Daramos Lauthyr was high priest of the Lady's House, the temple of Tymora in Arabel, Cormyr, in the latter half of the 14th century DR.[3]
Description[]
He wore ornate robes and looked generally distinguished.[6]
Personality[]
Although considered a wise leader, he was imperious,[3] prideful, and fiercely ambitious.[2] He ruled the Lady's House almost as he were divinity himself. He was keenly aware that his plans for seizing more power represented a gamble, but felt it was only proper for a true believer of Tymora to take great risks.[4] He was by all accounts a true zealot.[8]
Daramos was willing to engage in cheap tricks and showmanship, such as hiring commoners to fill seats at his sermons, in order to appear more impressive to visiting dignitaries.[9]
Relationships[]
Despite heavy resistance to his positions within the Church of Tymora, few disputed his wisdom and preeminent status.[10] Many Tymorans outright feared him and found him unsuitable as high priest, but at the same time they admired how he positively radiated with Tymora's favor. Nearly all his failures turned to successes, and he seemed to exude luck. His fellow clergy were generally happy to cooperate with him, or at least not actively hinder him. They figured his ambition would lead to his downfall eventually, thereby solving the "problem" of Daramos Lauthyr.[8] Daramos seemed to enjoy the direct support of Tymora. For example, she personally involved him[5] while testing the prowess and faith of groups of adventurers.[11]
His subordinate, Doust Sulwood, formerly the lord of Shadowdale[12] was critical of Daramos's ambitions.[2] He spent much time and energy on smoothing over relations between the temple and those perturbed by Daramos's high-handed ambitions.[12] Doust was chiefly concerned with venerating his goddess rather than supporting Daramos's "dishonorable" schemes. Some members of Arabel's clergy felt Doust would be a worthy successor as high priest of the Lady's House, but he showed little interest in the position.[13]
King Azoun IV considered Daramos to be a fanatic who was more devoted to his ambitions than to his goddess—though not by much. The King knew how much power Daramos held in Arabel and was careful not to anger him.[14]
History[]
During the Time of Troubles of 1358 DR, Tymora herself sought refuge in the Lady's House in Arabel, staying there for most of the Godswar while protecting the city from the chaos that ensued.[15][16] Daramos took this as a sign of the primacy of the Arabellan temple within the greater Church of Tymora.[2][12] He campaigned for recognition both within the Church itself and within the state of Cormyr—he felt it was appropriate for King Azoun IV to grant him lands and the title of baron, thus giving the temple greater say in local politics.[2] Frustrated by the lack of cooperation from both the Church and the Crown, he raised the fees for temple services to nearly double. Daramos felt the citizens of Arabel would be happy to pay a premium price given that Lady Luck had personally blessed the city with her presence. The added income was to be used toward furthering his ambitions for the Arabellan temple.[2][4]
Daramos's ambitions grew further over the course of the next decade, and he began attempting to unify the Church under a single grand patriarch—himself.[15][17] In his view, the Lady's House should be the center of Tymoran worship and its leader should head the entire Church.[10] The Tymoran faith was traditionally rather independent, with duties, rituals, and ceremonies varying from temple to temple.[16] The other temples of Tymora were generally very resistant to Daramos's proposed changes, but the conflict did not devolve into open hostility.[15] Among other things, Daramos sought to codify a set of rules and regulations for the faith,[10] and to bring the Church's mystics into the hierarchy proper, rather than having them report to Tymora directly.[16]
Daramos continued squabbling with Cormyrean authorities all the while, especially with Lady Lord Myrmeen Lhal and Baron Thomdor Ammaeth on occasions where he tried to exert his authority over other faiths in Arabel. At one point, he proclaimed Myrmeen as as a willful blasphemer but had to stop when the Lady Lord called for—and received—a public sign from Tymora herself supporting her position. Despite continued refusals from the Crown to grant him a title, Daramos ordered his clergy to address him as "baron of Arabel." Most citizens of Arabel remained silent, hoping Daramos's fellow Tymorans would eventually grow disgusted with his greed and evict him from the Church.[4]
Elite agents of the Night Parade planned to assassinate Daramos, alongside other powerful Arabellan magic-users, in Flamerule of the Year of the Turret, 1360 DR.[18] The assassins struggled to find a way to get at Daramos since his temple was so well-guarded,[19] and were defeated by adventurers before they could even make an attempt.[20]
In the summer of the Year of the Banner, 1368 DR, heavy rainfalls opened up a large sinkhole about a hundred yards away from the Lady's House. At the bottom of the sinkhole Daramos and his priests found a hitherto hidden temple of Beshaba. The cave-in had claimed the lives of at least 37 Beshabans. Daramos took this as a divine boon from Tymora, and further proof that he was her chosen prophet, despite the fact that the sinkhole caused one of the city's springs to channel water directly into the library of the Lady's House. He vowed to petition Lady Lord Myrmeen to cede the land above the Beshaban temple to the Church of Tymora.[21]
On Marpenoth 22 1370 DR,[22] Daramos visited the Tymoran temple of Ravens Bluff in the Vast for a major celebration. A Tymoran prophecy had foretold the birth of a person blessed by Tymora in the city on this day. While observing the revelries, Daramos was stabbed and poisoned by a group of assassins in the service of Beshaba,[23] as part of a plot engineered by Iyachtu Xvim. The local priests of Tymora, led by Mistress of Luck Clarissa Tupkas,[24] could only heal Daramos through an obscure ritual requiring very specific components: a rabbit's foot, an exotic coin, bottled essence of rainbow, and four four-leafed clovers. Furthermore, the ritual had to be conducted before dawn lest Daramos's life be forfeit. Luckily, a group of local adventurers were able to gather the required components.[22] Daramos was successfully revived, and the adventurers were rewarded by Tymora herself.[25]
Although his rule was fraught with controversy, the Church of Tymora indubitably grew in power under Daramos's leadership.[3]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
Adventures
Novels & Short Stories
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
References[]
- ↑ Eric Haddock (1994). Cormyr. (TSR, Inc), p. 21. ISBN 1-56076-818-5.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood (1990). Forgotten Realms Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 74. ISBN 0-8803-8828-5.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), A Grand Tour of the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 45. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Ed Greenwood (July 1995). Volo's Guide to Cormyr. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 56. ISBN 0-7869-0151-9.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jean Rabe (April 1997). Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen. Living City (RPGA), p. 5.
- ↑ Paul Pederson (March 1998). It Just So Happens.... Living City (RPGA), p. 4.
- ↑ Paul Culotta (September/October 1996). “Storm Season”. In Michelle Vuckovich ed. Dungeon #61 (TSR, Inc.) (61)., p. 34.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Ed Greenwood, The Hooded One (2005-07-29). Questions for Ed Greenwood (2005). Candlekeep Forum. Retrieved on 2024-03-05.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (July 1995). Volo's Guide to Cormyr. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 61. ISBN 0-7869-0151-9.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), p. 168. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- ↑ Jean Rabe (April 1997). Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen. Living City (RPGA), p. 2.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), Running the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 33. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (July 1995). Volo's Guide to Cormyr. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 57. ISBN 0-7869-0151-9.
- ↑ Troy Denning (December 1999). Beyond the High Road. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 4. ISBN 0-7869-1436-X.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), Running the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 52. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), p. 167. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd, Erik Mona (May 2002). Faiths and Pantheons. Edited by Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 78. ISBN 0-7869-2759-3.
- ↑ Paul Culotta (September/October 1996). “Storm Season”. In Michelle Vuckovich ed. Dungeon #61 (TSR, Inc.) (61)., p. 37.
- ↑ Paul Culotta (September/October 1996). “Storm Season”. In Michelle Vuckovich ed. Dungeon #61 (TSR, Inc.) (61)., p. 38.
- ↑ Paul Culotta (September/October 1996). “Storm Season”. In Michelle Vuckovich ed. Dungeon #61 (TSR, Inc.) (61)., p. 43.
- ↑ Kate Novak, Jeff Grubb (December 1997). Tymora's Luck. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 132–135. ISBN 0-7869-0726-6.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Paul Pederson (March 1998). It Just So Happens.... Living City (RPGA), p. 3.
- ↑ Paul Pederson (March 1998). It Just So Happens.... Living City (RPGA), p. 2.
- ↑ Paul Pederson (March 1998). It Just So Happens.... Living City (RPGA), p. 6.
- ↑ Paul Pederson (March 1998). It Just So Happens.... Living City (RPGA), p. 16.