Knucklebones

Knucklebones was a simple game played by many around Toril. "Fickle as a game of knucklebones."

- Yago

Description
This game could be played with numerous objects, often knuckles of some variety. Some varieties of knuckles included those of dwarves. This was a game where the objective was to get the highest total score.

Many different types of beings enjoyed playing knucklebones, though it was particularly common with gamblers, bandits, and guards. Not only humans and other common races played such games, but also others, such as firenewts, fomorians, and ogres.

In some situations, such games were rigged, in order to cheat and potentially gain a large amount of coin.

Ancient
"Why don't you allow Lady Luck to decide so you don't have to share with the Beast?"

- Jergal

Though knucklebones was known around Faerûn and beyond, it was particularly famous for one specific tale. This tale involved the god Jergal and three incredibly ambitious men: Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul. The three mortals wished to assume Jergal's throne, and as he had grown tired of his rule, he accepted. However, they could not determine who among them would rule. Thus, Jergal proposed a game of skull bowling, where each of them would take the skulls of Jergal's most powerful liches, and roll them across the Gray Waste. When Malar interrupted their game of skull bowling, Jergal instead proposed to play knucklebones. The three accepted. Whoever won would choose one out of three of Jergal's portfolios. Whoever came second would choose next, and whoever was last would take the remaining one.

The game began as Jergal broke off his bones and handed them to the three mortals. When the game ended, the winner was declared to be Bane, followed by Myrkul, and in last place was Bhaal. Bane chose the portfolio of tyranny, whilst Myrkul chose the dead, and Myrkul chose murder. When Malar returned, he found that the game of knucklebones was already over, and alas, only the beasts were left for him.

14 century DR
When Kelemvor claimed the position of Lord Death from Cyric, he recalled the ancient tale of how Myrkul had once won the position via a game of knucklebones. It made him realize that if he did not carry out his duties as a deity, he could be very easily replaced.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Lost Mine of Phandelver • Tomb of Annihilation
 * Novels
 * Faces of Deception • The Rose of Sarifal • Feathered Dragon • Scream of Stone
 * Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad
 * Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad