I'm gonna necro this and ask, is there further information on this? 'Power of Faerûn' has a small excerpt on it, but not a lot of clarifying details. Was this a situation of keeping it vague for gamemasters to make up their own material? https://t.co/eKx51LMvLM
— Jher (@ASpoonNamedJher) October 28, 2020
1)
It was keeping coverage scanty so DMs who didn’t want to deal with religious schisms in their Realms campaign didn’t have to; we weren’t basing published adventures on it or tying it to the secular rulership of a place (and… 2)
…so, making it unavoidable for DMs).
So here’s a smidgen more: the heresy has far outgrown Alorgoth’s scam (which was to lure worshippers to the Twofold Temple, where he slew them). The clerics of both deities who succumbed to…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 28, 2020
3)
…this heresy received spells from Shar, and Shar believed she was duping and weakening Selûne by means of this heresy, but—like a judo throw that twists, and so uses, an opponent’s own force and impetus against them—Selûne was… 4)
…using the situation to ultimately weaken Shar and her mortal followers, without any open warfare (Shar believed she was prevailing, but Selûne was learning not only full details of Shar’s clergy and their schemes and the…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 28, 2020
5)
…precise location of their wealth and other resources, but testing her own clergy and worshippers; some would fail her and cleave to Shar, but others would in the end use their cooperation with Sharrans to frustrate Sharran… 6)
…plans, seize Sharran resources, and lead Sharran clergy and agents into untenable overreachings where their evil would be exposed, and they’d suffer reprisals from others for their actions).
Shar’s besetting weakness is her…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 28, 2020
7)
…overconfidence, which blinds her to the faults in her plans, or leads her always to the conclusion (often justified) that failures in those plans are due to the fallibility of her human followers. Selûne starts from the… 8)
…assumption that mortals are fallible, and have their own rights (they are not, and should never be treated as, mere tools). So this heresy continues because it’s still benefitting Selûne, while Shar still believes it’s… #Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 28, 2020
9)
…benefitting her. However, the inevitable losses (deaths) mean that the numbers of mortals involved in this heresy is dwindling, and they are far more heard of, than seen, these days (the cult is increasingly ‘going… 10)
…underground,’ [not literally]). Shar sees this as success (we’re getting down to the really effective mortals, the cream of the crop; loss and destruction and chaos and mortal despair are all “wins” to her, remember) and… #Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 28, 2020
11)
…Selûne sees this as succeeding in deeply impairing Shar’s influence and power in the Realms, especially when it comes to acting against Selûnite clergy and faithful worshippers. 12)
As Elminster says, “One of these goddesses is right—and it isn’t Shar.”#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 28, 2020
I guess, this leads me into my last(-ish) question: If those worshippers are not claimed, then… where do they go? (in reference to this thread of yours: They go to the Wall. See my earlier tweet: "Yes. The Wall still awaits the truly Faithless.
But there are so few of them; far less than common belief among mortals of Toril thinks there are."
(The bugaboo tale is true, but applies to FAR less souls than most think.)#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 28, 2020