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Wall of the Faithless

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The Wall of the Faithless was the wall surrounding the City of Judgment on the Fugue Plane, according to the World Tree cosmology,[1] or surrounding the City of the Dead[3] in the Oinos layer of Hades, according to the Great Wheel cosmology.[2][note 1]

When faithful mortals died, they could petition their respective gods for entry to their plane of influence. However, the faithless were absorbed into the Wall and wholly became a part of it.[4][3]

“
At the core of the Fugue Plane's barren ash-gray wasteland stands the City of Judgement with its Crystal Spire jutting above the streets and the influx of souls. These are godly folk seeing the verdict of those ruling Fugue, their faces hopeful or sullen, their boot heels caked in the mud of perdition. Yet for those who claimed no godly patronage in life, there is only the wall. The wall erected by Myrkul, Lord of Bones, to keep those of insubstantial faith from any possible form of peace. See it gored and clawed-at by the desperate, clung with fingernails, flecked with smashed skulls. How Myrkul enjoys his petty torments.
”
— A book titled Wall of the Faithless.[5]

Description[]

The Wall of the Faithless was made of a green, supernatural mold that cemented the souls of the Faithless,[6] dissolving them until they were destroyed. This was a painful process, and the souls were completely conscious and aware during the whole process.[4]

However, the Wall of the Faithless seems to have been changed in the years following the Spellplague, and, as of as of 1479 DR, the Wall was described as a place where souls were condemned to an "eternity of utter boredom", rather than being a place of eternal torment.[7]

Those who examined the Wall of the Faithless could see the faces and skulls of the countless souls absorbed into the very fabric of the wall.[4]

History[]

The Wall of the Faithless was erected by Myrkul to punish the souls of beings who claimed no patron god.[4] The laws established for the treatment of the faithless were ratified by the Circle of Greater Powers of Myrkul's time.[8]

His successor Cyric kept the Wall erected largely out of malice and sadism, never questioning its existence as long as it served as a means to issue torment and suffering.[8]

With Cyric's fall, Kelemvor ascended to the portfolio of the dead and struck down the Wall alongside a myriad of other changes to the Fugue Plane, intending to enact a more "fair" accounting of the Faithless. Following Kelemvor's abandonment of his humanity after it was determined he had overstepped his bounds, Kelemvor reconsidered his perspective and reinstated the Wall under the argument that mortals needed to be held accountable for their faith, to prevent the gods from forgetting their duties and taking revenge on mortals.[4]

The Wall of the Faithless was still the final destination for the souls of the faithless as of 1479 DR, as confirmed by Duvan, when a demon tempted him offering salvation from his intended destiny as a brick on Kelemvor's wall when he died while exploring the Plaguewrought Lands.[7]

However, during the events surrounding the rise of the cult of the Absolute in the Year of Three Ships Sailing, 1492 DR, Jergal stated that the Faithless were instead condemned to wander the Fugue Plane eternally.[5]

Appendix[]

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Notes[]

  1. ↑ The novel Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad states that Kelemvor replaced the Wall of the Faithless with a mirrored wall that showed the false and the faithless their reflections in such a way as to reveal the follies and life choices that led them to be sent to his realm. However, the more recent Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide sourcebook still describes faithless souls being mortared into the Wall for eternity. As of its November 2020 errata, the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide no longer mentions the Wall of the Faithless, but the status of the Wall is now unknown. Withers in Baldur's Gate III makes no indication of the Wall, instead stating that the Faithless are condemned to "wander the Fugue Plane for eternity". The novel Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad does not in fact mention that the wall has been turned into a mirror, but only that the gate of the city has been (page 285, page 354); the novel clearly says that "the portal's alabaster face" was turned into a mirror (on page 285). Nothing is said about the Wall itself.

Further Reading[]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 153. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 2–3. ISBN 978-0786903849.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 20. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Obsidian Entertainment (September 2007). Designed by Kevin D. Saunders. Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer. Atari.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Larian Studios (October 2020). Designed by Swen Vincke, et al. Baldur's Gate III. Larian Studios.
  6. ↑ Troy Denning (July 2003). Waterdeep. (Wizards of the Coast), p. c.12. ISBN 0-7869-3111-6.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Jak Koke (August 2009). The Edge of Chaos. (Wizards of the Coast), p. c.10. ISBN 978-0-7869-5189-5.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 James Lowder (August 1993). Prince of Lies. (Wizards of the Coast), p. c.3. ISBN 1-56076-626-3.
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