhaal was served by the imp "butler" Cespenar, a loyal and sadistic servant who delighted in carrying out his master's most twisted whims. Together, Bhaal and Cespenar reigned over a realm of blood and horror, where the only law was the will of the Lord of Murder.

Worshipers

As the god of violence and ritualistic killing, Bhaal's worshippers were a terrifying lot known for their disorderly and chaotic ways. His clergy, known as Bhaalists or Bhaalyn, operated as a network of local hierarchies with the urban and rural branches keeping distant relations from one another. Murder was not only a duty but a game for their enjoyment, and each cleric of Bhaal was expected to perform at least one murder every tenday, preferably in the darkest moment in the dead of night. The Bhaalists were infamous for their use of poison, assassination, and sacrifice, often targeting the powerful and wealthy. They believed that death and destruction were necessary to maintain the balance of life and death, and that Bhaal himself was the one who ensured that balance. In their eyes, murder was not only a means to an end but also an art form to be perfected.
The Bhaalists' rituals were often gruesome and involved the mutilation of their victims, as well as the consumption of their organs and blood. They used various tools and weapons for their killings, ranging from simple daggers to exotic poisons and magical artifacts. Those who opposed or betrayed the Bhaalists risked becoming their next target, as their wrath was swift and deadly.
Despite their brutal ways, the Bhaalists were a tight-knit and secretive community, with their rituals and traditions passed down through generations. They were deeply devoted to their god, and would stop at nothing to ensure his will was carried out.

Unholy Order

In the wake of Bhaal's death, many fanatical cults arose, each seeking to revive their dark god. Among them were the infamous Deathstalkers of Bhaal, a group of ruthless assassins who reveled in murder and death. Their ranks were filled with rogues, fighters, and other skilled killers, who sought to please their deity by offering him fresh blood and souls. Despite their violent tendencies, the Deathstalkers were cunning and well-organized, and they remained a significant threat even after the fall of Bhaal. For a time, it was believed that Bhaal's essence had been permanently locked away, but his resurrection was eventually achieved through the death of his mortal offspring, the Bhaalspawn.

History

Mortal

Before he became a deity, Bhaal was an ambitious and power-hungry adventurer on the world of Toril. He joined forces with Bane and Myrkul Bey al-Kursi, and the trio set their sights on attaining the portfolio of the God of the Dead, Jergal. Through their exploits, they defeated one of the Seven Lost Gods, which granted them the ability to travel to Jergal's domain, the forbidding Castle of Bone in the Gray Waste.     Upon their arrival, Jergal willingly offered his realm to the Dark Three, though they could not decide amongst themselves who would rule. To settle the matter, Jergal suggested they divide his power based on the outcome of a game. The three played a game of knucklebones, and Bane emerged as the victor. He claimed the domains of hatred, strife, and tyranny as his own. Myrkul, coming in second, chose to rule over the dead, the ultimate fate for all of Bane's minions. Finally, Bhaal chose the divine province of death, a decision that would shape the rest of his existence.

Godhood

Ah, dear reader, I shudder at the mere mention of the God of Murder, Bhaal, and his reign of terror in the Moonshae Isles in the Year of the Bloodbird, 1346 DR. It was a time of great darkness and despair, and Bhaal's cruelty and malice knew no bounds. His shapeshifting avatar Kazgaroth emerged from a Darkwell, seeking to combine the strength of the firbolgs and Northmen into a conquering army, with the sole purpose of destroying all the realms of the Ffolk. But it did not stop there. It corrupted some of the Northmen, turning them into bloodthirsty warriors who were fiercely loyal to Kazgaroth. It was a tactic so vile, it made even the bravest of hearts tremble with fear.
After Kazgaroth was defeated by Tristan Kendrick and his allies, Bhaal himself sought to ravage and corrupt the Moonshae Isles. Through his cleric Hobarth, he corrupted the sacred Moonwell, turning it into a Darkwell, and formed an alliance with the Thayan wizard Cyndre in the court of High King Reginald Carrathal. He raised an army of sahuagin and undead, led by the sahuagin priestess Ysalla.
The Darkwell turned into a cancerous wound on the earth that corrupted and killed anyone who came near it. Bhaal used the Darkwell to summon forth 'The Children of Bhaal,' which included Thorax the owlbear, a flock of perytons, and a displacer beast known as Shantu, which would lead them. All this was done to destroy the Earthmother and seize the Moonshae Isles as his personal domain.
As the God of Murder sucked out the warm life of the Moonshaes through the Darkwell, the Earthmother's strength continued to fade until her spirit was completely extinguished, ending her reign on the isles. Bhaal's army of undead, sahuagin, firbolgs, ogre mercenaries, and the Children of Bhaal led by proxies such as Hobarth and Ysalla, wreaked havoc across the isles by killing numerous people and razing settlements. It was a time of great suffering and sorrow for the people of the isles.
But the Ffolk were not ones to give up without a fight. They united under the newly crowned King Tristan Kendrick and fought back against Bhaal's army, defeating them in a series of battles. Finally, the Darkwell was corrupted enough to open a portal to Bhaal's own realm. He sent forth his avatar, the Ravager, fueled by much of his divine power, but it was ultimately slain by Tristan, High King of the Ffolk, using the Sword of Cymrych Hugh.
Defeated and greatly weakened, Bhaal was banished from the Moonshae Isles and even temporarily exiled from Toril. It was a dark and terrifying time, and the mere memory of it still sends chills down my spine.

Time of Troubles

Ah, my dear reader, it brings me no small amount of pleasure to recount the demise of Bhaal, the Lord of Murder. On that fateful day, Eleint 16 in the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR, Bhaal found himself stripped of his divine powers and forced to walk among mortals like a commoner. But his humiliation was not to end there. For an upstart mortal by the name of Cyric, wielding the powerful avatar of Mask and a sword known as Godsbane, dealt the killing blow to the once-mighty Bhaal. In that moment, Cyric seized Bhaal's divinity and portfolio elements, effectively stealing his power and status as a deity. However, much like the god Myrkul before him, Bhaal's essence was not entirely removed from the realm of Faerûn. His blood, spilled upon the ground at Boareskyr Bridge, seeped into the Winding Water and imbued the river with a fraction of his divine essence.
But Bhaal's cunning did not end there. In his prescience, he had impregnated many mortal women, siring a generation of heirs known as the Bhaalspawn. These children were drawn into a series of conflicts along the Sword Coast, with one ultimately standing above the others and foiling Bhaal's plan to return through his progeny.
After Bhaal's death, his followers in the cities quickly converted to the worship of Cyric, whom they called Cyric-Bhaal. But the rural priests remained faithful to Bhaal, claiming to still receive their divine powers following their nightly prayers. The schism between the Bhaalists and the emerging Cyric-Bhaalists escalated to the point where the factions would ambush and assault one another. Ultimately, the remaining worshipers of Bhaal stopped receiving their divine powers and began to gradually convert to the worship of Cyric or his brother Xvim.
Truly, the fall of Bhaal and the ensuing conflict between his followers and the followers of Cyric was a fascinating chapter in the history of Faerûn, and one that I am thrilled to recount for you, my dear reader.

Reemergence

My heart sinks as I tell you of the  fate of Bhaal and his Bhaalspawn. Despite the Lord of Murder's death and the passing of many years, his dark legacy lived on through his children. It was believed that the last known Bhaalspawn, Abdel Adrian, had managed to resist the violent tendencies that came with his lineage, becoming a celebrated hero in the city of Baldur's Gate. Yet, this fragile peace was shattered in the Year of the Narthex Murders, 1482 DR, when Viekang, another Bhaalspawn thought to be dead, attacked Adrian in a public place.   The fate of the duel is unknown, but it is said that the victor was transformed into a monstrous creature drenched in blood, causing chaos and destruction in the city. It was only thanks to a group of brave adventurers that the creature was defeated and the rampage ended.
With the death of all his children, Bhaal's essence was finally freed, and the Lord of Murder was resurrected. However, his return was bittersweet, for he was no longer a true deity, but a being of quasi-divine status. Despite his resurrection, Bhaal's power was diminished, and he was forced to reclaim his murder domain from Cyric.
Tragically, this was not the end of the turmoil that Bhaal's legacy had wrought upon the land. In 1492 DR, the city of Baldur's Gate was once again plunged into darkness as a cult devoted to the Dead Three, consisting of Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul, rose up to commit a series of heinous murders. It seemed that even in death, the Lord of Murder continued to cast a long and bloody shadow over the land.