Finder Wyvernspur

Finder Wyvernspur was a relatively new deity raised to divinity by acquiring the divine spark of the god Moander. Originally he was a powerful bard named Finder Wyvernspur, though history would recall him as The Nameless Bard. Finder was the demi-power of the cycles of life and the transformation of art. His symbol was a white harp on a gray circle.

""Finder is the patron to all those who seek to change and transform art, to renew art. He also has some limited power over the decay and rebirth of living things. An eclectic sort of fellow."

- Joel the Rebel Bard

Description
When Finder Wyvernspur walked the Realms in his avatar form, he kept the appearance from his final days as a mortal. He looked like an ordinary bard in his early 60s. His garb was simple, sometimes topped with a set of leather armor. Despite his age, he was an attractive, strong, tall, dark-haired man. However, he was known to take on a younger or older appearance as he preferred to remain incognito. Finder's favorite sword could always be found at his side – the Sword of Songs, a powerfully +4 or +7 enchanted bastard sword that also slightly boosted his physical strength. His natural charisma was enhanced by the bard's divinity. Those under his command felt inspired, and even Finder's mere presence affected his allies like a bless spell. The deity's charisma and biting comments and banter were cutting and massively discouraging to his opponents.

Manifestations
Apart from his avatar form, Finder was known to take on a form of a bright beacon of light, guiding those who were lost to safety or leading his devotees to things and people lost. Another manifestation was a bright glowing nimbus visible to one individual intended by Finder. The halo outlined the object that could lead the observer to fulfill their deepest wish. At least on three occasions, Finder manifested himself to his dear friend Olive Ruskettle as a daisy going swiftly through its life cycle yet remaining beautiful through it all. Observers claimed that they heard braying of a burro during some of these manifestations for Olive, surely, a jest by Finder's, poking fun of the time Mistress Ruskettle was transformed into a burro.

Finder's will and words were sometimes delivered through faerie dragons, firestars, parrots, various song birds, talking owls, and bhaerghalas that served the deity. In some rare cases, Finder showed his favor by sending mortals Laeral's tears gems, carved with his symbol of a harp.

Personality
After his redemption, Finder was a kind yet a vain man. His mock title, the "God of Reckless Fools," was given to him due to the god's own recklessness. With time, Finder shifts to be more responsible and towards being good. Despite that, in the 14 century DR, Finder's name was still considered synonymous with ego. Mortals said, "an ego the size of Finder's" and swore by "Finder's Pride." Among Harpers, the deity still had a spotted reputation, despite being pardoned by the Tribunal. The tale called Finder's Fall was a cautionary tale among Those Who Harp.

Initially prideful and zealously protective of his songs, Finder learned to appreciate and love transformative art through his daughter. As a deity, Finder encouraged the spread of his music and sponsored all artists to grow by changing, transforming, and recreating works, perhaps the biggest sign of the vain Harper's change of heart.

When pressed to confrontation, Finder always fought valiantly for a cause. Such causes included protecting his allies or friends, forcing him to use all resources at the god's disposal to win or reach a truce. He was not above using magical means of persuasion or lying. In cases where combat was unnecessary or not worth the time and effort, Finder simply left the heated situation via the teleport without error or the plane shift spells. In battle, the used ranged spells and attacks first before using the shapechange sorcery, transforming himself into some powerful and fearsome monster.

Powers
When Finder took on Moander's divinity, the portfolio of rot received artistic interpretation to fit Finder's personality. The rot represented pride, arrogance, and vanity, with his main portfolio being the transformation of self and art – renewal from rot. Eventually, the rot portfolio was abandoned completely by Finder and was claimed by Lolth who used Moander's name to bloat her following.

As a deity, Finder could weave spells from any arcane school or divine sphere but greatly favored enchantments and illusions that drew on musical metaphors. He could cast or maintain the charm spells indefinitely, even when his magical powers were exhausted for the day. The same was true about his shapechange ability Finder could use at will.

Finder's skills in music were such that his songs transcended mere music, inspiring others to great works, renewed vigor, or deep despair.

Divine Realm
Around 1370 DR, when the Great Wheel cosmology was favored, Finder Wyvernspur had just established the realm of Fermata for himself on Arborea's first layer, Olympus.

In the World Tree cosmology, the Nameless Bard had his divine realm within Selûne's palace in the Gates of the Moon, and music could always be heard within his rooms.

Relationships
Finder was tolerated by most of the good pantheon. His closest ally was Tymora, who sponsored his rise to godhood. It was believed that his old patron deity helped Finder permanently slay Moander. He was jokingly referred to as the god of reckless fools, which Tymora may have appreciated due to the title's aptness, considering the young god's behavior. He 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. Selûne was a patron of the Harpers and the Wyvernspur clan, and she loved songs penned by mortal Finder in her honor. She also personally petitioned to Ao, the overgod, to allow Finder's divinity.

Despite antagonistic relationships between their churches, deities Oghma, Milil, and Lathander were friendly towards the fledgling god and showed him their support. Lolth, who claimed Moander's name after Finder's apotheosis, considered the new deity her enemy, while reptilian deities Sebek, Set, and Tiamat despised Finder as the patron god of saurials. Lastly, Gargauth, Talona, and Yurtrus were lusting for Finder Wyvernspur's portfolio of rot.

Finder's closest relationships among members of the Church was the one he has with his first human priest, Joel the Rebel Bard and a member of Finder's Band. The bard found love for his artificial daughter Alias and found affection and friendship in a halfling named Olive Ruskettle, both women were instrumental in redeeming Finder.

Despite once being lost to the Wyvernspur family's lore, he continued to watch over the descendants of his brother. On the other hand, those who knew Finder from his mortal life considered his divinity to be amusing as the Harper acted as if he were a god in life. These individuals did not oppose the Church of Finder and considered it to be a useful organization.

Worshipers
Finder's Church was very small, consisting primarily of younger bards, 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.

Priests of Finder prayed for spells at the dawn of every morning. The prayer was done in the form of a song.

Finder Wyverspur was a fledging god, and his worshipers could not gain spells without the use of power keys when traveling to the Abyss or Sigil.

Places of Worship
In 1372 DR, Finder's Waterdeep worshipers opened a small temple in a three-story building, formerly a shop in the Trades Ward. Before this, they only met in private homes or at the Plinth. As a fledgling religion, Finderite temples did not have a unified form. They did have one thing in common – large performance spaces with good acoustics, big enough to fit the Church's dramatic services that included long-musical performances with interludes. The main place of worship was the Singing Cave in Tarkhaldale, named for their fabulous accosts and revered as the place where Finder spent his last moments as a mortal. The hallways of the temple cavern were lined with works of art brought in by Finderite pilgrims. There existed numerous shrines dedicated to Finder scattered throughout the Western Heartlands, usually near places of beauty or natural geographic anomalies, while others were small open-sided sanctuaries that displayed works of art.

Shrines to Finder Wyvernspur could be found throughout the Western Heartlands, and one notable shrine was located in the Hall of Luck of Ravens Bluff. The statuary shrine stood at the center of the complex in a small garden by a pond and a bench, attended by a local bard Shrine Keeper of Finder.

Holy Days
The main festival of Finderite faith took place on the 20 of Marpenoth, the day when Finder slew Moander's avatar deep in the bowels of the Abyss. The festival was filled with music, dance, art unveiling, plays, and performances of arranged songs penned by Finder.

Notable Worshipers

 * Rina, one of the petitioners who dwelt within Finder's realm of Fermata. She served him faithfully and spent her time working on her porcelain art. She decorated Finder's manor with numerous pieces of her masterful work.
 * Springer, a petitioner who was a painter in life. He was the master who painted Finder manor's walls and ceiling in Fermata with intricate floral designs.

Early Life
Finder was born into the noble Wyvernspur family of Cormyr circa the. His parents were Amalee Winter and Lord Gould Wyvernspur, and Finder's only sibling was his older brother, Lord Gerrin Wyvernspur later in life wed Maritha of Mistledale, continuing the Wyvernspur family tree. He was a talented individual and eventually became a highly accomplished bard. In the prophetically named year – the, Finder Wyvernspur, along with ranger Ulzund Hawkshield, was in charge of the Wanderers of Espar, an officially chartered adventuring band of northern Cormyr that consisted of youths from merchant and noble families who sought to prove themselves. The young, just-chartered band embarked on exploring Cormyr and the Stonelands and defeating bandits and brigands. The organization's revolving roster of at least ten members at the time was replenished on at least one occasion by young noblewomen who were smitten with Finder's charm and wanted to see the world before they were married off by their families. Wanderers eventually attracted the attention of Elminster and Khelben Arunsun, who were seeking a group to become the first Harpers. With subtle guidance and manipulations, Elminster and Khelben gained the group's trust and swayed their morality towards good, making them the first Harpers within several months.

In the years preceding the Harpstar Wars, Finder adventured with the so-called Finder's Band. One of the notable members of the Band's first iteration was a Harper mage Iriador Wintermist who initially joined the group for an adventure but ended up traveling with Finder for several years until her death in the Harpstar Wars.

Fall from Grace
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 perceived 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 a personal 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 construct became known as Flattery Wyvernspur. He was physically almost identical to Finder. However, the egotistical Finder was unsatisfied by the emotionally childlike and inexperienced construct's imperfect reproductions of his music. After only a week of unsuccessful practice, Finder lashed out in frustration and struck the Flattery. He continued a cycle of abuse until finally, the sentient construct snapped and attempted to kill his "father" 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 guilt and Flattery, who became a great villain in his own right. 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 construct was also killed. Flattery actually escaped and cleaned out Finder's lab. Finder himself was brought to trial before the Harper tribunal, which included Finder's friend, 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 Quasi-Elemental Plane of Minerals. His songs and his name were wiped from the memory of everyone in the Realms. Only a few select individuals, such as Elminster and Morala of Milil, remembered them, in case they should emerge again.

Azure Bonds
Centuries later, in the, 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, another construct, whom he filled with false memories and all of his music. Alias was also "enhanced" by Cassana's allies, granting her eternal youth, and magically binding the newborn woman to serves as a tool by each of the parties, including servants of an ancient god of rot Moander. Despite being a confused and newborn thing, Alias, guided by nothing by instinct, cradled and protected a fellow prisoner of Cassana's. When Finder witnessed the humanity and goodness within the construct, he orchestrated her escape. Subsequently, unaware of their true origins, Alias tracked down her creators, overcoming every one of them, earning freedom, and meeting Finder, known only as "Nameless". He discovered that she, too, had been adapting and changing his music to enhance it. However, Finder found he could accept this fact. During that adventure, Finder met a hin "bard" Olive Ruskettle, one of Alias's new friends. The Nameless Harper quickly formed a bond with the diminutive thief and gifted Olive his harper pin, making her a Harper herself.

Second Harper Tribunal
Within a year, Flattery reemerged and attempted to steal the Wyvern's Spur, the artifact and heirloom of the Wyvernspur family of Immersea. Flattery was killed when Giogi Wyvernspur used the Spur against him. Olive Ruskettle was among those who helped defeat Flattery, but in the process, she learned of Finder's past sins. However, it did not change Olive feelings for her new Nameless friend.

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 Finder's 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 unintentionally claimed the deity's divine essence for himself. 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 in 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.

Divinity
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. Together, they traveled to the city of Sigil in the planes, searching for the artifact. Finder siphoned his divine spark into the shard of Finder's Stone to be able to enter the city under the control of the Lady of Pain. This reckless act almost cost Finder his divinity as the stone was almost lost to Walinda of Bane and the banelich who sought to become the new Bane.

In the, Finder involved himself in the plot by a deity Iyachtu Xvim to steal powers from both Tymora and her sister Beshaba by manipulating Lathander into attempting to merge the two into their “mother”, a long-dead goddess Tyche, a one-time consort of the Morninglord. Finder tasked Joel, winged warrior Jas, and kender Emilo Haversack with untangling the plot. During the adventure, Finder and his ally Selûne attempted to cure Jas of an affliction imposed on her by Xvim during the quest of the Hand of Bane, only to realize that the feral form was self-inflicted, a cruel manifestation of grief and guilt. Eventually, Finder successfully rescued Tymora with some hands-off aid from a deity of Krynn – Fizban, patron of kenders.

Following Finder's apotheosis, the worship of the god grew but was mostly private and modest. Finder's worshipers usually gathered in small congregations within the homes or personal areas that belonged to his devotees. The worship spread throughout the realms by 1480s DR. The faith was considered to be an "upper room" cult, not persecuted, not considered evil, nor was attempted to be stomped out, but the worshipers prepared to keep it low-profile. In Waterdeep, a modest temple to Finder was erected in 1372 DR, making the rituals less private and moving them to the more prominent shrine, away from residences and the Plinth. The new temple was in the Trades Ward, converted from a shop with two floors of living areas above.

Circa the, a smattering of the Cult of Moander sought to return their deity to Toril by taking divine essence from Finder via ancient Netherese magics.

Following the Second Sundering, Finder remained a deity, albeit more private than before. His divine home was within Selûne's realms, the Gates of the Moon. On occasion, Finder traveled the planes and visited places on Toril that were dear to his nostalgic heart. Mother place of worship for Finderites was the Fool's Altar in Baldur's Gate, active in the late 15 century DR.

Notable Songs

 * L'homme Arme, or the Armed Man, an old song of Finder's that once was wiped from everyone's memory but was popularized once again by Olive Ruskettle after Finder's apotheosis. The song was used as Iriador Wintermist's spell against bards.
 * Standing Stone, an ancient elven melody that received masterfully crafted lyrics from Finder.
 * Tears of Selûne, a hauntingly beautiful and sad love song.

Trivia

 * The depiction of Finder Wyvernspur on the cover of Song of the Saurials was based on an image of Diesel, an artist and map creator for TSR, Inc..

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * For Duty & Deity
 * Novels
 * Azure Bonds &bull; Song of the Saurials &bull; Finder's Bane &bull; Tymora's Luck
 * The Wyvern's Spur &bull; Elfsong &bull; The Common Spell &bull; Masquerades
 * Card Games
 * AD&D Trading Cards
 * Licensed Adventures & Organized Play
 * Dragon's Honor
 * Licensed Adventures & Organized Play
 * Dragon's Honor
 * Dragon's Honor