Vergadain

God of Wealth and Luck, the Merchant King, the Trickster, the Laughing Dwarf, the Short Father (a.k.a. Bes)

On the surface, Vergadain (vur-guh-dain) represents the dwarves' well-known dedication to the art of the merchant—the personification of a hard bargain struck after a hearty session of haggling. Those who pay attention, however, know that the Merchant King has an aspect that, if not darker, seldom fills more legal-minded dwarves with wide. As a patron of luck and trickery, Vergadain also oversees those dwarves who use illicit means to gain their wealth. He delights in the art of the deal, whether said deal is an intricate negotiation regarding the sale of a team of horses or whether it's an elaborate plan to break into the stable after the sale, steal the horses back, and sell them again at the next town.
Vergadain (VUR-guh-dane), the Master Merchant, is the patron of dwarven merchants and most nonevil dwarven thieves. A schemer and a rogue, Vergadain is venerated by dwarves of any neutral alignment engaged in commerce and concerned with wealth. Vergadain is sometimes called the Trickster, though not by dwarves who worship him, and the Laughing Dwarf, though a dwarf would never use such a term.
Long ago Vergadain assumed the Realms-based aspect of Bes, the Short Father, a lesser power of the Mulhorandi pantheon. While Bes's cult has long since sunk into obscurity, a few human merchants in the city of Skuld still call on Vergadain's aspect as the Mulhorandi god of luck and chance.
Vergadain is on good terms with most members of the Morndinsamman, having forged a particularly close relationship with Dugmaren Brightmantle, and the Master Merchant even maintains an uneasy truce with Abbathor, the Great Master of Greed. Vergadain trades with a great number of other mortals and powers, and as a result, he has forged solid relationships with a wide range of beings, far more than the other, relatively insular, members of the dwarven pantheon. In his aspect as Bes, Vergadain has forged a strong relationship with Nephthys, though she frowns heavily on his patronage of nonevil thieves and trickery.
Vergadain's home plane is that of the Outlands, but he seems to spend little time there. Instead, he restlessly roams wildspace and the worlds that can be found in it. He concentrates his efforts wherever there are humans, giants, demihumans, and humanoids to be bilked of their belongings by his tricks, and dwarves to appreciate his cleverness and daring-and to profit by it. Vergadain delights in showing up at desperate dwarven settlements with exactly the unique, rare, or hard-to-find object or substances they are lacking. If the dwarves are not in dire straits, the treasure granted by Vergadain is hidden, and clues to its location are often hidden in the lyrics of a song or rhyme.
Vergadain can appraise the exact material, historical, and cultural value of any treasure, and he knows the maximum price a customer is willing to pay. He delights in his magnificent collection of art objects and jewelry in Strongale Hall. The Master Merchant has a great singing voice and is a master of disguise and mimicry. He is said to be a great poet as well, and he dispenses clues to his worshipers, hidden in a verse or rhyme, to the locations of great treasures. Vergadain smiles more than any other dwarven deity-or sane living dwarf! His eyes are actually seen to twinkle enigmatically more often than he shows his smile to the world.
Vergadain delights in and excels at con games, even simple tavern-tricks, and admires someone who bests him rather than punishing them or trying to get even. He is always looking for new techniques, and when he detects a con artist, he often watches and follow for a time to see what he can. Most of Vergadain's adventures concern the elaborate con games he has played on many humans, demihumans, humanoids, and giants in order to win their every belonging of worth. He is not above using any sort of harmless trick to accomplish his ends, and he is eternally suspicious of potential adversaries who might try to trick him in return.
In knowledgeable society, few admit to following Vergadain, as those who profess adherence to his doctrine are known as either skilled negotiators, shameless thieves, or both. Clerics of the Laughing Dwarf (as he is known by non-dwarves) are called hurndor ("those who trade"). Dedicated to furthering the progress of dwarven commerce, hurndor travel the world more widely than the servants of any member of the Morndinsamman except Marthammor Duin. The Merchant King expects all his clerics to be personally wealthy, and to ensure that a portion of their wealth goes to keeping the local temple, usually a windowless underground chamber filled with all manner of treasure and opulence.
Clerics of Vergadain pray for spells at night. Holy days of the faith are known as coin festivals, and mark a period of intense mercantile activity. Occurring on the days before and after a full moon, on Greengrass, and on any day declared favorable by the Merchant Prince (this changes from year to year), coin festivals are open to the general public. who sometimes jokingly refer to them as trademeets, as great bargains can be had in the closing hours of the convocation when Vergadain's faithful lower the prices of their goods in last-ditch effort to generate enough sales so as to gain clout with his or her peers (not to mention with Vergadain himself).

Divine Domains

Trickery

Divine Symbols & Sigils

A gold piece (always a circular coin), or a dwarf wearing a panther skin and tail (Bes)

Tenets of Faith

The truly blessed are those whose enterprise and zeal brings both wealth and good luck. Dwarves are well suited to earn their fortunes by the effort of both their hands and their minds; use both to pry wealth out of others. Work hard, be clever, seek the best bargain, and the Merchant King will shower you with gold. Live life to its fullest; save, tithe, and spend your riches and thus encourage more trade. Treat others with respect, but shirk not your responsibility to try to strike a deal better for you than for them-to not try would be to leave the gifts that Vergadain gives you idle.

Holidays

Priests of Vergadain work tirelessly to support and promote dwarven merchants and craftsfolk throughout Faerun. Whenever they render aid or handle material wealth of any sort, they mutter Vergadain's name in homage. Most of Vergadain's faithful also do so, and this makes up the bulk of Vergadain's daily worship. It is said that Vergadain can see into the mind of any creature within 10 feet wherever his name is uttered. He sometimes warns a dwarf of treachery by means of a vision or a preventative manifestation.
Holy days of the Vergadainan faith are known as coin festivals to the faithful and as trade moots to those cynics who would purchase their wares, for Vergadain's followers typically seek to earn as much coin as they can before such ceremonies-and thus last-minute bargains are to be had-so as to earn status among their fellows by garish displays of personal wealth and large tithes. Coin Festivals are held on the days before and after a full moon, on Greengrass, and any day proclaimed holy by a Merchant Prince. Offerings of gold are made to Vergadain once a month at such coin festivals by placing them on an altar dedicated to the Merchant King.
The proper rituals of worship to the god consist of meeting in windowless rooms or underground, around torches, braziers, or other flames. The rituals call for dancing in slow, stately shifting around the flame, wearing and displaying gold and other objects of worth. Every dwarf who worships the god throws at least one gold piece into the flame as the dance continues. The flame consumes valuables placed in it utterly, sometimes dying away to reveal a map, clue, scroll, potion, or other sending of the god. These sendings are rare, and although helpful, they are rarely powerful. The appearance of a weapon is known but extremely rare. Perhaps the most common sending of Vergadain is a duplicate key to a strongbox, vault, or barrier that prevents dwarves from reaching wealth rightfully belonging to them, or stolen by cheating them over a period of time.
The dance ends when the flame flares upward, signifying the god's attention and thanks. The priests light candles or conjure light, and then discuss business (usually current projects to further dwarven wealth). Transfers of necessary fees, bribes, aid, or other funds from one dwarf to another occurs next, usually from priests to the faithful they have called to worship. Finally, the ranking priest passes his hand through the flame, which slowly diminishes. At this time, any dwarf present kisses a gold coin as a gesture of farewell, and then departs.

Divine Goals & Aspirations

Day-to-Day Activities

Vergadain's priests are dedicated to furthering the success of dwarven merchant commerce with other races, especially humans, but always to the benefit of dwarves. The priesthood is expected to be personally wealthy and to maintain the Merchant King's temples in excellent style. Their role is to increase general dwarven influence and prosperity and thus help the dwarves to further their craftwork, weapons-mastery, and inventions. Gold donated on Vergadain's altars is spent or traded shrewdly, to support dwarven merchants. Vergadain's clergy use it to bail dwarven merchants out of debt where possible, place bribes to help dwarven trade and commerce with other lands and races of Faerun, and so on.
Through these means the priests of Vergadain hope to increase dwarven importance in the Realms, and they often work with priests of the other dwarven gods (particularly Dumathoin and sometimes even Abbathor) to do so.

Priestly Vestments

Vergadain's clergy favor rich robes of obvious cost studded with gems and trimmed with furs. A string of linked gold coins is draped over the shoulders and around the neck. While the colors used for clerical vestments vary widely, gold and deep purple are preferred in lands where their use is not banned by sumptuary laws. Ceremonial armor includes ornate chain mail, a gem-studded gorget bearing the god's symbol, and an elaborately decorated helm. Senior priests (5th level and higher) are expected to have their ceremonial armor plated in gold to avoid disgrace, and it is a mark of great status within the church for junior priests to do so as well.
The holy symbol of the faith is a round gold coin. Such coins must be acquired in payment for trade goods and cannot be minted specifically for this purpose. Whenever another gold coin of similar value catches the priest's eye, which usually happens least once a month, the priest is expected to exchange the current holy symbol for the new coin, which then becomes the new holy symbol.

Adventuring Garb

Vergadain's clergy favor leather armor underneath their normal clothing. This provides some measure of protection yet is unlikely to give offense to trading partners by implying that the Gilded Merchant's safety is in question in the other's company. In dangerous situations, members of Vergadain's clergy favor chain mail, with a helm and a gorget bearing the god's symbol, seeing it as a necessary compromise between the need for both protection and maneuverability. Most priests of the Merchant King favor small weapons that are easily concealed, such as daggers, knives, and short swords.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Vergadain enjoys strong popularity among the Morndinsamman, and has a great-personal friendship with Dugmaren Brightnuntle, who shares his interest in mischief. The Merchant King occasionally partners with Abbathor—alliances both would coldly describe as "business arrangements." His travels have gained him the typical allies among the merchant gods of Faerün.

Symbol: A gold piece (always a circular coin), or a dwarf wearing a panther skin and tail (Bes)
Home Plane: Dwarfhome, Strongale Hall
Alignment: Neutral
Portfolio: Wealth, luck, chance, nonevil thieves, entrepreneurial skills such as suspicion, trickery, negotiation, sly cleverness
Worshipers: Dwarves, merchants, rogues, wealthy individuals
Cleric Alignments: CN, N, NE, NG, LN
Domains: Trickery
Favored Weapon: "Goldseeker" (longsword)
ALIASES: Bes
SUPERIOR: Moradin
ALLIES: Brandobaris, Gond, the gnome pantheon (except Urdlen), the Morndinsamman (except Deep Duerra, and Laduguer), Libra, Nephthys, Shaundakul, Tyche (dead), Tymora, Mask, Waukeen
FOES: Beshaba, Deep Duerra, Laduguer, Urdlen, the goblinkin and evil giant pantheons

Divine Classification

Intermediate Power

Aligned Organization

The Morndinsamman