Deneir

Deneir is the neutral good lesser deity of art, cartography, glyphs, images, knowledge, literature, and scholars. The Scribe of Oghma is given purpose by his search for the Metatext, a single, perfect work of writing reflected in snippets of every written work committed to paper that, when read, will unlock the secrets of the multiverse. Whereas Oghma embodies the creative spark, the First Scribe is the recording of humanity's epiphanies.

Description

Deneir was portrayed in religious depictions as an old, balding sage with a huge, flaring beard. Sometimes his eyes were a vibrant violet with triangular pupils, at others a brilliant ice blue, and at others still they were blazing balls of blue fire, but they were always peculiar in some way. He was always shown holding a quill and with some form of parchment, either carrying or writing in a book or scroll.

Deneir most often appeared as he was depicted, with a white beard and intense blue or violet eyes, usually carrying quill pens, scrolls, and tomes. He sometimes, however, appeared younger, especially when in disguise. His voluminous robes were covered in symbols and glyphs that initiated random effects on those who touched them, ranging in effect from standard glyph or symbol spells, miscellaneous spell effects, or just bizarre happenings. The symbols seemed to serve as some sort of code to remind him of specific facts and events.

Deneir occasionally let some of his equipment fall when he appeared before leaving it behind, something that appeared accidental but in reality was always done on purpose. Mortals who obtained them would discover these to be pens, spell scrolls, magical tomes, or instructions for creating magical items or constructs.

Personality

Deneir's vast accumulation of book knowledge is contrasted by his outward appearance of being a very absent-minded deity. He has a severe lack of focus that negatively impacts his ability to share what he knows, often trailing off mid-sentence because his mind races along multiple trains of thought even while he is speaking. Once he starts telling a story he goes off on seemingly endless digressions about tangentially related substories.

Furthermore, Deneir can be very out of touch with the modern world, particularly regarding what human customs are in practice. He often adheres to points of etiquette long since abandoned, mixes slang terms to unintentionally humorous effect, and ends up sounding profoundly dated when he tries to sound current.

Despite these flaws, Deneir is usually calm and has few characteristics that one could associate with madness. Indeed he is usually calm, with a stodgy and studious outlook on life and a dedication to the truth. As long as his stories can be, they always convey some vital piece of information for those with the patience to endure them.

Activities

Aside from his search for the Metatext, Deneir works to ensure that everything known and true is accurately recorded in the Great Library. He is frequently caught up in recording, filing, indexing, and maintaining all that has even been written, drawn, or otherwise depicted.

Dogma

Scholars of Denier believed that any piece of information that was not recorded would eventually be lost. Destroying lore in any form should be punished based upon the inherent value of the information destroyed. All information should be free to any who desire it. Literacy, considered a gift from Deneir, should be spread and taught everywhere. Scribes of Deneir took oaths of charity so that they could not refuse a request to perform such duties when asked.

Clergy

Members of the Church of Deneir were known as Deneirrath. The term "priest" was used for both male and female members of the church. Ranks within the clergy in ascending order were Applicant, Underpriest, Aspirant Priest, Full Priest, Priest Illuminator, Priest Calligrapher, Priest Editor, Priest Secretary, Priest Librarian, Aspirant Scrivener, Full Scrivener, and High Scrivener. Several even higher titles existed–the Writer Inquisitor, Librarian, and High Librarian–but these were granted by Deneir alone.

All clergy of Deneir were focused with gathering and copying information. This including all forms such as poetry, music, fiction, diaries, etc.

Temples

Though Deneir's faithful could be found all across Faerûn, some prominent centers of worship included the Master's Library, Edificant Library and subsequent Spirit Soaring, and Twilight Hall.

Rituals

Copies of contracts were shared on every Shieldmeet. Priests of Deneir performed a rite, called the Gilding, where the Words of Deneir were cast upon a levitating scroll one letter at a time.

Relationships

Deneir, along with Oghma, Milil and Gond, were known as the Deities of Knowledge and Invention. Like Milil, he acted as an intermediary for Oghma, carrying new information both to him and those he favored. Their relationship was a symbiotic one, and Oghma appreciated Deneir's commitment to his studies and truth, though he knew little of the obscure Metatext and suspected that his servant was chasing half-imagined ramblings and shadows of the mind.

His scholarly outlook and magical interests made Deneir popular among gods of magic, including Mystra, Azuth, and particularly Savras. He had forged contracts with the like-minded Thoth and could count Labelas Enoreth of the elves and Dugmaren Brightmantle of the dwarves as his allies. Lliira thought that she could scare some fun into him and gained endless enjoyment from making him uncomfortable, though she too was among Deneir's allies, as was Lathander.

Deneir counted among his enemies those who sought to hide or distort knowledge, such as Cyric, Mask, or Shar, or those who destroyed it, such as the Gods of Fury, notably Malar and Talos. These beings filled the normally collected scribe with rage. Advertisement

History

Deneir's purpose was to act as Oghma's scribe; more importantly, he recorded the Metatext: the numeric representation of the multiverse and a form of ultimate logic. During the events of the Spellplague, Cadderly witnessed Deneir transcribing the Metatext into the remnants of the Weave for purposes unknown. In doing so, Deneir wrote himself into the Weave as well, passing out of known existence. Deneir granted a portion of his power to Cadderly in order for him to combat and imprison the Ghost King.

Deneir

Lesser deity

Basic Information

Titles

Lord of All Glyphs and Images
The Scribe of Oghma
The First Scribe
The Prattler (Derogatory)

Adjectives

Deneirrath Deneirian

Pantheons

Astoran

Serves

Oghma

Attributes

Alignment

Neutral Good

Symbol

Lit candle above purple eye with triangular pupil

Realm

Wilderness of the Beastlands/Brux/Library of all Knowledge

Portfolio

Cartography, Glyphs, Images, Literature, Scribes

Favored Weapon

A whirling glyph (dagger)

Following

Worshippers

Historians
Loremasters
Sages
Scholars
Scribes
Seekers of enlightenment
Students

Alignments

LG, NG, CG

Domains

Good (-)
Knowledge (Education, Memory)
Rune (Language, Wards)

Favored Aspects

Animals/Plants

Calico cats
White, golden-eyed dogs
Pinto horses
Piebald horses

Gold flowers
Yellow flowers

Monsters

Archons
Devas
Planetars

Minerals

Topaz
Lolite
Tourmaline
Star sapphire

Colors

Tan
White

Manifest- ations

Book surrounded by glowing light

Glowing humanoid hand

Letters of fire

Candles