Abbathor
| Game background | |
|---|---|
| Title(s) | Great Master of Greed, Trove Lord, the Avaricious, Wyrm of Avarice |
| Home plane | Gray Waste of Hades |
| Power level | Intermediate |
| Alignment | Neutral Evil |
| Portfolio | Greed |
| Domains | Evil, Luck, Trickery (also Dwarf and Trade in Forgotten Realms) |
| Superior | Moradin |
| Design details | |
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing game, Abbathor (/ˈæbəθɔr/ AB-ə-thor)[1] is the dwarven deity of greed. His holy symbol is a jeweled dagger.
Publication history
Abbathor was first detailed in Roger E. Moore's article "The Dwarven Point of View," in Dragon #58 (TSR, 1982).[2] In Dragon #92 (December 1984), Gary Gygax indicated this as one of the deities legal for the Greyhawk setting.[3] He also appeared in the original Unearthed Arcana (1985).[4]
Abbathor was first detailed as part of the dwarven pantheon in the Forgotten Realms in Dwarves Deep (1990).[5] He was detailed in the book Monster Mythology (1992), including details about his priesthood.[6] His role in the cosmology of the Planescape campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).[7] He received a very detailed description for his role in the Forgotten Realms in Demihuman Deities (1998).[8]
Abbathor's role in the Forgotten Realms is revisited in Faiths and Pantheons (2002).[9] His priesthood is detailed for 3rd edition in Complete Divine (2004).[10]
Appearance
Abbathor manifests as a very large dwarf, fat and piggy-eyed. He wears leather and furs made from those non-dwarves who have opposed him in the past.
Relationships
In many campaign settings, the Morndinsamman, the dwarven pantheon of gods, consists of the leader Moradin, as well as Abbathor, Berronar Truesilver, Clanggedin Silverbeard, Dugmaren Brightmantle, Dumathoin, Muamman Duathal, and Vergadain. Of all the dwarven deities, Abbathor gets along best with Vergadain, with whom he sometimes travels. Other dwarven gods may be present in different campaign settings.
Although he is the only evil power among the Morndinsamman, he is tolerated by the other dwarven gods because he has sided with them whenever a threat appeared from outside. Abbathor may be untrustworthy and the embodiment of all dwarven qualities the other gods would rather avoid, but in the end he's still a dwarf, and both they and Abbathor believe in sticking together. "Greed is good, but do not seize wealth from the children of the Morndinsamman," Abbathor teaches, "for strife in the name of avarice weakens the clan."
Realm
Abbathor's realm in the Gray Waste is known as the Glitterhell. It's a place of great natural beauty, if you like gold and gems. The true location of the Glitterhell is unknown, and Abbathor maintains several false locations of his realm to throw off the greedy men and dwarves who are always attempting to steal his gold.
Clergy
Abbathor's priests dress in red leather, and leather caps.
Holy days and rituals
Abbathor's holy days are on the solar eclipse, and he demands the sacrifice of both blood and gems annually.
Temples
A long-abandoned temple to Abbathor in the Yatils was looted by Arnon Orberend.[11]:75
Myths and legends
Envy and avarice
Originally, Abbathor was god of the beauty of gems and minerals, but he fell into a rivalry with his brother Dumathoin over who would be the patron of the mountain dwarves. When Moradin named Dumathoin, Abbathor became twisted with disappointment, vowing that from that point on, whenever he desired something he would take it.
The beard shirt of Dunforth
The legendary dwarf hero Dunforth wove his beard into a shirt, forsaking all other forms of armor. The dwarven god of battle, Clangeddin Silverbeard, was so impressed by this gesture that he invested Dunforth's beard with power, making it strong as chain mail. Abbathor conspired with Vergadain to trick Dunforth into gambling his beard away. Shamed as only a beardless dwarf can be, Dunforth tried to redeem himself by single-handedly exterminating an orc village. Though he slew thirty of his foes, the overwhelming number of orcs eventually felled the armorless Dunforth, and the beard shirt remains as part of Abbathor's hoard.
References
- ↑ Mentzer, Frank. "Ay pronunseeAY shun gyd" Dragon #93 (TSR, 1985)
- ↑ Moore, Roger E. "The Dwarven Point of View." Dragon #58 (TSR, 1982)
- ↑ Gygax, Gary (December 1984). "From the Sorcerer's Scroll: Clerics live by other rules". Dragon (Lake Geneva WI: TSR) (92): 22.]
- ↑ Gygax, Gary. Unearthed Arcana (TSR, 1985)
- ↑ Greenwood, Ed. Dwarves Deep (TSR, 1990)
- ↑ Sargent, Carl. Monster Mythology (TSR, 1992)
- ↑ McComb, Colin. On Hallowed Ground (TSR, 1996)
- ↑ Boyd, Eric L. Demihuman Deities (TSR, 1998)
- ↑ Boyd, Eric L, and Erik Mona. Faiths and Pantheons (Wizards of the Coast, 2002).
- ↑ Noonan, David. Complete Divine (Wizards of the Coast, 2004)
- ↑ Sargent, Carl. The Marklands. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1993
Additional reading
- Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online:
- Olsen, John. "Worth its weight in gold." Dragon #109. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1986.
- Oppen, Eric. "The Folk of the Underworld." Dragon #131. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1988.
- "Servants of the Jeweled Dagger." Dragon #152. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||