Banak was the most powerful evil priest in all the Bloodstone Lands as of the mid-to-late 14th century DR.[1][3]
Personality[]
Banak was thoroughly evil, and was a cruel, obsessive, and ambitious man. He was prone to legendarily violent outbursts.[1][2] His allies suspected that he had begun to lose touch with reality following the banishment of his god.[4]
Abilities[]
His specialty was the domain of the undead. The evil priest would cast animate dead on whatever corpses he could acquire, and often used his powerful staff to create new corpses.[1] His powers were said to be great enough that he could raise small armies all by himself.[3]
Possessions[]
Banak possessed the staff of the adder.[1] Prior to the defeat and banishment of his god from the Bloodstone Lands, he also possessed the Amulet of Orcus, which allowed him to summon armies of undead and fiends.[4]
Relationships[]
Banak was a leader of the Cult of the Goat's Head,[3] and one of the top three commanders in the Citadel of Assassins alongside the Grandfather of Assassins and the archmage Knellict, although he frequently clashed with them over differing priorities.[1][4]
He had made a sworn enemy of Gareth Dragonsbane, and especially of his priestly companion, Friar Dugald.[5]
History[]
Banak was an exceptionally powerful cleric that roamed the Bloodstone Lands the mid-to-late 14th century DR.[1] During the Vaasan War, it was rumored that he had single-handedly defeated a force of Nar riders by raising an army of undead in the middle of a battle.[3] After the war, circa the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR, he raised a small horde of undead to attack Bloodstone Village in retaliation for their defiance against the Citadel of Assassins.[6][7]
After Gareth Dragonsbane and his party banished his demon patron, Orcus, from Faerûn in the Year of the Serpent, 1359 DR, Banak lost much of his power, and could only cast spells of intermediate power at most.[1][7] Even so, Banak was experienced enough to remain a great threat to goodly folk of Vaasa and Damara, although none knew the source of his continuing power. While his allies at the time were focused on consolidating wealth, Banak wished to raise an army and once again attempt to conquer the Bloodstone Lands, and this obsession seemed to be driving him mad.[1][4]
As of the Year of the Banner, 1368 DR, Banak remained active in Vaasa, and worked to try and raise an army among Zhengyi's old minions. By this time, he was declaring himself to be the "son and heir" of the Witch-King.[8][note 1]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Banak is not named explicitly in A Grand Tour of the Realms (1993), however the description of "a wild-eyed priest of evil who is seeking to unite the non-human tribes" most closely matches descriptions of Banak and his goals as described in The Bloodstone Lands (1989).
Appearances[]
- Adventures
- Bloodstone Pass • The Mines of Bloodstone
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 R.A. Salvatore (1989). The Bloodstone Lands. Edited by Elizabeth T. Danforth. (TSR, Inc), p. 45. ISBN 0-88038-771-8.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Roster Book included in Douglas Niles and Michael Dobson (1985). Bloodstone Pass. (TSR, Inc), p. 3. ISBN 978-0394548562.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 R.A. Salvatore (1989). The Bloodstone Lands. Edited by Elizabeth T. Danforth. (TSR, Inc), p. 17. ISBN 0-88038-771-8.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 R.A. Salvatore (1989). The Bloodstone Lands. Edited by Elizabeth T. Danforth. (TSR, Inc), p. 54. ISBN 0-88038-771-8.
- ↑ R.A. Salvatore (1989). The Bloodstone Lands. Edited by Elizabeth T. Danforth. (TSR, Inc), p. 59. ISBN 0-88038-771-8.
- ↑ R.A. Salvatore (1989). The Bloodstone Lands. Edited by Elizabeth T. Danforth. (TSR, Inc), p. 5. ISBN 0-88038-771-8.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 144. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), A Grand Tour of the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 118. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.