Jergal

Jergal is the seneschal of Kelemvor, Lord of the Dead, whom he serves just as he did Cyric and Myrkul before him. Jergal is the Lord of the End of Everything, Astora's original god of death before he eventually ceded his position. Caring for little besides an orderly accounting of the fate of the world as it slowly sinks into death, the Final Scribe is the one who keeps the records of the ultimate fate of all the dead. He was venerated under the name Nakasr among the peoples of Netheril, and continues to be under the people of Magna Pativa.

Description

Jergal was frequently depicted as a member of an ancient alien race that resembled a cross between a humanoid and a praying mantis. He was a wizened and insubstantial creature, mummy-like in appearance with gray, tightly taut skin. His elongated skull hosted bulbous, yellow eyes devoid of life and insectoid mandibles, as well as a nose and ears barely distinguishable from the rest of his head.

Jergal's lengthy, claw-like hands and forearms were covered by a pair of white gloves. Most of his form was also covered, hidden behind a gray, shadow-filled cloak that seemed to absorb the very atmosphere around it and moved as if blown in a wind, even if none was present. Its outer surface was a gate to the Negative Energy plane. In his clutches was a quill with fresh ink and a thick scroll covered in an intricate and incomprehensible script.

When Jergal spoke, his voice was chilling and seemingly disembodied, echoing with the dry whisper of a tomb that had long been forgotten.

Jergal was also known to take on the form of an old mortal man with a great white beard and sunken eyes that still held the spark of energy and betrayed his sharp intellect. He could take the form of any undead creature, amplifying the form's abilities with his gear and enervating touch unless the creature had such a power of equal or greater potency. Manifestations

Jergal's favored manifestation was simply the sound of a closing book, carrying a chilling feeling of finality.

No matter the manifestation, when Jergal spoke, his voice was chilling and seemingly disembodied, echoing with the dry whisper of a tomb that had long been forgotten.

Personality

Although his nature is that he must be loyal to the office of death, he can subtly undermine the holder of that office if he or she is not true to the office's responsibilities.

Relationships

Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul inherited most of the portfolios of Jergal when he wearily stepped down from his position and then faded into near-obscurity. The death of those deities left Jergal in the service of Cyric and then Kelemvor; he worked well with Kelemvor, but retained his scorn for Cyric. He spent much of his efforts combating Velsharoon's efforts to prolong life into undeath.

History

Jergal was an ancient deity, older than many of the greater gods of Faerûn. In the time of Netheril, he was a greater deity himself, with the portfolios of the Dead, Murder, and Strife. With the long aeons, he became bored with his position of power, and allowed for three mortals, known as the Dark Three, to each take up parts of his divinity. Bane assumed the portfolio of Strife, Myrkul the rulership of the Dead, and Bhaal the portfolio of Murder. Jergal himself faded from his great stature, and became a seneschal to Myrkul, a position he kept even after his master perished and first Cyric and then Kelemvor assumed his place.

After the Second Sundering, Jergal was reported be found in a gate-town of Sylvania, inviting visitors to a game of skull bocce in an undead club called the Afterparty.

During the events surrounding the rise of the cult of the Absolute in the Year of Three Ships Sailing, 1492 DR, Jergal manifested an avatar called Withers in a temple dedicated to himself that had lain abandoned for over a century—or rather, interred his avatar within the temple at some point in the past so that the adventurers from the nautiloid would eventually awaken it. As Withers, Jergal provided magical support to the adventurers, in exchange for a pittance of coin compared to the usual cost of such services. He accompanied the group on their journey, but aside from resurrecting dead allies and summoning additional help when asked for, he did not intervene directly. However, he might have shown great kindness to the tiefling sorcerer girl named Arabella, soothing the girl when she was distraught over the death of her parents, showing her a glimpse of her destiny that filled her with joy.

After the war the Absolute rained on the city of Baldur's Gate and many of its citizens suffered ceremorphosis, Jergal-as-Withers confronted a mural of his three inheritors—Bhaal, Myrkul, and Bane. Jergal explained that the souls of mortals vanished when they were transformed into Mind Flayers, thus failing to bolster their power, a fact that other gods had noticed. He expressed contempt for them, called them fools and finally dismissed them as "vermin". The god walked away from the mural claiming that the Dead Three will trouble the realms no more.

Jergal

Demigod

Basic Information

Titles

Lord of the End of Everything
The Pitiless One
The Forgotten One
The Final Scribe
Scribe of the Doomed
The Bleak Seneschal
Seneschal of the Crystal Spire
Formerly:
Lord of Bones
Lord of the Dead
Protector of the Names of the Dead
King of the Walking Dead
Guardian of Tombs
Judge of the Damned
The Grim Reaper

Pantheons

Astoran
Netherese

Serves

Kelemvor

Attributes

Alignment

Lawful Neutral

Symbol

A skull biting a scroll
Jawless skull and writing quill on scroll

Realm

Gray Waste of Hades/Oinos/City of the Dead/The Crystal Spire

Portfolio

Fatalism, Guardian Of Tombs, Proper Burial

Favored Weapon

A white glove (scythe)

Following

Worshippers

Monks
Necromancers
Paladins

Alignments

LG, LN, LE

Domains

Death (Psychopomp)
Repose (Ancestors, Psychopomp, Souls)