Besmara

### Domains

Chaos, Trickery, War, Water, Weather, Deception, Duels, Oceans, Protean, Tactics, Thievery, Storms

### Worshippers

Pirates

*"Carve your name on the ever-changing sea with a saber of terror and triumph. Fight for plunder, fame, and glory, and earn your place among the legends of the sea."*
―Besmara’s Code
Besmara is the goddess of pirates and sea monsters. She is brash, lusty, confrontational, and greedy, but follows a code of honor and is loyal to her crew and allies as long as it serves her interests. She cares little for senseless murder or other unprofitable acts, but is willing to take risks to attain great prizes. Even the most irreligious pirate captain throws a share of treasure overboard now and then as tribute for the Pirate Queen. Mayors of port cities and captains of merchant vessels curse her name, for her followers are a direct threat to legitimate trade. She has little power or interest in the mortal world beyond the sea and its immediate reach.

## Mythology

Originally Besmara was a powerful water spirit with an affinity for manipulating sea monsters. She gained fame among primitive tribes for her willingness to drive these creatures toward rival coastal villages; later, when tribes began boat-raids on other settlements, they found she could be bribed to fend off these attacks with her monsters or arrange for predation-free sailing for the aggressors. With this long history of playing both sides, she leveraged power for herself by destroying and consuming rival spirits of wood, gold, and battle, and eventually became a minor goddess of piracy, sea monsters, and strife. She is comfortable with her current level of power and notoriety, and knows she cannot unseat a major deity such as Abadar or Gorum (though if she had an opportunity at such a prize she just might take it), so she entertains herself by raiding the outposts of celestials, fiends, and minor deities.

Besmara’s existence as a deity predates the Age of Enthronement by several centuries, and as a spirit millennia before that. Her power as a goddess has waxed and waned in response to the naval power of coastal empires, but even when at her most vulnerable she has found ways to escape capture or destruction. She doesn’t care about good and evil, only pursuit, battle, and reward. She grants spells to righteous privateers battling the Chelish navy and to murderous buccaneers who give no quarter to defeated opponents—much like the war god Gorum, her interest is in the conflict, not the consequences of its resolution. She enjoys strife more than peace, as when two nations squabble she has more opportunities to plunder both sides and blame her attacks on the victim’s rival; her followers have been known to stir up trouble by sailing aggressively (or even attacking) while using a temperamental nation’s colors or falsely claiming to be “legitimate privateers” as they attack in peacetime.

## Campaign Events

* The crew transported some ceremonial wine supposedly blessed by Besmara herself.

## Worship

### Church

The few temples to Besmara that exist fly the skull and crossbones flag, though those in areas where piracy isn't tolerated temples will front as legitmate businesses. More common than temples are shrines, where offerings of alcohol are usually made.

### Rituals

* Songs
* Drinking
* Lighting matches and incense
* Burial at sea

### Superstitions

* Cats, figureheads with open eyes, pouring alcohol on deck (good luck)
* Whistling on deck (bad luck)
* Wearing gold jewellery (wards off spirits)
* Sseabirds flying in odd patterns, mists concealing one’s approach from enemies, enemies dropping weapons or having their weapons misfire, and opposing ships’ sails tearing or burning (signs of Besmara's favour)
* Dead seabirds falling from the sky, sudden growths of barnacles on hulls, increased presence of sea monsters (signs of Besmara's wrath)

### Holy Text

Besmara's Code is a list of rules, mostly detailing treatment of crew, loot and prisoners. Though these are subject to the interpretation of individual priests, these are largely followed:

* **End Your Quarrels on Shore:** Whatever disagreements one sailor has with another, onboard a ship is not the place to settle them, for everyone’s survival depends on the crew working together. If one member of the crew has a disagreement with another, the place to settle it is on shore—whether this is a port or just a sandy beach.
* **Thirty Stripes Lacking One:** The traditional punishment for a serious infraction on the ship is thirty lashes on the bare back. The captain or boatswain, however, may choose to reserve the last (30th) lash as an act of mercy if the target is repentant or unconscious. Still, the captain always has the option to make that last strike at any time—a threat to ensure better behaviour from the target. Usually this “lash debt” is cancelled once the ship makes port, and always if the target leaves the crew.
* **Truce Ends at the Horizon:** While pirates recognise the need for parley, any truce is only valid until the opposing ship is past the horizon. This gives the weaker captain a head start should he fear the other captain’s intentions. Breaking this part of the code is seen as not only unsportsmanlike, but a threat to all pirates.

## Traits

### Besmara’s Blessing

*You were born aboard a ship at sea or down by the docks in a port city on an auspicious day. Old salts and sea dogs nod knowingly and say that Besmara the Pirate Queen, goddess of piracy, sea monsters, and strife, has marked you for a greater destiny. You don't know anything about that, but you've always felt more at home on the sea than on land, and your keen eyes can easily pick out a sail on the distant horizon.*

You gain a +1 trait bonus on Perception and Profession (sailor) checks. In addition, once per week you can reroll a Profession (sailor) check and take the higher result (you must announce that you are using this ability before the results of the check are known).

### Cheat Death

*Even Besmara’s most faithful worshipers usually call upon her only in times of greatest need. Sometimes Besmara intervenes on behalf of her faithful; other times, she turns her face away as they sink beneath the waves.*

Once per day, when you would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points as a result of a failed ability check, skill check, or saving throw on your part, you may invoke this ability in order to reroll the failed check. You must take the result of the second roll, even if it is worse than the original.

### Expert Boarder

*Besmara rewards those who board other vessels and take what they want.*

While fighting on the deck of a ship, you gain a +1 bonus on all attacks made with one-handed weapons.

## Sources

* Lots of this lore lifted from PF Second Darkness