The temple of Bhaal in the Forest of Wyrms was used by Bhaalists for some time before being taken over by cultists devoted to Cyric some time during or before the Year of the Banner, 1368 DR.[1]
Location[]
The temple was located deep within a rocky hill within the forest. The underground path leading to its entrance had a number of branching tunnels and caves.[1]
Interior[]
The temple itself featured a large gathering hall, several rooms of living quarters, a laboratory, a small library, and a dedicated ritual room.[1]
Activities[]
This temple was one of the locations wherein Bhaalist priests kept the Bhaalspawn children, who were to be used in the ritual that would resurrect the Lord of Murder.[1]
While it was held by Cyricists, the temple was used to imprison and torture several of their captives, including Madele, the priestess of Bhaal the had blinded, and several members of the Shining Crusade including the dwarf Keherrem.[1]
History[]
In either the Year of the Bright Blade, 1347 DR or the the following year, a band of Harpers raided the temple then dedicated to Bhaal and stole away the children born to the Lord of Murder.[1] During the raid, the Harper Gorion was surprised to encounter Alianna, a former lover who unbeknownst to him had turned to the worship of Bhaal. While her life was spared for a moment by Gorion's inaction, she was struck down by an arrow shortly thereafter. While some of the babes were slain then and there, Alianna's child was rescued by Gorion and at least one other was able to flee amid the chaos.[2][note 1]
When Bhaal died during the Time of Troubles in the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR, and his portfolio claimed by the mortal Cyric, the former Lord of Murder's clergy continued their worship for some time. Two years later, in the Year of the Turret, 1360 DR, the temple was assailed again, that time by the Cyricist Akanna and her fellow devotees of the Dark Sun. While many Bhaalists were slain once more, the priestess Madele was left alive.[1]
The Cyricists laid claim on the Forest of Wyrms temple for nearly a decade, until some time after Uktar 1 of the Year of the Banner, 1368 DR, after Cyric's Inquisition of Zhentil Keep.[3] Head priestess Akanna became afflicted by terrible dreams and withdrew herself from her fellow acolytes. This persisted for weeks until she began working on some unknown ritual. In truth her mind was being bombarded by the illithid Darskhelin, who sought to bring forth a neothelid and prepare the temple to be used as the lair of an elder brain.[1]
Inhabitants[]
The caverns just outside the temple were home to a tribe of bugbears and the lair of the green dragon Morentherene.[1]
Rumors & Legends[]
Hidden within the hall south of the laboratory were six alcoves each decorated with a different mask. Pressing against three of the masks in the correct order opened a hidden treasury.[1]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ While it is not explicitly stated that the temple of Bhaal in the Forest of Wyrms is the same temple featured in the origins of Abdel Adrian and Sarevok, there is evidence to suggest that it is. The original Baldur's Gate game states that the Harper Gorion was a lover to and killer of Abdel's biological mother. The Throne of Bhaal expansion reveals her identity as Alianna, a priestess of Bhaal and the mother of Abdel Adrian. Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear features the story of how the forest temple was raided by members of the Harpers, one of whom nearly killed his lover before rescuing her infant child.
Appearances[]
- Video Games
- Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear
External Links[]
Ruined Temple of Bhaal article at the Baldur's Gate Wiki, a wiki for the Baldur's Gate games.
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Beamdog (March 2016). Designed by Philip Daigle, et al. Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear. Beamdog.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 BioWare (June 2001). Designed by Kevin Martens. Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal. Black Isle Studios.
- ↑ Kevin Melka, John Terra (March 1995). “Campaign Book”. In Julia Martin ed. Ruins of Zhentil Keep (TSR, Inc.), p. 30. ISBN 0-7869-0109-8.