Church of Moander

Clergy
Many lonely folk, adrift in the world at large, were drawn to the Darkbringer for the firm direction It gave their life. Servants of Moander were required to endure a ceremony to join the cult that involved the absorption of a seed of Moander. If worthy, the seed gradually grew in the initiate's body until the entire internal structure was replaced with rotting plant matter. A small flowered tendril protruding from the ear and wound through the hair was the only visible indication of the change. At this stage, whenever it wished, Moander could assume complete direct mental and physical control of the recipient. It could also speed up or slow down the rotting process, which allowed for further control of Its servants through fear.

Ranks
Priests of the Darkbringer were referred to as Minions of Moander, with senior clergy taking the title of High Minion and the high priest being called Master Minion. The head of the entire Faerûniun church was the Mouth of Moander, usually a human female priestess. Extremely rarely, a Master Minion would become an Undying Minion upon death, an ooze-like undead creature known as a skuz. Minions were expected to spread rumors of Moander's power, feed its Abomination, and infect new followers with the 'seed of Moander.'

Holy Days and Rituals
Cultists were expected to kill something or gather vegetation on a daily basis in order to spread rot and decay. Most also celebrated Balefire on the first of Hammer by constructing huge bonfires in its name to hold back the cold.

Regions
The oldest pace of Moanderite worship in Faerûn was an underground temple in the city of Yûlash in the Moonsea region that was over 1,000 years old by the 14 century DR. The temple was a sizable hidden complex that predated the city itself. Forests of Ylraphon were rumored to shelter a hidden shrine of Moander.

History
The Moanderite worship's decline began over a thousand years before the 14 century DR, when the forest elves of the City of Song, Myth Drannor clashed with the Darkbringer for the last time. They buried that Temple of Moander under the land what would later become Yûlash and slew the church's clergy. Moander's avatar – the dreaded Abomination of Moander, was imprisoned in the buried temple, held trapped by a curse that could only be lifted by an "nonborn child," something that seemed impossible. The god himself was banished from Toril, and elves of Myth Drannor hoped the worship of the god of decay would wither and die. It was not to be, however, as enough of Moanderites survived the massacre and carried on growing the faith in the lands south of Cormanthor.

As years passed, Cults of Moander attempted to free the god's avatar from under Yûlash to no avail, leaving behind stones carved with the Darkbringer's symbols. The god was remained trapped until the Kythorn 5, the. The Church of Moander found unlikely allies in a sorceress Cassana, her lich ally Zrie Prakis, Moander's ancient enemy Phalse, and the Fire Knives assassins. The dark alliance pooled their resourced to create a living construct, a "nonborn child," each member of the alliance planned on using the construct for their own purpose. The Church of Moander sought to use it to unleash the Abomination of Moander onto the world once more. Against all odds, the construct was lost to the group and gained sentence, becoming the hero known as Alias. Via manipulation and the compulsory magic of her azure bonds, Alias and her companions were lured to the war-torn Yûlash and freed Moander. Eventually, Moander's avatar was destroyed in the battle over Westgate, and many of the Darkbringer's cultists were killed in the battle of the Hill of Fangs outside of the city. Of corse, the cultists of Moander were far from gone.

The following year, Moander attempter to return to the Realms through a tribe of enslaved saurials snatched from another world. The attempt was unsuccessful and resulted in the deity's seeming death at the hands of Finder Wyvernspur, who, in turn, claimed the Darkbringer's divinity and reached apotheosis. However, even with Moander's apparent death, the church remained functioning as sporadic cults and small hidden temples. Enough worship could return Moander to his past strength in time, however that was made complicated by the drow goddess Lolth. Seeing Moander's portfolio unused by Finder, she took the name of Moaner as her aspect to spread the worship beyond Underdark. During the Time of Troubles, which had shaken Toril in the, shortly after Moander's defeat, the followers of the Jawed God became desperate due to the disappearance of their deity and the cult's assassins. The church participated in numerous inept terrorist attacks and sabotage attempts against organizations that held power in the Realms and other churches. The attacks were filed by confusion and desperation and mirrored similar activities of the Cult of the Dragon, several thieves' guilds, and renegade cults of dark gods.

In the, an adventuring band of the Six Spiked Rings arrived to Ylraphon from Turmish to investigate rumors of the fallen House of Moander temple. The adventurers faced a greater darktentacles creature inside. Two of the Six Spiked Rings survived the encounter and emerged with sacks full of gems and magical metal wands.

Notable Members of the Church of Moander

 * Coral, a saurial priestess, the Mouth of Moander circa the Time of Troubles, who was enslaved by Moander's seed and put out of her miserly by Dragonbait.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Curse of the Azure Bonds &bull; Tantras &bull; Undermountain: The Lost Level
 * Novels
 * Azure Bonds &bull; Song of the Saurials
 * The Simbul's Gift
 * Video Games
 * Curse of the Azure Bonds &bull; Pools of Darkness
 * Curse of the Azure Bonds &bull; Pools of Darkness