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Baeandar, The Elder God
of Nobility
Baeandar is the Elder God of Nobility created by the Mother at the very beginning of the Elder Age. He is wise and just and exemplifies all the personal characteristics which most races value in their leaders. Because of his wisdom and his temperance Baeandar, though not the first born of the Elven Pantheon, has come to be its leader and most powerful member. In the latter years of the Elder Age it was Baeandar who was the first to see the corruption of Miradros and in the final days it was he who led the resistance against the tides of darkness that threatened to overrun the world. Baeandar has taken as his lover his sister, the Elder Goddess of Love, Bethanine, and for the elves Nobility and Love are always depicted as being hand-in-hand.
At the Fall, when the Mother drew the Firmament of Heaven across Saas and separated herself from it forever, Baeandar went with her and like the rest of the Elder Gods is now unable to take physical form in the world.
The Powers of Baeandar
Baeandar is an Elder God, as such his powers transcend the physical world. He is a god of thoughts and emotions, in particular Baeandar is the lord of all the pure thoughts such as truth and honesty. He is the God of Kings and of leaders and of all brave things, for the wisdom to rule and to lead are given by him and no other. As an Elder God Baeandar can be hurt only by a force of divine magnitude and such power could be safely wielded only by another god or by a semi-divine being such as one of the Dol Cadredriel. In terms of his relative position to other gods, Baeandar is the most powerful of the Elder Gods, more powerful than any of the mortal gods, and occasionally his power waxes so that he is greater in stature than both Aor and Sor, the two weakest of the Elemental Gods.
The Avatar of Baeandar
The Avatar of Baeandar is known as the Shanhadrashah (trans. Lord of the Princes) and is an extremely rare manifestation and one of both good and ill omen, for he appears only when there is great danger to his believers, usually sent by The Black God. The Shanhadrashah looks like an elf, but has 216hp, 23 in all statistics, an AC –10, a THAC0 of 0 and 125% resistance to all magic, he carries a longsword +5 which always does maximum damage and attacks 5 times per round. He rides a dazzling white horse capable of flight at 36’ class A, which has a THAC0 of 5, 3 attacks each doing 2d8 and cannot be injured or impeded while the Avatar lives. The Avatar will always recognise truth or its absence and no army led by the avatar can be affected by mind control spells and is never required to take a morale check. No illusion spell, even of divine origin, will function within 10 miles of the Avatar of Baeandar. The Shanhadrashah has never been beaten in battle and destruction of the Avatar would have an unknown affect on Baeandar as it is uncertain how much of his divine power is invested in its creation.
Clerics of Baeandar
Despite being a god of the Elven Pantheon, Baeandar’s clerics can be found in every human and dwarven city on Saas. They are often the wealthiest and most politically powerful religious orders since kings, princes, dukes and barons are all presented their particular items of state in ceremonies officiated by clerics of Baeandar. For even a minor noble not be confirmed by a servant of the God of Kings is scandalous, while for a member of the higher nobility to try to retain a crown not blessed by Baeandar would be impossible. The common people have a great respect for Baeandar and in addition to clerics, this God also sponsors the powers of a large number of elf and non-elf paladins. Followers of Baeandar are without exception absolute Lawful Good in alignment.
Allowed weapons: Clerics of Baeandar are allowed to use only blunt weapons.
Recommended NWP: As many clerics of Baeandar will be required to officiate ceremonies for the nobility it is recommended that they have Ceremony, Etiquette, Heraldry, Local History (of noble families), Ancient History (of regal bloodlines) or even a sage knowledge (2NWP slots, 5CPS) in Genealogy (the study of ancestry).
Clerics of Baeandar have major spell access to the following spheres: All, Divination, Healing, Guardian, Law, Thought.
They have minor spell access to the following spheres: Necromantic, Protection, Wards.
Additional Granted Powers: The following powers are in addition to the standard spells and abilities of a cleric.
Clerics of Baeandar benefit from a +1 reaction bonus with all creatures who recognise them as such and are not opposed to the God.
Clerics of Baeandar will always receive excellent treatment from willing hosts – they will be offered whatever the host can reasonably give. Food, clothes and shelter would be easy to obtain from a minor noble and most innkeepers would not think of charging a priest of Baeandar for lodgings. Note that a lawful good cleric might pay anyway and certainly wouldn’t accept gifts from a poor host unless he was in desperate need.
At 2nd Level a Cleric of Baeandar may cast Bless once per day, at 5th level he may cast it twice and at 7th he may cast it three times.
At 9th Level a Cleric of Baeandar will automatically detect any lie he hears said by a creature with fewer hit dice than he has..
At 15th Level a Cleric of Baeandar may conduct the coronation of any noble. Although no real magic is used during these ceremonies a noble crowned by a priest of Baeandar typically gains +1 wisdom within 2d6 months. A further +1 wisdom within 1d6 years and a final +1 wisdom after 6d4 years. These increases may not take the noble above their racial maximum, unless that noble is a king, in which case the normal maximum may be exceeded by 1.
At 18th Level a Cleric of Baeandar will have become recognised as a powerful political figure; a kingmaker able to tip the fate of nations one way or another. He will be able to block the ascendancy of anyone to any position in the nobility and there will be very little they can do about it – unless they have a large army to back up their blue-blood rights. This ability is not magical, but based on the actions of the player in the previous 17 levels – a cleric who has been true and fair consistently will be able to make the entire population of a kingdom rise up to prevent an unjust ruler taking the crown, while a cleric who is only just this side of pious will find it impossible to overcome the political power of any noble above baron.
At 25th level lying to a cleric of Baeandar is very dangerous. If the cleric chooses he can attempt to turn the person who lied to him with 1 turn of the lie being told. The turning score require is dependant on their hit dice and it is possible for liars to be killed in this way with no save allowed. “If I’m lying, may your God strike me de—ack!” To use this power a cleric must know the person is lying (i.e. have irrefutable proof or have gained this knowledge by use of a spell or innate ability), not just suspect it.
Holy Symbol: The holy symbol of Baeandar is a two-dimensional icon representing a crown, usually made from silver..
Turning Ability: Clerics of Baeandar turn undead normally.
Role-playing Notes: Clerics of Baeandar are probably the closest Saas has to Catholic priests of the Middle Ages. Not only do they wield considerable religious power as the servants of an Elder God, but they also have a great deal of political clout. At lower levels the cleric will be a little bit green around the gills but as he ascends he will acquire the skills of a master manipulator, able to read any political situation clearly and make decisions to further the cause of truth and good. As servants of the God of Nobility, clerics of Baeandar will almost never lie and will always seek atonement from a priest of higher level for doing so.
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