Finder Wyvernspur

Finder Wyvernspur (pronounced FIND-er ) was a relatively new deity raised to divinity by acquiring the divine spark of the deceased god Moander. Originally he was a powerful bard named Finder Wyvernspur, though history would recall him as The Nameless Bard. Finder was the chaotic neutral demi-power of the cycles of life and transformation of art. His symbol was a white harp on gray circle, and his divine realm was within Selûne's palace in the Gates of the Moon.

Worshipers
Finder's church was very small, consisting primarily of younger bards and musicians, and those who sought to change and diversify the arts. His faith was strong only amongst the saurials of the Lost Vale (in the Dalelands), who owed him their freedom. The specialty priests of Finder were called Finders.

Relationships
Finder was tolerated by most of the good pantheon. His closest ally was Tymora, who sponsored his rise to godhood, and it was believed, as his old patron deity, helped him permanently slay Moander. He was jokingly referred to as the god of reckless fools, which Tymora may have appreciated and which was somewhat apt, considering Finder's behavior. He has was also known to fraternize with greater powers who were allies of Tymora, although as a free spirit, Finder preferred to spend his time away from stronger deities. He also forged a good relationship with the deity Selûne, with whom he shared his home plane.

Finder was too new a deity to have any implacable foes or long-term allies, but Milil, whilst feeling somewhat threatened by him, hoped to guide Finder to a more benign outlook. Oghma was also wary of Finder. Cultists of Moander, sponsored by Lolth, sought his destruction, and deities such as Tiamat, Set, and Sebek wished to gain his patronism of the saurials. Other evil deities such as Talona, Gargauth, and Yurtrus sought to steal Moander's unclaimed but guarded portfolio for themselves.

Finder's closest relationship was the one he has with his first human priest, Joel the Rebel Bard. Despite being lost to the Wyvernspur family's lore, he continued to watch over the descendants of his brother.

History
A few centuries ago, Finder was a member of the Wyvernspur family, who are nobles in Cormyr, and a highly accomplished bard. Rising to prominence among the Harpers, he was quite successful in his youth. Finder's skills in music were such that his songs transcended mere music, inspiring others to great works, renewed vigor or deep despair.

Inevitably, Finder's works were copied by other performers, who added their own twists to his songs. It was inevitable that their performances would thus veer from the level of perfection that Finder strove for. In anger at the corruption of his works, Finder vowed to create a method by which his songs would be preserved in the ideal state; that is, the way he himself wanted.

Disregarding the advice of powerful mages who claimed it was too dangerous, Finder first modified an artifact, the Finder's Stone, to act as a recording and playback device for his music, spells, and journal. He accomplished this by inserting a sliver of para-elemental ice into the stone, cooling it while simultaneously expanding its storage capacity. The Stone was a success, however Finder wasn't satisfied by the flat, unliving playback it delivered.

To make his music both "alive" and immortal, he then devised a magical clone of himself that he could fill with memories, including his music. This clone, Flattery Wyvernspur, was physically almost identical to Finder. However, the egotistical Finder was unsatisfied by the emotionally childlike and inexperienced clone's imperfect reproductions of his music. After only a week of unsuccessful practice, Finder lashed out in frustration and struck the clone. He continued a cycle of abuse until finally, Flattery snapped and attempted to kill Finder with a ring of disintegration. One of Finder's apprentices died when he threw himself in front of the beam, while another was later driven to suicide by the now evil Flattery. This resulted in a severe backlash to Finder's reputation within the still fledgling Harper organization, despite his attempts at a partial cover-up. He claimed his apprentices were injured in an explosion in which the clone was also killed. Flattery actually escaped, and cleaned out Finder's lab. Finder himself was brought to trial before the Harpers, including Elminster.

The verdict was harsh: many Harpers had watched Finder's obsession grow, and the fatal result of his attempts to preserve his music were viewed as a terrible crime. The Harpers condemned Finder to timeless existence in the Citadel of White Exile, located on the border between the Positive Energy Plane and the Plane of Gems. His songs and his name were wiped from the Realms. Only a few, such as Elminster and Morala of Milil, remembered them, in case they should emerge again.

Centuries later, the sorceress Cassana found details of Finder's experiments and tracked him down in the Citadel. She offered him a second chance, though her motives for doing so were dark. He accepted, and the result was the adventuress Alias, who he filled with false memories and all of his music. In her release from Cassana and the "Dark Masters," Alias met Finder, known as "Nameless", and he discovered that she, too, had been adapting his music to enhance it. However, Finder found he could accept this fact. Within a year, Flattery reemerged and attempted to steal the Wyvern's Spur, an artifact and heirloom of the Wyvernspurs. He was killed when Giogi Wyvernspur used the Spur against him.

Now returned to the Realms, Finder was yet again put on trial, this time to determine whether he could be reintroduced into the realms or returned to the White Citadel. After a long and dangerous journey with his halfling friend, Olive Ruskettle, Finder found the love and courage within himself to sacrifice the finders stone and save the realms from the evil deity Moander. At that time, Moander had enslaved a number of the otherworldly reptilian humanoids known as saurials, and captured the Turmish mage Akabar Bel Akash in a plot to build a new body. By dismantling the stone and using the para-elemental ice at its core, Finder was able to slay Moander's real body in The Abyss, and claim its godly essence for his own. Moander's portfolio of rot and corruption, however, remained unclaimed by the bard.

In doing this, Finder freed the saurials, one of whom, Dragonbait, was traveling with Alias at the time, who had been enslaved by Moander. Finder immediately gained the worship of this stranded race (excepting Dragonbait who followed Tyr), as their own deities remained on the world they left behind. He was also pardoned by the Harpers for his bravery, and his name and songs were restored to the Realms.

Still a fledgling power, Finder started to develop a base of worshipers at the urging of his first priestess, the saurial Copperbloom. To do so, he manifested himself to a young bard named Joel, posing as the elderly priest Jedidiah, who espoused the wonders of Finder's vision. Joel later became close friends with Finder, as well as his first human cleric, from the time they spent together searching for an artifact, the Hand of Bane.

Appearances

 * The Finder's Stone trilogy
 * The Lost Gods Trilogy

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
The character first appeared as "The Nameless Bard" in the novel Azure Bonds (1988).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
Finder Wyvernspur's origins are detailed as his story continues in the novels The Wyvern's Spur (1990), and Song of the Saurials (1991). Finder's story, and his journey to godhood, later continue in the novels Finder's Bane (1997), and Tymora's Luck (1997).

Finder is further detailed in Powers & Pantheons (1997).

Finder is described as one of the good deities that celestials can serve in the supplement Warriors of Heaven (1999).

Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition (2000-2007)
Finder Wyvernspur appears in 3rd edition in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book (2001), and was further described in Faiths and Pantheons (2002).