Ilmater
Overview Ilmater is the god of suffering, martyrdom, and perseverance, and is renowned for his compassion and endurance. He is the god of the oppressed and unjustly ill-treated, and offers comfort and calming words to those who are in pain, mistreated or in great need.
Overview
Ilmater is the god of suffering, martyrdom, and perseverance, and is renowned for his compassion and endurance. He is the god of the oppressed and unjustly ill-treated, and offers comfort and calming words to those who are in pain, mistreated or in great need. He is the willing sufferer, the one who willingly shoulders the burden of a long suffering world. Ilmater is quiet, kind, good-spirited and slow to anger. He appreciates a good story and has a rather robust sense of humour. He takes care to reassure and protect the young, and takes exceptional offense at those who would harm them.
Description
Ilmater appears as a man with broken joints who drags himself around in obvious pain using his smashed hands and ravaged limbs. He is short and burly, and wears only a breechcloth. He is balding, with a homely, kindly face that is warm and comforting, but his hairy body is crisscrossed with scars, open cuts, burns and other marks of torture.
Holy symbol
Ilmater's symbol is a pair of pale human hands bound with a blood-red cord, or a blood-stained rack (an older symbol).
Favored weapon
Ilmater does not wield a weapon, and often chooses to suffer the brunt of his opponent's attacks without defending himself. However, in the face of extreme cruelty and sadism his righteous wrath can be frightening, as he strikes with his fists and spells. His priesthood have selected the unarmed strike as their favored 'weapon'.
Realm
World Tree cosmology
In the World Tree cosmology of Realmspace, Ilmater resides within his realm, known as Martyrdom, which is located on the outer plane known as the House of the Triad, which he shares with his superior, Tyr, god of justice, and his fellow deities, Torm, god of duty; Helm, god of guardians; and Siamorphe, goddess of nobility. The House of the Triad is a resplendent plane of majestic marble halls, gleaming palaces and heavenly radiance, and consists of three great mountains encircling an even larger mountain, known as Mount Celestia. Martyrdom encompases the whole of the second mountain, and at its heart lies a great, open air temple. Here Ilmater's worshippers are rewarded for a life of endurance and perseverance - and often their deaths as martyrs. Ilmater's realm is a place of comfort and rest, where none may suffer the effects of pain, fatigue or exhaustion.
Great Wheel cosmology
In the Great Wheel cosmology, Ilmater resides within his realm, known as Martyrdomain, which is located on Shurrock, the second of the Twin Paradises of Bytopia.
Worship
Ilmater blesses those who endure suffering on behalf of others, and those who die a martyrs' death so that others may live are always blessed. The priests of Ilmater take in the ill, the starving, and the injured, and his temples give most of what they receive to help offset the suffering of the world. His followers provide succor when they can, but also use force to put an end to torture and suffering inflicted on others. Ilmater's priests travel to places where the worst possible conditions exist, ministering to the needs of the oppressed, the deceased, and the poor. They put others ahead of themselves, share all that they have, and emphasize the spiritual nature of life over the welfare of the material body. Most folk deeply respect the work and the sacrifice of Ilmater's faith, and lend aid to such endeavors where they can. When a temple of Ilmater sends its faithful to help refugees of war or victims of plague, their willingness to sacrifice their own well-being always prompts ordinary people to support them.
In Spelljammer
Ilmater is a member of the Faerûnian pantheon and as such is considered native to Realmspace. Priests of Ilmater receive their spells as normal throughout Realmspace, whether they're in wildspace or on another planet. However, once they leave the sphere they can only receive mid-to-high level spells once they return to Realmspace.
Appendix
External Links
- Ilmater article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
- Ilmater article at the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from 2nd edition AD&D.