The Treatise of Suffering

The Treatise of Suffering was a book of religious musings on pain being the purpose of life, all in the glory of Bhaal, the Dread Lord. The work was penned by an unknown author sometime before the Time of Troubles.

"Life is pain. The suffering begins at childbirth and ends when we gasp our final breath. As disciples of Bhaal's order, it is our duty to remind the heathens that pain is the essence of life and provides the only true path to salvation."

- Excerpt from the Treatise of Suffering

Contents
The Treatise of Suffering was written to educate the members of the Bhaalist faith on the meaning of life being in suffering. Life began in pain and ended in pain. And the book called on the followers of Bhaal to educate others of the importance of suffering through it - the supremacy of the Dread Lord.

The book claimed that the only path to salvation was through suffering, and cries of suffering were like music to Bhaal's ears. The suffering and pain of children was the most desired type of suffering for the Lord of Murder. A child's suffering was the purest form of pleasure for Bhaal. The Treatise of Suffering claimed that the Dread Lord felt a sensation akin to rapture when a child suffered.

According to these treatises, worshipers of Bhaal had a sworn duty to make mortals cry with suffering. The Bhaalist were encouraged to prolong and intensify the screams of their "flock," and as a reward, the Dread Lord promised them a life free of pain, except for suffering at Bhaal's command.

The book instructed torture to be inflicted upon those who were mistakenly aligned with false gods and those who opposed the will of the Dread Lord. These individuals were to suffer at the highest threshold until their pain turned to the bliss of salvation.

History
The Bhaalist sect that lived under a guise of peaceful monks in the Stronghold of Liam's Hold followed the holy teachings of the Treatise of Suffering. Under the command of the High Priest Xatuum, the Bhaalists tortured and killed children to please their dark master. The monks stirred up hate and prejudice in Liam's Hold, falsely accusing women of witchcraft and feeding of the pain during them being burned at a stake. These horrors ended during the Time of Troubles when Bhaal was forced to walk the earth. The deity's silence resulted in the ritual suicide of Xatuum's followers.

A copy of the Treatise of Suffering was found in 1372 DR among many books in the abandoned keep.

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * Neverwinter Nights: Darkness over Daggerford