Abadar (AH-bah-dar)

LN god of Cities, Law, Merchants, and Wealth

Master of the First Vault (a.k.a. Judge of the Gods, The Gold-Fisted.)

Unto each thing is given a role to play in the world that fits perfectly with all others. With each turn of every tiny wheel, civilization spreads to cover the world and, order and prosperity flow forth.

-The Order of Numbers

Abadar is the god of cities, law, merchants, and wealth. Abadar’s cathedral-banks are found in many cities and places where order thrives or is gaining a foothold. Aristocrats, city guards, merchants, and those working in legal practice or who have the well-being of their community on their mind are common worshipers of the god of cities, along with dwarves in general. Abadaran priests living in cities often serve as judges, lawyers, and clerks, while those who live on the frontier work as roving magistrates, acting as judge, jury, and executioners in the name of order. Abadar is the keeper of the First Vault, a divine trove that holds the perfect version of every type of creature and object. The Vault is home to the perfect longsword, the perfect shield, the perfect songbird, the perfect hammer, and even a perfect law. His followers do their best to emulate these perfect forms in their own way, whether through crafting a work of art, raising strong and healthy livestock, or passing laws that best serve the people in a community.

The holy book of Abadar’s worshipers, The Order of Numbers, commands his followers to build cities and settlements where there are none, to work hard and trade in pursuit of wealth, and to follow the law while doing so. If a profession is a lawful part of society, it is ordained by Abadar. As such, those who work at the behest of government often pay homage to Abadar, as do others who directly benefit from the rule of law and trade. Naturally, those who oppose the law or actively work against it—such as thieves, criminals, bandits, and pirates—are enemies of the church and society as Abadar sees it. Despite this, some heretical factions of Abadar’s worshipers twist the words of The Order of Numbers for their own purposes to pursue wealth over all. They justify their criminal behavior with the holy words of order and wealth while subverting the rule of law on technicalities, undermining law‑abiding institutions.

As the god of cities and laws, Abadar is a stern but just master. He rewards those who work hard and looks down on those who would cheat the system for their own gains. Abadar understands that not everyone gets a fair deal in the world of mortals, but he encourages his clergy to support laws that are as equitable as possible, enabling those of lower status to rise. The church frowns on slavery, believing that trade should always be fair and that no price offered can ever compensate the entirety of a creature’s life and labor.

Clerics of Abadar labor to help their communities grow and flourish. They seek to aid in the passage of effective laws and encourage bringing order to places where it is absent. When ministering to their congregants, clerics wear robes of white silk with accents of gold that show the wealth of their church. Temples dedicated to Abadar are fortified, as they often serve double duty as banks, moneylenders, and currency exchanges. Despite this practical purpose, these temples tend to be highly decorated, commonly featuring elegant architecture adorned with gold and stained-glass windows.

The church of Abadar in Greyhawk feels it must charge for its divine services in tribute to the god of merchants, but his servants seek to handle matters of public health and safety quickly, and without requiring payment. Priests are also encouraged to strike out on business ventures as a holy duty to enrich the church. These holy ventures often put members of an individual church and those of neighboring churches in competition. Such competition is seen as healthy and often encouraged; however, church law forbids clergy from harming one another, including during warfare on behalf of opposed nations or kingdoms. As a result, Abadarans often act as a neutral negotiators between warring nations—for a fee, of course.

Through The Order of Numbers, Abadar teaches his clergy that following the law leads to wealth and comfort, and thus happiness. He teaches that discipline leads to keen judgment, which in turn leads to favorable deals, whether they relate to commerce, law, or other types of negotiations. While Abadar encourages the expansion of ordered society, he rejects hasty action and advises caution in all things. Abadaran clergy pass these tenets on to their congregations, teaching the layfolk about trade and commerce as a system for happiness. These teachings also impart the ideals of fairness and following the spirit of the law, while still respecting the letter thereof. One of the church’s most important lessons is the value of cooperation between citizens, as community is paramount to the health of a town and kingdom. However, they also recognize that self-interest is most individuals’ strongest motivation to increase their own standing and wealth.

RELATIONS WITH OTHER RELIGIONS

Abadar understands that an advanced civilization has spiritual needs met by many different gods, and thus maintains an approachable coolness where other deities are concerned. Only those who directly oppose his beliefs and purpose-notably Rovagug, and to a lesser extent Lamashtu-are his declared enemies, and even then he might be open to negotiation, though these opponents rarely are. He despises Norgorber for sanctioning theft and corrupting potential Abadaran worshipers like honest politicians and alchemists with the promise of illegitimate power. He is friendly with Erastil (god of farming, necessary for transitioning people from a nomadic lifestyle), though the two often end up at loggerheads over Erastil's desire to keep communities small and pastoral as opposed to Abadar's sprawling urban utopia.

Other deities frequently in his good graces include Iomedae (goddess of justice and rulership, necessary to preserve peace in a society), Irori (god of history and knowledge, critical for maintaining a stable civilization), Shelyn (goddess of art and music, excellent for bolstering civic spirit), and even Asmodeus (although only for the archdevil's belie fin upholding laws and contracts).

Abadar knows that his pursuits frequently anger Gozreh (diety of nature), who would like to see the natural parts of the world remain unspoiled, but he believes the two of them can eventually reach a compromise. Few deities call the even-handed god a friend, but many-especially Iomeade, who likes his attention to detail and planning, and Torag, who appreciates his devotion to law and commerce-consider him a valuable and pragmatic ally.

Like Abadar himself, his followers try to maintain positive but reserved relations with followers of other gods. They understand that it takes many different cultures to keep society advancing, and so are extraordinarily tolerant of other viewpoints-or at least, they strive to be so. Still, their dealings with the followers of the Green Faith and Gozreh are difficult, for those faiths do not recognize the obvious virtues of civilization. Abadar's faithful remain confident that they can turn them to the church's view at though. Their primary enmity is with the monsters of Rovagug, Lamashtu, and the demon lords; while the children of the chaotic good gods be obnoxious and immoderate, at least they mean well, and tend not to damage society as grievously.

Gorum's followers can be dangerous, for they worship only battle and rarely care for the results of their wars, yet Abadar also understands that war is simply an extension of politics, which is in turn an extension of commerce, and thus is sometimes necessary for the advancement of civilization. Despite the church's strong opposition to corruption, many of those who proclaim the merits of Abadar's worship most enthusiastically are prominent citizens in positions of power and wealth and thus vulnerable to this failing. The church prefers to handle its own problems quietly, though the leadership must balance the church's desire for discretion against the need to demonstrate to members of faiths that their condemnation of corruption is sincere.

Holy Books & Codes

The average cleric of Abadar is rarely without numerous documents related to the internal processes of the church, but their holiest texts have a more educational focus.
The Order of Numbers: The faith's core text reads more like a city charter or legal treatise than a religious text, and priests commission elaborately decorated copies to generate business in the community. More than two dozen carefully indexed chapters detail the beliefs and taboos of the church, and each copy has space for notes on local laws, all the ways such laws interact with church doctrine, names of key figures in the city, and so on. The inside cover bears the name of the book's owner, and possessing a copy that once belonging to a prestigious family or was passed down from a respected church official is a great honor.

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Abadar's holy symbol is a golden key, often with a city image on the head.

Tenets of Faith

Edicts bring civilization to the frontiers, earn wealth through hard work and trade, follow the rule of law
Anathema engage in banditry or piracy, steal, undermine a law-abiding court Areas of Concern cities, law, merchants, and wealth
Follower Alignments Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral, Lawful Evil

Holidays

All of the Church of Abadar's observed holidays have to do with trade or civilization.
Market's Door: This holiday marks the first day the markets receive goods from the fall harvest. The actual date varies from year to year, but using historical trends and divination, the church determines the exact date and announces it a month in advance. Before the market opens, a priest blesses the market area and leads a group prayer for all present, thanking Abadar and asking him to look favorably upon the season's business. In cities where vendors must pay a fee in order to use the market, the church usually subsidizes a portion of the fee on this day.
Taxfest: The church views the annual collecting of taxes as a cause for celebration, seeing fair taxation as a necessary part of the building and maintenance of civilization. Whenever possible, the church sends a priest with each tax collector to ensure that the process is respectful and to make sure the taxpayer knows the collection is being monitored. Once all monies have been collected, the church opens up its doors and invites the townsfolk to participate in an enormous feast with their civic leaders, both to help the experience remain positive and to give the commoners a chance to express their opinions on how the newly collected funds ought to be spent

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Abadar is depicted as a handsome man with black hair dressed in fine garments, often with a gold cloak over a golden breastplate and bearing many keys. Humans, dwarves, and gnomes show him with a beard, whereas elves show him beardless and with long braids tied with golden thread. His voice is pleasant and even, his words firm but not harsh.

Aphorisms

By Abadar’s gaze, the deal is sealed: When a negotiation is agreed upon and finalized, the initiating party often utters this phrase to indicate negations are over. This is often shortened to just “By Abadar’s gaze” or “The deal is sealed.” Attempts to alter the deal after the phrase is spoken are generally frowned upon.
From Abadar’s Vault: This phrase describes a product of high quality, but it’s usually considered hyperbole. Conversely, saying something is not worthy of Abadar’s Vault usually implies functional but mediocre crafting.
So it is judged: This is a standard conclusion to official legal verdicts or other court proceedings. Some followers use this phrase when seemingly random events work in favor of what they believe is justice.

Religions

• Gods of Tengaria
• Templar Order
• The Seven