Cyric

Cyric is the power-hungry god of strife, chaos, and malicious deception. He revels in misleading unwitting individuals to perform acts that ruin their lives, and he will stop at nothing until all peoples are afraid, uneasy, and mired in constant discord.

A relatively recent arrival to the Faerûnian pantheon, Cyric ascended from mortal life to godhood during the Time of Troubles by killing Bhaal. He went on to slay several other gods, stealing their portfolios. Aided by Shar, Cyric killed Mystra and caused the Spellplague. Today, many of the deities slain by Cyric have returned and wrenched back their portfolios. Ever petty and megalomaniacal, Cyric still believes himself the most powerful being in the universe. He whispers to his followers in haze-filled dreams and sends Undead riding Nightmares as his messengers.

Cyric's faith is strong in any area where evil plots flourish. Individuals who seek to gain control over others flock to his worship. Cyric's faithful believe he won't hear their prayers unless they first make a blood sacrifice. Good folk don't invoke his name, even when trying to deceive others; they call on Leira instead. "The Dark Sun" has become a colloquialism for strife in the Realms.

Temples to Cyric are forbidden in most nations, although they thrive in Amn. Cyric's faith fits in well with the nation's culture of ambition, self-reliance, and deception. Priests of Cyric dress in black or dark purple robes trimmed with silver and wear belts or jewelry adorned with the stamped skull-and-starburst symbol of their god. They spend much of their time scheming against each other, with each priest striving to strengthen their personal power.

The lies of Cyric's Chosen go undetected even by powerful magic, as if the Chosen had cast the Glibness spell. Spells that would otherwise compel the Chosen to tell the truth, such as Zone Of Truth, have no effect. At any given time, one Chosen of Cyric is tasked with guarding the Cyrinishad, a magical tome that turns its readers into fanatical devotees of the Prince of Lies.