Brandobaris
Brandobaris is the halfling deity of thievery. He is typically the opposite of what most races think of halflings. He is constantly scheming and meddling. He is curious, but with a short attention span.
Brandobaris is always ready with a joke or a jug, yet he is such an agreeable, friendly rapscallion that he rarely makes an enemy. He's always well dressed and ready with a smart reply to any attempt at conversation. He has a bawdy sense of humor and little sense of propriety. Brandobaris often goes on adventures to find some item he believes wilt make life more comfortable for him, though this does not always prove to work out as he had planned. The moral lesson of many of his journeys and scrapes is that it is better not to dash off unprepared into danger, let alone on foolish dares. Nonetheless, Brandobaris does come across as an appealing sort of scamp. He has much of the trickster in him; he is primarily a clever thief who fools his opponents into thinking him harmless, then steals them blind and escapes (heir wrath. No matter how awful a situation in which he finds himself (and he's found some pretty awful ones), Brandobaris manages to find his way out again — and make a profit from the episode as well.
The mischievous Master of Stealth is always on the lockout for a worthy risk and challenge to face, and he may even seek out a highly skilled halfling thief or two to join him in some caper as he wanders the Prime. Other thieves may come along on such jaunts, but if they do not worship Brandobaris they might find some of their valuables missing when the adventure is over. Brandobaris reveals his identity only after the adventure is over, and only to his followers. Brandobaris's adventures can be exceptionally challenging and dangerous, but hold the promise of great reward for the fast, the clever, and the quiet!
The church of Misadventure, as Brandobaris's "organized" religion is known, teems with adventuresome troublemakers who usually emerge from some dangerous endeavor better off than when they entered it. Though most halflings (particularly children) love stories of their exploits, most halflings would prefer that the church of Brandobaris keep far away from their own lives and are personally unwilling to get involved in the misadventurous capers of the Trickster's entourage. Many strong heart communities discourage Brandobaris' worship, and some even view Brandobaris and his cult as a perversion of the civilized world.
Hands of Misadventure, as clerics of Brandobaris are known, engage in difficult, dangerous pursuits such as adventuring, always valuing the story of a given success far more than the physical treasure such a success might bring with it. Though Hands frequently engage in confidence schemes or larceny, they do so for the thrill, with monetary rewards simply garnishing the pleasure that comes from mastering one's (albeit occasionally illegal) craft. Those who cannot adventure, whether due to age or infirmity, serve the faith by running safehouses and by spreading glorious tales among the sedentary majority of the halfling populace. Some clerics multiclass as rogues.
Clerics pick one time of day or night to consistently pray for spells (those who prefer public displays of bravado usually choose to pray during the day, with the sneakier, more subtle Hands electing to pray under the light of the moon).
As one might expect, followers of Brandobaris have little in the way of formal ceremony when they venerate the Master of Stealth. On nights of the new moon, no matter where they are, followers of Brandobaris are expected to hide one or more stolen items from the previous month's take in the best hiding place they can find as part of a ritual known as the Trickster's Tithe. If Brandobaris is pleased with the offering (which has less to do with the value of the offering than it does with the amount of risk required to acquire it), it vanishes from its cache by morning.
Divine Domains
Trickery, Twilight, Knowledge, Ambition
Divine Symbols & Sigils
The symbol of Brandobaris commonly used by his followers is a depiction of a halfling footprint.
Tenets of Faith
Seek excitement and danger wherever your feet take you, for risk-taking leads to life's greatest rewards. Lust for the thrill, not for the treasure, for greed obscures the true prize of the experience. At the end of the day, the halfling with the wildest tale is the most honored in the eyes of the Irrepressible Scamp.
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