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Nobanion - DM Artemis - 10-08-2017
Lore Firemane, King of the Beasts, King of Lions and Strong Beasts, the Lion King, Lord of the Gulthmere Forest, Guardian of the Vilhon Reach
Demipower of the Happy Hunting Grounds, LG
PORTFOLIO: Lions, good-aligned beasts, lammasu, wemics, werelions, felines, noble beasts, royalty
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Krigala/Pridelands
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Balador, Ferrix, Gwaeron Windstrom, Lurue, Mielikki, Sharess, Shiallia, Silvanus, Tapann, Torm, Tyr, Water Lion
FOES: Malar
SYMBOL: A male lion's head or a golden lion rampant on a green shield
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN
Nobanion (No-BAN-yun), the Lion God of Gulthmere, is viewed of the protector of that woods, the wild natives within it, and the nearby Shining Plains. He is typically portrayed as a great male lion or a majestic lammasu. He draws his power from the wild animals of the Vilhon Reach and Dragon Coast regions, particularly the great cats and wemics of the Shining Plains.
Worship of the Lion and the Unicorn, as Nobanion and Lurue are often called, is frequently lumped into the catch-all category of "beast cult." These two deities, however, differ from the tribal totel great spirits of the Uthgardt and the Ice Hunters of the North which are often cited as typical beast cult "deities," as those spirits are not divinities in their own right, serving rather as conduits for the actions of Uthgar or Ulutiu, respectively. Nobanion is a deity in his own right and always has been since he entered the Realms from another crystal sphere. However, his primary worshipers are not human, but rather animals, especially felines, strong beasts, and animals of regal bearing, and most of them do not maintain written histories or even many oral traditions. Their religion is a personal and direct faith, and until Nobanion began attracting human and humanoid worshipers, such as wemics, the ways of his religion went unrecorded and were little noticed.
Nobanion entered the Realms centuries ago through one of the many magical pools in the Weathercote Wood, each of which acts as a gate to another world on the Prime Material Plane. Lord Firemane stalked the length and breadth of the Realms for over a century before settling amidst the trees of the Gulthmere Forest with a pack of greater lammasu and claiming that land as his pridelands.
During the Time of Troubles, in a titanic combat known as the Roar of the Shadows, Nobanion and a handful of Emerald Enclave druid allies drove Malar the Stalker north and west from the region. Nobanion has since become something of a legend in the Vilhon Reach and Dragon Coast regions. After driving off Malar, Nobanion emerged from the Gulthmere Forest to roam the Shining Plains. Most of the Tenpaw Tribe of wemics joined Nobanion's Great Pride, as the Lion King's followers are collectively known, and Lord Firemane's faith rapidly spread south and west throughout the Shining Plains and beyond. (While the wemics revere him as a great warrior god, Nobanion has yet to make a significant impression on their neutral morals and ethics, though he is gradually swaying them.)
In the aftermath of the Godswar, Nobanion opened a permanent portal to the Beastlands in the heart of the Gulthmere Forest. The Lion King and his pride now split their time between their territory in the Outer Planes and the lands under his dominion in the Realms. He holds court with representatives of all the beasts, great and small, in both realms, and he serves as king over those who accept his benevolent sovereignty.
Nobanion and Sharess get along well because of their mutual feline natures, but Nobanion finds himself frequently annoyed at Sharess's inability to focus on long-term plans and her constant innuendo-laden teasing. he is on good terms with most of the animal lords of the Beastlands, Water Lion, Balador (lord of werebears), Ferrix (lady of weretigresses), Tapann (god of korreds), and most of the nature deities of Faerûn. He hates Malar with a passion as the perversion of all that is noble and natural in beasts, and he would hunt Malar to extermination if he had the resources to do it. Gwaeron Windstrom and he share this hatred, and they sometimes coordinate their efforts against Malar.
Nobanion also gets along well with Torm and Tyr and sees himself as trying to emulate among beasts what they strive for among humans; however, both these powers are too busy with human affairs to have developed a relationship with Nobanion beyond cordial acquaintance. Nobanion and Lurue have a long-standing alliance and deep friendship that has stood for many centuries, and their relationship is one that Nobanion counts upon most when he needs to get an outside viewpoint on a problem or is troubled or depressed.
Nobanion radiates both power and gentleness. His roar is deafening, and when he chooses to exert the full force of his charisma, his regal majesty is overwhelming, yet the tinest creature who approaches him in good faith finds itself comfortable in his presence. He tries to lead his pride to do what is noble and right, but does not force his faithful to pursue that path. He deeply wants those under his rule to willingly choose good over evil, action over inaction, and order over chaos. He does not command from the rear and would never ask someone to do something he would not be willing to do himself, including laying down his life for another.
Other Manifestations
Nobanion often manifests as a lion's roar that seems to emanate from everywhere and rumble across the landscape. If he so desires, he can create a roar of the king effect emanating from any feline, no matter how small.
Nobanion sometimes appears to his worshipers as a great lion's head outlined in a mane of amber and scarlet flickering fire. In this form he can also unleash the roar of the king effect discussed previously for his avatar.
Nobanion is served by good major incarnates and charity, courage, faith, justice, temperance, and wisdom minor incarnates, androsphinxes, dragonnes, lammasu, greater lammasu, and great cats of all sorts, including leomarhs, lions, mountain lions, sea lions, thylacines, and tigers. He is said to love fine poetry and song and to have a particular sentimental fondness for pastries and sweetmeats, cinnamon, rice candies from far Kara-Tur, and sweetened concoctions made from Maztican cocoa, cream, and butter, in addition to liking a good cut of meat.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, crusaders, shamans
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: LG, NG, LN, N
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: No, Cru: No, Sha: Yes, if good
CMND. UNDEAD: C: No, SP: No, Cru: No, Sha: Yes, if neutral or evil
All clerics, specialty priests, crusaders, and shamans of Nobanion receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency. In addition to becoming shamans, wemics in the service of Nobanion may become clerics, crusaders, or specialty priests. Nobanion is not served by any witch doctors.
Worship of Nobanion is scattered throughout the Vilhon Reach, Dragon Coast, and Shining Plains regions, but Lord Firemane is venerated primarily within the confines of the Gulthmere Forest, in the city of Nathlekh, and among the wemics of the Shining Plains. In the Gulthmere Forest, Nobanion is the much-beloved monarch of the beasts and the wild natives within. Those who serve another lord, such as the druids of the Emerald Enclave and the inhabitants of Cedarsproke, are expected to live in harmony with the Lion King's laws nonetheless. On the Shining Plains, he is honored as the titular ruler of the Tenpaw tribe. Across the Vilhon Reach region, he is seen as the great protector and the guardian against Malar the Stalker.
Aside from his temple in the city of Nathlekh, Nobanion is worshiped at simple shrines, not elaborate hosues of worship. Shrines to the Lion God of the Gulthmere are often difficult to locate, since they are carried by nomads or tribes of wemics who migrate with the seasons (which makes it all the more difficult for Malar's clergy to seek vengeance for their god's defeat during the Time of Troubles). Such shrines are typically set up atop granite outcroppings or beneath solitary trees on the savanna.
Clergy of the Lion God, known as the Pride of Nobanion, are not given to elaborate titles. Specialty priests are known as firemanes and are commonly referred to as Lights of the Lion's Mane. Clerics and crusaders are known as Roaring Avengers, while shamans are addressed as Speakers of the Paw and Roar. Lammasu and greater lammasu are considered part of the clergy and are addressed as Elders and Reverend Elders, respectively.
Dogma: Hunt only when hungry and do not gorge without need. Waste nothing and all shall have plenty. The cycle of life links all living things into one being and that being is life itself. The law of the jungle is that only the strong survive, but they survive best by being leaders, not tyrants, and by protecting the weak, not bullying them. All creatures have their strengths in their assigned roles and should be encouraged to find their niche. From cooperation between beings of differing strengths comes the strength of teamwork and community, the strongest force of all. By demonstrating compassion and tolerance and living within the land, all living creatures may find harmony with nature and one another. By staying true to oneself and one's pride and conducting oneself with dignity and honor, the respect of one's peers may be earned.
Much of what is known of Nobanion's teachings has been filtered through the wemics and is colored by their racial tendencies into a harsher dogma than is presented above. Their interpretation of Nobanion's teachings is more along the lines of "Only the strong survive," "Live and let live unless provoked," and "Protect the pride and all its members, but if injury or illness bring one of them down, allow him or her a swift and painless end to suffering." Nobanion hopes that as more beings of other species flock to his church, his message will be more clearly transmitted.
Day-to-Day Activities: The Pride of Nobanion fill leadership roles in many communities where the Lion God is revered. Many serve as benevolent monarchs, judges, militia, constables, or as guardians against evil. The vanguard of armies loyal to Nobanion is typically filled with clerics and crusaders of the Lion King. Others teach their hunting or martial skills to the young, while passing along moral instruction and important traditions both by word and deed.
Among the wemic tribes of the Shining Plains, Nobanion's shamans are typically powerful leaders, second only to the chieftain or king. They are responsible for choosing which creatures to hunt, blessing the kill, and confirming the passage of young members of the pride into adulthood.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Two major religious observances are held each year for Nobanion, and they are always exactly three and one half months apart. Their spacing is representative of the gestation period of the lion.
The Festival of the Pride normally takes place during the first week of Ches. This is a time for frolicking, dancing, courting a mate, lovemaking, and generally celebrating the bounty of life and its potential. Religious belief promises that a child/cub conceived this night will go on to become ruler of the church/pride.
The Newborn Celebration always takes place during the third week of Kythorn. This ceremony celebrates the birth (or rebirth-church teachings are vague) of Nobanion, the prominence of lions in the Vilhon Reach, and the importance of the hunt in the region. It is marked by a great hunt and a great feast. Newborns undergo the Rite of the First Blooding where their right paw (or hand) is placed in the blood of the prey and blessed by a priest of Nobanion.
Major Centers of Worship: Deep in the Gulthmere Forest is the village of Gurnth, inhabited by human followers of the Lion God. The inhabitants live the "life of teh cats," following the tenets of Nobanion. The villagers worship Nobanion at the nearby Machran Spire, a mountainous outcropping of granite from which Nobanion is said to have held court on numerous occasions. Lammasu and greater lammasu are said to reside on the Spire most of the year, and the priests of Nobanion in residence are believed to include numerous werelions among their ranks. Any worshiper of Nobanion who spends the night atop the Spire is said to receive the benefits of a heal or regenerate spell, as needed.
Nathlekh, City of Cats, is located at the western end of the Gulthmere Forest and the northern edge of the Shining Plains on the banks of the Lake of the Long Arm. Overrun with felines of all breeds, this city is loosely governed by the Council of the Cat Lords. Numerous werecats, werelions, and weretigers are citizens of Nathlekh in addition to the mysterious Cat Lords who rules. Twin temples of Nobanion and Sharess dominate the religious activity of the city, although a temple of Malar the Beastlord is rumored to exist in the city's catacombs.
The Pride of Nobanion, his temple in Nathlekh, is a vast pillared structure built on the city's acropolis. Constructed to evoke the impression that it is a natural extension of the granite plug extending up from the city's heart, this porticoed and colonnaded structure is festooned with statues of lions in various natural poses. Numerous real lions wander the temple's halls and gardens, but they never molest the citizenry unless provoked. Nathlekh's judiciary, a trio of greater lammasu, holds court within the Pride of Nobanion on a weekly basis.
Affiliated Orders: The Legion of Lions is a military order of wemic firemanes, clerics, and crusaders. In the aftermath of the Time of Troubles, this unorthodox fellowship of beast knights was founded by Karrlon, formerly a scout of the Mindulgulph Mercenary Company and now a crusader who fights for the Lion God's standard. Thought small in number, this elite fighting company has quickly become the champion of good-aligned beasts throughout the Realms and the bane of Malarites everywhere. In addition to the main company, individual members often join adventuring companies of disparate races to see more of the world and spread the faith of Nobanion.
Priestly Vestments: Priests of Nobanion have little in the way of formal raiment. Typically they garb themselves in cloaks made from the hide of a gazelle or antelope and wear a necklace of the teeth and claws of vaniquished opponents around their neck. Their symbol is a single, unblinking lion's eye which each priest pains on his or her forehead. Priests also often depict the face of Nobanion on their robes in stitchery, beadwork, or quillwork or on their chests in paints or as a tattoo.
Adventuring Garb: When adventuring, the Pride of Nobanion select armor and weapons as appropriate for the foe they expect to face. Although they may wear any type of armor available, many eschew armor altogether or wear hide armor fashioned from beasts they themselves have hunted. A few powerful wemic priests have commissioned (for a minimum of 1,000 gp) a hybrid plate mail and chain mail suit of armor that resembles conventional human armor for their upper half and barding for their lower half, giving them an effective AC of 4.