Black Bess, Lady Doom, The Maid of Misfortune, Goddess of Misfortune
Let pain be as pleasure to the faithful of Talona. She works upon you from within, and in weakness and wasting is her strength. She is forever and always with you, whomever you or the rest of the world believes in or serves. Let all living things learn respect from Talona and pay homage to her in goods and in fervent worship, and her dedicated priests will intercede for them so that Talona will not claim them—this time. Go and work in Talona’s name and let your doings be subtle or spectacular, but make them known as the will of the Mother of All Plagues.
(You need to abide by these as clergy, not as a worshiper)
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Cleric, Thief, Druid, Shaman, or Witch
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Any race
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Non-Cleric Initiation: You must cover your entire body in painful, horrifying scars while others watch.
(You need to abide by these as clergy, not as a worshiper)
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Level 0 Spell: Sanctify
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I'm the one who spoiled it.
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Level 1 Spell: Sanctuary
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Nowhere can be safe.
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Holy Symbol: Three golden amber teardrops on a purple equilateral triangle with point downward
(If you wish to become clergy of this god, you must take only one vow from those below—if you violate it you lose any moves, spells, and any other benefits granted by this god until you atone.)
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Respect (You must spread respect for Talona, reminding all of her power, so that they may entreat her for mercy; ensure that any who disrespect her feel her breath)
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Humility (You must subject your body to the harshest poisons and diseases to immunize yourself against them; then treat the poisoned and diseased—ensure that all who are saved attribute their healing to Talona's mercy)
Talona (Tah-LOW-nah), one of the Dark Gods, is often depicted as a withered old crone with a scarred, tattooed face in religious texts. Where she walks, misfortune and death follow. She is an odd deity. Sages have described her as having the personality of a petulant, greedy child trapped in the body of a once-beautiful woman now scarred by horrific disease and ravaged by age: alternately desirous of attention at any cost like a small child and aloof like a wounded paramour who has been discarded by her love.
Home Plane
Barrens of Doom and Despair
Portfolio
Disease, Poison
Favored Weapon
Scabrous Hand (unarmed)
Myths
Kiputytto
Some old texts of Talona refer to her as Kiputytto, but this is actually the name of a rival demipower who challenged Talona’s portfolio and lost, and their battle ended the power of Aer Arnad. When Kiputytto attacked Talona, Talona plagued Aer Arnad in order to obtain the devotional power generated from the worship of its people, who hoped to appease Talona and lessen the effects of the disease. Kiputytto responded in kind and in the same place, provoking a devastating series of increasingly virulent plagues (perhaps even magical in nature) that overloaded the curative resources of Aer Arnad's various priesthoods and wiped out the entire population in less than a month, forever poisoning the region and twisting it into the Salt Marshes. Even most of those who escaped the scourged area died soon after of disease, and so none who witnessed the event survived. Shortly afterward, Talona won this devastating deific contest and murdered Kiputytto.
Representations of Talona’s symbol dated to before her battle with Kiputytto show it depicted as a flesh-colored equilateral triangle with point upward containing three teardrops arranged in a triangle with the uppermost black, the lower left purple, and the lower right green. Why the coloration was changed after her triumph over Kiputytto and the triangle was inverted is one of the inner mysteries of the church not ever revealed to outsiders.
Rivalry with Loviatar
While he lived, Talona served Bhaal along with Loviatar, though Loviatar and Talona and are fierce rivals. Loviatar loves to torment and tease Talona over her ugly appearance, her scanty number of followers, her cowardly and ineffectual attacks, and her puny portfolio (in Loviatar’s words). Needless to say, Talona openly delights in any setbacks Loviatar experiences, and sometimes even aids good adventurers if she thinks they will damage Loviatar’s reputation.
History
Talona’s power slowly wanes after each great plague in Orben. When she feels vulnerable in her position, she unleashes another wave of misery and disease-brought death and receives a torrent of prayers entreating her to spare the inhabitants of Orben from her withering touch. Her power then waxes again in an endless cycle of indifference, devastation, and appeasement.
Relationship with other gods and churches
Talona is allied with Shar and despises Chauntea, Mielikki, Kelemvor, and Tyr. She dislikes Ilmater for the cures he finds.
Associated Lesser Deities
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Nearly everyone who has been stricken with disease, or had a family member fall ill, has prayed to Talona, but more evil sorts also pray for her blessing when they undertake to use poisons or spread disease—thus Talona's worshipers are among the most evenly representative of all of Orben.
Rites and Duties
The Lady of Poisons attracts the cruel to her service; her priests tend to be self-sufficient, capable—and sadistic. Priests of Talona are known as Talontar, and members of the faith as a whole (laity and clergy) are called Talonites. Talontar are partial to ritual facial tattoos and scarification over their whole bodies. Specialty priests of Talona, known as Malagents, wield poisoned daggers and serve as the adventuring and internal policing arm of the faith. They make up about 45% of Talona’s clergy members and are slowly ascending to dominance of the faith, with clerics (40%) and mystics (15%) comprising the remainder of the priesthood. Specialty priests are addressed as “Most Fatal Horror” and are sometimes— not to their faces—known as “Fatals” to other Talonites. Other priests of the Lady of Poisons are addressed as “Most Debilitating Holiness,” though senior clergy usually call their juniors “Young Venom,” regardless of their relative ages.
The church of Talona observes thrice-daily prayers to the goddess (morning, highsun, and evening, though the timing of such rituals need not be precise), and daernuth (holy festivals) every 12 days. Festivals are events open to nondevotees, where such visitors are encouraged to pray and give offerings to Talona to spare themselves or loved ones from death, disease and the like. At such day-long celebrations, priests of Talona are always careful to show lepers and other victims of disfiguring diseases being cured by priestly magic before everyone, and also to demonstrate their immunity to contracting disease by touching disease-carrying or filthy objects. A long symphony of rolling drums, deep-voiced chanting, and glaur, shawm, and zulkoon music proclaims the power and veneration of Talona throughout the day, and minor priests busily sell poisons (for eliminating vermin, of course), antidotes, and medicines, assisted by senior clergy who diagnose conditions (usually with great accuracy) and prescribe treatments in return for stiff fees (typically 50 or 100 coins per examination).
Annually at the daernuth falling closet to Higharvestide, initiates of the faith are formally inducted into the priesthood. This ascension is marked by horrifying private ceremonies involving ritual scarring and sacred tattoos. Exceptionally unappealing individuals who undergo the ascension ceremony find peoples' views of them are raised by the ceremony due to the respect engendered in those viewing them by the fact that they survived the experience causing such scars.
Aside from selling poisons, antidotes, and medicines, the Talontar travel Orben as quietly as possible, constantly seeking out new diseases and afflictions and spreading rumors so as to augment the reputation of Talona. What seems to motivate Talontar in their day-to-day behavior is a quest for respect: respect that is due Talona for her potentially devastating abilities and due them as her representatives in Orben. Throughout their careers, Talona’s priests work with magic and inoculations to build their personal immunities to various poisons and diseases. Thus protected, they treat the diseased, take employment as food tasters for paranoid rulers, wealthy merchants, and nobles, and bun those who have died from diseases. Whenever a realm or city-state casts out or punishes any Talontar, for any reason, priests of Talona work to cause a plague in that place to exact “Talona’s price” for such insults. Rumors have circulated that certain unscrupulous Talontar have occasionally chosen wealthy folk as targets for disease so that wealth and properties can be seized by the church upon the death of these wealthy owners— with the threat of contracting disease keeping rightful heirs and claimants at bay.
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
Disease (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells, this Primary Domain Move, and this level 9 spell)
Primary Domain Move
Iocane Schmiocane
You are immune to poisons and diseases; handling them is never dangerous to you.
Level 9 Spell
Insect Plague | Level 9
You summon a swarm of insects that harasses your enemy. Add one debility of your choice to any single creature you attack while you are not under a channeled or control effect. If you are incapacitated, the swarm can fight in your place. It has 2 grit (ignoring armor) and 2 STR/2DEX/0CON/0INT/0WIS/0CHA and 10 HP, and it can only be harmed by magical damage. The spell ends when it is completely destroyed, or you choose to dismiss it.
Secondary Domains
Corruption (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells)
Torture (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
Disease (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells, this Primary Domain Move, and a Secondary Domain Move)
Primary Domain Move
Iocane Schmiocane
You are immune to poisons and diseases; handling them is never dangerous to you.
Secondary Domain Moves (choose 1):
Fun on the Tongue, Hell in the Belly
You can poison food in such a way that it tastes delicious and the poison is completely undetectable, even by magic.
Tomorrow St. Peter’s
You can infect a single rodent or insect at a time with a brain-enhancing but fatal disease. It will die within 24 hours, but while infected it can serve as a familiar to you, and communicate feelings and visions so long as you remain within 20 meters of it.
Secondary Domains
Corruption (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells and this Secondary Domain Move)
Secondary Domain Move:
I Plead the Fifth
If someone would normally be able to compel you to tell the truth (by a spell or other effect), you can say nothing instead.
Torture (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells and this Secondary Domain Move)
Secondary Domain Move:
You’ll Feel a Little Prick
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When you touch someone else, skin to skin, and pray to Loviatar, roll+WIS.
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On a 10+ you deal excrutiating pain; they take 1d8 damage or one disease or debility.
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On a 7–9, you deal 1d8 damage or inflict one disease or debility but you become vulnerable
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On a miss, you become vulnerable and lose access to this ability until you rest.