Bhaal

Bhaal (pronounced Beh-HAHL), the Lord of Murder, was god of death who favored those that were carried out through violent or ritualistic means. Originally a mortal of Toril, Bhaal ascended to godhood along with Bane, the Lord of Tyrants, and Myrkul the Lord of the Dead. The trio took on the portfolio of the ancient deity Jergal, and came to be known as the Dead Three. Gugari worshipers knew Bhaal as Niynjushigampo.

The Lord of Murder was feared throughout all of Faerûn—especially on the island realm of the Moonshaes. Despite this shared dread throughout the Realms, nature of what the Lord of Murder had power over was contested among sages and scholars—in his best incarnation he might have taken strength in violently punishing murderers and warmongers. Challengers of this notion insisted that he judged whether a murder was righteous or not. Yet another ideal was propagated by the Bhaalspawn, his half-mortal children who had been spawned on Toril, simply insisted wanted more murder.

Worshipers
The clergy of Bhaal in Faerûn were known as Bhaalists or Bhaalyn, the latter of which was more-commonly used in the lands east of the Dragon Reach.

During the time that he was dead, Bhaal most likely had the most scattered cultist groups, the most infamous were the Deathstalkers of Bhaal, who attempted to bring him back to life. For a while after the Bhaalspawn crisis, it was believed his essence had been locked away on the Upper Planes, preventing his resurrection permanently. However, that notion was proven wrong after the death of the last two Bhaalspawn, which revived Bhaal in the process.
 * Deathstalkers:

Relationships
A wholly evil, debased and sadistic god, Bhaal was reviled by a majority of the pantheon; his divine foes included Chauntea, Helm, Ilmater, Lathander, Lliira and Tyr. Bhaal was served by the goddesses Talona and Loviatar, who in turn served Bane and to a lesser extent, Myrkul.

Avatars
Bhaal had three avatar forms: a shape-shifting monstrosity called Kazgoroth, a corpse-like male humanoid called the Slayer, and a giant, 30' (9.1m) beast known as the Ravager.

In some extreme cases, Bhaal's mortal Bhaalspawn children could actually turn into creatures that were said to be these avatars after his death; however, these creatures were even more monstrous and inhuman in shape, acting as little more than powerful killing machines. While powerful, they were weaker form than a true god's avatars.

Godhood
While originally Bhaal was the patron deity of assassins and their victims, it wasn't long before common murderers used a claim of his worship to justify their sadistic actions, warping the manner of his worship.

Time of Troubles
During the Time of Troubles of 1358 DR, when the gods were forced to walk Faerûn, Bhaal was slain, on Eleint 16, by the upstart mortal Cyric using the avatar of Mask, a sword named Godsbane, who then stole Bhaal's divinity and portfolio elements. However, much like Myrkul—who invested his divine essence in the artifact known as the Crown of Horns—Bhaal was not utterly removed from Faerûn. Part of his divinity remained in the Winding Water, around Boareskyr Bridge where he was slain, his blood having flowed into the river. More importantly, Bhaal foresaw his death and impregnated many mortal women, creating his heirs, the Bhaalspawn. The Bhaalspawn were involved in a series of conflicts along the Sword Coast, with one standing above the others and ultimately foiling Bhaal's plan to return through his children.

Reemergence
For a time it was believed that Bhaal's resurrection had been ended. The last known Bhaalspawn, Abdel Adrian, resisted the murderous impulses caused by his lineage and became a famed and beloved figure in the city of Baldur's Gate. Near the beginning of the era known as the Second Sundering, in 1482 DR, another Bhaalspawn, Viekang, who was thought dead, attacked Adrian as he spoke to a crowd in the portion of town known as The Wide. The ultimate winner of the duel is unknown, although it matters not as the victor transformed into a massive, blood-soaked creature and began a rampage that was only stopped when a group of adventurers new to Baldur's Gate defeated and killed the monstrosity. These events marked the revival of Bhaal as he reclaimed the murder domain from Cyric.

Connections
Bhaal