Bane Asmodaeus
god of tyranny
The God of Order. The Black Hand. Imperator Inferni. The Lord of the Ninth. Bane possesses all these titles and more. Though he began as the god of order in a world of chaos, his reign quickly became one of despotism, and he became known forever as the god of tyranny after the war between the gods.
Bane is typically depicted as a handsome man of middle age, typically paired with Loviatar at his side. He is beautiful, befitting a celestial god, but his appearance is marked by jagged pieces of twisted gold metal burned into his brow and branching in the shape of devilish horns. Though not always depicted in armor, in most depictions he wears a gauntlet of blackened iron on his right hand. Chains dangle from his belt, and he wield a blade forged from bone.
In some rare depictions, though, he is depicted as more youthful, a child-king, surrounded by servants and soldiers who are invariably loyal to him. This depiction has become quite popular among playwrights who seek to portray the god as less physically powerful than the typical general he is known as, and to create more of a hedonistic, spoiled character.
Bane's Influence
Bane once ruled over the sphere of Order, as he was created to give the mortals of the world guidance in forming cities and civilizations. In a primitive state of the world in the first age, this was all that was neeeded, the firm hand of the god of order. As civilization progressed, however, his domains because the spheres of tyranny, conquest, and ambition. His celestial servants were bound into armies of fiends, the people he had guided were enslaved beneath him, and those that stayed loyal to him out of fear or ambition were rewarded greatly as his lieutenants.
Bane's ambition is to bring all living things, even nature, under his will, believing wholeheartedly that it is the natural order of things for those created by the gods to ultiately serve the strongest of the gods. He believes in an unchanging world where the strong prosper and the weak serve. As the ruler of the hells after his defeat in the Divine War, he uses his devils and promises to corrupt mortals and consign their souls to his realm, adding to what he sees as a perfect hierarchy.
Divine Realm
Bane occupies the deepest layer of the Nine Hells- Superbia (Pride)- but all the Hells are his to rule. The Hells were not designed by Bane, created as a prison by Caethes and Mystra, formed from the souls of Bane's followers. Though initially created as a prison, the Hells are his to rule, and he has infinite power within them, with the exception of being able to leave His city at the deepest layer, Celeusma, is carved from marble veined with gold, and rises high above the arid wasteland that extends in all directions. There are few mortal souls directly imprisoned here, besides the few souls that Bane takes special interest in tormenting- usually those who have shown the greatest effort in escaping contracts that have bound their souls. Some mortal souls do dwell here, those of his most ardent faithful, who are given places of honor and command at his side.
Worship of Bane
Bane's clergy has a strict hierarchy, and unlike many sects of the other gods, has one unified sect that has spread worldwide and utilizes networks of secret communications. Though ideally the clergy of Bane would be open in their practice, they by and large recognize the need for secrecy in a world where their faith is not accepted. They believe that through guile they can bring the world to heel. As part of this need for secrecy, they have few temples. Instead, the ruins of the city of Avalas serve as a site of pilgrimage when there is necessity for a formal meeting of Bane's faithful. The high priest of Bane is known as the High Adherent of the Black Hand, and high ranking clergy are known as Lord/Lady/Ledan of the Black Hand. Followers of Bane are sorted into orders based on their skills, either in martial pursuits, magical ability, or skills in guile and deceit. The orders of magic and guile have no known name, but the martially inclined of Bane's followers are known as the Knights of the Black Gauntlet.
The greatest act of worship to Bane is by bending a sect of another deity, particularly faiths to Erathis and Pelor, to the worship of Bane. Banites infiltrate the hierarchies of organized faiths like these to rise to power, and slowly twist the followers of these gods to their own agendas. Usually, this results in the Banite eventually recruiting those that swear allegiance to the tyrant to their side, and then sacrificing the others that do not bend the knee. It's believed that if a Banite slays someone while speaking a certain prayer, the souls of those slain do not go to their patron god, but will instead be bound to the killer as slaves in the next life. In some ways the politics and the faiths of the world are a game to Bane's cults, and many see taking down a church or a settlement, or in some cases, a kingdom, as a win, bringing them closer to having Bane's favor in the Hells.
Bane's Favor
Only the strongest and best of Bane's followers become his champions, and his favor is quick to depart if he deems a champion unworthy. His most prominent champions tend to be those who hold a high rank in politics or in the military, and those who have proven themselves capable of secrecy in filling out Bane's wishes. A character with Bane's favor may have one of the following ideals:
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Hierarchy. Authorities must be established and respected. (Lawful) |
| 4 | Might. The strong should rule, and the weak should serve. (Evil) |
| 5 | Subtlety. When discovery means death, secrecy is necessary to achieve power (Neutral or Evil) |
| 6 | Awe. It is effective to inspire fear, but it is more so to inspire love and awe to gain the people's obedience. (Neutral) |
A character may have been granted Bane's's favor through one of the following circumstances:
| d6 | Circumstance |
|---|---|
| 1 | You've achieved glory on the battlefield, gaining many honors, and you were recruited by a Black Gauntlet of Bane. |
| 2 | You've helped stop a rebellion or uprising against an established order. |
| 3 | Your family has a long tradition of worshipping Bane to solidify their power. |
| 4 | You were born the rightful heir to a kingdom but your birthright was taken from you. You're not afraid to kill to reclaim it. |
| 5 | You were pledged to another god, but when your temple was overtaken by cultists you turned to Bane's service. |
| 6 | You successfully carried out a brutal vendetta against a rival family |
Relationships
History
Tyr and his sister Erathis were created at the request of Bane to Ioun, and intended to be helpers to the god of order. Tyr was chosen by Bane to be a general, but he refused to bow to the tyrant's whims. Bane has long sought to bring Tyr to heel, believing that if he can possess the god of victory, he can once again bring the world under his control. In some respects, Tyr is seen as Bane's son, even though he is more a son of Ioun than of the Tyrant. Though most accounts present Tyr as refusing to bend the knee to Bane during the Mars Caelestum, some refute this. Other alternative accounts suggest either that Tyr joined Bane under false pretenses of protecting the mortals under the rule of the gods, or that Tyr was compelled into fighting under Bane- much like Tymora and Caethes- taking on a fiend aspect as a barbarian-like spirit of wrath and rage.
Titles and Aliases
- Asmodaeus
- The Black Hand
- The Tyrant
- The Iron King
- Fiend Empyrean
- King of the Hells
Bane's Champions
- Alignment: Lawful, usually Evil
- Suggested Classes: Fighter, Paladin, Rogue, Warlock
- Suggested Cleric Domains: Death, Order, War, Blood
- Suggested Backgrounds: Criminal/Spy, Knight, Noble, Soldier
Earning and Losing Piety
You increase your piety score to Bane when you honor him by spreading his power and influence through your own with acts such as these:- Achieving a position of authority in a region
- Corrupting a follower of another god into worshipping Bane
- Causing an enemy to be imprisoned or executed
- Aiding followers of Avandra
- Losing control of property you own or people you command
- Disobeying those above you in the hierarchy of Bane's Clergy
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