Bhaal

Bhaal is the god of death, particularly of slaying, assassination, and violent death. Bhaal is violent, cruel, and hateful at all times, and lives only to hunt and murder. He could be alternately cold, calculating, and ruthless or filled with a savage bloodlust. The presence of living creatures instilled a deadly hunger in the Lord of Murder and an overpowering need to kill and destroy. Before Bhaal could rebuild much of his power, he was returned in avatar form. Bhaal, reduced to a killing force able only to possess humans, then went on a spree of murder and destruction the like of which had never before been seen. When Lord Bane sought the power he slew all of the assassins in the Realms who made up the bulk of the Lord of Murder's faithful, further reducing Bhaal's power. Bhaal was not utterly removed. Part of his divinity remained where he was slain, his blood having flowed into the river. More importantly, Bhaal foresaw his death and impregnated many mortal women - creating his heirs, the Bhaalspawn. The ultimate winner of the Bhaalspawn is unknown, although it matters not as the victor transformed into Bhaal a massive, blood soaked creature and began a rampage which was only stopped when a group of adventurers and killed the monstrosity. The defeat of the monstrosity released Bhaal's essence, which reformed as the god Bhaal now works to reform his church.

Divine Domains

Death, Trickery

Divine Symbols & Sigils

A white, face-on human skull surrounded by a counterclockwise orbit of many streaming teardrops

Tenets of Faith

Bhaalists believe that every murder committed strengthened holy Bhaal. As a result, they view murder as both a pastime and a duty. Bhaalists are required to deal death once in every tenday during the darkest period at the heart of the night. If imprisonment or other constraining circumstances make this impossible, they must murder twice for each death missed. In accordance with the Lord of Murder's teachings, Bhaalists strive to ensure that before they died, murder victims knew who is killing them and that their death is in the name of Bhaal. Novices of Bhaal are charged as follows: "Make all folk fear Bhaal. Let your killings be especially elegant, or grisly, or seem easy so that those observing them are awed or terrified. Tell folk that gold proffered to the church can make the Lord of Murder overlook them for today."

Holidays

The main ritual to Bhaal is, of course, an act of slaying, during which the priest intoned: "Bhaal awaits thee, Bhaal embraces thee, none escape Bhaal" (if necessary, repeatedly). After each murder, a priest of Bhaal draws Bhaal's symbol beside the corpse in the blood of the victim and smears the blood on his or her own hands, from where it promptly vanishes if the ceremony was done fitly. Priests also pray to Bhaal upon retiring for slumber and whenever they set out to slay. Moreover, every increase in priestly rank is marked by a solemn private ritual in which the ascending priest goes out from the temple to return only after slaying another with nothing save his or her bare hands. The events of the killing are related privately to a senior priest, and if the signs are deemed favorable, the new rank is conveyed in a church ritual held in full ceremonial regalia by all temple clergy member during which a living sacrifice to Bhaal is made. Senior priests are said have an uncanny ability to ferret out lies about this private ritual and be harsh in their punishment of those bearing false report. Lay worshipers of Bhaal (but not priests) are to pray to Bhaal for the limited safety of "his overlook" when setting forth on journeys or into known danger. They are also to pray when giving gold to Bhaalists (to ensure that the Lord of Murder accepts their gift) and whenever a violent death occurrs nearby or to someone related to them. The only calendar ritual of the church of Bhaal occurrs on the Feast of the Moon, when the dead of the faith are remembered and Bhaalists celebrate especially important or impressive slayings by retelling stories of these deeds. One of the most "splendid" tales of gore told often is of one of the exploits of the famous priest-mage Uthaedeol the Blood-drenched. It is of his killing of the warned and guarded King Samyte. Uthaedeol teleported to appear in midair in front of a pegasus-riding palace guard, slew the man, and rode his steed forcibly down to its death, smashing through a skylight into the throne room. Uthaedeol leapt clear of the pegasus as the king's archers peppered it with shafts, and rode a prepared flight magic down to plunge into one eye of the king's guardian black dragon. He slew the great drake with his own still-secret destroying fist spell (known to be a small, localized disintegrate effect) and rode its involuntary dying breath across the throne room, gliding along the stream of acid it breathed protected by his enchanted armor. As the armor blackened, crumbled, and fell away, Uthaedeol cast a spell that flung all arrows in the room, even those not yet fired, into swarming flight. He then sprang to meet the king in single combat with his lone dagger against Samyte's broad sword. It is recorded that Uthaedeol slew every guard who came against him as he slashed the unfortunate monarch's skin in hundreds of places; he then cast a spell that forced the king into a veritable dance of death so that he fell lifeless from exsanguination. The priest-mage then cast two entrapping spells and teleported away. The first trap was a meteor swarm activated whenever any spell was next cast in the throne room. It slew four court wizards of note. The second was a blade barrier set to erupt into being when someone who was blood kin to the king next entered the room. It slew the king's two eldest sons.