BANE
Bane is the evil and malicious deity of dread, war, tyranny and the ruler of the Banehold.
Throughout history, he has played an integral part in the development of the mortal world. Generals, conquerors, mercenaries, and soldiers alike have called for his blessings and wisdom in the art of war. Officers schooled in Bane's teachings have, more often than not, proven superior leaders. When empires adopted Bane's philosophies of war, they invariably grew strong and expanded against all opposition.
He is most known for corrupting and changing the ancient Aethallar into the goblinoid armies of Banaethlin, an aversion of nature, and maintained to be his warriors and slaves.
Church of Bane
Among the Diabolical Ones, Bane's church was once and still may be the most stable and powerful. Known as the
Black Hand.
While there was a time when the god encouraged sectarianism and violent disputes, that time has long since passed and today the god's worshippers are as likely to solve their disputes through reasonable debates as through show of force. That being said, Bane's church is ruthless and it obeys a strict hierarchy etending from the god's most powerful worshippers to his weakest ones.
A number of sages have debated the rise of Bane's church. The underlying theory is that, as civilisation retreats and nations have waned, people have chosen refuge and protection over freedom and self-rule. A community ruled by Banites is likely somewhat despotic, strict, and even cruel. At the same time, the community likely has a low crime rate and remains protected from the depredations of local brigands and monsters. In these grim, uncertain times, people have eagerly handed over their freedoms in exchange for security.
Despite the darker side of Bane's faith, his worship is widespread and common throughout Aetheus. It is not unusual to see a Banite temple located prominently in a town or city. Banite priests walks the streets without fear of persecution or attack. In a number of communities, local citizens have chosen Bane over other gods in the notion - accurate or not - that Bane's ways offer greater safety than those of any so-called good god.
Worshippers
Though worshippers of Bane come from every station in life, they all know to whom they owe their blessings, ready to turn it over to the Black Lord at any time. Banite customs are often quite spartan in nature and the god's followers celebrate no holidays in honour of their god, instead showing their gratitude to him through service and the ritual torture and sacrifice of sentient beings offensive to the god. Priests of Bane pray for their spells at midnight, pledging their eternal loyalty and service to the Black Hand, knowing full well that the penalty for failure or disloyalty is death. His clerics can be recognised by the black-enameled gauntlet worn on one fist.
Although Bane stands among the evil deities and his teachings are often brutal, the Black Lord nonetheless represents something alluring to mortals, especially those drawn to power, violence, bloodshed and conquest. Whereas relatively few mortals want anything to do with gods like Zehir or Tharizdun, Bane's dominion includes a fundamental mortal emotion - ambition. Those searching for power or in pursuit of their destiny are drawn to Bane's creed, and become his worshippers.
Realm
Bane, God of Dread, Hatred and Tyranny, had a realm once in Acheron before he was slain by Erathis. After his resurrection, he has his own realm, the Banehold, that floats in the Astral Sea.
Holy Books & Codes
The Iron Codex
The Iron Codex is considered the primary book of Bane's laws and teachings. Unlike similar works from other faiths, the Iron Codex focuses primarily on the use of strategy and tactics, both in warfare and beyond. The book includes relatively few sections regarding religious doctrine or ritual.
Tenets of Faith
- Serve no one but Bane. Fear him always and make others fear him even more than you do.
- The Black Hand always strikes those who stand against it in the end. Defy Bane and die - or in death find loyalty to him, for he shall compel it.
- Submit to the word of Bane as uttered by his ranking clergy, since true power can only be gained through service to him.
- Spread the dark fear of Bane. It is the doom of those who do not follow him to let power slip through their hands.
- Those who cross the Black Hand meet their dooms earlier and more harshly than those who worship other gods.
- Fear is a two-edged sword.
- Law and order are sacrosanct.
- Victory is only achieved through strength.
- Victory proves worth.
- If you fail, you have only proven your weakness for all to see, and you deserve your final fate.
Divine Goals & Aspirations
Prefering to plot and scheme, Bane rarely appears to act in a direct manner; instead acting through his worshippers and other various agents. His ultimate goal is to eventually control all of Aetheus.
Personal History
Bane was once part of the Prime Divinities, born from the Great Founding, and arrived with the deities into the world of Aetheus.
From there, he was established out of his own indominable essence as the great warrior that stood against the Primordial Titans, fighting alongside Pelor, forming a brotherly kindship - but after the death of Asgorath, and the inception of Venarion and Sincainea - he was the slayer of the King of Terror, and took its power as his own in his portfolio against others that would challenge him.
He acted as the voluntary forefront guardian and watcher, against the Demons and the Devils. He was the warrior that challenged the greatest foes of the Gods. He stood as the sole guardian over Creation. Giving him the title, the "Dreaded Guardian".
He was present at the War between Dragons and Giants, and saw their fall - filling his power against the Demons and Devils of the Hells and the Abyss. But he desired to eliminate his foes once and for all, and he felt that if he annihilated Asmodeus, he would be in total control of the oppressed, and have the power to annihilate the Abyss himself. Thus, he and other Divine Deities, plotted to annihilate Asmodeus. He entrusted this with Pelor also, and they enacted their plan. But, it was foiled by Venarion - the being that he had aided against the King of Terror at his inception, and was furious.
However, it was after the eons, and through the wars; the wars between the Giants and Dragons, the Elves Civil War, the Dwarven Parting... he began to take a toll for his constant vigilance. He grew to despise the weakness of the creatures that he once served to protect.
Craevan the Dark had come to Bane, and ebbed and toyed and manipulated the great being, and caused doubt to enter his heart - making him question the value of the station he was brought in amongst the Prime Divinities. Making him watch over the evils within Hades, Acheron and Pandemonium constantly - why does he endure in perpetual purgatory, while the others enjoy the prayers and joys of their children. Bane was one of the mightiest beings, should he not share in the joys? Should he not have children of his own of which to be proud of - could he not hold a legion that would bear the fruits of his own burden, those that would fight and be reborn as his stalwart warriors? He defends the whole world, and they owe it to him. He should reign supreme. All the races should bow to him, for he holds back the Abyss and the Hells. He could raise a great army against the Blood War and end it. He just needs the perfect soldiers. With this, Bane was un-phased, but doubt entered his heart - and the being eventually abandoned his post, and the world suffered for it.
He thought, why should he be the sole defender of the realms... when they could not be made to protect themselves. They were fragile and weak... but he saw those that could potentially be worthy of his power, eons of knowledge and skill.
Thus, he came to the people of Aethallar, adept and otherwise... he saw their value as potential warriors. But you cannot make something strong without tempering it in strife. Thus, he came to them, dominated them and changed them. He cast his Mark of Dread and Domination over them, and created the Goblins, Hobgoblins and Bugbears.
Bane corrupted the ancient Aethallar, beings that had grown from the Primordial Green, and were transformed by his own making of strife and dead into the goblins. He first attempted with the goblins, breeding well to swell his armies, but they were found to be cowardly and tricksy, and were cast aside as fodder. His second attempt was to make great and tall and strong armed warriors, and thus came the Bugbears, but they were lax and brutish, lacking discipline and temperament. Thus, this third attempt, he attempted to fashion after himself - the Hobgoblins. Smart, fearless, and strong. He was satisfied, but the Divine Pantheon was horrified, and cast him out. Blackening his once great and noble armour, into a black and cruel form. From there, the Abyss came, and the Cataclysm occurred.
Bane's greatest enemy came to be the Wildmother, the goddess who defeated him during the Cataclysm. Bane had grown his armies by corrupting noble creatures into monsters and destroying the wilds to fuel his terrible engines of conflict, to which enraged the Wildmother and the two deities clashed many times during the war before his defeat and eventual banishment.
Upon his banishment and sealing, Bane was furious with the deity that tricked him, and wished for his death. He demanded that he keep his promise, to share his children's love and find him a fitting bride to be... and so it was Craevan the Bastard that led the Spring Maiden astray and aided Bane in his kidnapping of her. He sought to send the world into disarray and break the seasons cycle, but grant him the 'wife' of his desires - earning the ire of Pelor and the other gods. Leading to her eventual corruption as Persephone of the Underworld. Bane was satisfied with this - however, it was during the
Long Twilight that Pelor came and invaded, and redeemed the bride. Bane promised to bring war and terror to the world if she was not returned, he had already enacted an oath with her that she was his. Presiding over this, Sincainea agreed, but under a loophole, it was promised that Persephone was his, but Eostara was still a present being in the world... thus she was divided into the two years, slowly corrupted and purified between Bane and Pelor over the year. But in the time in which the Twilight occurred, Bane spread his influence over the world of mortals, and the power of his goblinoid empire of Banaethlin, reaping against the ancient lands of the Aethallar and Ophidians - attempting to steal power from Zehir, the Cloaked Serpent. His Queen had demanded that she procure him a ring, so that they might be wedded, and true to her form, it had to be made of something truly significant of her affections. In his attempts and conquests, he was led astray by Shelúne and thwarted his plans. Upon his return to the Underworld to meet his bride-to-be, he discovered her departure and a note - and flew into an almighty rage that quaked the grounds of Banaethlin. He did not succeed in completely dominating Aethallar.
After the Divine War, he had been truly sealed in his domain in Acheron, at Dreadhome - and to his other domain in the Astral Plane, at Banehold. Left weakened by his combat against the Wildmother for a second time, weakening his armour and spirit - he was dismayed at the loss of his Queen, and the separation between them from across the Planes. While she dominated within autumn and winter in the Underworld, he was left trapped and enraged in the ruinous planes of Acheron.
He compelled his empire of Banaethlin back to settle his conquests in Aethallar, but he found that the scions of Pelor, the Serpents Sublime, the Great Coatls - had overthrown his goblinoid empire and sent it into disarray. Summoning one of his dark avatars to conquer the region.
Already in his weakened state, Bane sought after an ambitious and risky gambit to take hold of one of the missing Tablets of Fate that had been lost in the Divine War.
At this same time, Erathis had uncovered his plot and sent one of her own avatars to fight Bane's avatar, and in his weakened state after the Springs Folly. Despite this, he was still the Dread Emperor, and would have quashed this avatar. But Erathis did not falter, and came to summon power that would sacrifice thousands of her followers - known as the Martyr's Progeny. The surge of power overwhelmed Bane and killed his divine essence. Effectively, the Dread Emperor was slain, and his great Banaethlin Empire fell consequently towards ruin, and the great goblinoid rebellion spread from the Serpents Sublime, and it rose to become the Bronzimm Concord.
Erathis took the portions of power from his portfolio, but do to this insidious act, she sacrificed it to Venarion and Pelor. Venarion charged the Coatls to bring law and order to the goblinoids, and seek to change their nature to a more just and honorable cause. Giving rise to the Bronzimm Concord.
Despite having many foes, he did find allies in a few gods for a time, Venarion, Ergo, Promethea and Laduguer. But once he committed the heinous act against creation, he became known as the Dread Emperor.
His plots came to backfire against him, and one particularly overambitious gambit, and attempted to steal the
Laws of Kosmos. He abandoned his post against the Demons of the Abyss... For this, the gambit allowed the interval of the Demons of the Abyss and the arrival of Yeenoghu and Baphomet. Precipitating the Divine War. This banished the gods from their astral dominions to traverse Aetheus' surface in an exercise of humility.
However, not all the gods were so willing to learn and all of them tried to regain their divine power as quickly as possible. Bane was among these but unfortunately for him, he was slain by Erathis. For Bane, it soon became apparent, death was but a temporary setback.
Anticipating the possibility of his own death, Bane, the god of tyranny, like other gods, created a scion for the purpose of his own regeneration. When the time was right his Scion, who was in fact little more than a cocoon to contain the essence, Bane, burst forth into the black and armoured figure of Bane, destroying his child entirely.
Since his miraculous resurrection, Bane has gone to the work of re-establishing his power base, a task which he has been largely successful in. Regaining nearly all of his followers, Bane, then went about reforming his church hierarchy, forcibly eliminating its tendencies towards in-fighting, which he previously had encouraged in order to separate the weak from the strong but which he realised to be self-defeating and destructive.
In this resurrection, the return of the Banaethlin Empire was on the nigh - but he had a lot of work to do to cement his power, and retrieve his lost powers after his initial defeat.
No one knows the plots in which he is scheming now. But dark clouds gather over the seemingly lost continent of Banaethlin.
The God of Goblinkind, Dread, War, Terror, Conquest and Tyranny.
