(The Destroyer, the Raging One, the Stormstar, the Storm Lord)

Intermediate Power of Pandemonium, CE

PORTFOLIO: Storms, destruction, rebellion, conflagrations, earthshakings, and vortices
ALIASES: Bhaelros (Calimshan), Kozah (Anauroch, among the Bednine), Malyk (the Underdark)
DOMAIN NAME: Pandesmos/Towers of Ruin
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Auril, Malar, Umberlee, Velsharoon
FOES: Chauntea, Lathander, Mystra, Sune, Deneir, Gond, Helm, Mielikki, Oghma, Silvanus, Tyr, Eldath, Shiallia
SYMBOL: Three lightning bolts, each of a separate color, radiating from a central point
WOR. ALIGN.: LN, N, CN, LE, NE, CE

Talos (TAH-los) is the destructive force of nature. He is the god of storms, forest fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and general destruction. He attracts the destroyer, the raider, the looter, and the brigand among his followers. His actions often seem petty and vengeful and are frequently motivated by rage, anger, and the desire to not appear weak or compromising in any way to his followers or the other powers of Faerun. He exults in seeing what he or his followers can burn, break, flood, kill, or otherwise utterly destroy. He is like a malicious and twisted child whose power and wrath know no bounds and who proves his self-worth and standing again and again by wracking havoc and ruin down on those who can little oppose him. Under the alias of Malyk, Talos is trying to fold wild and destructive magic into his portfolio. Mystra is openly challenging the Storm Lord's ploy, and it is likely to fail quickly in the face of her open opposition.

When Talos is portrayed in religious art, he looks similar to his avatar (see below). His home, the Towers of Ruin, is also known as the Screaming Towers and the Towers at the Heart of the Winds because of the howling winds that curl eternally around it in a helix. He is served by Auril, Malar, and Umberlee. Collectively, the four are known as the Gods of Fury. The storm god's relationship with Auril is said to be close and cordial, though he has no compunction about attempting to erode and usurp her portfolio and power base whenever possible. His relationship with Umberlee is flirtatious and filled with rivalry. Talos and Malar only grudgingly work together, and Malar would happily kill Talos if he only had the power to do so. Talos has recently sponsored the once-mortal Velsharoon the Vaunted to demipower status, but Velsharoon is not likely to survive long with the sort of "aid" Talos seems to be providing powers in his service.

Aside from his divine foes listed above, Talos counts among his enemies all those who dare to work magic to try to control the winds and weather in an ongoing or wide-ranging fashion, including the mortal wizards of Netheril and Myth Drannor in the past and the wizards of Halruaa and Thay currently.

Other Manifestations

Talos is usually encountered as titanic, bellowing laughter in the heart of a gale. Sometimes the laughter is accompanied by two eyes like giant blazing coals, which are surrounded by swirling maelstorms of air. At sea, this manifestation always means the loss of at least one ship.

In urban areas, Talos more often manifests as two fist-sized, swirling storm clouds. There is a clap of thunder, and lightning arcs between the clouds. If Talos is displeased, a bolt of lightning striking for 9d6 points of damage (and often forking) leaps from each cloud to strike at the beings or objects that offend him. If the god is bestowing favor, red-hued lightning crackles and shoots forth from both in a straight beam (not a zigzagging bolt) to the being or item Talos is pleased with and bestows upon it healing or spells. The red lightning stroke can even temporarily confer such powers as infravision, the ability to fly, or X-ray vision.

Talos also sometimes works through the presence or action of vargouilles, yeth hounds, quasits, wind walkers, and the elemental spirits known as tempests. When he appears as Bhaelros in Calimshan, he often manifests in the form of a turbaned genie with dusky skin rising out of a sandstorm.

Talos's Avatar (Fighter 37, Mage 27, Cleric 15)

When Talos is seen, which is seldom, he appears as a broad-shouldered, bearded young man with a single good eye, the other covered by a dark patch. Some sages say the empty eye socket is filled with whirling stars. He dresses in a half-suit of field plate armor (sans helm) worn over smooth black leather armor and black leather gloves. He can draw spells from any school or sphere except the spheres of animal, creation, law, or plant. He cannot use light-creating spells or forms of spells from the sun sphere.

AC 5; MV 15, Fl 24; HP 235; THAC0 -10; #AT 5/2
Dmg 1d6+19 (quarterstaff +3, +14 Str, +2 spec. bonus in quarterstaff)
MR 65%; SZ H (12 feet)
Str 25, Dex 17, Con 23, Int 19, Wis 17, Cha 18
Spells P: 8/8/7/6/4/2/1, W: 6/6/6/6/6/6/6/5/5
Saves PPDM 3, RSW 3, PP 4, BW 4, Sp 4

Special Att/Def: If Talos raises the eyepatch, chain lightning roars forth from the empty socket at targets of his choosing. If he removes his right glove, the hand goes with it, revealing a hollow arm from which cones of cold spray repeatedly (two a round, in addition to any spells Talos may cast). If he removes his left glove, three staves issue forth from the hollowness that is his left arm; he can then wield any one of them in a round with his right hand.

The first is a staff made from the first iron forged in the Realms, and it can raise and hurl the winds. This staff works as the 5th-level priest spell control winds, but Talos can always shift the category of wind up or down one within a round and can stabilize it as he wishes without spending time to concentrate. Talos can also simultaneously use the wind control ability to form a wind wall around himself similar to the 3rd-level wizard spell, but of incredible strength.

The second is a staff of the first silver smelted in Faerûn, and it can call up deadly waves, waterspouts, whirlpools, or part water with such power as to lay bare the bottom of a river, lake, or harbor. Waterspouts and deadly waves have THAC0 7 and do 5d6 points of damage per successful attack. For purposes of this staff's effects on terrain, ships, and structures, it works as either the regular or reversed forms of the 4th-level priest spell lower water or the 6th-level priest spell part water, but Talos can affect any area up to 3 miles in diameter.

The third staff is carved from the first tree felled in Faerûn (said to be a shadowtop), and it can move earth swiftly and over a large enough area to open great rifts in the land or can cause earthquakes. This move earth ability is as the 6th-level wizard spell, but Talos can affect whatever terrain he wishes up to 3 miles square in length and width and until bedrock is struck in depth, requires no earth elemental, and completes all movement in no more than five rounds. The earthquake ability is as the 7th-level priest spell cast by a 30th-level cleric.

Talos can also use any of these staves as a quarterstaff +3. He is immune to lightning and electrical damage of any sort (except that caused by his eye) and to any sort of damage caused by cold, wind, air, or water.

There are persistent rumors that if Talos ever removes his eyepatch and both gloves at once, he will be destroyed. Confirmed reports reveal that if he ever directly tastes damage from one of his staves, from his right arm, or from his eye, Talos vanishes for 4d10 days and does not grant spells to his clergy nor manifest in any way in Faerˆn for that time.

The Church

CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: CN, LE, NE, CE
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, if neutral; SP: Yes
CMND. UNDEAD: C: Yes, if evil; SP: Yes

All clerics and specialty priests of Talos receive religion (Faerûnian) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency. All priests of Talos are immune to lightning or electrical damage.

Talos's name is invoked by individuals who wish to escape his attentions, not suffer them. He has few direct followers who support (and encourage) his depredations. Rather, he is more feared than worshiped, which seems to account for the pernicious underground presence of his church throughout Faerun as much as anything. His established clergy is itinerant for the most part and preaches by warning of doom and disasters to come. Frequently his priests are right in their predictions because either they or Talos ensure that the ycome true. This does not make his clergy members terribly popular—yet another reason why they tend to travel a lot.

The church of Talos exults in the wild destruction of nature at its fiercest. Clergy and the faithful tend to be fatalistic in nature as a result—almost self-destructive. However, priests of Talos usually wish to take as many others with them as possible. The protections the Storm Lord confers upon his clergy make the priesthood of the Destroyer popular with many folk who exult in the feeling of power—or who just like to destroy things. All would-be priests of the Storm Lord are confirmed in his service through the manifestation of Talos as two small storm clouds. The clouds strike a supplicant with a red lightning stroke that does him or her no harm, and it is revealed to the supplicant's mind that she or he is indeed chosen to serve the Stormstar. This is referred to as being "Touched by Talos."

In the priesthood of Talos, specialty priests, known as stormlords (a title used irrespective of gender), are by far predominant and clerics are in the minority. The split is about 80/20. Clerics are usually found only as adventurers and free operatives outside the scattering of church cells, which are all led by stormlords. Typical titles used by clergy of Talos, in ascending order of rank, are: Storm Supplicant, Weatherwise, Talon (full, confirmed priest), Lord/Lady of Fury, Eye of the Storm, Reaver, Stormherald (high priest), High Stormherald, and Weathermaster/Weathermistress.

The spells of a Stormherald relating directly to natural forces (such as call lightning and flame strike) deal double the normal damage, and so the uppermost three titles in this list are honors bestowed and confirmed by Talos, not ranks that priests dare to assume for themselves—for Talos destroys those that speak against his will. High-level Talassan priests can strip their inferiors of all spell powers for a day thanks to a secret, powerful 7th-level spell—so they can literally command obedience. Most have used this threat wisely and sparingly to gather individual priests together to wield powerful storm magics against Harpers, Lathanderites, and other forces that have gathered to deal with them.

The clergy of Bhaelros in Calimshan and the clergy of Talos had a brief period of conflict over which of their deities is the "real god of destruction." Since Bhaelros is merely an alias of Talos, Talos evidently found the ongoing blood feud both amusing and a fitting tribute in human destruction to his name. Relations have now calmed again, and the relationship between the two churches is cordial once more.

Most Talassan temples and shrines are secret because of the reputation of the church. The worship of Talos is outlawed in many countries. Where there are public temples to Talos, many of them take the form of castles or walled compounds because they most often serve as strongholds that the faithful of Talos can defend against angry folk.

Dogma: Talos the Destroyer is the dark side of nature, the uncaring and destructive force that lies waiting to strike at any time. Talassans are taught that life is a combination of random effects and chaos, so the devout should grab what they can, when they can, as who can say when Talos will strike and bring them into the afterlife?

Talassan clergy are to preach to all of the might of Talos, warning them always of the forces only he can command—the fury of all Faerûn. They are never to cease in such speech, so that everyone may know that Talos is to be worshiped by all, and that in time to come he must be, or he will destroy all life with the forces at his command. His clergy should walk unafraid in all storms, forest fires, earthquakes, and other disasters, for the power of Talos protects them. They should let others see this whenever possible, so that unbelievers will come to believe in the true power of almighty Talos.

Talassan clergy should make all fear Talos by showing the destruction that he and all of his servants can cause. To avoid tasting his fury, they are to pray to him energetically and tell all folk that such observances—and only such observances—can protect them form the furies of gales, hailstorms, winds, floods, droughts, blizzards, hurricanes, and other natural dooms. Such forces can also be hurled at one's foes—an advancing orc horde, for instance—if Talos deems a place or a person worth defending. So one cannot afford to ignore Talos, but must bow down and worship him. The clergy of Talos are to proclaim this message to all and show everyone the destruction even the slightest of the servants of Talos can cause.

Day-to-Day Activities: Talos always has too few worshipers for his liking, so his clergy are sent out into the world to spread word of his might and to try to recruit others to his worship—either out of fear or because such people enjoy the wielding of raw power. As examples to all, the fatalistic priests of Talos tend to indulge in acts of random or spiteful destruction as they travel and to make examples of all folk who stand up to them or try to prevent them from entering a community or passing along a road. Some priests pillage, burn, and steal as enthusiastically as any brigand, and hamlets that fight them off tend to be visited a season or later by a gathering of Talassan priests who try to slaughter everyone and lay waste to the place. This practice had led to settlements fearfully hiring "adventuring bands in residence" to ward off a similar fate after one or more citizens have had hostile dealings with any Talassan clergy. Few priests of Talos seem to have the patience to simply drown out a community out by fixing endless, stationary storms above it.

Talos does not seem to mind priests who indulge in fulfilling personal desires for wealth, food, luxury items, and wanton behavior so long as they call up a storm or engage in random, spectacular acts of violence once every tenday or so (toppling towers is always effective). As a result, some clergy have taken up a life of brigandage. They pose as lunatics in order to spread the word of Talos as ordered, and the rest of the time they adopt disguises to scout out rich prizes to strike at.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Talassans mark all of the annual festivals (Greengrass, Midsummer, and so on) with rituals that call down lightning or call up storms. Calling Down the Thunder is the most sacred of these rituals and involves the slaying of an intelligent being by lightning in return for the Storm Lord granting a special boon. This boon is usually the bestowal of a spell normally beyond a Talassan priest's ability to receive and wield, but it is sometimes a deed such as the sending of a storm down on a particular locale or being named by the priest.

A more frequently seen ritual is the Fury, which is simply a berserk attack on folk and items made while howling the name of Talos repeatedly. It begins and ends with a prayer (if the priest survives) and usually involves the hurling of spells and of lit, carried torches, in an effort to visit considerable destruction on a place or encampment within a short time. It is considered most holy when performed by a lone Talassan priest—but against formidable foes, clergy of Talos usually attack together or draw off defenders by creating illusory attackers in one direction and mounting their own real attacks from another.

Major Centers of Worship: The most important center of worship to Talos is Faerûn is the Gulf of Storms in eastern Amn: a deep, narrow cleft valley between the mountains of Assar's Peak and Mount Thalangar, which can be found northeast of Eshpurta. The peculiar iron ore outcrops high in the walls of this valley combined with the valley's shape and the presence of rock here whose crystals attract electrical charges make the valley prone to filling with spectacular, deadly arrays of crisscrossing, leaping bolts of lightning whenever a natural or magical bolt of lightning strikes one of the walls of the Gulf. Sometimes these discharges seem to attract storms, clouds that race down the valley and then lash across Amn and Tethyr. Devout Talassans call such storms the Tongues of Talos and view them as a sign that the god is pleased with the doings of his faithful.

Many Talassans make pilgrimages to the Gulf to cast lightning down into it or to witness such an act. This makes the luxurious cave homes built into Mount Thalangar the most important temple in a religion where most clergy wander or live as brigands in the wild. However, there are other prominent temples to Talos, notably in Hlondeth in the Vilhon Reach at the foot of Mr. Ugruth, a semiactive volcano.

Affiliated Orders: Many brigand bands, reavers, and raiders pay tribute to Talos and his priesthood, but none are organized enough to really be called an affiliated order. Rumors tell of a mysterious group of wizards who specialize in exotic combinations of elemental magic known as the Lords of the Tempest that owes allegiance to Talos. Other whispers in dark places speak of Talos's sponsorship of certain necromancers into lichdom and of a cabal of crazed sages and mystic spellcasters of assorted disciplines, both religious and secular, intent on bringing about the end of the world—known only as the Circle of Rust and the Worm—who have sought and obtained the Destroyer as a patron.

Priestly Vestments: High clergy of Talos have ceremonial robes of blue-white streaked with crimson that seem to crackle with lightning due to a minor illusory glamer, but all clergy dress in robes and cloaks of black shot through with teardrops and jagged lines of gold or silver—garb which has earned them the unflattering name of "doom crows," as they go about the Realms preaching of devastations to come. The robes have jagged hems and rough, uneven sleeves. A black eyepatch is also worn, even if the clergy member has good vision in both eyes.

In addition to the symbol detailed above, the Talassan church often make use of a modified symbol of Talos on banners: a stylized white lightning bolt on a crimson field between two flanking horizontal white bars. The bold curves upward from between the bars toward the dexter then abruptly ascends and descends in a sharp zigzag.

Adventuring Garb: It should be noted that clergy of Talos enjoy destruction and arm themselves heavily to bring it about where spells may fail at all times. When not involved in ceremonies, Talassans tend to go to one of two extremes: Either they armor themselves to the hilt in the most menacing-looking armor they can obtain, or they wear next to no armor and use protective magics instead so that to the average observers they look almost suicidal in their fervor to get into the thick of destruction.

Specialty Priests (Stormlords)

REQUIREMENTS: Strength 13, Wisdom 14
PRIME REQ.: Strength, Wisdom
ALIGNMENT: NE, CE
WEAPONS: Same as cleric
ARMOR: Any
MAJOR SPHERES: All, animal, astral, chaos, combat, elemental, healing, necromantic, summoning, sun, war, weather
MINOR SPHERES: Creation, divination, protection, time
MAGICAL ITEMS: Same as clerics, plus magical javelins
REQ. PROFS: Weather sense
BONUS PROFS: None

• Stormlords can endure extremes of heat and cold in their surroundings without harm. They can never die of exposure, even if naked and wet, and can walk through fires of natural origin unharmed, though their clothing and equipment will be damaged. They suffer the normal damage dealt by all cold- and fire-based magic and creature breath weapons.
• Stormlords are immune to all forms of lightning and electrical damage.
• Stormlords are able to cast shocking grasp (as the 1st-level wizard spell) once a day.
• At 3rd level, stormlords can call lightning (as the 3rd-level priest spell) or ride the wind (as the 2nd-level wizard spell) once a day.
• At 5th level, stormlords can water walk (as the 3rd-level priest spell) at will.
• At 5th level, stormlords are able to cast control winds (as the 5th-level priest spell) once a day.
• At 7th level, stormlords may cast a lightning bolt (as the 3rd-level wizard spell) once a day. They may not cast the lightning bolt if they are wearing any metallic armor (including studded leather). They gain an additional lightning bolt for every three levels of experience (another at 10th, a third at 13th, etc.).
• At 10th level, stormlords may control weather (as the 7th-level priest spell) once per day. Stormlords may move the conditions to any worse condition under the same prevailing heading (as per the chart in the spell description). Stormlords can never use their abilities to improve the weather conditions.
• At 15th level, stormlords may cast earthquake (as the 7th-level priest spell) once every tenday.

2nd Level

Wind Lash (Alteration, Evocation)

Sphere: Weather
Range: 5 yards/level
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 round/level
Casting Time: 5
Area of Effect: One being
Saving Throw: ½

This spell creates an invisible, weightless whip of hard-edged air extending from a limb of the caster. With this construct, the caster can strike with his or her normal THAC0 at one chosen opponent, dealing 2 points of damage per level per successful attack. In any round in which the wind lash successfully strikes, all target spellcasting that has a casting time of more than 1 is ruined, and the target must make a successful saving throw vs. paralyzation or be hurled to the ground, taking an additional 1 point of damage and forcing all fragile items carried to make a saving throw vs. fall.

The caster can switch targets at will, but switching targets takes a round, during which time no one can be attacked by the wind lash. The nature of the wind lash is such that only the chosen target is struck. Other beings are aware of the spell because it emits snarling wind noises and may even blow away small, light objects such as cap-feathers and parchments that are not securely gripped (but they suffer no damage). If the spellcaster casts another spell while this spell is still in effect, the wind lash dissipates immediately. A wind lash-wielder can employ magical items simultaneously with a lash if they can be wielded with one hand.

3rd Level

Storm Shield (Abjuration)

Sphere: Protection, Weather
Range: 10 yards/level
Components: V, S
Duration: 6 rounds + 1d4 rounds
Casting Time: 6
Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: None

This spell creats a floating, weightless, mobile barrier of solid air that blocks all damage from winds, lightning, normal missiles, and heat or cold. A storm shield attracts all electrical discharges within 30 feet and absorbs them so that no harm is done to nearby beings. It automatically neutralizes any extreme of heat (including fire), or cold (including ice), that it comes into contact with, but does so only once for each extreme. A storm shield neutralizes a second encounter or round of contact with either extreme heat or cold, but as it does so, the storm shield itself dissipates, ending the spell.

A storm shield is always about 6 inches thick and occupies a square, flat area of 10 square feet/level, stopping where it encounters solid obstacles. It can be fitted into a narrow passage or opening, so as to seal it entirely or be made to fold in on itself if the caster so wills to make a smaller barrier that can be moved about in narrow confines without becoming stuck. The caster can move the shield by force of will at MV 12 (B) and turn or tilt it as desired, until she or he engages in other spellcasting, whereupon control over the shield is lost, and it remains stationary until the spell expires.

A storm shield is effective from all sides, but it only deflects normal missiles; a sword or other weapon could be thrust through it with no effect on either the shield or the attack.

5th Level

Storm Cone (Alteration, Evocation)

Sphere: Elemental Air, Weather
Range: 5 yards/level
Components: V, S
Duration: 4 rounds + 1 round/3 levels above 9th
Casting Time: 8
Area of Effect: 60-foot-long cone, 20 in diameter at its mouth
Saving Throw: Special

This spell creates a whirling vortex of wind in a 60-foot-long cone shape that flares from its apex close to the caster to a mouth 20 feet in diameter. The caster can move the storm cone up, down, or sideways 10 feet in each round of its existence. The storm cone lasts for 4 rounds plus 1 round for every three whole levels of experience the caster has above 9th level (5 rounds at 12th level, 6 at 15th level, etc.).

A storm cone whirls about all beings it touches, buffeting them with invisible "stones" of solid air contained within the storm cone, and stabs them with tiny lightning bolts that arc about continuously within the vortex. The whirling and buffeting effect forces touched beings to make saving throws vs. fall and crushing blow for all worn or carried items and inflicts on all creatures 5d4 points of damage. The lightning bolts strike creatures touched by the storm cone for an additional 2d4 points of damage and forces affected beings to make saving throws vs. lightning for all worn or carried items unless they are protected against electrical damage. Both buffeting damage and lightning damage are suffered in each round of contact with the storm cone.