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Leira (pronounced: /ˈlɛərɑː/ LAIR-ah[4] or: /ˈlɛərə/ LAIR-uh[1]), also known as The Lady of Deception or The Lady of the Mists, was the goddess of deception and illusions and patroness of illusionists and liars.[3]
Personality
She was an enigma, never telling the truth when falsehood would do. Everything she did and said was shrouded in layers of illusion and lies. She believed that truth was worthless and that misbelief and falsehood were what gave life meaning.[citation needed]
Divine Realm
Leira maintained a divine realm called the Courts of Illusion on the chaotic plane of Limbo. After her demise, her body was adrift on the Astral Plane, like those of other dead powers.[1]
Worshipers
Leira had quite a small following. Her priests, known as Leirans, or Worshipers of the Mistshadow, wore silver masks and often disguised themselves to deceive those around them. Leirans would speak the truth only to other Leirans. High-level clerics of the Leiran faith were called Mistcallers.[8]
Every morning, and on every moonlit night, Leirans lay face down and prayed to the Lady of the Mists. If there was any mist, Leirans would walk through it and pray. The most revered act in the Leiran faith was the "Unmasking", a purification ritual performed when new followers entered the faith or if a follower changed rank. During the ritual, the follower would walk barefaced among its peers while the clergy would hold up candles and reflective surfaces.[8]
The highest concentration of Leira's followers could be found on the island of Nimbral and its vassal state Samarach. While the people of Nimbral rebelled against the influence of Leira's clergy, Samarach was still held under the sway of those who believed her still alive and many of her follower's practices were still in place.[citation needed]
Not widely worshiped, the majority of her worshipers were users of illusion magic. While Leira may have had few dedicated followers, a worshiper of the Faerûnian pantheon often would pay homage to her before an important decision or judgment.[3]
Orders
- Mistcallers
- Specialty priests of Leira with limited powers of illusion, the Mistcallers were the clerical order most commonly associated with the church, though no one could be sure how many there were.[8]
- Mistwalkers
- A sect of the church first appearing after the Time of Troubles, the Mistcallers continued to display the ability to cast divine magic, but were purposefully ambiguous about the "alleged" death of their goddess and whether their magic was granted by a living Leira or by Cyric.[9]
Relationships
Leira's allies were Mask, who betrayed her, and Azuth.[1] She was opposed by Oghma, as her lies were a hindrance to knowledge.[citation needed]
History
The holy symbol of Leira.
Months after the Avatar Crisis,[10] Leira was slain by the new deity of death, Cyric,[3] at the village Blackfeather Bridge,[11] wielding the sword Godsbane, which was in fact an avatar of Mask.[3] Her portfolios were subsequently absorbed by the mad god.[1]
Some still believed Leira was alive and that she had used her death as a grand illusion, but the general consensus was that she was a dead power.[12] Leiran traditionalists on Nimbral who believed her to be alive in fact gained spells from Cyric.[13]
By the late 15th century DR, it became known that Leira was in fact alive and delighted in the confusion created by rumors of her demise and return. At this time, the faithful of Cyric also considered her to be his daughter.[2]
Dogma
Appendix
Notes
In the Player's Handbook 5th edition, Leira is listed in the "Deities of the Forgotten Realms" table, suggesting she is officially considered alive once more in the 5th-edition of the setting.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), p. 93. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 21, 32. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Richard Baker, Ed Bonny, Travis Stout (February 2005). Lost Empires of Faerûn. Edited by Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 41, 42. ISBN 0-7869-3654-1.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (August 1987). “Cyclopedia of the Realms”. In Karen S. Martin ed. Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (TSR, Inc.), pp. 11–12. ISBN 0-88038-472-7.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). Player's Handbook 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 62–63, 294. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.
- ↑ Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 93–96. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- ↑ Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 182. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 94–95. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- ↑ John Terra (February 1996). Warriors and Priests of the Realms. Edited by Steven E. Schend. (TSR, Inc), p. 87. ISBN 0-7869-0368-6.
- ↑ 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, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 130. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- ↑ Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 93–94. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- ↑ Thomas Reid (October 2004). Shining South. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 11. ISBN 0-7869-3492-1.
Sources
- Richard Baker, Ed Bonny, Travis Stout (February 2005). Lost Empires of Faerûn. Edited by Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 42. ISBN 0-7869-3654-1.
- Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 93–96. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). Player's Handbook 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. Appendix B. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.