Baal

"Fear is the mind killer and I am its master"

Dream Eater

Baal is the Ventara of Nightmares, Fear, and Doubt. Of the Ventara, Baal is one of the few who makes his ultimate goals known. His primary goal is to plunge Iskara into an eternal nightmare; a hellish plane where everyone's deepest fears and insecurities become manifest.
Baal values deception, cunning, and precision. Baal is known to deceive those he makes deals with, rarely staying true to his word. He is also known to take pleasure in the chaos and agony caused by his exact actions, finding pride in witnessing the chain reactions he causes.
Baal is described as cowardly, manipulative, and smug. Despite wielding great, divine power Baal rarely, if ever, directly confronts antagonistic forces and is known to constantly be assaulted by his fellow Ventara. To Baal raw strength means nothing when its possible to cripple entire nations with the proper invasive terrors.
Religion and Culture
Baal is well known among the peoples of the western continents but is one of the very few Ventara that is not recognized by any of the eastern races. He is generally viewed as an intermediate threat, capable of both being a nuisance and/or a kingdom ending menace.
To the Madurans Baal is known as Baza, the Master of Twisted Thought. Baal is classified within the Clan of Dusk, a collection of evil Ventara to the Madurans. Unfortunately for the Madurans Baal has a unique interest in them. Among the human races of Iskara, Madurans are said to dream the most and have much deeper, more vivid dreams. This has made them one of Baal's primary targets, as he takes great pleasure in twisting these dreams into vivid night terrors.
To the Sareni people Baal retains his name and domains. Among the Sareni Baal is seen more as a pest as he rarely targets them. Military instructors do on occasion address Baal's influences on doubt and fear and attempt to train out these vulnerabilities. As such the Sareni tend to focus on his domains of fear and doubt and actively seek to combat these spheres of influence.
Among the elven people of the Vidithari Dominion Baal is an ever present threat. Known as Baalasar, Baal has a vested interest in the elven peoples and focuses most of his attention and malice towards them. Due to the elves dreaming the most and more vividly than any other race on Iskara Baal has a deep pleasure in corrupting the dreams of many Vidithari. Centuries ago Baal's interference became such an unavoidable problem that a sect of mages was formed for the sole purpose of understanding "dream magic" and preventing the machinations of Baal. The influence of these mages has fluctuated over time and Baal was certain to take advantage of these changes. Currently, while not as much of a threat as he once was Baal is still a very present threat and whispers allude to an imminent nightmarish threat.
Much like their elven kin to the south the Felvithar loathe Baal and his constant violations. To combat the intrusions the Felvithar created specific arcane wards to hinder Baal's influence. These powerful wards are highly sought after by the Dominion but they have had little success in replicating or "procuring" these spells. Some speculate that the Snow Elves make use of the unique arcane ice that forms in the northern regions of their province. Culturally the Felvithar are well known for their prayers and wishes of restful and uneventful rests.
Known as the Dream Eater, Baal has garnered a rather infamous reputation among the Arikiri clans. Being a deeply spiritual people the Arikiri of old relied heavily on dreams to communicate with their divines; seeing this as an opportunity Baal would "steal" their dreams leaving behind only a void of consciousness. Needless to say the Arikiri were less than appreciative of Baal's thefts, which quickly allowed him to rise in infamy among the clans. While today many of the Arikiri have lessened their reliance on dreams Baal is still a recurring threat. Throughout their history the Arikiri have crafted charms to retain their dreams known as Dream Keepers.
To the east a strange phenomena has left all the inhabitants incapable of dreaming. This strange affliction is said to have started not long after the Incursion. Some speculate that the Obsidian Tower that stands at the center of Ankar is responsible but no one is certain of its origin.
Worship
The worshippers of Baal are certainly a perplexing group, especially to those unaffiliated with any of the cults. All cults associated with Baal are described as fanatical, the difference among these groups is the ways they express their zealous worship. Some are known to deprive themselves of sleep for days on end in the hopes of inducing evocative hallucinations and days of nightmarish rest. Some force these torturous sufferings on others in the attempt to appease their god.
The secluded groups are believed to experiment heavily with alchemical reagents and arcane magics to create a permanent dream like state and to walk within it. Of course they themselves would not risk their lives in the attempt to reach this desire and numerous innocents have lost their lives in their selfish pursuits.
Artifacts
The Dream Eater's Staff
The Dream Eater's Staff is the signature artifact of Baal. It is a devilishly designed staff capable of sapping the life and memories of its victims and it is known to disrupt the rest of those around it. No one is certain how it was created but most suspect Baal manifested it himself. Regardless of its origins its power has certainly had an effect on the peoples of Iskara. Tales from the Felvithar and Dominion speak of entire towns nearly driven to madness from the loss of both sleep and their own memories.
The Courage Breaker
The Courage Breaker is another staff associated with Baal. The weapon is said to instigate deep crippling fear its victim, rendering them either completely mad or incapable of fending for themselves. Legends speak of the staff having a mind of its own, compelled to induce as many episodes of terror as possible.
It is believed that if a single wielder manages to use both staffs at once they would be capable of rendering dozens of individuals as petrified husks of themselves, incapable of remembering anything of themselves or the world around them with only their worst fear left to torture them. Fortunately this has seldom occurred but many are unsure if the state it causes is curable or a permanent damnation.
Dubium's Pendant
Dubium's Pendant is the final artifact of Baal and is the most obscure among them. The Pendant allows its wearer to to understand and exploit almost anyone's insecurities, so long as their willpower is weak enough. Legends speak of the necklace being crafted by an ancient jewelry smith and was later enchanted by Baal himself. Regardless of its origin this artifact is highly sought after by tricksters and nobles alike, both seeking to improve their status in life.
Realm
The Warped Dream
The Warped Dream is the realm formed and ruled over by Baal. The Dream is described as one of the most disturbing realms of any Ventara. It is described as an eternal void in which one can only see several feet ahead. The few that have managed to survive and retain most of their sanity speak of creatures lurching just out of sight, hissing and croaking as they inch their way closer to their prey. Some speak of the occasional flash of lightning that brightens the abyss revealing the dark spawn that stalk its infinite shadows.
The realm is also notoriously difficult to map and navigate as it is constantly shifting, never remaining the same for long. One area in the Dream does however, remain the same. At the very center of the Dream lies the Waking Locus, the heart of the realm. No mortal has managed to enter the Locus as all who have attempted report visceral feelings of existential dread and terror as they made their way closer to the Locus.
Servants
Unlike most Ventara Baal has very few Isventyr in his servant but those that serve him faithfully are among the most dangerous to mortals. Only two Isventyr species serve under Baal, the Lurkers and the Shifting Worms. Lurkers are the scavengers and pests of the realm; stalking in the shadows smaller Lurkers wait for their prey to succumb to either much larger Lurkers or the Shifting Worms. The Worms are described as among the most perturbing Isventyr. As the name suggests they mostly resemble large, mucus covered worms with several appendages to traverse and perceive the infinite darkness of the realm. These worms are, unfortunately, capable of morphing into the fears of its victim. While they rarely attack their prey directly, they certainly terrorize their psyche.
Between the realm itself and the creatures that inhabit it, many view the Dream as more of a feeding ground to empower Baal rather than the seat of his influence and strength. This widely held belief however, hasn't deterred would be adventures and slightly mad scholars from exploring the mad labyrinth.

Divine Domains

Nightmares, Fear, and Doubt

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Baal's primary sigil is a cracked half-skull with ethereal black smoke emitting from within.

Divine Goals & Aspirations

To transform Iskara into a demonic, terror fueled plane of existence; a font of infinite power for Baal.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Ruinous Age
During the Ruinous Age Baal was recorded to terrorize the elven peoples for decades. While never manifesting on Iskara himself it is believed he created a "Dream Plague". This plague was said to target one's mind and induce a permanent dream-like state. Fortunately the plague was still in its early stages of its creation and Baal hadn't perfected his concoction. This allowed masterful mages to eventually formulate protections from this affliction but no cure was found. Unfortunately, many remain ignorant of this past transgression and some scholarly mages fear the time he masters his craft and what horrors he may unleash.

Divine Classification

Ventara

Alignment

Neutral Evil

Realm

The Void

Honorary & Occupational Titles

The Eternal Nightmare, The Master of Fear, Father Fear, The Whispers of Doubt, and Lord of Dark Thought

Quotes & Catchphrases

"Oh how I savor your terrors" "How feeble you mortals are; even your dreams are fragile"