Beltar
Beltar | |
Beltar, the Dark Mother, as depicted in Dragon #89 (1984), art by Roger Raupp. | |
Title: | The Dark Mother |
---|---|
Home plane: | Tarterian Depths of Carceri |
Power level: | Lesser |
Gender: | Female |
Alignment: | Chaotic evil (chaotic neutral tendencies) |
Portfolio: | Malice, Caves, Pits |
Domains: | Chaos, Earth, Evil, War |
Superior: | Lendor |
Beltar is the Suel goddess of Malice, Caves, and Pits. Her holy symbol is a set of opened fangs poised to bite.
Description[edit | edit source]
Though often depicted as a hag-like human female, Beltar is known to also appear as a beholder, red dragon, or marilith demon. Beltar hates nearly everything, even other deities.
Relationships[edit | edit source]
Beltar was formerly a goddess of earth and mines, but was supplanted by other Suel gods (as well as nonhuman deities such as Moradin and Garl Glittergold, according to Complete Divine), until her only worshipers were nonhuman slaves. It is perhaps for this reason that Jascar is one of her greatest enemies.
Beltar will often take mates in her various forms, but few survive, as she eats them afterward, as well as any young born from such a union.
Realm[edit | edit source]
Beltar dwells on the plane of Carceri.
Dogma[edit | edit source]
Worshippers[edit | edit source]
Beltar's followers are encouraged to mine and explore caverns for riches and foes to kill. Her worshipers are mostly savage humans and evil nonhumans, barbaric dwellers in vast subterranean caverns. She encourages her faithful to join together in great armies and ally themselves with beholders, demons, red dragons, liches, and other powerful creatures. Her followers are relentless explorers and raiders who take whatever they can find in the darkness and make it their own.
Beltar is worshipped in the Bone March, the Pomarj, Stonehold, and even in Erelhei-Cinlu,[citation needed] as well as in the Corusk Mountains, Vast Swamp, and the Rakers.[1] Some regard her marilith form as evidence that she is the Suloise snake-goddess worshipped in the Vale of the Lamia and the Isle of Serpents.[citation needed]
Clergy[edit | edit source]
Her devotees wear black or dark gray vestments.[1]
Beltar's priests preach hatred of one's enemies, rather than fear. They are expected to take positions of leadership in their tribes, or to form their own. The priesthood makes examples of the weak-willed and traitors. They usually fight with their natural weapons, cesti, or spiked gauntlets. Devoted priests, within a year of their deaths, often rise from the grave as undead, often to return to their original tribes.
Rituals[edit | edit source]
Services to Beltar are usually held in deep caves[1] or points of low ground, and often involve sacrifice of sentient beings.{{cn}
Gallery[edit | edit source]
-
Holy Symbol of Beltar
-
Avatar of Beltar, by Roger Raupp[1]
-
Avatar of Beltar, by Roger Raupp[1]
-
Avatar of Beltar, by Roger Raupp[1]
References[edit | edit source]
Notes[edit | edit source]
Citations[edit | edit source]
Bibliography[edit | edit source]
- Brown, Anne. Player's Guide. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.
- Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online:[1]
- Gygax, Gary. World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.
- Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K. Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
- Lakofka, Lenard. "Gods of the Suel Pantheon." Dragon #89. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1984.
- Niles, Douglas, and Carl Sargent. The City of Greyhawk. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.
- Noonan, David. Complete Divine. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2004.
- Reynolds, Sean K. The Scarlet Brotherhood. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1999.
- Reynolds, Sean K., and Chris Pramas. Slavers. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
- Sargent, Carl. From the Ashes. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.
- ———. Ivid the Undying. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, unpublished. Available online: [2]
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Index is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, and his work as continued and updated by Eric Johnson, Richard DiIoia, Jason "PupickDad" Jacobson, a French fan group, and numerous other fans over the years. The wiki page for the EGI has a list of sources, full product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
Topic | Type | Description | Product | Page/Card/Image
|
---|---|---|---|---|
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Bastion of Faith | 42, 87 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | The City of Greyhawk: Adventure Cards | 19 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Dragon magazine #089 | 20-22 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Dragon magazine #241 | 42 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Dragon magazine #241 | 42 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Dragon magazine #298 | 77 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | From the Ashes: References Card | #4 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Ivid the Undying | 132 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Living Greyhawk Gazetteer | 21, 35, 87, 108, 166, 173 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Living Greyhawk Journal #3 | 18 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Oerth Journal #01 | 6,7,14,15 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Oerth Journal #04 | 19 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Oerth Journal #08 | 33 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Oerth Journal #10 | 35,71,73 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Oerth Journal #11 | 4,5,42,53,57,59 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Oerth Journal #17 | 18 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Oerth Journal #21 | 23 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Oerth Journal #23 | 10 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Oerth Journal #27 | 6,33 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Player's Guide to Greyhawk | 20, 24 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | Slavers, AD&D 2e | 53, 54, 90, 93, 106, 117 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | T1-4 The Temple of Elemental Evil | 120 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | The Scarlet Brotherhood | 11, 12, 14, 55, 64, 80, 82, 83 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | WGR3 Rary the Traitor | 16 |
Beltar | Deity | Worshipped by: Human (Suel), | World of Greyhawk boxed set (1983) | 63 |
Beltar, Temple of (Erelhei-Cinlu) | Building | Temple, | Dragon magazine #298 | 77 |
Beltar, Temple of (Highport) | Building | Temple, | Slavers, AD&D 2e | 90, 93 |