I deliberately put this thread here, under Forgotten Realms, mainly because it concerns the goddess of bad luck and misfortune, Beshaba.
My players kicked butt in a mini boss last week, but while they were at it, also deflied a small shrine of Beshaba. They destroyed a holy symbol, desecrated a small shrine, and even threw a statuette of Beshaba into a fire pit.
I, of course, did let the group cleric roll for religion to know that no one worships Beshaba because they want back luck, but mainly out of fear, and to avoid back luck altogether. He relayed that information to the rest of the group. They were fighting a hag coven who, unlike most Faerunians, worshipped Beshaba because they're hags who like seeing other people miserable, like to bestow curses and so forth.
I only really had the Beshaba trinkets in the hag house to describe the setting, and perhaps introduce a FR deity to newbs of the setting, something they wouldn't normally get to bump into...so I put those symbols and such in the hags home for flavor.
But the group destroyed the trinkets outright anyways. First they said, they thought that those trinkets of Beshaba were perhaps the "source" of the hags power. Someone else said they destroyed it thinking it would cause a distraction and the hags would run to it, screaming, "oh no!" And trying to salvage it from the hearth. And the rest just did it because, to them, it's the crap of an evil goddess. So they would have done it regardless if it was Cyric, Bane, Mask or any other evil deity.
To me, as DM, this just screams for a chance to f*ck with my players. I'm not planning some big metaphysical intervention by Beshaba, but perhaps a geas or curse or something!? Right? I'm not even sure if Beshaba survived the Spellplague, but since 5e is bringing back the old deities back, why not have Beshaba do what she does best!
So my questions to you are: first, does this justify a curse? Should it be a major curse that changes the story arch altogether? Or a small scale geas that can be undone at the nearest temple of Tymora? The whole episode was really a side quest in the first place. Secondly, what should be the nature and extent of this curse?...considering it wouldn't come from the hags themselves who died...it would come from the wrath of Beshaba herself. Is this even legit to have the goddess of misfortune pissed off at this? I'm thinking, yes...but I wanted your opinion first, before I go bonkers with this...
You bet it justifies a curse!
Something lingering...always in the background, that rears its ugly head right when the players are sure they've defeated their foes and have a chance to rest.
It's tricky to DM something like this, but the reward can be a final, epic battle where they kick the goddess off their backs and give her good reason to seek other parts of the Realms to find adventurers to torment.
For starters, any time a priest of Tymora sees the characters, he or she should always be wearing a look of dismay, and make a sign or utter a prayer of protection for him or herself. The priest, if noticed and approached by the PCs, should shun them and avoid them to whatever degree is practical, and only if confronted and threatened made to tell them the Eyes of Beshaba look down on them, and they are doomed to folly, failure and the spreading of ill luck to others.
If the priest is an opportunist, he or she should then intimate that perhaps a donation to Tymora's temple is in order--and a significant one at that--so that word of the PC's predicament does not find its way into wider circulation.
A small curse, not a geas or a metaplot-arc-changing thing, would be appropriate. Let's face it, ALL the Evil deities have people trashing their symbols and stuff. They aren't going to turn around and pour all their time and attention into four low-level guys who trashed an at-home shrine.
Behind the screen, give the PCs the equivalent of Lucky, but with penalties instead of bonuses. When the PCs roll a '1' somehow work Beshaba's name into their near future. Don't do much different but draw their attention to it.
Mr_Miscellany wrote:
BRJN wrote:
So...this only begs the question...how does one remove a curse bestowed by a god? What kind of quest should this be? Should it be a side quest? or a long grinding quest?
Im really not sure what should be the obective? I mean, should they...
1) collect small trinkets of lucky charms? find a lucky horseshoe, a leprechaun, and a four leaf clover?
2) fight a crazy monster at the end of a dungeon?
3) do a reconaissance mission and try to inflitrate in a local cult cell of this goddess?
4) go to the outer planes and beg for forgiveness? (they are only level 5 going on lv6)
5) ?
As discussed earlier, this wouldnt be as easy as going to the nearest opposing temple of Good luck, Tymora. But they would be the ones most likely to help give the quest on what to do to get rid of this godcurse.
Let me know
A Curse.. Of course, but I see Beshaba and she got all of the wonderful beauty her sister Tymora did not get (Tymora got all the Love), when they were once Tyche and split in twain. Her worshippers make offerings at midnight to ward off Misfortune. I remember reading a story about a halfling who was a rogue and a cleric of the Maid of Misfortune. He could be rather cut throat or even back stabbing at times but he alway made a steal once or twice a year to renew his vow to Beshaba, which was an valued trinket from some dangerous life threating robbery with impossible odds. But enough about him, ask Everis Cale.
Maybe it was misfortune that drove them to temp the Maiden of Misfortune who will lead them into several missions where they think they will be doing something to earn some fortunes or help their patron deity, whoever that might appear to them as being, yet when each task is completed they find themselves doing things that puts them at odds with their own faith. Malicious and Mischievious Tricks which cause more harm than good. Her Dogma States: "Bad Things Happen to Everyone, and Only by Following Beshaba may a person be Spared the Worst of Her Effects. Beshaba Provides! (Misery and Misfortune). Never Falsely advise any being in how to worship Beshaba, or pay the price of being cast out (perhaps their former patron by the misfortune of their catch 20 decision moment) and cursed with misfortune all their days.
An example might be something like they stumble across an old treasure map amid the bones of rogues in some dungeon hide out. The Map leads them to some place that unknown to the Players is the patron deities followers following some sacred oath to seal away some horrible Magic Item (semi-artifact). Secret vows to never speak of the horrible item, which the party inadvertly kill the silent monks or clerics and steal the sentient artifact item. Perhaps they begin to have dreams of a Beautiful Seductive Maiden who shows them hints of things... A bridge, a river, a boat, a banner, a person, a jeweled ring, a particular geographic feature or keap. These things lead them to fortune at the cost of misfortunately stealing the orphan funds, or healing potions or valued herbs for some medical cause their Former Patron has devoted their cause to. Even if they figure it out and give it to the clergy only to find out the next day that zhents had taken over posing as the clergy and pulled up camp after recieving the supplies. Ah the misfortune is endless, but not to much should they embrace Beshaba she might also lead them to Luck as it is in the portfolio of her order. Perhaps that is the only way they can appease the Goddess or their fate is that of being Chosen.
I did something like this with Cyric once and as the players have let those characters rest for a while they still remember and talk about weather their paladin friend is really a paladin to Helm or a Chosen of Cyric. One cursed Ring Blade (Sword that springs from a ring) containing the unworthy souls who tried to wield the sword-ring with the markings of Helm or was it truly a blade from the Prince of Lies......They aren't sure and I won't ever tell them until...maybe never, I kinda like that unsaid adventures of misdirections.
Just make sure everyone is having fun and figuring stuff out eventually..kind of 
write me wizards I'm full of this stuff 38 years of the game 
KlaudisRex,
I dropped off some ideas in your parallel thread.
What sort of quest you should run depends on what your plans as the DM are.
If you already had adventures planned out before the players destroyed the holy temple and relics, stick with those adventures and keep the bad luck stuff in the background.
If not, I would suggest you still go with another adventure and leave the Beshaba business for later.
An interesting ploy might be for priests of Tymora to approach the PCs after at least one unrelated adventure, explain their goddess sent them visions of cursed adventurers unfairly maligned by the hand of Beshaba, and that the Tymorans seek to relieve the PCs of their burden via a quest to recover a holy relic from the time when the two goddesses were one that can dismiss Beshaba's unlucky curse on the PCs.
The Tymorans are in fact priests of Beshaba and the holy relic of Tyche will allow them to cut off priests of Tymora in the region from any sort of prayer or communion with their goddess.
So, a quest, a mystery and a chance to uncover the truth and rid the land of Beshaba's minions and rid the PCs of her curse (after the Tymorans use the relic to help the PCs).
Or something like that. Hope this helps.