Helm

Helm was the Faerûnian god of guardians and protectors,  worshiped by guards and paladins both. The Vigilant One had long been seen as a cold and focused deity who impartially took the role of defender, and sometimes enforcer, but his activities in the Time of Troubles caused the folk of Faerûn to view him differently. The Watcher was the epitome of the vigilant guardian and embodiment of the spirit of watchfulness, whether used for good or ill. "I guard this path! Do not approach. This way is forbidden..."

- Helm, guarding the Celestial Stairway.

Description
Helm always appeared as a tall man in plate mail armor, his face concealed by his helm.

Personality
A very old deity, Helm was the eternal sentry and was always seen wearing a full suit of armor that represented the weight of his heavy responsibility. Yet Helm always got the job at hand done without complaint. The people of the Realms widely admired these qualities in what they saw as a humble and reassuring god.

Helm was particularly fond of children, and often forgave their minor transgressions.

Relations
Far back in time, the deity Lathander caused a divine purge known as the Dawn Cataclysm in which Helm's lover, a lesser deity of pragmatism called Murdane, was a victim. Helm begrudged the Morninglord for this. However, Helm reserved his real opposition for deities whose plots threatened the people and stability of Faerûn, especially Bane, Cyric, Mask, and Shar. He was also especially at odds with the uncontrolled violence and careless destruction of the deities Garagos, Malar, and Talos.

The only god who could have been considered a full ally of the Watcher was Torm, the god of paladins. Strongly held ideological differences caused a great rivalry verging on hatred between the clergy of the two gods, but the deities themselves remained close.

Worshipers
Prior to the Time of Troubles, Helmites were long respected and revered for their dedication and purpose, especially in the frontiers of the North. Throughout the divine crisis, and beyond, they unfailingly pledged to come to the defense of those who called for it.

They wore polished full suits of armor, often enchanted as everbright, and typically wore plumed helmets. Their hierarchy was strict and militaristic, with specific groups such as the order of paladins called the Vigilant Eyes of the God, and originally also a single pontiff as head of the church—the Supreme Watcher. However, there had not been someone in that post since 992 DR.

The faith was especially popular in Cormyr, the Dragon Coast, Tethyr, the Vilhon Reach, and the Western Heartlands.

Festivals
Helmites celebrated the festival known as the Ceremony of Honor to Helm on Shieldmeet.

Orders

 * Companions of the One True Vision: Known for being loyal shock troops and defenders against overwhelming odds, this order fell into some disgrace after events in the Maztican campaign.
 * Watchers over the Fallen: A small fellowship of battlefield healers.
 * Everwatch Knights: This group of dedicated bodyguards was hired out by Helmite temples to generate revenue for the church.
 * Vigilant Eyes of the God: One of the Helmite orders of paladins.

Temples
Main article: Category:Temples to Helm
 * Noble Hand, in Tsurlagol
 * The House Invincible, in Silverymoon
 * Helm's Shieldhall, in Elturel
 * Temple of the Vigilant Guard, in Iljak
 * Helm's Cathedral in Helm's Hold
 * Keep of Vigilance in Everlund ( page 78)

Time of Troubles
During the Time of Troubles in 1358 DR, when the gods walked Toril, it was reliable Helm whom Lord Ao trusted with the task of keeping the other deities from returning to their divine realms in the planes without returning the stolen Tablets of Fate. For this task, Ao left Helm with all his divine abilities, guarding the Celestial Stairway to the planes.

On Midsummer, when the goddess Mystra—who had spirited away a portion of her divine power in the realms, which she then recovered once the gods were cast from the heavens—attempted to pass him without the Tablets, she was turned back by the Watcher, and when she forcibly tried to pass the Watcher, he destroyed her with a catastrophic explosion in the skies above Castle Kilgrave, north of Arabel. Following Mystra's death, Helm shed a single tear that fell to Toril, but stopped before hitting ground. Hovering over the crater of destruction left below, the teardrop appeared as a magnificent gemstone, filled with the torment and guilt that Helm felt inside.

This action had enormous repercussions for Helm. Whilst it put off any of the other earthbound deities attempting the same action, it also caused the other deities and mortals alike to hold Helm in great contempt. Surprisingly, however, Helm's following remained strong in the south.

After the Time of Troubles ended and other gods were restored to their former existences, Helm himself was no longer bound to stand guard against them and much of his worship had faltered. The reputation of his clergy was made worse when the natives of recently discovered Maztica, whom the priests of Helm were subjugating in their conquest of the region, highlighted their cause.

Death
In 1384 DR, while conveying messages from Tyr to Tymora during the pair's courtship, a strange and fateful misunderstanding resulted in the accusation that Helm had stolen Tymora's heart. Helm was subsequently slain in a duel by Tyr. Cyric was suspected to have had a hand in these events.

The Heresy of the Threefold God, a belief held by the Eye of Justice maintained that Helm wasn't truly destroyed by Tyr, but rather had his divine essence merged into Tyr's upon his death.

Return
After the Second Sundering, Helm returned to the Realms. He appeared before his chosen Kleef Kenric in the, as the guardsmen and his companions ventured into Sadrach's Splinter.

While the faith of Helm endured dark times during the century that he was dead, or at the very least incorporated into Tyr's essence, his worship never truly disappeared across the realms of Faerûn. Since his return, his faith steadily rebounded across Faerûn.

Appearances

 * Novels:
 * The Avatar Series
 * Shadowdale • Waterdeep
 * The Sundering Series
 * The Sentinel

Connections
Helm