Bane.
The Dark One.
God of Strife, Hatred, and Tyranny.
In the
Dungeons and Dragons setting of
Forgotten Realms, the
deities have a very thick and rich history supported by vast novels and campaign settings. Bane is one of them.
A brief history of the
Forgotten Realms as it relates to Bane:
- 753 The Year of Strife: The Dark Shrine, temple to Bane, is built
- app. 758: Bane spawned a half-demon child, Iyachtu Xvim.
- 800 The Year of the Black Fist: the power of Bane rose in the realms.
- 1272 The Year of the Shrieker: Zhentarim warriors and priests of Bane raise an army to assault Silverymoon but are repelled
- 1356 The Year of the Worm: The temple of Bane in Voonlar is sacked by Shadowdale forces.
- 1358 The Year of the Shadows: Destruction of Bane
Bane has quite a troubled history that starts around the time Bane plotted to overthrow all the Gods (the old Evil God Plans To Ruin All That Is plot). Three Gods (Bane,
Mykrul, and
Bhaal) conspired against all the Gods by stealing the ancient tablets that contained all the information of the Gods.
Ao banished all of the gods, with the exclusion of
Helm, to the world as avatars. Over time Bane and the god
Torm were engaged in a fierce battle near a power artifact: an ancient bell.
Midnight, a powerful human wizard, rang the bell. This act was described as “Ringing the Bell that can not be rung”. This created an anti-magic field that annihilated the avatars of both Gods. Both ceased to be and their shadows are burned into the ground at that site forever.
Some 600 years before his death, Bane spawned a half-demon child,
Iyachtu Xvim. For many years, Xvim was trapped beneath the city of
Zhentil Keep.
Cyric, originally born a human and later rose to a godlike state, destroyed the city thus freeing Xvim, and a new church was formed, led by Fzoul Chembryl. For the next three years, the church grew, as did Xvim's power, even taking control away from Lord
Cyric.
Then, on the night of Midwinter, 1372 DR, all of
Iyachtu Xvim's priests received a vision of their god, torn apart from within, by an armored warrior surrounded in green flame. It was then that Toril knew the return of Lord Bane. Bane has reclaimed the portfolio of strife, hatred, tyranny, and fear. There now exists strong tension between
Cyric and Bane. It is yet unclear how the balance of power will shift as a result.
Resources include: Forgotten Realms 3rd Edition, wizards.com, “The Life and Times of the Man who would be a God”, and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.