Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Elton74 Sep 04, 2014 6:44:14	With the question of Bhaal's re-ascension and apotheosis gone unanswered, I propose the following Campaign taking place in the wake of the Sundering:   Church of Bhaal Campaign   I guess I’m not the first to actually do this.  In effect, running a campaign based on the outcome of the Baldur’s Gate computer game series but we will see.   This campaign is a campaign that centers around the Church of Bhaal (Ba’al).   A Canaanite sun deity, in the Forgotten Realms the name has become synonymous with death.    BACKSTORY Some time before the Time of Troubles and the advent of the Age of Upheaval, Bhaal foreseen his own death and went out to impregnate many females of various races and in some cases, beings, to prepare for his death and eventual return.  As a god, many of his issue had come to term.  He had sired at least a dragon, an orc, a giant, and countless other children, all called bhaalspawn.  The purpose of this is so that Bhaal may return through the sacrifice of his children.   But the best laid plan for a return of the Lord of Murder had went awry.  A wizard nurtured one of bhaal’s children in Candlekeep.  He had many adventures, from finding out that his father was bhaal, to killing his own brother Saravok to prevent him from becoming the new Lord of Murder, to the loss of his soul, to his eventual Apotheosis after defeating Bhaal’s chosen.   Bhaal must be proud, because no one would have guessed that his son was Lawful Good.  A wizard of impeccable honesty and integrity, he learned that a Wizard’s true power came from truth.  Being true to ones own self.  “To thine own self, be true.”  Through honesty and honesty through the world, the power of his magic flowed from honestly changing the world.   During the Throne of Bhaal tests, he was tested of his moral convictions.  He had to sacrifice himself to save his loved ones, he met Cyric, who just wanted to talk – and then test him.  He passed all of his tests and maintained his honesty, integrity, and goodness.  When he defeated Melisand at the Throne, when offered Godhood he hesitated.  He had to choose.  “To thine ownself, be true.”   He chose to be a god.  Why?  Because that is actually what he is, a god.  Through all the adventures, through the ability to become the Ravager, he was able to change the world through his mind and his through his magic.   “To thine ownself, be true.”  Taking the divine spark, the godling met with Ao to find out what to do.   Ao sent the godling on a quest to learn what truly death is.   Through the 3e era of Upheaval, and through the Spellplague, the new godling studied death.  At sometime, during his quest, he talked to Finder Wyvernspur and got advice from Aunamator.   The godling encountered Eldath and immediately fell in love with her.   However, by the time of the Sundering, the godling had learned about death, mostly by interviewing the souls of the newly departed.  The godling learned that death was a gateway.  A soul basically jumps to a higher energy level when that soul dies.  When the godling finally returned to Ao to tell the traffic cop of his findings, he learned that a new Church has grown up around murder.   This Church of Bhaal was started by one of the former clerics, and soon he found he was granting spells to them.  What was worse is that the church appeared in Baldur’s Gate.  A string of murders was being committed in the name of Bha’al and the godling didn’t exactly have a true grasp of his abilities yet.  Faced with terror being wrought in his father’s name, the godling confronted Cyric and managed to wrest the portfolio of Death from him.   During the adventure to deal with Cyric, he enlisted the help of Aumnator.  The sun deity soon learned that youth and vitality was important during the adventure, that death and life and renewal was an important part of the cycle.  Aumnator became Lathander again, partly because of the adventures he had with the godling son of Bhaal.  With Life and Renewal balanced by death, the godling turns to the Church of Bhaal that sprung up in his father’s name.  Each murder, he hears the cry of the blood of the slain, and each time it bothered him that his Church worships death so actively.   Trying to gain a hold of his father’s Church, the godling soon learned that dead gods don’t die so easily.  For his shadow had sprung to life inspiring murder in the name of Bhaal.  What will the godling do now about his own shadow?  The godling acted.    Becoming a lesser power, he used his new found powers to transform the noble souls of a few who sacrificed themselves for their principles into angels and making them his angels of death.  They, and the archangel that overseen his Apotheosis, are charged with helping the dying make the transition to death.  In so doing, the godling gained the Portfolio of Sacrifice, and becoming an intermediate deity.  But before he returns, he’s got to form a new church.  However, the godling’s blooming love for Eldath   The Campaign – What happened?   Bhaal has returned, and the forces of Good managed to defeat his Church at Baldur’s Gate at great cost during the Sundering.    With the defeat of the Bhaalists at Baldur’s Gate, the deduction is horrible.  Bhaal has returned.  As Abeir is sundered from Toril, the forces of Good are faced with a quandary.  All of the Bhaalspawn were slain.  Surely, the last Bhaalspawn had done the right thing and given up his spark and the power of Bhaal was sealed away.  However, with the Bhaalists spreading murder and mayhem, something is unsettling.  What, exactly, happened at the Throne of Bhaal many days ago?   The lords of Baldur’s Gate had called for a general call to adventure.  The task, find out where the Church of Bhaal is and infiltrate the Church.  Find out what is happening, and how its happening.  The task is simple, find out if Bhaal has really returned, or not.  (part 2 forthcoming.)
#2 mvincent Sep 04, 2014 12:43:39	fwiw: LFR had a series of Bhaal related adventures in 4e.
#3 Elton74 Sep 06, 2014 16:52:05	* Oh, man, what will you people do when your brethren and yourselves start communicating with each other and all of us via telepathy? *   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Okay, so I have managed to get the Baldur's Gate adventure.  So I'm rethinking all of the campaign's backstory.   My Character did, indeed, gain Apotheosis, becoming a Lawful Good god of Noble Magic.  But in so doing, he cast off all that was evil of Bhaal into Viekang, the last Bhaalspawn.  Viekang started a string of murders, having asborbed Bhaal's malificience.  He became a mass murderer, starting somewhere in the Realms and cutting a bloody path towards Baldur's Gate, the place where it all began.  He reached Baldur's Gate and continued his string of mass murder until his Spirit absorbed so much energy from the acts that he became the Slayer -- one of the Avatars of Bhaal.  He was slain by adventurers where his spirit was resurrected as Bhaal.  Then the events of the adventure happened.   Which resulted in one of the three becoming a Chosen of Bhaal (I picked the woman for aesthetic reasons, although it's more likely one of the men became the Chosen of Bhaal).  Although, I figured on a more subtle approach than a church that operates openly.  Bhaal is, shall we say, weak (3.x demigod status).  But each murder strengthen's Bhaal.  The Cult of Mayhem operates in the Shadows.  But I figured on a religious organization that is little more than a front.  A religious organization called the Fellowship of Baldur's Gate.    I'm going to use Ultima VII as inspiration for the first part of the campaign, and then I'm going to go to Plane Hopping at the end.  I don't know how I'm going to do the middle, however, but the climax is facing Bhaal.  Will the player characters defeat Bhaal?  Maybe . . . Maybe not.