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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Iron_Chef" data-source="post: 941814" data-attributes="member: 4530">In my game, we're running City of the Spider Queen, with the "heroes" being a group of extremely bitter and angry LE ites (because they had their regularly scheduled schemes disrupted to go on this quest) and a loosely allied NE up of Vhaerun-worshipping drow from House Jaelre (from a trade agrement the Banites brokered previously). Both hate Kiaransalee and want her cult destroyed as they disrupted their trade deal, and have caused them much grief, both professionally and personally, AND the cult theatensthe "rightful dominion" of their respective gods over (and under) Faerun. Neither side has much respect for the other, but the trade deal is important to preserve, and rival gods must be thwarted, so they are getting along as best they can with only minor friction and exploitation of each other. Both sides hope to convert the other, though that seems unlikely. They are also trying to gather as much intelligence on the other side's strengths and weaknesses (and their deity, as neither is very familiar with the other's god) as possible.Is any kind of lasting "alliance" between Bane and Vhaerun possible? I'm talking about the actual gods, here, not their mortal servants discussed above. That was just for background, though I'm interested in hearing opinions on that, too. There are certainly similarities between the two faiths (both have their clerics pray for spells at night, both want dominion over/under Faerun, both actively seek to convert others and believe in an "inclusive" expansionist policy (meaning "join us or die, or be our slaves... depending on how much trouble you are to capture." <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />It seems unlikely that Bane or his followers would ever be able to control the UnderDark in any significant way, and alliances with other drow eities are hardly possible or desired... But Vhaerun could be the key--if not to controlling the UnderDark, then to expoiting it to help fund the conquest of the surface world. Vhaerun is certainly (at least to me) the most practical and reasonable of the Drow pantheon, with a considerable presence in the Dales region that could prove useful if some bargain were to be struck that set the Zhentarim and House Jaelre against their hated Dales/Sembian/Cormyte foes, with a mutually agreeable "splitting of the pie" deal so that House Jaelre would get the "glorious" surface kingdom it wants (as well as increased control of the UnderDark), and the Zhentarim would finally have the Dales crushed and made Zhent colonies--and finally--be able to begin forcing trade/political concessions from those money-stuffed pigs in Sembia (prepping them for eventual invasion). Obviously, neither side can be fully trusted, as both clearly think they should be sole rulers of the world. But a temporary, mutually beneficial alliance seems pretty smart to me. In regards to the whole Kiaransalee/Orcus debacle, wouldn't it also make sense for Bane/Vhaerun to broker some sort of deal with Orcus (prior to his reclamation of his Abyssal layer), helping him destroy Kiaransalee's stranglehold on his powerbase, in exchange for some (not too greedy, but certainly useful, and nothing he wouldn't already be doing anyway) favors? Such as Orcus giving his "benefactors" the secrets to creating new and loyal forms of undead, such as LE Banite vampires? I know that Orcus was trying to conquer Vaasa/Damara awhile back (failed miserably, stamping out much of his cult). Would it be so bad to support Orcus' bid to rebuild his cult/reconquer Vaasa/Damara in exchange for favors now? This would certainly mess with the goody-two shoes in that neck of the woods, destabilizing the entire region, which is far enough away from Bane and  Vhaerun's target areas as to be perfectly acceptable (in the short term). Or to cement some form of "mutual defense pact" between them in regards to Faerun so that Kiaransalee or another usurper deity could never again threaten Orcus' mastery of undeath? Yeah, yeah, "Orcus hates everyone and everything" in the multiverse and is a wily old CE demon prince, but surely there must be some way to bring him on board and keep him (mostly) adhering to the letter of such a compact? Or would it make more sense to try to liberate/restore Bane's old "ally" Myrkul, the original NE FR god of death/undeath (who would presumably be grateful and more pliable, as Myrkul never really seemed all that interested in conquest of Faerun for himself)? Or to find the Crown of Horns and consume Myrkul's essence, taking on the portfolio of death and undeath, or at least challenging that wuss Kelemvor or the (even more ripe for the picking) lich-demigod Velsharoon? Or would it be better to try and compact with Malgrin, Duke of Unlife, the LE "Orcus Jr." of Hell (from Green Ronin's Legions of Hell) and get him on board to fill the shoes of Kiaransalee? Somebody or something needs to fill the gap, right?I'm just tossing out ideas here. Any help is appreciated! I'm no expert on divine politics, LOL.</blockquote>

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