Cultist of Bhaal

Wicked Zealots of the Dead Three Treasure: Individual, Relics

The adventurers Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul seized divinity but were slain for their hubris. All three have been reborn and are now known as the Dead Three. Each of the Dead Three has inspired wicked cults that follow their paths of tyranny, murder, and necromancy. More than any other gods, the Dead Three directly influence Faerün-and particularly the city of Baldur's Gate —in malign ways. Cultists who receive orders from their patron god directly are often the most ambitious and most dangerous.

Cultist of Bhaal: Cultists of Bhaal revel in bloodshed. They enjoy the act of murder, particularly when they can use inventive methods that instill fear among witnesses. Cultists of Bhaal sometimes form cabals of assassins or mercenaries, but they perform their brutal slaughter for the perverse love of bloodshed and honor to their sinister god rather than for financial recompense. These cunning serial killers and mass murderers remain a step ahead of investigators, at least until the cultists' zealous bloodlust overwhelms their senses.

The Cult of Bhaal consists of ruthless, terror-driven zealots who worship the Faerûnian god of murder Bhaal. They operate in shadowy, scattered networks, carrying out ritualistic killings to spread fear and resurrect or empower their lord.

Church of Bhaal: The Church of Bhaal is the religious organization that is devoted to the worship of the Lord of Murder, Bhaal.

Organization: The clergy of the Lord of Murder are a disorganised group of evil priests and assassins. Priests of Bhaal are referred to as either Bhaalists, which is most common to the west of the Dragon Reach, or Bhaalyn, which is used to the east. In cities and towns, members of the Church of Bhaal are often clerics, whilst in far removed locations, they are usually deathstalkers.

• High Primate/Primistress: Members of a specific faction (or an area) of the Church of Bhaal are always led by a High Primate or High Primistress.
• Primate/Primistress: A Primate or Primistress is in charge of a specific fortress or temple, which are filled with assassins an agents.
• First Murder: First Murders are assistants to Primates and Primistresses, and help with sending agents to nearby settlements. In other faiths, such a role is known as a scion.
• Cowled Death: Cowled Deaths, who occupy offices in the community, make up the senior clergy of the Church of Bhaal. Nine Cowled Deaths report to each First Murder.
• Deathdealer: Deathdealers form the more common members of the Church of Bhaal, and are underneath the Cowled Deaths. They bear the title of Slaying Hand.

Activities: As expected, Bhaalists' main activities consist of preparing for and carrying out assassinations, hunting bounties, and straight up bloody murder. Such preparations include sourcing and maintaining weapons and other gear, training, journeying, and praying. Bhaalists generally put a lot of time into researching who to murder, as well as the location and time to commit it. High priority targets often include rivals, as well as victims who would be missed by the common folk; this helps to rake in donations and other types of offerings. Bhaal does not just urge his clergy to carry out killings, but also to seek the wealth that comes along with it.

Rituals: Aside from holy killings, Bhaalists observe several rituals. Many are done privately, such as when a priest is planned to ascend to a high rank. In this instance, the member of the church heads out and performs a killing with only their bare hands. After completion, they secretly inform a higher member of the church. The senior member then organizes a public ceremony, where all members don their ceremonial outfits, and an honorary killing to Bhaal is made.

• Day's Farewell: A formal ritual that is taken part of by the entire clergy when the day draws to a close, as well as when a member sets off for duty.
• Feast of the Moon: This ritual is the only one of its type that is set to occur on a specific date. During the ritual feast, priests of Bhaal praise and discuss particularly unique or interesting kills, as well as remember those who have died in service to the Lord of Murder. One of the most retold stories is that of Uthaedeol's legendary murder of King Samyte of Tethyr.

Base of Operations: Urban members of the Church of Bhaal congregate in underground temples. Such temples are sometimes decorated in the theme of murder and death, from sculptures of a vicious murder, to mosaics. Many of these sites have rooms filled with multiple corpses (as well as tokens from the deceased), if the bodies cannot be left at the site of the killing. Rural members instead prefer to worship the Lord of Murder at ancient shrines and oblational altars. Such shrines are usually built atop infrequently-visited tops of hills, and are shaped in the symbol of Bhaal. The most well-known base is the Tower of Swift Death in Thay. Others exist around the continent, such as the Temple of Bhaal in the Undercity of Baldur's Gate, the Stronghold in Delimbiyr Vale (which formerly acted as a Bhaalist monastery), and the Temple of Bhaal in the Forest of Wyrms.

Vestments: All Bhaalists, during ceremonies and other temple work, wear a combination of purple or black cowls and robes. Such garments are often streaked in violet, in a seemingly random combination. Every other part of their outfit is black, including the interior and veil. Senior priests are known to add additions to their outfits, such as a red sash, so they are identifiable during rituals in dim settings. Curved ceremonial daggers are utilized by all members of the church, though only the highest members of the clergy (as well as Brethren of the Keen Strike) directly use them in their murderous acts.

Dogma: Bhaalists see murder as not just a duty, but as pleasure. When they commit murder, they make sure their victims know that it is the Lord of Murder behind the killing. Each member strongly believes that every single murder they commit strengthens their master. They are required to kill once every tenday during the darkest time of the night. This is not always possible, as a Bhaalist could be incarcerated; once released, they have to make up for their killings twice over. 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. — Bhaalist dogma

Orders: The Church of Bhaal supports many organizations that perform duties on behalf of the Lord of Murder.

• Brethren of the Keen: Strike The Brethren of the Keen Strike are a society of which all speciality priests of Bhaal are included in.
• Shadow Thieves of Amn: The Shadow Thieves are a deadly group of rogues, money-lenders, and assassins based in Crimmor, Amn.
• Citadel of Assassins: The Assassins Guild of the Galenas is an organization of highly trained killers that is led by the Grandfather of Assassins.

Ancient History: Long before the 14th century DR, Bhaal ascended to godhood in a strange bargain with Jergal; after this his church came to form. His church would expand over Faerûn, but two generic factions would form: those who dwelt in urban areas, and those who dwelt in rural areas. The relations between those two sets of worshipers was fairly neutral, as well as distant.

14th century DR: In 1358 DR, Bhaal was forced to walk the ground of Faerûn as a mortal. On Eleasis 13 of that year, Bane and Myrkul were determined to increase the power of the Lord of Darkness. The mastermind, Myrkul, came up with a plan to produce an enormous death spell, which would kill all true assassins of the Realms. In turn, their life-force would be absorbed by Bane in a ritual known as the Stealing of the Souls. As the plan was executed, a large amount of Bhaal's agents and worshipers perished immediately. Later on that year, Bhaal was murdered by Cyric the Dark Sun, and many of his temples and clergy were converted to Cyricism. During this time, his church referred to their new master as Cyric-Bhaal. After 1361 DR, the Dark Sun would impose order among the converted members of the Church of Bhaal, and many eventually came to worship Cyric as their true lord. However, the rural faction would retain their belief in the Lord of Murder, as they were still granted spells in his name. The differences between the rural and urban factions would became great, and in 1367 DR, they were known to have ambushed each other. As of that time, the rural worshipers of Bhaal stopped receiving spells in their master's name. As such, many converted to the Church of Cyric, or even the Church of Iyachtu Xvim. However, not all turned to the worship to members of the Faerûnian pantheon, and instead venerated deities of the Orc pantheon, as well as other non-human groups of divine beings. Still, some did not turn from the Lord of Murder; ancient priests would lead their clergy in remote places scattered around the continent. Though the worship of Bhaal mostly faded away, Bhaal planned to return. He had in fact foreseen his death, and scattered his essence in his mortal progeny, the Bhaalspawn.

15th century DR: In 1482 DR, the two final Bhaalspawn, Abdel Adrian and Viekang, engaged in a fight. The victor was transformed into the Slayer, Bhaal was reborn, and his church began to operate once more. As of the Second Sundering, Bhaal remained behind in mortal form as a quasi-deity, and his church became known as a "cult". Together with Myrkulytes and Banites, Bhaalists began to terrorize the Realms once more, particularly in Baldur's Gate. Reports claimed that the Lord of Murder was known to make visits to a secretive temple of this city in person.