Tyr
Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG

Tyr: The Even-Handed, the Maimed God, the Just God (Greater Deity)

Symbol: Balanced scales resting on a warhammer
Home Plane: House of the Triad
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Justice
Worshipers: Paladins, judges, magistrates, lawyers, police, the oppressed
Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG
Domains: Good, Knowledge, Law, Retribution, War

Favored Weapon: "Justicar" (longsword)

efore every criminal trial in civilized lands, good-hearted magistrates whisper prayers to Tyr (teer) the Even-Handed, asking that he guide their judgments with temperance and resolve. A utopian interloper deity who long ago came to Toril from a foreign cosmos, Tyr sees himself as a father figure working to craft a perfect society among the people of Faerun, whom he views as his wayward children. The pain of knowing that his mortal charges cannot hope to initiate and protect a flawless, completely just orderly existence tinges Tyr's philosophy with an undercurrent of resigned sadness. Religious iconography depicts Tyr as an aging one-handed warrior, often with a bloody bandage covering his wounded eyes. The so- called Maimed God lost his right hand in battle with the ravenous entity known as Kezef the Chaos Hound. Tyr's blindness dates to the Time of Troubles, when Ao himself scoured his eyes for failing to witness the theft of the Tablets of Fate and for allowing discord among the gods of Toril. Worshipers have allegorized Tyr's wounds as emblematic of the blindness of justice and the price the truly just must endure on the path to righteousness and stern defense of the law.

Particularly radical Tyrran sects advocate self-mutilation among their adherents, a practice condemned by the large majority of the faithful, who nonetheless ritualistically don gauze eye coverings and an off-colored glove on their right hands to honor the Blind Overlord. Commoners view Tyr and his clerics as stern arbiters of justice, often missing the paternal philosophical nuances of Tyrran doctrine for its more obvious black-and-white teachings on the nature of morality. They tend to view Tyr as something of a divine constant-- they know that Tyr expects fairness, good judgment, and kindness toward the innocent from his followers, and hence afford Tyr's clerics a great deal of trust.

Clerics of Tyr pray for spells at dawn. In addition to numerous minor holidays, Tyr's priesthood follows a strict regimen of monthly high rituals. on the first of each month, Tyrrans celebrate Seeing Justice, at which specially chanted prayers elicit the appearance of a white-hot war hammer that glows with heat and light. The thirteenth day brings celebration of the Maiming, at which the congregation sings loud, booming hymns as an illusionary gauntleted hand surrounded by a nimbus of burning blood appears above them. A similar ritual called the Blinding, which takes place on the twenty-second day of the month, involves an image of burning, crying eyes. Tyr's clerics often multiclass as paladins.

HISTORY/RELATIONSHIPS: Tyr came to Toril in -247 DR in an event known as the Procession of Justice. Bursting from a gate near modern-day Alaghon in Turmish, he led a force of 200 archons across the Vilhon Reach in an effort to pacify the remnants of ancient Jhaamdath, which had fallen to lawlessness and brigandage following the empire's destruction at the hands of its elven enemies. In the ensuing battle, Tyr's host slew Valigan Thirdborn, a lesser deity of anarchy whose rise in -269 DR directly coincided with the ascendance of the bloodthirsty Exarch Thelasand IV, who spurred the Emperor into greater conflict with the elves. Tyr's actions and sacrifices during the Procession (which lasted until -238 DR) attracted the attention of the previously obscure Ilmater, who joined forces with Tyr in -243 DR. Years later, long after the Procession had ended with most of Tyr's servants banished or killed and the deity himself taking interest in Toril at large at the expense of his initial, highly targeted campaign, Torm joined up as the Just God's war leader. Together with Ilmater, the deities became known as the Triad, by which they are still referred to this day. Over the more than 1,600 years since his arrival, Tyr has expanded his dominance over the whole of Faerun-- few are those who do not know his name or the enthusiastic ideals he represents. His is a civilizing voice, urging the construction of moral and legal codes and the administration of fair justice for sentient creatures in every land. In this regard he is both progressive and regressive, representing a force for cultural development in lands with corrupt or no legal systems and representing a stern defense of the status quo in nations with well- established codes of law. Tyr's relatively short time on Toril has gained him a host of enemies. He fiercely opposes deities dedicated to tyranny, evil, or lawlessness, and bears particular enmity toward, Bane, Cyric, Mask, Talona, and Talos.

DOGMA: Reveal the truth, punish the guilty, right the wrong, and always be true and just in your actions. Uphold the law wherever you go and punish those who do wrong under the law. Keep a record of your own rulings, deeds, and decisions, for through this your errors can be corrected, your grasp on the laws of all lands will flourish, and your ability to identify lawbreakers will expand. Be vigilant in your observations and anticipations so you may detect those who plan injustices before their actions threaten law and order. Deliver vengeance to the guilty for those who cannot do it themselves.