Church of Talos

The Church of Talos was a dangerous collection of destructive clerics and specialty priests called stormlords devoted to Talos, the Destroyer.

Organization
The Church of Talos was relatively small as Talos had far more people live in fear of him than directly worship him. Thus, much of the Church of Talos operated covertly across Faerûn.

The clergy of Talos were referred to as Talassans. Most Talassans were specialty priests called stormlords, each of whom led their own cell of followers and agents. Some of the titles associated with the clergy included, in ascending rank, Storm Supplicant, Weatherwise, Talon, Lord/Lady of Fury, Eye of the Storm, Reaver, Stormherald, High Stormherald, and Weathermaster or Weathermistress. The final three titles were always confirmed by Talos himself.

Talassan initiates were struck by red lightning emitted by a pair of small storm clouds. The lightning was harmless, but represented Talos' acceptance of them into his following. This process was referred to as being "touch by Talos."

Activities
Talos's priests often preached of impending doom, which was usually the truth given that either Talos, or his priests, were capable of causing destruction in their wake. As these words and actions made them quite unpopular, priests of Talos spent most of their time traveling. A Talassan's destruction of nature often had them at odds with the clergy of the gods and goddesses of nature, often to their demise, which was fine with most Talassans so long as they were able to take as many of them with them to the grave as possible.

Celebrations
Talassans marked many annual festivals with displays of lightning. Their most holy ritual, an event called Calling Down the Thunder, involved the sacrifice of an intelligent being by lightning strike.

Base of Operations
As the worship of Talos was outlawed in much of Faerûn, temples devoted to Talos were also strongholds where the Talassans could fend off attacks. A major center of power for Talos was the Gulf of Storms found in eastern Amn.

Dogma
Talos represented the dark side of nature, the destructive force that could strike at any time. Talassans were encourage to take what they could when they could, because Talos could strike and bring them to the afterlife at any time. The clergy walked unharmed through fire and destruction to show the awesome power of Talos and make believers out of everyone.

Orders
The Circle of Rust and the Worm and the Lords of the Tempest were rumored to serve Talos.