Church of Ilmater

The followers of Ilmater are often perceived as being intentional sufferers, but in reality they concentrate a lot of effort on providing proper treatment and healing to those who have been hurt. They put others ahead of themselves, are sharing, and emphasize the spiritual nature of life over the gross material body.
Ilmater's priests tend to be the most sensitive and caring of humans. When new to the faith, since they see much suffering, they often weep. Over time, this constant tugging at their heartstrings wears at them, and they then tend toward a cynical view of life in Faerûn. They are distinguished from other cynics, however, by their inability to ignore or pass by others in need. Even when a cause is hopeless, they must help. Ilmatari are taught to be firm in their principles and fearless, with the result that they earn enormous respect with the general populace, but are often slain by brigands or those who hold different principles than they do. The church of Ilmater is different from many Faerûnian faiths in that it has many saints, among them St. Dionysius and St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred (whose symbol is a yellow rose).
Few priests of Ilmater are soldiers, and fewer still are merchants, but they do outstrip all other priesthoods in the size, number, and level of treatment in the many infirmaries and leper sanctuaries they maintain. From their inception into the priesthood, Ilmatari are trained in the recognition and treatment of all known disease, injuries, and conditions; senior priests have had prepared detailed programmed illusions to show beings in various stages of harm. An Ilmatari priest who has been shown these could, for instance, recognize a human infested with rot grubs at a glance.
The process of joining the clergy of Ilmater is simple: A novice enjoys a gentle walk and talk with a senior priest, during which they talk and explore the novice's views of life. They then dine and the novice is (knowingly) given a wine taht puts him or her into a gentle trance where various clergy and wizards friendly to the faith can easily employ mind-scrying spells to thoroughly explore the novice's true feelings, loyalties, and aims. If no dedication to evil or precluding religious or secular loyalties are found, the novice is accepted and adorned with the simple robes of Ilmater. (This cautious practice was instituted because so many folk in the past have posed as willing entrants into the Ilmatari just to learn the medicines and physiclore and then stholen away with as many medical supplies as they could.)
All the Adorned are priests, but no titles are commonly used in the clergy except Brother and Sister. For senior clergy, Revered is added to this, and for the heads of temples, abbeys, and monasteries dedicated to the Crying God, Father and Mother are used. So, for example, the head of the Towers of Willful Suffering, the abbey to Ilmater in Eshpurta, is known as Revered Mother of the House Heldatha Dhussta.
The Adorned include clerics, specialty priests, and monks. Though the monastic orders usually dwell separate from the rest of the church in monasteries and abbeys, some monks also abide in Ilmatari temples to teach other Ilmatari about fields of knowledge they have specialized in or to provide their special form of hand-to-hand protection to the institution to which they are assigned.
The hierarchy of the Adorned usually centers around the leader of the large temple, abbey, or monastery to who the Ilmatari in the region report. Ilmatari are loosely ranked under this Revered Mother or Father, and abbeys and monasteries are usually tied to specific temples, often adding a second informal tier to the hierarchy.
Ilmater's priests are found where they are needed, which is usually in the worst possible conditions, ministering to the needs of the oppressed, the deceased, and the poor. Those outside the faith often view this as a strategic positioning of churches in areas which guarantee the persecution of Ilmatari (such as Mulmaster and Zhentil Keep). Priests of Ilmater may also be found among adventuring companies, and—in addition to paladins—are often the ones to go off rescuing this clan of kidnapped halflings or recovering that purloined family heirloom. It is not that they are foolish, but rather that they care for all things to the exclusion of their personal risk.
Shortly after the Time of Troubles, the reputation of the organized church was plagued by the actions of a neutral cult of Ilmater that believed in passing suffering around to others, especially nonbelievers. They were noted for self-flagellation, kidnappings, and inciting riots. Ilmater was not granting these cultists their powers or spells, and the Ilmatari church suspects that Cyric, Loviatar, or Beshaba was behind these deluded people. Fortunately, the cult has largely been eliminated due to a hostile response to its actions on the part of nobles and those in authority.

Creed

Share and give counsel and listen whenever needful. Be a comfort and a support. Stand up for the oppressed, guide the lost, and give food, water, medicines, firewood, clothing, and shelter to all in need—and burial to those be¬yond mortal need. Life is sacred and suffering is holy, but “life” implies the freedom to make bad choices or embrace danger and hurt; thus, seek not to control what others do. Sacrifice and know pain and loss on behalf of others, but do not in¬dulge in the sin of enjoying pain, benefiting from your sufferings, or seeking revenge primarily to inflict more pain.

Secular Aims

Ilmatari priests are collectively called the Adorned (formally Adorned Sufferers), and include among their ranks Healers, Pain- bearers, and Sanctars. Healers work directly with common folk, to heal and lessen suffering. These individuals are often found in slums and sanctu¬aries where the destitute and ill can find shelter and be tended. Painbearers travel Faerun and work to lessen large causes of suffering, such as wars, feuds, slavers, class and racial exploitation, and even local bullying. The Painbearers and the Sanctars work with clergy of Tyr and Torm (fellow deities of the Triad) and with priests of Lathander to further fairness, security, happiness, and hope for all.
Sanctars are the highest and most secretive clergy of Ilmater; they are the judges of other Adorned, internal investigators of the faith, and the enforcers who fight to protect fellow Adorned and their work. Where other Ilmatari merely suf¬fer and endure, a Sanctar seeks to punish any being who has harmed or mocked the clergy of Il¬mater. Ilmatari paladins are Sanctars and knights of their particular orders.
Certain Sanctars have apparently received personal direction from Ilmater—or believe they have, and have not suffered any rebuke to dis¬abuse them of this belief—that suffering would be “shared more broadly, but lessened in its worst excesses” if wealth were redistributed from the very wealthy to the poorest. These few Sanctars are at work in Athkatla, Waterdeep, the cities of Sembia, and elsewhere to steal or manipulate any coins, trade goods, and property they can get from the rich and successful. These spoils they then pass on to the needy. They also work to equalize taxation, to pressure governments into providing for their poorest citizens, and to ensure that courtiers and other officials found guilty of corruption are heavily fined rather than merely jailed or dismissed from their posts. Some Sanctars work tirelessly to find and expose such corruption—particularly when it involves the misuse of public funds that would otherwise have benefited the wider populace.

Church of Ilmater of Waterdeep

In the City of Splendors, worship of the Triad (Tyr, Torm and Ilmater) has long been subsumed by the Halls of Justice (C5), Waterdeep's temple of Tyr. After the Time of Troubles, large swaths of the citizenry were afflicted with fiendish plagues. While most recovered with clerical attention, for some the effects of the disease continued to linger, resistant to the healing effects of magic. As few Waterdhavians would have anything to do with the fiend-afflicted sufferers, for fear of catching the plague anew, the followers of the Crying God decided to create a place for the lepers. The llmatari erected the Hospice of St Laupsenn (N73), named for the priest who tended those similarly affected in the aftermath of the Weeping War, and have continued in quiet service to this day. The hospice is funded by private charitable contributions (many of which come from the personal holdings of the Lords) and tithes from the Church of Tyr. It is unclear whether or not the temple will continue after the last of the patients finally dies.

Структура

OrganizationEdit InitiationEdit Initiation into the clergy of Ilmater was uncomplicated. A novice expressing an interest in joining went on a simple walk with a senior priest who, as they talked, explored that individual's views on life. Then they dined, and the novice was given wine that induced a slight trance so that their mind could be examined with magic. This was done with the full knowledge of the novice, and performed by various other clerics or wizards sympathetic to the Ilmatari. They closely examined their loyalties, goals, and true feelings and determined if any deception had occurred, or whether the novice was genuinely suitable for the faith. This practice was introduced to prevent false applicants from joining simply to learn the church's healing knowledge and steal their medicines, as had happened often in the church's early history. Deceit, a devotion to evil, or loyalties to another faith or to a secular organization or authority disqualified the applicant.
If found genuine, then the novice was accepted as a full member of the clergy. They were dressed in the simple gray robes and pronounced one of the Adorned.[4]
TitlesEdit Adhan el Ilmater A Revered Father of the House, Adhan el Ilmater.
The clergy of Ilmater were known collectively as "Ilmatari", which was also the adjective for the faith.[4][6][12] Other terms in use were "Ilmateran",[13] "Ilmatran",[14] and "Ilmat".[15][note 1] Ilmatari could also call themselves "Sufferers".[10]
Monks, clerics, and specialty priests in the Ilmatari faith were known as the Adorned.[4][6] Clerics and specialty priests of Ilmater were both simply called "clerics" around 1358 DR,[2] but specialty priests were known as painbearers by 1369 DR.[4] By 1479 DR, all priests of Ilmater were called "painbearers".[12]
The clergy referred to each other as "Brother" or "Sister". Senior clergy were called "Revered", such as "Revered Sister". Those who were leaders of temples, monasteries, and abbeys were addressed as "Mother" or "Father", and "of the House" was added to their title, such as "Revered Father of the House". No other titles were commonly used. The greatest of the faith were called "Saint", and often bore a unique title.[4]
Individual titles for important clergy were in use through the history of the church, such as "Archsufferer", "Exalted Sufferer", "Master Sufferer", and "Enduring Servant".[10][16]
HierarchyEdit The Adorned had a fairly loose and informal hierarchy, organized around the Revered Father or Mother of the nearest large temple, monastery, or abbey. All Ilmatari in the region reported to this person, and were loosely ranked under them. The abbeys and monasteries, though usually located separately from the churches, were often linked to a specific temple, adding an extra level in this hierarchy.[4][6]
There was no overall leader of the faith or a governing council. Instead, a collection of senior clergy met on occasion in informal conclaves to make decisions.[6]
One line of clergy were the Sage-Priests. The senior Sage-Priest was the official historian of the church, and they adopted individual titles such as the Spontaer and the Keeper of the Old Faith.[10]
Saints & martyrsEdit For a full list, see Category:Saints of Ilmater. MartyredChampion A martyred champion resists a whip.
The faith of Ilmater had many saints, unlike most other faiths of the Faerûnian pantheon.[4][5] Thanks to its practices and tenets, the Church of Ilmater produced a high number of martyrs and saints. It was the only faith to have a saint known as "the Twice-Martyred". Many Ilmatari hoped to follow this path, and the martyrs were highly revered, even venerated.[17]
As such, martyred champions—those who'd sacrificed themselves and returned to life—lay outside the church hierarchy, operating as free agents. Such people were heroes of the struggle against evil and suffering, and they were completely devoted to Ilmater's teachings.[17]
Notable saints included:
St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred, represented by a yellow rose, and revered from the Monastery of the Yellow Rose by the Disciples of St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred.[4] St. Dionysus, the patron saint of wine, revered by the Order of St. Dionysus.[4] St. Morgan the Taciturn, revered by the Disciples of St. Morgan the Taciturn.[4][6] St. Jasper of the Rocks, revered by the Sisters of St. Jasper of the Rocks.[4][6]

in: Featured articles, Organizations, Religious organizations, and 9 more Church of Ilmater EDIT SHARE FA-symbolChurch of Ilmater is a Featured Article! It is one of the best articles created by the Forgotten Realms Wiki community. However, if you can update it or think of a way to further improve it, then please feel free to contribute. The holy symbol of Ilmater. Church of Ilmater Basic Information Alias(es) Ilmatari Symbol Pair of white hands bound with red cord Formerly: A blood-stained rack.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Favored weapon An open hand (unarmed strike)[5][6] Domains 3rd edition: Good, Healing, Law, Strength, Suffering,[5][6] Endurance[7] 4th edition: Freedom, Hope Membership Alignment LG NG CG LN N CN LE NE CE Relationships Allegiances Ilmater Enemies Church of Loviatar Members of the Church of Ilmater The Church of Ilmater (pronounced: /ɪlˈmeɪtɛr/ ihl-MAY-ter) was the primary religious organization dedicated to the worship and service of Ilmater, the Crying God. The clergy dedicated themselves to providing healing and succor to all in need, whatever the cost to themselves, as they believed life was sacred and that suffering to preserve it was holy. Misunderstood and scorned by those hard of heart, the Ilmatari were yet loved and relied upon by multitudes of ordinary folk, and so the church had the widest and most faithful following in all Faerûn.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Contents[hide] Dogma Beliefs Attitudes Sayings Activities Organization Initiation Titles Hierarchy Saints & martyrs Orders Rituals Tactics Classes Bases Temples & monasteries Regions Notable locations Symbol Equipment, spells, and relics Dress Equipment Magic items Spells Relics Relationships History Rise of the church The Torment Modern history Appendix Notes Appearances References DogmaEdit BeliefsEdit Followers of Ilmater were taught to help all who suffered, without regard for who they were or how they suffered. They were to heal and treat the wounded and the sick and give comfort to the dying. They also had to give kind counseling to those grieving or depressed, lonely or lost, and give shelter and alms to those who'd lost everything. They did what had to be done when no one else would. Thus a typical follower of Ilmater was generous and sharing, giving all they could to the poor, and they placed others before themselves.[3][4][5][6]
To the Ilmatari, life was sacred and suffering was holy.[4] They were to carry the burdens and pains of others, and were taught that the truly holy took on another's suffering. They were instructed to endure and persevere against hardship and pain, and believed that if they suffered in the name of Ilmater, then he would be there to support them.[4][5][6] Although many outsiders saw them as willing sufferers or they appeared reckless in their quests to do good, they simply cared about everyone, often without regard for their own safety. However, they did concentrate more on healing and aid efforts.[3][4]
Worshipers of Ilmater also believed that all injustices should be challenged and that they should defend and aid the causes of the oppressed and unjustly treated. They were to act for and defend those who could not do so themselves. They were to stand up to every bully and tyrant, and resist them in any way, both small and great. Ilmatari were encouraged to hold to their principles and keep to their causes if they were right and just, no matter the risk and to be fearless about it. Consequently, they believed that a death with meaning was not shameful.[4][5][6]
They advocated the spiritualism of life over materialism and the physical body. If they dedicated themselves to the service of Ilmater, they believed, then he would provide for them. They left the pursuit of wealth and luxuries to others, and sought only medicines and alms.[3][4][5][6]
There were regional variations to Ilmatari doctrine. In Tethyr, they held the standard view that Ilmater promised freedom from bondage and slavery. In Calimshan, however, it was claimed that Ilmater would remove a person's pain if their labors led them toward the Calishite ideal of a life of idleness.[8]
AttitudesEdit The Ilmatari were often the most caring and sensitive of people.[4][5] They were also the most forgiving, known for accepting past enemies and endeavoring to repair past grievances.[9]
New initiates were often overcome by the suffering they witnessed as part of their work, and were driven to tears. Worn down, they could develop a cynical attitude towards life, but most persevered nonetheless, even when faced with hopeless causes. They simply had to help.[4][5] Thus cynicism and dark humor were not uncommon among the Ilmatari, but this was accepted by the faith. For such believers, "Today is the first day in what's left of your life," fitted well into Ilmater's dogma, with the addition of "So live it well."[3][4]
They did not believe in impeding the desires of others, nor did they judge them, even when those desires conflicted with their own duty to alleviate suffering and provide healing. For example, an Ilmatari would not stop an injured warrior from charging back into battle, seeking death in combat. Instead, they healed them enough to move and fight, and let them choose their own fate.[4][6]
SayingsEdit There were a few sayings used by the faithful:
"long and strong as Daern's devotion", after Daern's long journey across Faerûn for his devotion to Flaergon.[10] ActivitiesEdit Alleviator An alleviator consoles a distressed woman.
The Ilmatari dedicated themselves to helping and healing the sick and injured, the oppressed, the deceased, and the poor.[3][4] They provided healing, care, and treatment for those who suffered injuries or disease. Ilmatari also shared what they had with the needy, by donating food, drink, and firewood to the impoverished and starving, and providing shelter for the homeless. They offered moral support and counseling to those who needed it, and spoke up for the persecuted. In addition, they served as guides for those who'd become lost and buried the deceased. To fund their work, they toured the wealthy areas of towns and cities seeking donations to help cover the costs of the church.[4][6]
However, their primary focus was on healing injury and disease and they were known as some of the best healers in the Realms. They operated the greatest number, the largest, and best quality infirmaries and leper sanctuaries of any church. The Ilmatari were trained from the time they were initiated in the skills of healing and herbalism, learning to recognize and treat every injury, known disease, and other ailments. Senior clerics cast programmed illusions that demonstrated a variety of injuries and diseases so that junior priests could learn to accurately diagnose them.[4] They continually gathered herbs and prepared medicines to be ready for future need.[4][6] Many priests were also able to brew their own potions to sell and spread their healing further.[5][6]
The Ilmatari went where they were needed to reduce suffering, and so were often found in some of the worst possible conditions, areas stricken with poverty, plague, or warfare.[3][4][5] If war was impending, then the Ilmatari would gather supplies in order to treat the dying and wounded, with litters, tents, bandages, splints, healing potions, and shovels by the wagon-load, and the Ilmatari would flock to the battle.[4][6]
They also joined adventuring groups, where they were often the ones who took all the risks to save people in danger or perform other acts of heroism, putting the needs of others above their own, to the exclusion of their personal safety.[3][4] A few Ilmatari, on the other hand, went into seclusion as hermits in harsh wildernesses, such as on the island of Falconsrise.[10]
Although Ilmatari monks were commonly based in abbeys and monasteries away from the temples, some monks did reside in the temples. There they served as teachers of specialist knowledge, educating other Ilmatari, or they were defenders, using their martial arts to protect the temple and those who dwelled there.[4][6]
In those lands where orphans and unwanted babes were left at churches and monasteries, those of Ilmater were a popular choice. The priests and monks did their best to raise these children, and they grew up within the faith, sometimes adopting their views.[11]
OrganizationEdit InitiationEdit Initiation into the clergy of Ilmater was uncomplicated. A novice expressing an interest in joining went on a simple walk with a senior priest who, as they talked, explored that individual's views on life. Then they dined, and the novice was given wine that induced a slight trance so that their mind could be examined with magic. This was done with the full knowledge of the novice, and performed by various other clerics or wizards sympathetic to the Ilmatari. They closely examined their loyalties, goals, and true feelings and determined if any deception had occurred, or whether the novice was genuinely suitable for the faith. This practice was introduced to prevent false applicants from joining simply to learn the church's healing knowledge and steal their medicines, as had happened often in the church's early history. Deceit, a devotion to evil, or loyalties to another faith or to a secular organization or authority disqualified the applicant.
If found genuine, then the novice was accepted as a full member of the clergy. They were dressed in the simple gray robes and pronounced one of the Adorned.[4]
TitlesEdit Adhan el Ilmater A Revered Father of the House, Adhan el Ilmater.
The clergy of Ilmater were known collectively as "Ilmatari", which was also the adjective for the faith.[4][6][12] Other terms in use were "Ilmateran",[13] "Ilmatran",[14] and "Ilmat".[15][note 1] Ilmatari could also call themselves "Sufferers".[10]
Monks, clerics, and specialty priests in the Ilmatari faith were known as the Adorned.[4][6] Clerics and specialty priests of Ilmater were both simply called "clerics" around 1358 DR,[2] but specialty priests were known as painbearers by 1369 DR.[4] By 1479 DR, all priests of Ilmater were called "painbearers".[12]
The clergy referred to each other as "Brother" or "Sister". Senior clergy were called "Revered", such as "Revered Sister". Those who were leaders of temples, monasteries, and abbeys were addressed as "Mother" or "Father", and "of the House" was added to their title, such as "Revered Father of the House". No other titles were commonly used. The greatest of the faith were called "Saint", and often bore a unique title.[4]
Individual titles for important clergy were in use through the history of the church, such as "Archsufferer", "Exalted Sufferer", "Master Sufferer", and "Enduring Servant".[10][16]
HierarchyEdit The Adorned had a fairly loose and informal hierarchy, organized around the Revered Father or Mother of the nearest large temple, monastery, or abbey. All Ilmatari in the region reported to this person, and were loosely ranked under them. The abbeys and monasteries, though usually located separately from the churches, were often linked to a specific temple, adding an extra level in this hierarchy.[4][6]
There was no overall leader of the faith or a governing council. Instead, a collection of senior clergy met on occasion in informal conclaves to make decisions.[6]
One line of clergy were the Sage-Priests. The senior Sage-Priest was the official historian of the church, and they adopted individual titles such as the Spontaer and the Keeper of the Old Faith.[10]
Saints & martyrsEdit For a full list, see Category:Saints of Ilmater. MartyredChampion A martyred champion resists a whip.
The faith of Ilmater had many saints, unlike most other faiths of the Faerûnian pantheon.[4][5] Thanks to its practices and tenets, the Church of Ilmater produced a high number of martyrs and saints. It was the only faith to have a saint known as "the Twice-Martyred". Many Ilmatari hoped to follow this path, and the martyrs were highly revered, even venerated.[17]
As such, martyred champions—those who'd sacrificed themselves and returned to life—lay outside the church hierarchy, operating as free agents. Such people were heroes of the struggle against evil and suffering, and they were completely devoted to Ilmater's teachings.[17]
Notable saints included:
St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred, represented by a yellow rose, and revered from the Monastery of the Yellow Rose by the Disciples of St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred.[4] St. Dionysus, the patron saint of wine, revered by the Order of St. Dionysus.[4] St. Morgan the Taciturn, revered by the Disciples of St. Morgan the Taciturn.[4][6] St. Jasper of the Rocks, revered by the Sisters of St. Jasper of the Rocks.[4][6] OrdersEdit The Church of Ilmater included several affiliated knightly orders consisting of paladins and other warriors, as well as numerous monastic orders of monks. Most Ilmatari monastic orders had a symbolic flower that had a particular importance to them. Traditionally, this flower formed the name of their respective monastery, but this was not a rule.[4][6]
Priestly orders Alleviators: A faction that focused on teaching people to cope with and endure pain and suffering.[18] Knightly orders Glory of the martyr A paladin of Ilmater casting a spell in the midst of battle.
Companions of the Noble Heart: An aggressive order that focused on fighting and destroying those who were cruel or enjoyed the pain and suffering of others, particularly the church of Loviatar.[4][6] Holy Warriors of Suffering[4][6] Order of the Golden Cup: An order that focused on healing and protecting the innocent, sick, and weak. [4][6] Order of the Lambent Rose[4][6] Monastic orders Broken Ones: An order responsible for the defense of Ilmater's temples and shrines, which also sought to punish those who inflicted cruelty.[4][6] Disciples of St. Morgan the Taciturn[4][6] Disciples of St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred: A monastic order that specialized in genealogical studies.[4][6] Followers of the Unhindered Path[4][6] Order of St. Dionysus: An often-inebriated order active in the Bloodstone Lands.[4][19][20] Order of St. Uzurr: An order that governed the city of Uzurr in Lapaliiya.[21] Sisters of St. Jasper of the Rocks[4][6] Weeping Friars: These were the most fanatical believers in the idea of "bleeding" for others.[22] Other orders School of the Penitents: This group spread the faith to the denizens of the Underdark from hidden enclaves.[23] Cults & heresies Cult of Shared Suffering: A heretical cult that held the view that suffering should be shared with others, and non-believers in particular.[2][4][24]

Публичное заявление

The Ilmatari dedicated themselves to helping and healing the sick and injured, the oppressed, the deceased, and the poor.[3][4] They provided healing, care, and treatment for those who suffered injuries or disease. Ilmatari also shared what they had with the needy, by donating food, drink, and firewood to the impoverished and starving, and providing shelter for the homeless. They offered moral support and counseling to those who needed it, and spoke up for the persecuted. In addition, they served as guides for those who'd become lost and buried the deceased. To fund their work, they toured the wealthy areas of towns and cities seeking donations to help cover the costs of the church.[4][6]
However, their primary focus was on healing injury and disease and they were known as some of the best healers in the Realms. They operated the greatest number, the largest, and best quality infirmaries and leper sanctuaries of any church. The Ilmatari were trained from the time they were initiated in the skills of healing and herbalism, learning to recognize and treat every injury, known disease, and other ailments. Senior clerics cast programmed illusions that demonstrated a variety of injuries and diseases so that junior priests could learn to accurately diagnose them.[4] They continually gathered herbs and prepared medicines to be ready for future need.[4][6] Many priests were also able to brew their own potions to sell and spread their healing further.[5][6]
The Ilmatari went where they were needed to reduce suffering, and so were often found in some of the worst possible conditions, areas stricken with poverty, plague, or warfare.[3][4][5] If war was impending, then the Ilmatari would gather supplies in order to treat the dying and wounded, with litters, tents, bandages, splints, healing potions, and shovels by the wagon-load, and the Ilmatari would flock to the battle.[4][6]
They also joined adventuring groups, where they were often the ones who took all the risks to save people in danger or perform other acts of heroism, putting the needs of others above their own, to the exclusion of their personal safety.[3][4] A few Ilmatari, on the other hand, went into seclusion as hermits in harsh wildernesses, such as on the island of Falconsrise.[10]
Although Ilmatari monks were commonly based in abbeys and monasteries away from the temples, some monks did reside in the temples. There they served as teachers of specialist knowledge, educating other Ilmatari, or they were defenders, using their martial arts to protect the temple and those who dwelled there.[4][6]
In those lands where orphans and unwanted babes were left at churches and monasteries, those of Ilmater were a popular choice. The priests and monks did their best to raise these children, and they grew up within the faith, sometimes adopting their views.[11]

Ресурсы

BasesEdit Temples & monasteriesEdit The Ilmatari established their churches where they were most needed, in areas stricken with poverty or oppression.[3][4] Those outside the Church of Ilmater considered this to be a strategic positioning that guaranteed that the Ilmatari would themselves be persecuted for their deeds, such as in Mulmaster and Zhentil Keep.[2][4]
Temples to Ilmater were often located on well-traveled routes through the wilderness, where they could serve as waystations for tired travelers. They were usually named after Ilmatari saints. Many were built like manor houses, surrounded by protective walls and containing a chapel, a chapter house, a stable, and garden. It was common for these temples to contain an area for treating the sick and injured. They could also include a library and quarters for monks or barracks for a knight order.[6] A temple to Ilmater was typically a simple and undecorated structure.[31]
By tradition, though not by rule, many Ilmatari monasteries were named for a flower that symbolized something important to the order.[4][6]
RegionsEdit In Calimshan, Ilmater was one of the most popular gods among the lower classes and slaves. Thus, almost every settlement had a shrine to Ilmater, whether formal or homemade, and a great many Ilmatari hostels, abbeys, and seminaries lay across the countryside outside the cities.[32] However, Calishite attitudes toward the ill and deformed meant that temples were not permitted within many of their cities.[4]
The faith was also quite popular in neighboring Tethyr, which had a long history of suffering under the yoke of tyrants or at the mercy of the forces of nature, and which left their mark on the national character.[33] The church worked to aid the people during the political upheavals of the 14th century DR, and so grew in importance. There were ten cloisters throughout the realm, placed such that one of the faith could travel from one to the next in a day's ride.[34]
The hardy Damaran people of the harsh and war-torn land of Damara and the neighboring kingdom of Impiltur particularly venerated Ilmater, as well as his champion, St. Sollars. Ilmater was central to both cultures, and most Damarans regularly offered a prayer to the Crying God or one of his saints. These lands were home to several Ilmatari orders, temples, and monasteries, and often ruled by paladin-kings of Ilmater, which made the Church of Ilmater the state church of both realms. Damaran Ilmatari used the bloodstained rack symbol of Ilmater or the yellow rose of St. Sollars.[8][13][35][36]
In Thay, the slaves and downtrodden lower classes actively worshipped the One Who Endures in a communal manner, hoping that their suffering under the Red Wizards would one day be rewarded. The wizards themselves suspected the priests of helping slaves escape and healing victims of state torture. Though there were no temples, there were number of shrines, mostly mobile, and the highest priest was a runaway slave who remained always on the move.[37][38]
As far away as Semphar, Caliph Abu Bakr persecuted the followers of "Il-mater", fearing the faith could rally oppressed peoples against his rule.[39]
On the Great Glacier, the Iulutiun people knew Ilmater as Ayuruk and the Angulutiun people knew him as Itishikopak. Like most priests there, they were considered eccentrics by the wider community, and were scattered and few.[40]
Even in the lightless Underdark there was the School of the Penitents, consisting of small groups of Ilmatari who chose to spread their faith to the subterranean world. From their enclaves, they gave aid to those who came to them.[23]
Notable locationsEdit The greatest center of Ilmater's worship was the House of the Broken God, located in the center of Keltar, Calimshan. The huge monastery also formed the largest hospital in Faerûn, with a leper house, a sanitarium, and a temple farm. It was also the biggest center for the manufacture of medicines.[4][8] Another major temple was the House of Holy Suffering in Mussum in the Vilhon Reach.[10]
The Cloister of St. Uzurr dominated the city of Uzurr in Lapaliiya, and the Abbot of the temple also ruled the city. Uzurr took Ilmater as its civic deity.[21] Holy High Carathryn was another Ilmatari town that once stood on the Dragonstail peninsula of Tethyr, though it sunk beneath the waves in the Year of the Talking Spiders, 1132 DR.[10]
The End's Rest was a college for healers located in Heliogabalus, Damara, and managed by Ilmatari. These healers tended to the city's defenders, including paladins and recruits, as well as the sick and injured of the community and pregnant women.[27]
The Towers of Willful Suffering, a temple and abbey in the eastern Amnian city of Eshpurta, was notable just because it existed in a country that looked down on the faith as being of Tethyrian influence.[41][42]
Equipment, spells, and relicsEdit DressEdit Priest of Ilmater A priest of Ilmater wearing gray vestments and tabard, a red skullcap, a holy symbol of Ilmater on his chest, and a healer's kit at his belt.
For ceremonial occasions, the Ilmatari wore plain, solid gray vestments of tunics, trousers, and tabard, or robes. They also wore skullcaps, which were gray for ordinary clergy and blood-red for senior clergy, while unadorned novices wore none. The holy symbol of Ilmater was worn on a chain around the neck or as a badge pinned over the heart. Some older members of the clergy had a gray teardrop tattooed beside one eye.[2][3][4][6] When out in the field or on missions, Ilmatari wore whatever was appropriate to the activity and the environment. However, over their clothes or armor, they often wore gray tabards with the holy symbol stitched over the chest by the left shoulder.[4]
Attending clerics during a battle were recognized by the coarse furred shirts they wore.[44]
EquipmentEdit When out and about, Ilmatari always had their holy symbols about them, and carried a healer's kit containing bandages, medicines, splints and so on.[4]
In addition to typical priestly weapons, clerics of Ilmater could learn to fight with their bare hands (as favored by Ilmater),[2][4][6] or with a scourge.[2][4] The heavy aspergillum was a weapon unique to the Ilmatari of Impiltur.[13]
Magic itemsEdit A faith token of Ilmater could produce a cure minor wounds orison twice a day, usually with the command words "Ilmater protect me".[45]
A hair shirt of Ilmater, although uncomfortable, provided the wearer with some protection and allowed them to heal others.[46]
SpellsEdit Several divine spells, prayers, and other forms of magic were closely linked to priests of Ilmater:
Blast of pain[4] Endurance of Ilmater[4] Favor of Ilmater[4][47] Glory of the martyr[48] Ilmater's fist[10] Ilmater's martyrdom[49] Slow boon[10] RelicsEdit There were a number of holy books, weapons, and other items sacred to the Church, including:
Books The Book of the Holy Scourge, possibly the most famous and useful sacred book. The Tome of Torment, the holiest book of the Church, which actually took the form of a horsehair-shirt. Weapons Dornavver, a sword forged to slay demons. Artifacts The Feet of Ilmater. The Iron Helm of Heroes.

История

Rise of the churchEdit Ilmater was an older god[5][6] and obscure in the 3rd century before Dalereckoning, but he came to prominence during Tyr's Procession of Justice in the Vilhon Reach. Tyr's deeds and sacrifices caught the attention of Ilmater, who allied himself with the Just God in the Year of the Rack, –243 DR.[56][57]
In the Shoon Imperium (later the lands of Calimshan and Tethyr), Qysar Shoon II (ruled 75–107 DR) brutally repressed all religion across the empire. This saw the Ilmatari particularly harshly treated.[58] Although the faith of Ilmater went underground in Tethyr, it was popular among both slaves and free folk.[59]
In the Year of Sparks Flying, 138 DR, the murderous Qysar Amahl Shoon IV blamed the followers of Ilmater for fires that swept through several cities of the empire (likely ignited by pyrotechnics for his own birthday celebrations), claiming that they burned and killed thousands of people to end their suffering. He ramped up the persecution of the Ilmatari.[58]
“ This magic I work is solely a binding spell that would enforce our will. Hereafter, none shall raise a hand against a servant of the Crying God save if the servant attacks first. Harming a true Ilmatari, one of the Adorned of the god, will see such harm visited a hundredfold upon thee and thine. This curse, as some of you already believe it, is but an enforcement of our will: Ilmater's children shall be safe, as he and his made mine. — Amahl Shoon V[58] ” However, his brother and successor, Amahl Shoon V (ruled 142–204 DR), personally put an end to the oppression. When his daughter fell from a horse and injured her head, and court healers pronounced she would die, Amahl Shoon V sought an Ilmatari hermit, dwelling in a tiny hut in the Forest of Mir by the shores of the River Agis. Fearing the earlier harassment if he went to Shoonach, the hermit asked for the girl to be brought to him and duly healed her. Enormously grateful, Amahl Shoon V told his people of the beneficence of Ilmater and his priests, and decreed that none should harm an Adorned servant of the Crying God unless they struck first, else the perpetrator would suffer the same hundredfold. Then he worked a mighty spell across the empire to enforce the decree. For his actions, in the centuries since, the church of Ilmater debated the issue of canonizing Amahl Shoon V as a saint, though without resolution.[58]
During the 3rd century DR, the number of evil artifacts created under the reign of Qysar Shoon IV of the Shoon Imperium, such as Jaralth, Kuraltaar, and Morthinmar, concerned the Church of Ilmater. The Ilmatari realized they needed more than just prayer in their struggle against evil in southwestern Faerûn. To this end, Archsufferer Irmakul "Bloodthews", Revered Brother Filithan, Exalted Servant Volshur the Crooked and many other senior priests enchanted the sword Dornavver at Allyn's Anvil on the night of the Feast of the Moon in the Year of the Wrath Sword, 275 DR. The sword was entrusted to the Holy Warriors of Suffering.[16]
After Impiltur was overrun by fiends, the churches of Tyr, Torm, and Ilmater launched the Triad Crusade against them in Year of the Twisted Horn, 729 DR. Knights of the three faiths from as far as Amn and Calimshan joined the crusade, and vanquished the demon horde after two years of fighting. These knights brought their faith, and their rule, to Impiltur.[60][61] Among them was the paladin Sarshel Elethlim, wielder of Dornavver, hero of the Fiend Wars and later king of Impiltur.[16]
The TormentEdit The Ilmatari received another great artifact when the Tome of Torment appeared on the altar of Ilmater in the church town of Carathryn in Tethyr in the Year of the Vigilant Familiar, 848 DR, reputedly placed there by Ilmater himself. High Priest Ilnger Obskoth proclaimed it as "the hand of holy Ilmater made manifest among us", and it swiftly became the most venerated sacred object in Carathryn. The Tome saw extensive use around the southern Sword Coast for some three centuries, and became the holiest book in the Ilmatari faith, despite several thefts, the sinking of Carathryn in the Year of the Talking Spiders, 1132 DR, and spending time in the possession of a Loviatan priestess.[10]
The Tome of Torment eventually came into the possession of the House of Holy Suffering in Mussum after the Year of the Shattered Altar, 1264 DR. There, the Spontaer, then the senior Sage-Priest of the church, sacrificed himself to render the Tome usable only by priests of Ilmater. But despite his explicit request that the Tome of Torment be delivered to the House of the Broken God in Keltar, Calimshan, the greatest temple of Ilmater, Shrymaun Beldaerth, leader of the House of Holy Suffering, refused to relinquish the Tome. Bloirt Waelarn, leader of the Keltar house, declared all those of the "degenerate" Mussum house "heretics" and called for them to be cast out and treated as mentally ill.[10]
What followed was a holy war and a shameful chapter in Ilmatari history. A few ambitious minor priests joined Waelarn and together they journeyed to the Mussum house, intending to "cleanse the filth". The priests of Mussum recruited the Companions of the Noble Heart paladin order to their defense, and attacked Waelarn and his followers, who were labeled "false clerics" and "subverted by evil". An angry Waelarn summoned three other knightly orders—the Holy Warriors of Suffering, the Knights of the Bleeding Shield, and the Order of the Golden Cup—to his side and vowed holy war against the "unclean ones of Mussum" and their allies. The war saw the violent clashes of Holy Hill Farm in 1266 DR and Bronsheir's Charge and Weeping Rock in 1267 DR. Finally, Lord Sir Jargus Holenhond of the Golden Cup declared an end to the bloodshed between true believers, insisted that the Tome of Torment be transferred to Keltar as planned, and blamed Bloirt Waelarn for the senseless violence, determining that he should be removed from office and sent into hermitage for the remainder of his years. The weary paladins accepted and carried out his judgment.[10]
Althea the Abased succeeded Waelarn as leader of the House of the Broken God, and, seeing the carnage wrought by the fight for ownership of the Tome, declared that no high-ranking member of the church was worthy of it. Althea said that Ilmater had given them the Tome for the "low and truly needy" priests to "further the will and work of Ilmater in the wilderlands and perilous places of all Toril", and recruit non-believers to the faith of the Crying God. Althea selected Blaermon the Blessed, a knight of the Holy Warriors of Suffering, to take away the Tome of Torment to those "wild places" and bestow it upon the first "needy and worthy" Ilmatari he met, someone who worked or fought for the benefit of the common people and their faith, not merely for wealth and adventure. In the Year of the Daystars, 1268 DR, Blaermon gave the Tome to Flaergon of Glister, who devoted his efforts to assisting miners and caravan-workers in the frozen north of the Moonsea. When Flaergon died in the Year of the Claw, 1299 DR, his devoted companion Daern of Hawksroost took the Tome of Torment across all of Faerûn back to the House of the Broken God to return it to Althea. Daern's devotion so moved Althea that she named him an honorary Brother of the temple and the Ilmatari remembered him in the saying "long and strong as Daern's devotion".[10]
Modern historyEdit Guth-and-Waelarn Sir Guth battles Brother Waelarn for his crimes.
Daern became Althea's personal bodyguard and carer, and when she passed on in the Year of the Gate, 1341 DR, he was given a new role as Guardian of the Tome, defending the artifact he'd once traveled so far to deliver. But within a year, Daern was murdered by the returned Bloirt Waelarn, who stole the Tome and escaped, journeying toward Mussum. Waelarn was finally confronted by Sir Guth of the Order of the Golden Cup, who challenged him to single combat before their god. Waelarn accepted, and promptly used a cairn spell from the Tome to bury Guth, then dismembered him. But Ilmater caused Sir Guth to rise from his grave as an unrelenting zombie, which tracked the rogue priest across Sespech. Waelarn finally collapsed of exhaustion and the zombie Guth strangled him as he slept. Guth hid the Tome of Torment then constructed a funeral pyre for both Waelarn and himself.[10] Aided by divine visions, a young preacher named Kortolt Rushtyn discovered the Tome and used it in his work outside Hlondeth, until he was murdered by bandits in the Year of the Boot, 1343 DR. The Graycloak's Wolves adventuring company was requested to transport the Tome to the well-respected Master Sufferer Olbedan. However, Graycloak's Wolves were all killed by doppelgangers and leucrotta preying on travellers, and the Tome thought lost in the winter snows. In fact, it eventually found its way to Crimmor in Amn, to the merchant Beguld Thormon—also a doppelganger, as Ilmatari investigators later found—then to a Thayan crime gang. An Ilmatari strike-force assaulted their house in Athkatla, destroying the house and pursuing and slaying the Thayan band through the streets. Before the close of the year, Enduring Servant Elisker Hagathan carried the Tome of Torment in triumph back to the House of the Broken God.[10]
The Tome remained at House of the Broken God for nearly twenty years, during which time it was occasionally loaned to Ilmatari priests embarking on dangerous missions and monster culls with the Holy Warriors of Suffering.[10]
During the Time of Troubles in the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR, the Ilmatari helped many people survive those turbulent times. This in turn increased people's generosity toward the Church of Ilmater.[4]
However, the reputation of the Church of Ilmater was damaged shortly after the Time of Troubles when the Cult of Shared Suffering, professing to be Ilmatari, began inflicting suffering (on others and themselves), engaging in kidnapping and rioting. The Ilmatari suspected that these cultists were under the influence of Beshaba, Cyric or Loviatar. The cult was mostly eliminated by 1369 DR, following a hostile reaction from authorities and the nobility.[2][4][24]
The Tome of Torment was stolen again in the Year of the Helm, 1362 DR, and remained lost. Recovering it became a mission for all followers of Ilmater, setting them on a vigorous search across the Realms, and their probing efforts provoked conflict with those who wished their privacy or had something else to hide. A 40,000-gp reward was offered for the return of the complete and undamaged Tome. At least twice, fraudsters delivered fake Tomes to the House of the Broken God, and were punished for their trickery. The whereabouts of the Tome of Torment were still unknown by 1370 DR.[10]
In 1362, five priests of Ilmater were studying at the Edificant Library in the Snowflake Mountains of Erlkazar when it was afflicted by the Chaos Curse, which drove everyone to obsession and excess. The five disemboweled themselves in order to experience extreme pain, and died.[26]
During the Sundering of the late 15th century DR, a Chosen of Ilmater began a passive slave revolt in Calimshan against their genie masters. During this time, he disappeared mysteriously. Though the overlords were cast down, it was only by bloody means. Many humans still longed for the return of Ilmater's Chosen so he could complete the country's transition to a better non-violent society.[62]

Принципы веры

Tenets:A cleric of Ilmater All injustice should be challenged, and the victims aided. If one casts aside wealth and luxury, Ilmater will provide. Innocent life is sacred. Suffering to preserve life is holy. Forgiveness is holy. A meaningful death is holy. Commandments: I. Give all you can to the poor, and place others before yourself. II. Heal the wounded, treat the sick, comfort the dying. III. Protect the weak, defend the innocent, emancipate the oppressed. IV. Resist the tyrant, the despot and the persecutor. V. Take the burdens and pains of others as your own in their place. VI. Forgive your enemy that repents.

Этика

Dogma: The Ilmatari are taught to help all who hurt, no matter who they are, and that the truly holy take on the suffering of others. Ilmater tells them that if they suffer in his name, he will be there to support them. They should stick to their cause if it is right, whatever the pain and peril. They are to stand up to all tyrants, resisting in ways both great nad small, and to allow no injustice to go by unchallenged. They believe that there is no shame in a meaningful death. Some followers of Ilmater take a negative or darkly humorous view of the world, and the church accepts them as well. "Today is the first day in what's left of your life" fits very snugly into Ilmater's dogma, but most Ilmatari would add, "So live it well."
Novices in the faith are charged to: "Persevere in the face of pain. Heal the sick, the wounded, and the diseased. Comfort the dying, the griefstricken, and the heartsick. Take on the burdens and the pain of others. Champion the causes of the oppressed and unjustly treated, and give shelter and kind counsel to the lonely, the lost, and the ruined. Pursue the service of Ilmater, and he will provide—leave gross riches and the acquisition of all but medicines to others. Take up the tasks no others dare.
BeliefsEdit Followers of Ilmater were taught to help all who suffered, without regard for who they were or how they suffered. They were to heal and treat the wounded and the sick and give comfort to the dying. They also had to give kind counseling to those grieving or depressed, lonely or lost, and give shelter and alms to those who'd lost everything. They did what had to be done when no one else would. Thus a typical follower of Ilmater was generous and sharing, giving all they could to the poor, and they placed others before themselves.[3][4][5][6]
To the Ilmatari, life was sacred and suffering was holy.[4] They were to carry the burdens and pains of others, and were taught that the truly holy took on another's suffering. They were instructed to endure and persevere against hardship and pain, and believed that if they suffered in the name of Ilmater, then he would be there to support them.[4][5][6] Although many outsiders saw them as willing sufferers or they appeared reckless in their quests to do good, they simply cared about everyone, often without regard for their own safety. However, they did concentrate more on healing and aid efforts.[3][4]
Worshipers of Ilmater also believed that all injustices should be challenged and that they should defend and aid the causes of the oppressed and unjustly treated. They were to act for and defend those who could not do so themselves. They were to stand up to every bully and tyrant, and resist them in any way, both small and great. Ilmatari were encouraged to hold to their principles and keep to their causes if they were right and just, no matter the risk and to be fearless about it. Consequently, they believed that a death with meaning was not shameful.[4][5][6]
They advocated the spiritualism of life over materialism and the physical body. If they dedicated themselves to the service of Ilmater, they believed, then he would provide for them. They left the pursuit of wealth and luxuries to others, and sought only medicines and alms.[3][4][5][6]
There were regional variations to Ilmatari doctrine. In Tethyr, they held the standard view that Ilmater promised freedom from bondage and slavery. In Calimshan, however, it was claimed that Ilmater would remove a person's pain if their labors led them toward the Calishite ideal of a life of idleness.[8]
AttitudesEdit The Ilmatari were often the most caring and sensitive of people.[4][5] They were also the most forgiving, known for accepting past enemies and endeavoring to repair past grievances.[9]
New initiates were often overcome by the suffering they witnessed as part of their work, and were driven to tears. Worn down, they could develop a cynical attitude towards life, but most persevered nonetheless, even when faced with hopeless causes. They simply had to help.[4][5] Thus cynicism and dark humor were not uncommon among the Ilmatari, but this was accepted by the faith. For such believers, "Today is the first day in what's left of your life," fitted well into Ilmater's dogma, with the addition of "So live it well."[3][4]
They did not believe in impeding the desires of others, nor did they judge them, even when those desires conflicted with their own duty to alleviate suffering and provide healing. For example, an Ilmatari would not stop an injured warrior from charging back into battle, seeking death in combat. Instead, they healed them enough to move and fight, and let them choose their own fate.[4][6]
SayingsEdit There were a few sayings used by the faithful:
"long and strong as Daern's devotion", after Daern's long journey across Faerûn for his devotion to Flaergon.[10]

Поклонение

Day-to-Day Activities: Ilmatari share what they have with those in need and always take time to counsel those who are upset and give healing and tender care to the injured. They speak for the oppressed, guide the lost, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and gather herbs and make medicines at all times for disasters to come. When war is expected and time permits, priests of Ilmater gather in strength with litters, shovels, tents, splints, bandages by the cartload, and wagons of medicines and healing potions to tend those who will soon suffer.
Priests of Ilmater see life as sacred and suffering as holy, but they do not stand in the way of others' desires or condemn them for their chosen path. For instance, Ilmatari would not stop a sorely injured warrior from rising up half-healed to plunge into battle again, openly seeking death while fighting the foe. Instead, they would freely assist the warrior by healing him enough to be mobile so that he could follow his own doom wish in the most honorable manner available to him.
Ilmatari bury the dead, treat the diseased, and give food, drink, and firewood to the poor. They also tour the wealthier cities and settlements of Faerûn soliciting moneys to support the church. Increasingly, since so many folk personally received the benefit of their kindnesses during the Time of Troubles, people of all faiths give generously to the church of the Crying God. As the merchant Ashaerond of Westgate put it: "If I pay for one extra potion today, it may be the last one tomorrow—but the one needed then to heal me."
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: There are no calendar-related special holy days or any other festivals observed by the Ilmatari. Instead, the daily rituals of prayer to Ilmater at least six times per day govern each and every day of service.
A special Plea must be made to Ilmater to receive divine dispensation for a Rest, which is a tenday vacation from serving Ilmater's dictates. Usually Ilmatari request this when they are emotionally exhausted, but some adventurer-priests use Rests to perform things Ilmater would otherwise frown upon. This custom is an established tradition that some leaders of the faith rely upon, sending their best fighting clergy out to do things that the church cannot otherwise accomplish (covertly removing a tyrant rather than confronting him openly, for example).
The most important ritual of the Church of Ilmater is the Turning: It is the duty of every priest of Ilmater to try to get dying persons to turn to Ilmater for comfort, receiving the blessing of the Broken God before they expire. As the veneration of Ilmater grows, even in death, his healing power becomes greater.
Major Centers of Worship: The largest center of Ilmatari worship in the House of the Broken God in Keltar in Calimshan. The House of the Broken God is a huge monastery in the center of the town that is connected, via a series of walled gardens, to a temple farm on a hill northwest of Keltar, a walled leper house beyond that, and a sanitarium beyond that. Here Revered Father of the House Melder Rythtin of the Healing Hand, who is famous for his diagnoses and miraculous treatments of the afflicted, presides over the largest hospital and facility for brewing, concocting, and compounding medicines in Faerûn. Those unfriendly to Calimshan have commented that such a facility is located where it is because the cruelty of the Calishites makes it most needed in their realm—but they are too greedy and disgusted by the sick, the malformed, and the injured to allow such a place in their proud capital city.
Affiliated Orders: Ilmater's church has several affiliated knightly orders of paladins and warriors, including the Companions of the Noble Heart, the Holy Warriors of Suffering, the Order of the Golden Cup, and the Order of the Lambent Rose. Monastic orders are also numerous, and include the Disciples of St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred, whose most famous facility, the Monastery of the Yellow Rose, is located in Damara, high up in the Earthspurs near the Glacier of the White Worm. (Monks of this monastery specialize in genealogical studies.) Other Ilmatari monastic orders include the followers of the Unhindered Path, the Disciples of St. Morgan the Taciturn, and the Sisters of St. Jasper of the Rocks. Most Ilmatari monasteries traditionally are named after flowers which symbolize something of significance to the order, though this is not mandated.
Priestly Vestments: For ceremonial functions, Ilmatari wear a solid gray tunic, tabard, and trousers, or gray robes. They wear skullcaps in gray (most clergy members) or red (senior priests). Novices who have not yet been adorned wear no skullcaps. The symbol of Ilmater is worn as a pin over the heart or on a chain around the neck and serves as a holy symbol. Some of the older members of the faith have a gray teardrop tattooed to one side of their right or left eye.
Adventuring Garb: In the field or on quests, Ilmatari priests dress appropriately for the mission and the weather, but usually wear gray tabards decorated with Ilmater's symbol stitched on the chest near the left shoulder over any other clothing or armor they wear. They are never without their holy symbols and a satchel of medicines, bandages, salves, splints, and slings.
RitualsEdit Clerics of Ilmater prayed for their divine magic once per day, in the morning,[5][6] following a period of meditation.[25] They ritualistically prayed to their god six times a day or more, every single day.[4][5][6]
The clergy observed no annual holy days and celebrated no regular festivities. However, an Adorned could make a Plea of Rest to Ilmater requesting a special dispensation for time off. The Rest was a tenday during which time they were freed from the rules laid out by Ilmater's faith. This was normally called for if the Adorned was emotionally exhausted by their work, but some exploited the time to perform deeds that Ilmater would normally disapprove of. Some church leaders depended on this tradition, using the Rest to send their best fighting or adventuring clergy out to perform deeds they could not normally do, such as covertly bringing down a tyrant instead of making an open confrontation.[4][5][6]
Clerics of Ilmater were duty-bound to convince the dying to pray to Ilmater, in a ritual of the highest importance called the Turning. If a dying person turned to Ilmater, praying for his comfort, then they would receive his blessing before they died. However, this did not change their patron deity or alter their destiny in the afterlife. Even in death, it was believed Ilmater's healing powers grew with greater veneration.[4][6]
A Suffering was a special occasion in which a priest of Ilmater willingly endured some manner of torment. From their First Suffering, an Ilmatari could go through a number of Sufferings in their life-time. For example, soon after becoming leader of the House of the Broken God, Althea the Abased underwent her First Suffering, in which she had herself bound to a rack and dragged by mules as she visited temples and shrines of Ilmater all along the Sword Coast. Whenever the mules were rested, she was beaten once and hard with a consecrated threshing flail by a non-believer.[10]
Priests of Ilmater reportedly regularly engaged in self-flagellation around 1362 DR, though this was typically a minor ritual. This and other similar rites were never intended to have any serious consequences or injury.[26]
An Ilmatran wedding ceremony emphasized that both partners would support each other through any hardship they might face.[14]

Полученные божественные силы

Specialty Priests (Painbearers)
REQUIREMENTS: Constitution 14, Wisdom 12 PRIME REQ.: Constituion, Wisdom ALIGNMENT: LG WEAPONS: All bludgeoning (wholly Type B) weapons and the scourge ARMOR: None MAJOR SPHERES: All, charm, creation, guardian, healing, law, necromantic, protection, travelers MINOR SPHERES: Combat, elemental, summoning, sun, wards, weather MAGICAL ITEMS: Same as clerics REQ. PROFS: Healing BONUS PROFS: Endurance, herbalism
Painbearers gain a +4 bonus to saving throws that involve endurance or resisting pain and suffering. They gain a +2 bonus on all ability checks involving Constitution in such situations (such as swimming and drowning). Painbearers can survive without food and water for a number of tendays equal to their level. Their attack and damage rolls are reduced by a -1 penalty for every three tendays that they go without food or water, but they do not perish. Such painbearers are wracked by hunger pangs, but that is to be expected in this faith. A painbearer can remove fear (similar to the 1st-level priest spell) from others and can permanently dispel the effect of baneful emotion-based spells which cause pain, suffering, or hopelessness by touch (such as the pain touch of pains of Loviatar). The painbearer can perform this task on up to two other people in addition to himself or herself per day. At 3rd level, painbearers are able to draw upon holy might (as the 2nd-level priest spell) once a day without needing any rest afterward. At 5th level, painbearers are able to cast favor of Ilmater (as the 3rd-level priest spell) once a day. At 7th level, painbearers are able to cast endurance of Ilmater (as the 4th-level priest spell) once a day. Painbearers are able to brew healing-type potions beginning at 7th level rather than 9th level. DMs must adjudicate what types of healing potions they may manufacture at what levels but at 7th level they may make potions of healing. At 10th level, painbearers are able to commune with Ilmater once per tenday (as the 5th-level priest spell). At 12th level, painbearers suffering under extreme punishment, torture, or suffering, may be possessed by a beneficial servant of Ilmater. This is at their request. During such possession, the servant takes all the pain inflicted, but no physical damage. The servant cannot move the body and remains only until the suffering has passed. A dispel magic spell drives out the servant. Ilmatari Spells 3rd Level
Favor of Ilmater (Abjuration, Alteration, Necromancy)
Sphere: Necromantic, Protection Range: 10 yards/level Components: V, S Duration: 1 turn/level of the caster, or permanent Casting Time: 6 Area of Effect: One creature, or the caster and one creature Saving Throw: None
This spell has two possible forms. In the first form, favor of Ilmater banishes pain and nausea so that the spell recipient, who may be the caster, cannot be stunned or debilitated by amputations, torture, and severe injuries. Those injuries still deal damage, and death may occur from loss of blood, strangulation, and the like, but dignity and composure can be maintained, shock avoided, and clear, calm thought retained in the face of such horrid occurences. The spell allows its recipient to die nobly, to stay conscious and calm to pass on vital information, to remain alert and aware as an observer even if dying, and so on. The spell banishes feeblemindedness, shock, delirium, and charm effects, frees the recipient being from hypnotic effects, maze spells, and confusion, and revives him or her from dazed conditions and faints. Pain and physical symptoms will return if their causes are still present when the spell expires, but the helpful effects of favor of Ilmater on the recipient's mind are permanent—for instance, a broken charm is gone forever.
In the second form of favor of Ilmater, the caster may choose to take on all of the hit point damage suffered by another creature, instantly transferring their own current hit points to the injured being by means of the spell. This switch is permanent until the caster uses normal methods to heal the damage. Beings who receive more hit points than they normally possess in this trade lose the excess. This transfer may be done from a distance so long as the spell range is not exceeded, and neither the priest nor the recipient being need make system shock survival rolls unless the transfer of hit points brings the priest to death and does not bring the iniured being up to above zero hit points. In this case, both individuals must make a system shock roll. Failing this roll brings death. Individuals who succeed at the roll are placed in a coma; they are not dead but are unable to heal without magical aid.
Note that diseases, parasitic infestations, drunkenness, and other conditions cannot be taken on by the caster by means of the second use of a favor of Ilmater spell—only purely physical damage can be transferred. Ilmater regards the taking on of the pain of others in this way to be a very holy act, and encourages his clergy to make such use of this spell whenever a real (not frivolous) need is present.
4th Level
Endurance of Ilmater (Abjurance, Alteration, Necromancy)
Sphere: Necromantic, Protection Range: Touch Components: V, S Duration: 1 round+1 round/level Casting Time: 7 Area of Effect: One creature Saving Throw: None
This spell doubles the hit points of the spell recipient for the spell duration. Any damage suffered is taken first from these phantom hit points until they are all exhausted; damage is only then taken from the real hit points of the affected being. Endurance of Ilmater makes all Strength and Constitution ability checks of the spel recipient automatically succeed while the endurance of Ilmater is in effect. The spell also protects the vitality of the spell recipient so that all system shock rolls and checks of any sort against contracting diseases automatically succeed, and all other saving throws receive a +2 bonus. In addition, no being protected by endurance of Ilmater can be knocked over, trampled, ridden down, or overthrown; all protected beings can stand firm against all charges.
5th Level
Blast of Pain (Alteration, Evocation, Necromancy)
Sphere: Combat, Necromantic Range: 10 yards/level Components: V, S Duration: 4 rounds Casting Time: 5 Area of Effect: One creature Saving Throw: Special
This spell creates a beam of smoky gray radiance that streaks unerringly from the priest to a single chosen target who must be within view and range of the caster as casting begins. The target creature must make a saving throw vs. spell at a -5 penalty. If the saving throw is successful, the target is overwhelmed by pain for one round (slowing its movement by half, adding 3 to all casting times, and forcing it to make all attack rolls at a -2 penalty) and suffers 1d4+1 points of damage to its nervous system; it is them free of the spell.
If the saving throw is failed, the target creature suffers 1 point of damage per level of the caster and is stunned and writhing helplessly in pain for the remainder of the current round and the following round. While in such pain, no spellcasting or coherent thought is possible for the target creature. It drops or flings away all held items and moves at random. It can make no deliberate attacks, and its awareness of its surroundings is blotted out.
At the beginning of the second round after it was affected, the target being is allowed another saving throw vs. spell, this time at a -4 penalty. If the target succeeds at the saving throw, it suffers 1d4+1 points of damage but is then free of the spell. If it fails, another 1 point of damage per level of the caster is inflicted, and the victim continues to be stunned and to writhe helplessly.
At the beginning of the third round after it was affected, the target is allowed a third saving throw vs. spell at a -3 penalty. If the saving throw is successful, the victim suffers 1d4+1 points of damage and is then freed from the spell. If the saving throw is failed, another 1 point of damage per level of the caster is inflicted, and the victim continues to be stunned and to writhe helplessly until the end of the round, when the spell ends.
Target beings above 10th level or possessing more than 10 Hit Dice gain a +1 bonus on all saving throws related to a blast of pain per level or Hit Die above 10. Creatures who have no nervous systems or are immune to pain are immune to this spell.

Политическое влияние и интриги

RelationshipsEdit Relations between the various branches of the Church of Ilmater and its hierarchy were very good.[2]
Just as the gods Ilmater, Torm, and Tyr were allied in the Triad, so too were their respective churches, forming an organized force dedicated to goodness, law, and order.[50] Followers and priests of each god willingly followed the Triad as a whole.[51]
The Church of Ilmater was among the most popular in Faerûn, and had the most dedicated faithful. The poor, sick, and tormented of the land relied upon the Ilmatari's aid efforts, and the common folk loved and respected them immensely. The Ilmatari in turn received a great deal of support in their work. People of almost every faith and creed donated generously to the Church of Ilmater, knowing that they could need the Ilmatari's help themselves one day.[4][6]
However, some people did not understand why followers of Ilmater chose to suffer as they did. They were often perceived as willing martyrs, masochists, and intentional sufferers, and they were mocked, pitied and scorned, to the point of ridicule by some.[3][4][5][6] Among traveling entertainers, a common character was "Ill-Mater", a clown in gray that was always being whacked, beaten, and pushed over for slapstick entertainment.[2] Those who despised weakness or held wildly different views (tyrants, brigands, and other villains, for example) did not understand why anybody would turn to Ilmater, and they saw the church as weak and foolish. Ilmatari were often killed by such people, but they severely underestimated their strength.[4][6]
They were especially despised by followers of Loviatar, the Maiden of Pain, for their opposing views and because they seemed almost resistant to the pains they inflicted,[52] keeping up their good spirits or growing increasingly passionate in their faith. At any opportunity, the Loviatans sought to hunt down, torment and kill the Ilmatari.[15]
Other faiths stood against the Ilmatari. The church of Bane had a particularly strong rivalry against the church of Ilmater, among others, taking great efforts to murder Ilmatari priests and leave their grisly remains to be discovered by innocents.[53]
The church of Ilmater opposed the Monks of the Long Death for their focus on inflicting pain and death, and ranked them just above the followers of Loviatar. They were also angered that people often mistook the Monks, disguised as beggars, for Broken Ones. The Monks, meanwhile, endeavored to teach Ilmatari their creed.[54]
The Ilmatari church was the one that most struggled against the Twisted Rune cabal, as the Rune was active in lands where Ilmater was heavily worshiped, namely Calimshan. The Church had plans to wipe out the Rune, and a young paladin of Ilmater once had a dreadful vision of the leading families of Calimshan controlled by the forces of the Rune.[55]
Many considered it a great wrong to harm these priests as they helped ease suffering. Even orcs and goblins held them in esteem for ministering to their fallen people and not just humans.[44]

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Тип

Religious, Organised Religion

Deities

• Ilmater - Илматер