Duralion

Demigod

At A Glance
Alias:The Lord of Minstrels, The Gilded-Tongue, Lognare's Bard Symbol: A grapevine wrapped around a lute Home Plane: Arborea Alignment: CN Portfolio: Alcohol, revelry, wanderlust, indulgence, and wonderment Worshippers: Satyrs, fauns, revelers, wandering minstrels Cleric Alignments: CE, CG, CN, TN Domains: Lucky, Revelry, Travel Favored Weapon: Rapier

History
Born as a Lumidar only a few decades after the end of the Mistwar, Duralion Tanteval grew up surrounded by the destruction and misery wrought by the release of the Primordials. Deciding at an early age that the sadness and despair afflicting the survivors would only feed the power of the evil gods, and the newly-reborn dragon-gods, Duralion took up the path of the bard, dedicating himself to uplifting the spirits of the elves, and any other people he could find.

The tales and legends of Duralion's adventures have been lost over the centuries, an ironic occurance for such an accomplished teller of tales and history, to say the least, and none are quite sure of why the demigod's stories and cult both seemed to largely disappear. What has been recovered, largely through tales handed down to the modern church of Lognare from oral traditions of her tribal cults in the Kingdom of Vintermor, paints a picture of the bard as a jovial, boisterous soul, much in contrast with the typical image of the Lumidar. One of the few tales to survive also provides some insight as to why he attained his divinity, as it describes an enounter between Duralion and Lognare during one of the goddess's wandering adventures: Braggarts, jokers, and talespinners both, the goddess and the bard quickly fell to challenging one another with riddles and dares, each wilder than the last. Details of the contest vary from telling to telling, but all agree on the outcome of the game: A mutual seduction that lead to the pair travelling together for a time, causing all manner of mischief in their wake. Further references in Lognare's tales come as brief cameos and allusions to 'Her personal bard', though many of these occassions seem to imply the demigod spends as much time in Tuli's presence as Lognare's.

Dogma
Life is full of misery, and the dangers of the world are many. The only truly sane response is to laugh at the absurdity of it all, and enjoy yourself. Deny yourself nothing, but do not cause hardship to others when it can be helped. Of course, if you're already besotted and can't properly see what harm you might cause, you can always apologize later. Enjoy life. Enjoy everything it offers, be it wine, jokes, or bedmates. After all, if you die tomorrow, you probably won't enjoy that.

Clergy and Temples
Duralion's cult was, for reasons still not known, lost over the centuries, and the demigod is not a part of the Imperial Pantheon. No temples are known to exist dedicated to this god, and most of his shrines are small, all but forgotten nooks in the temples of Lognare. Many are, in fact, wine-cellars at these temples. The exception to this is a small shrine, center of worship, and sanctuary at the foot of Stonesong cliff, a natural rockface on the western road out of Vintermor that takes its name from the eerie song of the wind through the rock and pines. The shrine, called Stonesong as well, is dedicated to both Duralion and Evighet, and is currently the only place known within the Empire where the worship of Lognare's Bard is taught, reportedly by a single Elaidar priestess.