Torm

Torm () was the Faerûnian patron deity of paladins and the god of duty, loyalty, righteousness, obedience and, after the Spellplague, law. By the late 15th century DR, Torm was the war god of courage and self-sacrifice. 
==Description==
Torm could appear as a tall man in ancient, helmless plate mail stained dusky purple. Sometimes his form was that of a blond, handsome young man, while at others he was an aging warrior with grey-white hair, though he often shapeshifted into a lion-headed man when entering combat. No matter his form, he seemed stern in voice and manner, with dauntless courage set in his square jaw and righteous light flashing from his striking, deep blue eyes.
==Personality==
Torm's apparent demeanor seemed slightly different based on his current persona. In his younger form he had incredible charisma and self-confidence combined with quiet enthusiasm, while his older one seemed to have endured uncountable evils without being broken. In any case he was possessed of an eternal calm, and all his avatars were completely fearless.
==Divine Realm==
Torm's divine realm was called Trueheart. In the Great Wheel cosmology, it was located in Mercuria, the second of the Seven Heavens.
==Relationships==
Torm greatly revered Tyr, seeing him as his spiritual father. He was also a staunch ally of Ilmater.
Torm had a friendship with Helm prior to the latter's death in 1384 DR, though the two deities' priesthoods were cold to one another.
It was well known that he and the Red Knight were fond of one another, but whether the two were friends or lovers was something the duo kept to themselves.
Torm was also good friends with Lathander and Amaunator, the latter even earning great respect from the Loyal Fury. 
Torm was also a comrade of the dragon god Bahamut, who was also a servant deity to him, much like a knight. Both gods had battled side-by-side against evil gods and devils on many occasions.
Torm had many enemies amongst the foul deities, chief among them Bane and Shar. He held especial enmity for Cyric, as he saw how the dark god had greatly damaged Tyr. 
===The Triad===
Torm was one of the three deities of similar interests known as the Triad, along with Ilmater and Tyr. It was often said by common folk that Torm was the weakest of the three in his subservient role, but the role he played was of true importance: he acted as the nexus that held the three together. Torm tempered Tyr's zeal for justice with his gifts of mercy and humility. 
After the death of Tyr, Torm became the new leader of the Triad when he took the seat of the master of Celestia. In this "new" Triad, Bahamut took the role of the god of justice in place of Tyr, while Ilmater became the god of mercy, and Torm the god of law, acting as a point of balance between the other two gods.
==Symbol==
The symbol of the Loyal Fury, a right-hand gauntlet held upright with palm extended forward, was known as the Hand Resolute among his followers. It symbolized not only that Torm was the good right hand of Tyr, representing the God of Justice's missing sword hand, but also the principle of forbearance. The Hand Resolute signified the principle that the just and true had to pause before acting to consider their actions first so as to ensure their intent would uphold the chivalric ideals Torm exemplified. Another symbol of the Loyal Fury was a silver or gray metal shield bearing the Hand Resolute with three black arrows embedded in the shield. By 1489 DR, the symbol is a white right gauntlet.
==Worshipers==
Known as Tormtar, Torm's worshipers consisted mainly of humans who favored the causes of both good and law. Righteousness, honesty, loyalty and truth were their primary pursuits. After the Time of Troubles, the number of dwarven and elvish members was increasing. In the post-Spellplague world, which was more dangerous and darker than ever, Torm's followers shone as beacons of hope and courage.
To atone for their failings and sins during the Time of Troubles, the Tormtar had to undertake various obligations and responsibilities called the Penance of Duty. To fulfill the Debt of Persecution, they had to aid the faithful of good gods whom they'd persecuted, such as by guarding their temples or helping them become re-established. In addition, they had to fulfill the Debt of Dereliction by expending every resource possible to eliminate cults of Cyric and Bane, and the Debt of Destruction, by locating and recording areas of dead and wild magic and repairing the Weave. Torm required the following:
* Respect and enforce the law, and honor your traditions.
* Demonstrate truthfulness, loyalty, and steadfast devotion to a rightful cause.
* Do not flinch in the execution of your duty, no matter what the consequence.
===Orders===
* Order of the Golden Lion: High Cleric Barriltar Bhandraddon served as Torm's pontiff and ruled from the Temple of Torm's Coming in Tantras. From this place, the pontiff extended Torm's reach and worship by sponsoring knightly orders across the continent, including the Order of the Golden Lion. They in particular performed the Penance of Duty.
* Eye of Justice: This order, based in Westgate, was considered heretical by many Tormites. The Order worshiped a form of Torm they referred to as the "Threefold God", which they believed to be a combination of Torm and the dead gods Tyr and Helm. Members of this sect had no pity or fear and often used tactics some would consider questionable. The Order attracted outcasts from other orders as well as people seeking redemption for evil acts.
* Girded Healers: Members of this order worshiped both Torm and Ilmater. The primary purpose of this order was to heal those touched by war or the Spellplague.
==History==
The origins of Torm were a mystery, although it was known he was once a mortal hero during the time of the fall of Netheril, who eventually became a demigod. Many scholars believed that the mortal Torm lived in a nation on the Border Kingdoms known as Chalsembyr. In life, Torm was the most faithful of warriors and obeyed all the commands of his king regardless of personal danger. At some point before the , Torm joined the forces of the god Tyr, who at the time was carrying over his Procession of Justice, as his war leader. Eventually, the alliance of Torm, Tyr, and Ilmater, another ally of Tyr, became known as the Triad.
Torm gained considerable attention and praise during the Time of Troubles, when his faithful helped keep one of the missing Tablets of Fate safe, and his own avatar battled and completely destroyed the avatar of Bane outside Tantras on Eleasis 13 in the , seemingly killing the god who had already been weakened by Mystra and her servant Elminster. Torm knew he did not have enough power to defeat Bane, so he chose to absorb the souls of his worshipers in Tantras knowing that they would be instantly killed. The transferring of souls was done voluntarily and took thousands of lives, but Torm chose to spare children aged 14 and below. These individuals became known as the Martyr's Progeny.
Torm died in that battle, but because of his loyalty to his portfolio, Lord Ao resurrected Torm shortly after the end of the Time of Troubles and Tyr raised him to the status of lesser deity. In response to his misguided followers' failing, Torm dictated their "debts" of Persecution, Dereliction and Destruction. These "debts" were known as the Penance of Duty. 
In the , the dark god Cyric manipulated Tyr to battle Helm, god of guardians, over a misunderstanding. Tyr won, and Helm died. This divided the Triad, as Ilmater chose to leave their shared plane, the House of the Triad, to live with the goddess Sune in Brightwater. Crushed by grief and shame, Tyr abdicated his godhood and granted Torm all his divine power. Tyr counseled all of his followers to offer their allegiance to Torm.
In the , after the Spellplague had wreaked havoc in the planes, a group of demons led by the balor lord Axithar invaded the House of the Triad, and when Tyr and Torm sent calls for help, the dragon god Bahamut answered by sending his legions to aid in destroying the demons. However, Tyr died while defending the celestial planes during the ensuing battle.
Afterwards, Torm became the chief deity of the Triad and promoted Bahamut to the same position he once occupied while serving Tyr, and Ilmater joined his fellow god once again. The three gods moved to the plane of Celestia and re-purposed the role of the Triad in the Realms.
Tyr managed to return to life during the event known as the Second Sundering, in the 1480s DR. With his revival, Torm seemingly returned to his position as Tyr's right hand.
==Rumors and Legends==
A group of hundreds of thousands of humanoid creatures of all types called the Wanderers walked eternally in formation across the inner surface of the Realmspace crystal sphere, and their constant chant allowed the opening of portals used by spelljammers. According to legend, they were exceptionally evil individuals sentenced at their death to this fate by the gods. Torm seemed to be responsible for their existence and to play an important role in this process, as each of the Wanderers wore his symbol on their palm.
==Appendix==
===References===
===Connections===
Category:Paladins
Category:Faerûnian pantheon
Category:The Triad
Category:Human deities
Category:Formerly mortal deities
Category:Lesser deities
Category:Intermediate deities
Category:Greater deities
Category:Civilization domain deities
Category:Good domain deities
Category:Healing domain deities
Category:Justice domain deities
Category:Law domain deities
Category:Pride domain deities
Category:Protection domain deities
Category:Strength domain deities
Category:War domain deities
Category:Zeal domain deities
Category:Lawful good deities
Category:Demipowers
Category:Inhabitants of Mercuria
Category:Inhabitants of Mount Celestia
Category:Inhabitants of the Outer Planes
Category:Inhabitants of the Great Wheel planes
Category:Inhabitants of the House of the Triad
Category:Inhabitants of the Celestial planes
Category:Inhabitants of the World Tree planes