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Waukeen was the goddess of commerce for much of the continent of Faerûn. She was known as the Merchant's Friend for her guiding hand in all forms of commerce (legal and otherwise); as Liberty's Maiden for her support of free and fair trade through honest bargaining based on supply and demand; and as the Golden Lady for her unabashed belief in the accumulation of wealth and, most importantly, the use of those riches to improve civilization for everyone. She was a relatively young deity, driven to accomplish her goals quickly and completely so she could move on to the next one. This impatient streak often led her to try alternate methods when "business as usual" resulted in an impasse, and manifested itself in her church which sometimes let the ends justify the means.

Her stubbornness likely led to her downfall during the Time of Troubles when she, like almost every other deity in the Faerûnian pantheon, was cast down to Toril and forced to inhabit the Prime Material Plane in avatar form. She joined up with Lliira and hatched a plan to get back to her realm in the Outlands, first by attempting to bribe Helm, who was guarding the Celestial Staircase, and then by striking a bargain with an archfiend of the Abyss, Lord Graz'zt. Unable to leave Toril in divine form, she temporarily bequeathed her divinity and portfolio to Lliira, only to be betrayed by Graz'zt and held prisoner for twelve years. During her long absence, not even Lliira knew her whereabouts and the church of Waukeen began to decline rapidly. (Archive | Read more...)