Church of Waukeen

The Church of Waukeen was a relatively young yet one of the most widespread religious organizations in Faerûn. Grand temples to the Merchant's Friend could be found in nations such as Suzail, Erlkazar, as well as in most cities that dealt in mercantile, such as Elversult on the Dragon Coast, Innarlith on the Lake of Steam,

"Waukeen's priests are more interested in large donations than in protecting their worshiper's confidentiality."

- Flattery Wyvernspur

Clergy
All clerics and priests of Waukeen were expected to pay a tithe equal to twenty five percent of their income to the church, however this excluded wages paid by the church to its priests. The heft tythe was applicable to adventuring loot, investments, bounties, rewards, and businessess. The money collected from worshipers to pay for casting of divine spells while in employ of shrines and temples belonged to the the church.

During Waukeen's absence from the Realms, most members of the church devoted their lives to Lliira as Waukeen's godly regent. During that time Waukeenar spells were granted to the proests by Lliira on Waukeen's behalf. Those who remained with the church of Waukeen were often called "coinspinners" by other religions. The name referred to the Church's extrovagant spending of its gold in order to display the goddess's wealth to all observers and worshipers.

Clergy of Waukeen were tasked with traveling the world, staffing busy temples in merchant cities, or aiding traders, merchant firms as moneylenders, allowing the businessess to grow. They were also known to be coverlty aiding fences selling stolen goods. The church's dogma directed Waukeenar clergy to invest into all businesses that had a reasonable chance of not failing, businessess ran by worhipers of Waukeen, or business woners who offered hefty tithe to the church. On some occations, Waukeenar were known to positively manipulate trave via unsavory activities such as rumor-mongering, buy-ups, hired border brigands, etc. However that practice was shunned by officials outide the church and Waukeen's temples took on a public stance of denouncing such practices. Although privatly, Church of Waukeen instructed its priests to proceed with such tasks with extreme caution and subtelty to avoid any connections to the chuch were they ever exposed. Waukeenar temples offred church-secured chambers to wealthy tithe-payers who traveled to other cities with church's presence. Priests were encouraged to grow personal wealth but only through arms-length investments and never by breaking the law.

Ranks
Unlike many other organized religions, Church of Waukeen's hyrarchy was quite loose. Each temple was headed by the High Periest, the Holycoin. The lowest rank in the church were novices – Telchar, who could accend up the hyrarchy ladder after confirmation. These titles included, in ascending order, Coin, Abreeant, Counter, Trabbar, Investor, Halanthi, Lender, Syndo, Manycoins, Grand Trabbar, Spender, Grand Syndar, Overgold, and lastly, the Holycoin.

The speciality priests of the church were known as Goldeyes due to their pupils gaining golden hue glow after being touched by Waukeen. Goldeneyes were considered to be the most sucesesful treasure seekers and were in high demand fof that particular ability.

Dogma
The main teaching of the Waukeenar faith stated that that the merchants' trade was the road to prosperity. The church believed that civilization prospered through mercantilism and affulence of all members of society. Through increased wealth came greater civilization and happines bringing closer the Golden Age – the goal of all Waukeenar. Worhipers and members of the church were strictly forbiden to destroy or damage trade goods. Their duty was not to restrict free trade and quenching rumors or slander, harmful to any mercantile activities. Waukeenar were faith-bound to giving money to beggars and businessess. This act served to spread the glory of Waukeen, promise prostperity to her followers, and placing free coin in everyone's hands. The church's dogma believed that if everyone had more coin, they were less likely to hide the wealth and more likely to spend money, putting coin back into the market.

Holy Days and Rituals
Waukeenar temples were built in a vide wariety of architectural styles, some were small open-air shrines, while others were grand cathedrals. All places of worhip of Waukeen shared one similar thrait, they were decorated to impress, with gold, gems, philegree, and ornamentations. All temples were luxuriousely decoreated on the inside and on the outside. A typical altar to the godess found within temples was a simple stone block or wooden table with asingle bowl on it, blessed by Waukeen's clergy. Coins, gems, and other precious trinkets were placed in the bowl as it floated up via divine enchantments. The more precious bowl's contents were – the more heavy and unmovable from the altar it became. These altars were the centerstage of any rituals, spells, and blessings performed by the clergy, after the offerings to the church were placed into the bowl. Nightly prayers were performed in front of such bowls, however when away from the temple, clergy prayed to a stream, a pool, or other bodies of water after tossing a coin into it.

Amn
Waukeenar could be found across the merchant's nation of Amn in the Lands of Intrigue. The church had major presence in Athkatla and Keczulla.

Vilhon Reach
The Church of Waukeen was prevalent in the region of the Vilhon Reach among the cities that thrived on trade and spawned prosperous merchant houses. Such cities as Timindar held the biggest populations of Waukeenar.

History
The Church of Waukeen sufered heavy losses, both financially and in loss of faitfull following the Time of Troubles. When the gods walked Faerûn, Waukeen's avatar reportedly never witnessed my the mortal eyes. When the deities were allowed to return to the Planes, Waukeen was still missing. Her clerics did not recieve spells and many of her followers lost faith, joining other churches. In the, a prophet of Lliira announced that the goddess was dead. The prophet carried that message to all temples of Waukeen and invited the clergy to join the Church of Lliira as she was holding the Merchant's Frien'd divint protfolio. Waukeen lost followers to Lliira, Tymora, Lathander, Shaundakul, and even Beshaba during that period of time.

Notable Members of the Church of Waukeen

 * Halleth Garke, a half-elven cleric of Waukeen who was cursed with undeath as a Revenant in Undermountain in the 15 century DR.
 * Iona Waukeenservant, one of the two leaders of a Sembian Company of Night in the 14 century DR.
 * Obaya Uday, a Chultan priestess of Waukeen who sponsored expeditions to Undermountain in the late 15 century DR.
 * Quinn Silverfinger, a halfling cleric who ran the Golden Lodge shrine in Lonelywood of the Ten Towns circa 1281 DR.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Swords of the Iron Legion &bull; Waterdeep: Dragon Heist &bull; Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
 * Novels
 * Whisper of Waves &bull; Lies of Light &bull; Scream of Stone &bull; The Sapphire Crescent &bull; Obsidian Ridge
 * Tantras &bull; The Wyvern's Spur &bull; The Nether Scroll &bull; The Howling Delve &bull; The Adversary
 * Video Games
 * Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn &bull; Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter
 * Card Games
 * AD&D Trading Cards
 * AD&D Trading Cards