The Church of Beshaba

The Church of Beshaba was a collection of malicious clerics, mystics, and specialty priests called doommasters devoted to Beshaba, the Maid of Misfortune.

Structure

The hierarchy of the Beshaban clergy was dominated by priestesses. Titles within the clergy in order of ascending rank included Bewildered, Unfortunate, Finger of Fear, Hand of Strife, Higher Hand of Strife, Hand of Gloom, Higher Hand of Gloom, Hand of Horror, Higher Hand of Horror, Hand of Despair, Higher Hand of Despair, Mistress of Dread, and Nails of the Lady.

Culture

Beshaba was revered more out of fear than out of religious faith. Her doctrine stated that bad luck befell everybody and the only way to avoid it was by worshiping her. She was renowned for being spiteful and malevolent, and her priests manipulated common folk into revering and providing for them by acting mysteriously and playing on morbid fears. Her clerics offered an entreaty for their spells and made sacrifices of alcoholic beverages such as burning brandy or wine. There were two festivals in the calendar of Beshaba, at Midsummer and Shieldmeet. Both were celebrated by revelry and indulgence in food and drink.
Red Wizards of Thay were known to erect shrines to Beshaba near their ritual chambers to ward off bad luck.

Public Agenda

Clerics of Beshaba were required to spread her worship by striking the fear of her notorious bad luck into the hearts of those they encountered.

Religion

Beshabans believed that bad luck could happen to anyone and that by following Beshaba they could avert the worst of it. Clergy were encouraged to make others worship Beshaba out of fear and to spare themselves.
Beshaba's faithful recognized several important ceremonies including The Passing, when one of their own died, and The Marking, when someone ascended in rank. Anyone wishing to avoid Beshaba's attention could attempt another ceremony to appease her.

Mythology & Lore

Beshaba came into being when the deity Tyche split during the Dawn Cataclysm, a separate disaster relating to the machinations of Lathander. Tyche was infected with a taint of the dark god Moander and was forced to split into two parts by her friend Selûne. Those two parts, Tymora and Beshaba, sprang out fully formed and immediately fought.

Sects

Orders

• Doommasters

The best known order of specialty priests, universally feared for the way they reveled in the infliction of misfortune on others.

• Black Fingers

Only by Beshaba's favor could some evil male clerics, thieves, and fighters join this secret order. They acted as assassins dedicated to their goddess's name.

• Wormlucks

In order to spread Beshaba's influence and counter the church of Tymora, the Wormlucks (or Priests of Bad Fortune) were created, serving as a focus for calamities that occurred wherever they went, often affecting them as well. Their style of dress was distinctive, forced upon them by the orthodox clergy to avoid confusion with them and for high visibility. They wore bright red robes worn over armor and white hair wigs, which had to be obvious and usually ill-fitting, to honor Beshaba's own locks

BESHABA (Intermediate Goddess)
Black Bess, Lady Doom ,The Maid of Misfortune ,The Maid of Misrule

• Symbol

A rack of black antlers on a triangular field.

• Alignment

Chaotic Evil

• Clergies Alignment

Chaotic Neutral, Neutral Evil, Chaotic Evil

• Worshippers Alignment

Any, but mainly Chaotic Neutral, Neutral Evil, and Chaotic Evil.

• Portfolio

Random mischief, misfortune, bad luck, accidents

• Domains

Chaos, Envy, Evil, Fate, Luck, Lust, Trickery, Wrath

• Favored Weapon

Whip (scourge)

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Demonym

Beshaban

Location

Spires Against the Stars

Controlled Territories

• Spires Against the Stars