Corruption | Creation | Justice | Knowledge | Murder | Protection | Thievery | Trade
Merchant's Friend
Worship me, and you shall know wealth. To guard your funds is to venerate Waukeen and to share them well seeds your future success. Call on me in trade, and I will be there. The bold find gold, the careful keep it—and the timid yield it up.
(You need to abide by these as clergy, not as a worshiper)
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Bard, Cleric, or Commoner, Wizard
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Any race
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You must never spread false or malicious rumors about a competitor
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Non-Cleric Initiation: You must make a trade in which you profit immensely relative to your loss; then give away that profit
(You need to abide by these as clergy, not as a worshiper)
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Level 5 spell: Animate dead
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Nasty business
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Level 3 spell: Darkness
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Shadowy business
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Level 7 spell: Plague
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Bad for business
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Holy Symbol: A gold coin displaying the face of the goddess facing to the sinister
(If you wish to become clergy of this god, take three of these as your vows—if you violate them you lose any moves, spells, and any other benefits granted by this god until you atone.)
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Donate (Donate half of everything you own/earn to the church of Waukeen, or to those around you)
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Regulate (Forbidden: Allowing illegal, predatory, or otherwise harmful business practices to escape notice and challenge)
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Facilitate (Forbidden: Permitting monopolies, trade wars, or isolation; negotiate agreements between parties that spread wealth as widely as possible)
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Depreciate (Forbidden: Allowing the prices of precious or essential commodities to rise; speculators and scalpers should never be permitted to profit off the backs of the poor)
Waukeen (Wau-KEEN) is an old deity. She appealed to the rising merchant class in Orben, and her worshipers included shopkeepers, members of trading costers, wealthy merchants, caravan guides, itinerant peddlers, moneychangers, and smugglers.
Waukeen is a vibrant and vivacious deity with a will to get things done. She loves wealth not for the sake of money itself but for the comforts, conveniences, and opportunities it brings her and her followers. She likes the fast-paced bargaining and the give-and-take of the marketplace, and legend holds that she has been recognized many times by worshipers just after she and her follower had finished a spirited bargaining session over and item for sale in a town market. (She always won the best deal, but the merchant was usually well satisfied with the terms also.)
Waukeen is willing to try odd methods to accomplish her goals when tried and true ones are just not working. This openness to innovation has led her to embrace many of Gond's "new-fangled gadgets" long before other deities thought them wise. However, while she is open to different methods of problem-solving, she is also stubborn about having her way and very persistent. In fact, it is a combination of these virtues and flaws that led to the dire predicament she is in now.
Home Plane/Realm
Brightwater/The Marketplace Eternal
Portfolio
Trade, money, justifiably-acquired wealth
Favored Weapon
Cloud of Coins (flail)
Myths
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Waukeen's Adventure
When Ao held his interrogation for the Tablets of Fate, Waukeen feared that they had somehow come into her possession by mistake, for her temples acquired numerous items of power through its daily dealings, some even greater than the tablets themselves, and a full inventory of her holdings would have taken longer than Ao's summons allowed. Rather than leaving her fate to chance, she decided to flee Ao's gaze.
Being intimately familiar with illicit trade as well as legitimate commerce, Waukeen decided to smuggle herself out of the Prime Material by way of the Astral plane and a circuitous route through the Lower Planes by making deals, calling in favors, and bribery. By doing so, she hoped to avoid detection by Ao's servants and sneak back once his anger had abated, or she had discovered she was without unwitting guilt and return freely.
Through a twisted chain of contacts she managed to call in a favor from Celestian, from the sphere of Oerth. He agreed to transport her to the Astral plane as payment for the debt. When it came time to complete the deal however, he found that he could not budge her off her Prime Material Plane—Lord Ao had bound the gods to the plane of Orben with an unbreakable bond. Out of options, Waukeen gambled that it was her divinity that was tied to the plane and not the vessel carrying it, so Lliira graciously agreed to hold Waukeen's power and portfolio in stewardship until Waukeen could reclaim it. Once the transferal of her divinity to Lliira was complete, Waukeen became an ordinary human woman, but still armed with an extraordinary body of knowledge and formidable spellcasting powers. Celestian was then able to shift her into the Astral plane for the next leg of her journey.
Once free of Orben, Waukeen contacted some minions of an extremely powerful Abyssal lord named Graz'zt and negotiated (or had previously arranged for) safe passage through the Abyss to the Outlands. In return, Graz'zt was to receive the location of a number of secret treasure hoards on Orben and across the planes, and even more useful information about the financial dealings of Graz'zt's rival demon lords—information that could give him an advantage in the eternal Blood War between the demons and the devils. The Merchant's Friend was escorted to the Dark Prince's vast realm Azzagrat, which spanned the 45th, 46th, and 47th layers of the Abyss, to the sprawling city of Zelatar, and finally to the sixty-six ivory towers of the Argent Palace; Graz'zt's seat of power.
Graz'zt of course never planned on honoring the deal struck with Waukeen. Once she arrived in the heart of his realm he had no trouble detaining the mortal form of the Golden Lady and told her she would be his "guest" while they renegotiated the deal previously agreed upon, knowing full well she would not alter a closed contract. This manufactured impasse gave the Dark Prince time to work on his master plan: to find a way for his daughter Thraxxia to possess, control, or impersonate Waukeen well enough to fool the gods and elevate Thraxxia to be the new goddess of wealth.
Until his plan came to fruition, Graz'zt had to keep Waukeen alive and under his control. He knew it was only a matter of time before her more powerful celestial worshipers discovered her whereabouts and sent out rescue parties, so he began moving her back and forth between the Argent Palace and the city of Samora where his trusted servant, the succubus Maretta, Lady of the Counting-House, lived. The truth was that most of the heavily guarded and slow moving caravans were decoys designed to lure potential rescuers out into the open and be destroyed. But on one occasion Waukeen managed to bribe a guard and escape into the Viper Forest called Zrintor, only to be recaptured later by a search party that could not be bribed into assisting her; they had witnessed the fate of the traitorous demon at the hands of Graz'zt and their fear outweighed their greed.
Luck was apparently on the side of the demon lord because no one, not even Lliira, knew what happened to Waukeen after she disappeared into the Abyss. All attempts at divination failed to reveal anything clear or useful. When Ao's interrogation ended and Myrkul was destroyed, all other faiths resumed getting upper-level spells from their deity, but not the Waukeenar. They continued to be limited to only weak spells and received no inkling of guidance from the Golden Lady. By 33ERM, the church of Waukeen was falling apart and Lliira decided to intervene to save what was left of it or there would have been nothing for the Merchant's Friend to return to. She sent her prophet to all of Waukeen's temples and announced that she would act as regent for Waukeen's portfolio and answer prayers for spells. Many of the distraught Waukeenar interpreted this to mean that their goddess was truly dead.
It was twelve long years after this before the fevered dreams of Halanna Jashire, a promising young priestess of Waukeen stationed in the Goldspires temple in Mairmithon, gave hope to the anguished members of the Golden Lady's church that their missing deity was alive and being held by the Abyssal lord Graz'zt. A daring band of adventurers set out, made it to the Abyss, and heroically rescued Waukeen from numerous minions of Graz'zt, returning her to her realm.
When she finally strode down a lane between the tents and stalls of the sprawling open-air market that was her House of Barter in the Marketplace Eternal, the cacophony of commerce fell silent as they slowly realized who walked among them. In front of her golden palace, Waukeen was joyfully met by her seneschal, a gynosphinx named Keelira, who proclaimed the return of the Goddess of Wealth in a voice like thunder as the crowd erupted in ecstatic celebration. Keelira was sent to fetch Lliira, and soon the Mistress of the Revels returned Waukeen's mantle of divinity.
And there was much rejoicing.
Harlot's Coin Heresy
A heretical schism of Waukeen's faith teaches that Waukeen had gradually sold off pieces of her divinity and virtue to Graz'zt in order to finance her church. They believe that it was for failing to pay her debts to him that Graz'zt imprisoned her during her long absence. These heretics teach that Waukeen earned her freedom only because she finally paid her debt to the demon, resulting in Graz'zt owning the majority of Waukeen's godhood. The heretics therefore believe that all who worshiped Waukeen were really worshiping Graz'zt instead, and they are content with that arrangement.
History
Waukeen is one of the oldest gods in Orben, though of course not so old as its primordial powers. She emerged during the first trade between the first civilizations, and by staying largely out of ideological and racial struggles has remained above most conflicts, while also profiting from them immensely. This persisted until just before the fall of Aer Arnad with Ao's Interrogation, where Waukeen fled Ao's summons, only to be captured and imprisoned. She returned centuries later, after Lliira had temporarily assumed her portfolio.
After the exuberance of the celebrations died down, there began a period of recovery for the church of Waukeen. During her long absence, referred to as the Interdeium of Waukeen, the church suffered an alarming amount of attrition and had to be built back up. Not one to avoid hard work, Waukeen set about revitalizing her faithful and combating the wild rumors and speculation that her disappearance and unusual return had generated, including the belief that she was dead. One of the most damaging allegations was known as the Harlot's Coin Heresy inculcated by the League of Six-Fingered Gentlemen, a group that had insinuated itself into the church hierarchy.
Relationship with other gods and churches
Waukeen's closest ally was Lliira, who was the trustee of Waukeen's portfolio while she made her ill-fated attempt to get back to her realm in the Outlands before the fall of Aer Arnad. However, when Lliira started answering the prayers of Waukeen's followers during her long incarceration, many of the Waukeenar assumed their goddess was dead and switched allegiances and rededicated their temples to Lliira. After Waukeen returned to power, she was jealous and upset that so many of her faithful did not return to her service, and this slightly soured the friendship between the two goddesses.
The Golden Lady is one of the first to support Gond and his inventions over the doubts of most other deities. Shaundakul is also an ally of the Merchant's Friend as his portfolio touched hers in areas such as long-range traders, and caravans. Waukeen has no real enemies among the pantheon except Mask, the Master of All Thieves, because larceny is bad for business. She naturally has an unending hatred and thirst for revenge against the demon lord Graz'zt who broke a deal, took advantage of her weakened state, and held her captive..
Associated lesser deities
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Lliira, God of Joy
The church is approximately 40% clerics and 60% specialty priests. It is organized in a loosely hierarchical manner, and all temples of Waukeen answer to one head of the church who holds the title of Holycoin. Specialty priests of the faith are known as goldeyes because their pupils turn that blazing hue due to the touch of the goddess. Goldeyes are among the most successful prospectors and tomb-treasurefinders in Faerûn.
The church is approximately 40% clerics and 60% specialty priests. It is organized in a loosely hierarchical manner, and all temples of Waukeen answer to one head of the church who holds the title of Holycoin. Specialty priests of the faith are known as goldeyes because their pupils turn that blazing hue due to the touch of the goddess. Goldeyes are among the most successful prospectors and tomb-treasurefinders in Orben.
Hierarchy
Novices are known as Telchar among Waukeenar. In ascending order, the ranks a priest may rise through after she or he is confirmed are: Coin, Abreeant, Counter, Trabbar, Investor, Halanthi, Lender, Syndo, Manycoins, Grand Trabbar, Spender, Grand Syndar, Overgold (a general term for high clergy), and Holycoin.
Vestments
Waukeen's clergy members are among the most lavishly dressed, rivaling those of Sune, Milil, and Lathander in their rich robes. Waukeenar ritual garb is gaudy and ornate, with white silk undergarments, slashed and fluted sleeves and boots, pince-nez and lorgnettes (if the priests have any weakness of vision), various useful items dangling from silk ribbons, and tall gilded and begemmed miters. Tunics, trousers, hose, or tabards may be worn as desired (or as the season makes practical), but these are always of the finest, most costly fabrics and furs, dyed and arranged for the most vibrant display possible. The entire ensemble is covered by a gilded scarlet cloak heavy with the weight of thousands of wheels, plates, clasps, and flourishes of various precious metals. The constume is finished off with white gloves and a gilded rod or staff, which is either magical or ornately carved and set with gems. (Many Waukeenar carry staffs of curing so as to heal wounds in return for substantial donations to the church. These staffs or curing represent the sole major magical energy left in the church at present.) High clergy usually wear coronets with their miters, and outshine many monarchs with their garb.
Waukeenar wear the clothing of rich merchants when in the streets, and armor that is gilded, white-enameled, and painted with elaborate scenes when they ride into danger. They use chariots enchanted to make them float or ornate curtained palanquins. (Horses still pull the chariots, but the weight is much less and the ride both fast and smooth.)
Rites and Duties
Clerics
Affiliated Orders
The church of Waukeen has no church-affiliated knightly orders. It readily sponsors adventuring companies of other faiths who can present a reasonable prospect of showing a profit and promise a 20% tithe to the church, and it often hires mercenary and adventuring companies to guard trade caravans and shipments of church trade goods overseas. Persistent rumor holds that many individual Waukeenar (if not the church itself) have long-standing connections with the Iron Throne organization.
Temples of Waukeen are built in many architectural styles, but a preference for ornateness and ornamentation is prevalent no matter whether the building is a soaring cathedral or a classical temple featuring a large portico and many columns. Decoration in Waukeen's temples covers the floors, walls, roof pillars, and ceiling if possible. The decorative elements are baroque, intricate, brightly colored, and feature as much precious metal and as many gemstones as can be logically or illogically fitted into the design.
Major Centers of Worship
The former center of Waukeen's worship, the Goldspires, and once the tallest building in all of Orben, is a large fortified castle-abbey whose towers are adorned with gilded conical roofs that rises high above Mairmithon on its seafront, is the only remaining large enclave of Waukeenar from before the fall of Aer Arnad. This House of All Plenty (a term given to all major temples of Waukeen) is really a small fortified city in its own right and is said to be supported by no fewer than seven rising merchant houses of Aer Arnad, who see it as their only way to true power in the land in the face of the might of the older merchant families who rule. The Goldspires is ruled by the Holycoin Voice of the Lady Tharundar Olehm, an aged patriarch of huge size and impressive white-browed mien. He is assisted by no fewer than five ambitious, beautiful women of various ages and backgrounds, the "Five Furies": Barasta Cleeith, Daerea Ethgil, Faerthae Garblueth, Halanna Jashire, and Satiila Tebrentan. These women are all Overgold sisters who pursue a vicious game of quiet in-fighting to become Tharundar's successor as the supreme head of the church of Waukeen in Orben.
The new center of Waukeen's worship is a constantly-growing complex of temples, merchant bazaars, guard walls, and secure ports in Medita, City-State of Beleri. The ruling Daemendi family, led by an Elf matriarch named Neira Clindi, comissions new expansions every day to what is intended to be a temple the size of an entire country, crowned by its capital building, the Goldtower, the tallest building in Orben and an extravagant central templehouse that serves as both the headquarters and living manse of the Daemendi family. A budding rivalry between Goldtower and the Goldspires in Mairmithon has seen the roof of each increased inch by inch every year, as each vies to be taller than the other.
For Cleric/Wizards
When you gain a level from 2–5, you may choose a single Domain. A full list of domain spells and moves is under Choosing a God in Advanced Play Guides.
When you gain a level from 6–10, you may choose a second Domain.
If you choose the primary domain for your god, you also get the Primary Domain Move of that domain and take +1 to cast spells from the domain.
Clerics/Wizards
If you are a Cleric or Wizard (and your god permits your class), choose from the following domains. You add all spells of the chosen domain to your spell list, up to level 7 (once you meet the mana requirements) or up to level 9 (if it's the primary domain and once you meet the mana requirements).
Primary Domain
Trade (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells, this Primary Domain Move, and this level 9 spell)
Primary Domain Move
Charming Chachkies
You gain the Bard move, Charming, and additional questions:
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How much is the most you will buy this for?
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What is the least you will sell that for?
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Is this real or fake?
Level 9 Spell
Lock Lurker | Level 9
You turn a coin into a Lock Lurker. Lock Lurkers are dangerous, semi-sentient creatures that look exactly like coins and can easily be hidden among them, but they have invisible stingers, legs, and teeth. It can speak and report back to you what it's seen, and if it or coins near to it are stolen it lets out a scream that can be heard from 50 meters away. A lock lurker has no stats and 1HP. When you direct it to attack someone it latches on and does 1 damage per round to them, ignoring armor. It can only be removed by spending a standard action to find and pull it off. They can do this without a roll, but become vulnerable upon pulling it off. Someone who attempts to destroy the Lock Lurker on their ally using a damage move does their damage to their friend on a miss. The Lock Lurker disappears when killed or after being pulled off of someone it has attached to. The Lock Lurker lasts until it is destroyed or until you end the spell.
Secondary Domains
Justice (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells)
Knowledge (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells)
Luck (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells)
Sun (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells)
For Non-Cleric/Wizards
When you gain a level from 2–5, you may choose a single Domain. A full list of domain spells and moves is under Choosing a God in Advanced Play Guides.
When you gain a level from 6–10, you may choose a second Domain.
If you choose the primary domain for your god, you also get the Primary Domain Move of that domain and take +1 to cast spells from the domain.
Non-Cleric/Wizards
If you are not a Cleric or Wizard, you gain access to all spells of your chosen domain up to level 3 and can cast them using the Cast a Spell Cleric move (you do not however gain any spells from the Cleric spell list). You can also gain a secondary domain move from that domain, in addition to the domain spells.
Primary Domain
Trade (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells, this Primary Domain Move, and a Secondary Domain Move)
Primary Domain Move
Charming Chachkies
You gain the Bard move, Charming, and additional questions:
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How much is the most you will buy this for?
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What is the least you will sell that for?
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Is this real or fake?
If you are a Bard, when asking these questions a 6 or lower counts as a 7-9 for you.
Secondary Domain Moves (choose 1):
Silver Tongue
When you offer something in trade to non-clergy of Waukeen, they cannot use INT or WIS rolls to determine its value until an hour after the trade has taken place (or been declined).
Gold to Lead
If you spend several minutes studying an item of great alleged value, you will get a gut feeling if it's a fake. Ask a storyteller to confirm the validity of an item; you will know immediately if it’s counterfeit, though you may not be able to prove it.
Secondary Domains
Justice (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells and this Secondary Domain Move)
Secondary Domain Move:
It’s All a Deep End
When you're outnumbered 2 to 1 or more in a fight against criminals, do +2 damage.
Knowledge (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells and this Secondary Domain Move)
Secondary Domain Move:
Knowtographic Memory
If you have read or heard something said before in play, you can recall it perfectly. You must have RPed reading or hearing it.
Luck (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells and this Secondary Domain Move)
Secondary Domain Move:
Double Your Luck
Once per encounter, you can re-use the result of one of your rolls on your following roll.
Sun (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells and this Secondary Domain Move)
Secondary Domain Move:
It’s All Right
When you assist lawfully appointed officers of the law, they take +1 forward. You can’t use this to benefit yourself.