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Finder Wyvernspur
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The Nameless Bard
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The Gate's of the Moon
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Demipower
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Chaotic Neutral
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Cycles of life, transformation of art, saurials
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Tymora
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In the ''
Forgotten Realms '' ''
Dungeons & Dragons ''
Campaign Setting , is a relatively new
Power raised to divinity by acquiring the divine spark of the deceased god
Moander .
Finder is a
Chaotic Neutral Demipower . His symbol is a white harp on gray circle, and his divine realm is Fermata, which in the 2nd Edition ''Forgotten Realms'' cosmology is situated on the plane of Arborea but in the Third Edition cosmology is within
Selûne 's palace in the
Gates Of The Moon . His Third Edition D&D domains are Chaos, Charm, Renewal, and Scalykind.
Finder's church is very small, consisting primarily of younger
Bards and musicians, and those who seek to change and diversify the arts. His faith is strong only amongst the
Saurial s of the Lost Vale (in the
Dalelands )—where his is a state religion along with
Chauntea 's—who owe him their freedom (see below). His speciality priests are called ''Finders.''
A few centuries ago, Finder was a member of the Wyvernspur family, who are nobles in Cormyr, and a highly accomplished bard. Rising to prominence among the
Harpers , he was quite successful in his youth. Finder's skills in music were such that his songs transcended mere music, inspiring others to great works, renewed vigor or deep despair.
Inevitably, Finder's works were copied by other performers, who added their own twists to his songs. It was inevitable that their performances would thus veer from the level of perfection that Finder strove for. In anger at the corruption of his works, Finder vowed to create a method by which his songs would be preserved in the ideal state; that is, the way he himself wanted.
Disregarding the advice of powerful mages who claimed it was too dangerous, Finder first modified an artifact, the Finder's Stone, to act as a recording and playback device for his music, spells, and journal. He accomplished this by inserting a sliver of para-elemental ice into the stone, cooling it while simultaneously expanding it's storage capacity. The Stone was a success, however Finder wasn't satisfied by the flat, unliving playback it delivered.
To make his music both "alive" and immortal, he then devised a magical clone of himself that he could fill with memories—including his music. This clone, Flattery Wyvernspur, was physically almost identical to Finder. However, the egotistical Finder was unsatisfied by the emotionally childlike and inexperienced clone's imperfect reproductions of Finder's music. After only a week of unsuccessful practice, Finder lashed out in frustration and struck the clone. He continued a cycle of abuse until finally, Flattery snapped and attempted to kill Finder with a ring of disintegration. One of Finder's apprentices died when he threw himself in front of the beam, while another was later driven to suicide by the now evil Flattery. This resulted in a severe backlash to Finder's reputation within the still fledgling Harper organization, despite Finder's attempts at a partial cover-up. He claimed his apprentices were injured in an explosion in which the clone was also killed. Flattery actually escaped, and cleaned out Finder's lab. Finder himself was brought to trial before the Harpers, including
Elminster .
The verdict was harsh: many Harpers had watched Finder's obsession grow, and the fatal result of his attempts to preserve his music were viewed as a terrible crime. The Harpers condemned Finder to timeless existence in the Citadel of White Exile, located on the border between the
Positive Energy Plane and the
Plane Of Gems . His songs and his name were wiped from the Realms. Only a few, such as Elminster and Morala of Milli, remembered them, in case they should emerge again.
Centuries later, the sorceress
Cassana found details of Finder's experiments and tracked him down in the Citadel. She offered him a second chance, though her motives for doing so were dark. He accepted, and the result was the adventuress
Alias , who he filled with false memories and all of his music. In her release from Cassana and the "Dark Masters," Alias met Finder, known as Nameless, and he discovered that she, too, had been adapting his music to enhance it. However, Finder found he could accept this fact. A few years later, Flattery reemerged and attempted to steal the Wyvern's Spur, an artifact and heirloom of the Wyvernspurs. He was killed when Giogi Wyvernspur used the Spur against him.
Now returned to the Realms, Finder began to age, and grew concerned with death. Anxious both to redeem himself to the Harpers and to find some way to obtain immortality, he took the Finder's Stone and battled the weakened god Moander. At that time, Moander had enslaved a number of the otherworldly reptilian humanoids known as Saurials, and captured the Turmish mage Akabar bel Akash in a plot to build a new body. By shattering the stone and using the para-elemental ice at its core, Finder was able to slay Moander's real body in Tarterus, and claim its godly essence for his own. Moander's portfolio of rot and corruption, however, remained unclaimed by the bard.
In doing this, Finder freed the Saurials, one of whom—"
Dragonbait "—was travelling with Alias at the time, who had been enslaved by Moander. Finder immediately gained the worship of this stranded race (excepting Dragonbait who followed
Tyr ), as their own deities remained on the world they left behind. He was also pardoned by the Harpers for his bravery, and his name and songs were restored to the Realms.
Still a fledgling power, Finder started to develop a base of worshippers at the urging of his first priestess, the Saurial Copperbloom. To do so, he manifested himself to a young bard named
Joel , posing as the elderly priest Jedidiah, who espoused the wonders of Finder's vision. Joel later became close friends with Finder, as well as his first human cleric, from the time they spent together searching for an artifact, the Hand of Bane.
Finder is tolerated by most of the good pantheon. His closest ally is
Tymora , who sponsored his rise to godhood, and it is believed, as his old patron deity, helped him permanently slay Moander. He is jokingly referred to as the god of reckless fools, which Tymora may appreciate and which is somewhat apt, considering Finder's behavior. He has also been known to fraternize with greater powers who are allies of Tymora, although as a free spirit, Finder prefers to spend his time away from stronger deities. He has also forged a good relationship with the deity Selûne, whom he shares his home plane with.
Finder is too new a deity to have any implacable foes or long-term allies, but
Milil , whilst feeling somewhat threatened by him, hopes to guide Finder to a more benign outlook.
Oghma is also wary of Finder, but cultists of Moander, sponsored by
Lolth , seek his destruction, and deities such as
Tiamat ,
Set , and
Sebek wish to gain his patronism of the saurials, whilst deities such as
Talona ,
Gargauth , and
Yurtrus seek to steal Moander's unclaimed but guarded portfolio for themselves.
Finder's closest relationship is the one he has with his priest, Joel the Rebel Bard. Despite being lost to the Wyvernspur family's lore, he continues to watch over the descendants of his brother.
Information taken from:
- The novels '' Azure Bonds '', '' The Wyvern's Spur '', '' Song Of The Saurials '', '' Finder's Bane '', and '' Tymora's Luck '' by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb , TSR .
- '' Powers And Pantheons '', Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition accessory, by Eric L. Boyd , TSR.
- '' Faiths And Pantheons '', Dungeons & Dragons 3e accessory, by Eric L. Boyd and Erik Mona , Wizards Of The Coast .
