The barae - Chosen of Ubtao.
The barae were the seven Chosen of Ubtao, undying men and women who ruled the holy city of Mezro as priest-kings.[1][2]
History[]
The first bara was a woman named Oyai. She was selected by Ubtao from among the Tabaxi of Katashaka and empowered to defeat a creature known as the Sleeper. Afterward, in −2809 DR, Oyai led the peoples of the Tabaxi, Eshowe, Thinguth, and several others who'd accepted the faith of Ubtao to follow Ecatzin and the couatls across the ocean to Chult. There, she ruled as the first Negus Negusti (prince of princes).[3]
Afterwards, Ubtao personally selected the rest of seven barae from among the citizens of Mezro[4] sometime after he created that holy city in −2637 DR.[5] He originally appointed them to assist him in dealing with the petty issues of ruling the city of Mezro, but when he continued to grow weary of the people's fickle demands, he left Chult altogether and passed the rule and defense of the city to the barae.[2]
Powers[]
All barae were granted special powers by Ubtao as his Chosen:[1]
- They could utter magical commands.[1]
- They regenerated health rapidly.[1]
- They could detect evil at will.[1]
- They had improved reflexes and physical and mental resistances.[1]
If within the Temple of Ubtao, they could also cast the following spells:[1]
- Cure critical wounds[1]
- Forbiddance[1]
- Remove blindness or deafness[1]
- Remove disease[1]
- Restoration[1]
- True seeing[1]
Each bara neither aged nor grew sick. If not killed, they would live forever.[1]
In addition to these common powers, every bara was granted a power unique to the individual.[1]
It was said that if the city of Mezro were ever destroyed, the barae would turn to dust.[1]
Selection[]
Of the original seven barae Ubtao selected, only Ras Nsi remained alive as of the 1370s DR.[1] When a bara was killed, a new one was selected by Ubtao to replace the fallen. When this occurred, a supplicant would enter the "barado" in the Temple of Ubtao, where he or she would face the bara test, which centered around the dogma of all life being a great maze. If the potential bara passed the test, he or she would be granted new powers. If the supplicant failed, he or she would be taken to the afterlife. The exact nature of the test itself was a sacred secret.[1]
Members[]
In the 1370s DR, the seven barae were:[1]
- Osaw I
- Kwalu
- Dhalmass Rayburton
- Alisanda Rayburton
- Mainu
- Fipya
- Ras Nsi (banished)
Former members of the barae included:
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
- Novels
- The Ring of Winter
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 James Lowder, Jean Rabe (1993). The Jungles of Chult. (TSR, Inc), pp. 15–16. ISBN 1-5607-6605-0.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 104. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- ↑ Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 29, 30. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ James Lowder, Jean Rabe (1993). The Jungles of Chult. (TSR, Inc), p. 10. ISBN 1-5607-6605-0.
- ↑ Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 31. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.