Adon

Adon was a devout cleric of Sune that served the goddess Mystra later in life. He was a prominent personality of the Time of Troubles that broke out during the mid–14 century DR and played an important role in the apotheosis of Midnight as the new goddess of magic.

"A fair face, coupled with a healthy, serviceable body...and an ego the size of my kingdom."

- Lady Lord Myrmeen Lhal, sizing up Adon.

Description


Despite his belief in the contrary, Adon was a wholly plain-looking man, without the stunning good looks typically possessed by a servant of Lady Firehair. His fair skin and tawny hair were entirely unremarkable. His only real distinguishing feature was a long scar that ran down his face, a jarring imperfection that led to personal crisis and in the end, significant individual growth.

Personality
For much of his life Adon was excruciatingly vain. He was exceedingly verbose and condescending, especially towards women, whom he believed were all infatuated with his charm and beauty.

Later in life Adon grew to be more considerate. He developed a caring nature that helped him overcome his insecurities and and gain real confidence, bolstered by his faith in Mystra.

Possessions
In his role as Patriarch of the church of Mystra, Adon wore plate mail armor and carried with him a warhammer and a large shield. He wore upon his hand a ring of alertness.

Some time after the Time of Troubles, Adon's likeness was used for the "Avatar Set" of figures made and sold by Aurora's Emporium, appearing alongside his traveling companions and the Old Sage Elminster.

Activities
Adon spent much of his later years helping grow the faith of the new incarnation of Mystra.

Early Life
Born the plain-looking only child to two beautiful, wealthy and devout followers of Sune, Abrasax and Phylicia, Adon was an unambitious youth who was vain and enjoyed the luxuries provided by his parents perhaps too much. He was seen as weak-willed and ambitionless by his father, who sent him to far-away cities in an attempt to educate him about the world.

On his 15 birthday, Adon had a revelation. He told his parents that when he was old enough, Sune, Lady Firehair, would raise him to divine power and make him her consort. He immediately set about becoming a cleric. He achieved that goal once he was 18, becoming the youngest priest ever accepted into the clergy of Sune and within the year he was assigned to the temple in Arabel.

He came to meet the local city guardsmen Kelemvor Lyonsbane and Cyric during a series of events that came to be known as the "Knightsbridge Conspiracy." Thanks in part to Adon's ability to seduce the lover of a known conspirator, the trio were able to reveal the traitorous Ronglath Knightsbridge as an agent of Zhentil Keep, in service to Arabel's Lady Lord Myrmeen Lhal, but could not bring him to justice.

Time of Troubles
Joining up with Kelemvor and Cyric once again, accompanied by the magic-user Midnight, Adon set out on the quest to save the goddess Mystra in the, on behalf of the enigmatic young woman Caitlan Moonsong. The Lady of Mysteries who had been captured by the avatar of Bane, and imprisoned within Castle Kilgrave somewhere in Cormyr's countryside. While the group was successful in freeing the goddess from her bondage, they had to endure witnessing her utter destruction at the hands of Helm at the steps of the Celestial Staircase.

While continuing on towards Shadowdale, Adon and his three fellow adventurers stopped in Tilverton, where Adon was slashed in the face by a crazed follower of Gond. The young cleric was gravely wounded, leaving a long scar on the side of his face. It was that event that led to Adon's crisis of faith. Disillusioned by the apparent lack of interest from Sune, Adon turned his back on her, refusing to worship so vain and uncaring a deity. He gradually fell into a deep depression that threatened to consume him.

Following the Second battle of Shadowdale, Adon and Midnight were blamed for the disappearance and apparent death of the Old Sage Elminster. Despite the fact they faced the penalty of death, Adon was nearly catatonic and did not offer any defense. The pair were rescued by Cyric, who was himself struggling with the horrors he witnessed during their adventures. As Midnight and Cyric gradually grew resentful and even malicious towards one another, Adon came to his senses. He and Midnight parted from Cyric and eventually made their way to Tantras, to recover one of the Tablets of Fate and hopefully restore order in the Realms.

In Tantras, Adon met the avatar of Torm the True, with whom he worked to trick the gods' overzealous clergy. The Tormish followers had brutally driven worshipers of all other faiths from the city and kept one of the tablets hidden from his true sight. Torm offered wise council to Adon, advising him not to lose his identity in despondent self-loathing. While Torm's avatar was empowered by his true faithful in the city, and fought off an enormous Bane in a battle that led to their mutual destruction, Adon rededicated himself to his freinds, vowing to follow through their quest. In short time, the trio recovered the first tabled and follow their lead to the second in Waterdeep.

They journey across Faerûn took them to Boareskyr Bridge, where the treacherous Cyric murdered the avatar of Bhaal with the aid of Godsbane; Dragonspear Castle, where Myrkul misled Midnight into recovering the second tablet from the Fugue Plane; and eventually Waterdeep, which was ravaged by fiends from the Outer Planes. Their quest culminated in a final confrontation at the top of Mount Waterdeep, where Cyric stole the tablets and presented them to the overgod Ao, in exchange for ascension to divinity. Ao granted Cyric's request and Midnight was offered apotheosis as well. While she initially declined, Adon stated her service to Realms required her to take action against an immortal Cyric, armed with the powers of the gods.

Adon found his vision restored by the symbol of the new Mystra, his former friend and companion. He took up her worship, starting the reborn faith of Mystra.

Devotion to Mystra
As the first priest pledged to the new incarnation of Mystra, Adon quickly rose within the ranks of the church, ascending as the goddess' Patriarch in the Realms.

In the, Adon and an acolyte of Mystra named Corene traveled to the troubled town of Tegea. They removed the curse placed on the town by Duke Gorgias, and opened a new temple in their goddess' name.

Over a decade later, in the, Adon was later tricked by Cyric, mad due to the effects of reading the Cyrinishad, and gazed into Cyric's mind. This caused Adon to see everything as Cyric did, thus becoming mad himself, seeing Mystra as a vicious beast and eventually committing suicide in the chaos of Cyric and Mystra's call to worship them.

In the process of Cyric being put on trial by the greater gods, Kelemvor opened his own soul to Adon, making him see Mystra as he saw her. Adon finally saw Mystra as she truly was, and was received into her realm of Dweomerheart.

Appearances

 * Fiction
 * Realms of Valor: "The Curse of Tegea"
 * Novels
 * Avatar series