Tymora

Tymora is the goddess of good fortune. She is the patron of adventurers in general. She shines upon those who take risks and bless those who deal harshly with the followers of Beshaba. Should someone flee from her sister's mischievous followers or defile the dead, their fate is decided with a roll of Tymora's dice. Tymora is the daughter of Tyche and Beshaba's sister.

Halflings believed that, since Tymora often manifested as a halfling to them, she was actually a halfling deity herself and had conned the 'big folk' into worshiping her as well.

Tymora is actually half of the deity once known as Tyche, with Beshaba being the other half. Tymora inherited Tyche's grace and kindness when that goddess split into two beings in the Dawn Cataclysm, a war among the gods that long preceded the Time of Troubles and is said to have heralded the fall of Myth Drannor. Beshaba garnered more of Tyche's wanton, willful nature, sensual side, and restless energy.

Worshipers, Clergy & Temples

Tymora's faith is one of the most common in the Faerûn, in particular since it caters most heavily to adventurers. Those commoners who fail to take themselves too seriously see the servants of Tymora as energetic advocates of fun and adventure.

The clergy of the Lady go throughout Faerûn urging folk to take chances and pursue their dreams, and not spend all their days planning and daring nothing. (They do not, as some folk say, encourage folk to indulge in reckless whims and frivolity.) Having offered such counsel, Tymoran clergy are duty bound to aid those who have dared with healing spells and other magical aid (sometimes surreptitiously) so as to reinforce the message of the good fortune one can win by trusting in Tymora. Accordingly, those who choose Tymora as patron tend to possess a zest for life and a calm assurance that the Lady Who Smiles will ensure they live a long and fruitful life.

Both sexes and all races are equal in the eyes of Tymora and her clergy, though in practice human women occupy most of the more exalted ranks of the priesthood. Of the nonhuman races, a few elves and half-elves have decided to become Tymoran clergy even in the face of the chilly reception such a calling receives in elven society. Halflings consider Tymora to be one of Yondolla's Children, and consider her widespread worship in human lands as simply the greatest of Lady Luck's numerous humorous cons.

Clerics of Tymora favor gaiety and spontaneity, believing that those who enjoy the greatest fortune are those who take the greatest risks. They position their temples as refueling stops for adventuring bands, often offering such staples as holy water and healing potions. Some churches take this a step further, offering excessive secret aid to the most daring of adventurers in a public relations effort to “prove” the value of Tymora's doctrine. Clerics hail the miraculous success of these heroes upon their return from dangerous dungeons and haunted tombs, declaring their survival and plunder the reward of Lady Luck. When such groups are consumed by walls of living tentacles or walk into a sphere of annihilation set into the mouth of giant bas-relief demon faces, Tymoran clerics are notably silent.

Clerics of Tymora are often called luck bringers. Tymora's clerics most commonly multiclass as bards or rogues, but they have been known to try almost any class combination.

Vestments

The standard clerical dress varies from temple to temple, ranging from full habits and headpieces in Arabel to simple robes in Shadowdale. Blue and silver are colors often seen. Personal taste of the matriarch or patriarch influences the dress code, as does climate (natural and political) and availability of fine clothing. The common item worn by all clergy is the disk of Tymora, usually carried on a small chain.

All adventuring or traveling clergy members wear whatever garments they please, though the colors blue and silver are still predominant. High boots also seem favorite fashion elements. All priests continue to wear Tymora’s silver disk next to their skin, usually as a medallion worn around the neck; however, many clergy also wear smaller holy symbols as anklets, bracelets, or at their hips, under their clothing.

Hierarchy

Among the followers of Tymora titles are used and changed with ease and informality, but Lord Priest and Lady Priestess are respectful titles of address that apply to all, and "High" is added in front of this title, for clergy senior members. A Favored of Tymora is a being chosen by the goddess to enter her clergy. A Fallen of Tymora is one who has left her service and spurned chances for atonement and forgiveness. An Atalara is a priestess of Tymora whose body has at some time or other been directly possessed by the goddess so as to act and speak for her, which usually changes all body hair to a deep blue, and the pupils of the eyes to bright silver.

Temples

Each Tymoran temple is its own independent operation with it's own clergy, and each temple reflects the tastes of its high priestess or priest (this longstanding tradition has recently encountered a challenge in the form of Daramos Lauthyr, high priest of the Lady's House of Arabel, who seeks to unite the church under a single pontiff—himself). A large network of shrines and temples to Lady Luck has spread throughout the heartlands of Faerûn. While the shining, featureless disk that is Tymora's symbol most often marks these houses of worship as belonging to the Lady Who Smiles, in some temples, Tymora's symbol is represented as a floating, randomly and slowly turning sphere of everbright silver.

Rituals

Clerics pray for their spells in the morning. The clergy officially recognizes no set rituals, with religious observances varying wildly according to the dictates of each temple. Offerings made to the goddess are often accompanied by the prayer, "A copper to the Lady returns tenfold in gold."

The clergy often adheres to rituals of greeting, touching their silver disks (the holy symbols of Tymora) to each other (and often embracing to do so) after watchwords of recognition are exchanged. To unknown persons and beings they know to be worshipers of Tymora, they say: "Life is short. Live it as Tymora means it to be lived!" This is answered by: "Dare all, and trust in the Lady." The watchwords between friends, or when both parties know each other to be clergy of Tymora, are simpler: "Defy," answered by "Dare much."

Midsummer is the most important festival of Tymora—a wild, nightlong revel of reckless, mischievous derring-do and romantic trysts. It is a time for the wandering clergy to gather and meet with those of allied faiths, and relatives. Many missions and plans are laid at such times.

The most holy festival of Tymora is Starfall, which occurs on the 22nd day of Marpenoth which is believed by the followers of Tymora—though not by the rival clergy of Beshaba—to be the date of Tyche's destruction and Tymora's birth. On this date, clergy who have earned advancement are formally acclaimed and presented with tokens and vestments appropriate to their new station.

Orders

Fellows of Free Fate: This was a special fellowship of clergy within the church of Tymora who dedicated themselves to countering the efforts of Beshaba, and especially of the Black Fingers, her assassins. Any clergy member who showed experience, dedication to the cause, and was vouched for by a senior Fellow could join.

Testers: The Testers were fanactical followers of Tymora who took extreme risks in order to further the worship of the goddess.

Fatemakers: A heretical band of Tymorans who believed that all luck was the same and that mortals could influence luck.

Dogma

One should be bold, for to be bold is to live. A brave heart and a willingness to take risks beat out a carefully wrought plan nine times out of ten. Place yourself in the hands of fate and trust to your own luck. Bear and conduct yourselves as your own masters, showing your good or bad fortune as confidence in the Lady. Chase your own unique goals, and the Lady aids the chase. Without direction or goals, you soon know the embrace of Beshaba, for those on no set course are at the mercy of misfortune, which has no mercy at all.

Appearance, Manifestations

When Tymora appears, which is rare, she is a fit female, with long flowing white hair, in a blue robe with silver trim. She has an impish nose and a capricious lock of hair that periodically dances on her forehead. She is always smiling. She appears as whatever race the viewer is (a halfling will see a halfling, while a human sees a human, even if they are standing next to each other).

Tymora has been known to take the form of a silver bird or a silver pegasus. She also sends servant creatures to aid mortals in these shapes, as well as those of einheriar, faerie dragons, foo lions, swanmays, and unicorns.

When showing her favor for a particularly blessed gambler, she has sometimes been known to manifest as a silver glow about a gambler that is evident only to that person and not those around him or her. When this happens, something favorable will happen in regard to the wager, whether it is the wagerer being more likely to win or even the bets being forced to be called off (in cases where the bet was rigged by the opposition).

Relationships & History

Sages have claimed that Tymora had fostered many brief trysts with good-aligned male deities, always ending them amicably when her attentions were drawn elsewhere. She was known to count Baravar Cloakshadow, Dugmaren Brightmantle, Erevan Ilesere, Finder Wyvernspur, Garl Glittergold, Haela Brightaxe, Hanali Celanil, Lathander, Marthammor Duin, Selûne, Shaundakul and Vergadain as her allies. She also had a relationship with Brandobaris, acting as his accomplice when he played tricks on others. Beshaba was her fiercest foe, but she also held emnity for Bane and Moander. Though she held no malice towards them, she occasionally played tricks and pranks on the more staid deities, such as Helm and Tyr.

History

Tymora was a sister to Beshaba, the goddess of misfortune, having been created when Tyche, the former deity of luck, was infected by Moander's evil essence and split apart by Selûne.

During the Time of Troubles, Tymora's avatar manifested at the Lady's House in the Cormyrian city of Arabel. It is thought that her presence in that city spared Cormyr from the chaos which affected most of the rest of Faerûn at the time.

Tymora was involved in an unfortunate misunderstanding when Sune encouraged her and Tyr to pursue a romantic relationship. Tyr was led to believe (some say due to the machinations of Cyric), that Helm, who was chaperoning the couple, was seeing Tymora behind his back. This led to a fight in which Helm was apparently slain. So upset was Tymora at this turn of events, that she abandoned her realm in Brightwater, and was accepted by Selûne to live in the Gates of the Moon.

Mythology

The Fateful Coin
Old tales tell that Luck plays a crucial role in each person's life. When each new-born baby enters into the Realms, Tymora flips a coin formed from the remnants of the original goddess of luck, Tyche. Beshaba calls it in the air - the moon (heads) or the cloak (tails). If Beshaba is right, that person is cursed with misfortune for the rest of his or her days. If she's wrong, Lady Luck smiles on that child for the rest of his or her life. For some rare beings, the coin lands edge on - and these luckless few can forge their own fates, for they have more freedom over their destinies than the powers themselves.

Related Imagery

Below are images related to the deity. Most of these images were created by this website, and are meant for PERSONAL USE only (if you wish to use these images for commercial purposes, please contact us). These images are for individual DMs to use in personal campaigns, to provide visual cues and examples for their players. If you wish to submit an images to this site, please contact us. If you wish to make a request, please contact us (individual requests are not always granted or guaranteed). Please support this site for more resources.

Source: Faiths and Pantheons