Lurue

Lurue (pronounced luh-RUE ^[1]), is a fictional Faerûnian minor deity of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

Publication history

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)

Lurue is first mentioned in Ed Greenwood's article "Down-to-earth Divinity" in Dragon #54 (October 1981), where she is described as Queen of Talking Beasts and Intelligent Creatures, and is also known as Silverymoon. She is presented as one of the "cults of the beast", and her alignment is Chaotic Good, and her home plane is Olympus. Greenwood invented Lurue, basing her on the character from the nursery rhyme The Lion and the Unicorn, and Elizabeth Goudge's children's novel, The Little White Horse. The Knights of the Unicorn, a romantic whimsical group of high-born adventurers based in several large cities, worship Lurue.^[2]

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)

Lurue is further detailed in Powers & Pantheons (1997).^[3]

Lurue is described as one of the good deities that celestials can serve in the supplement Warriors of Heaven (1999).^[4]

Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition (2000-2007)

Lurue appears in 3rd edition in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book (2001),^[5] and was further described in Faiths and Pantheons (2002).^[6]

As a deity

Lurue is the goddess of intelligent and talking beasts. She teaches that life is there to be lived, and one should live it with zest and flair. Adventures and quests should be taken up on a whim, and life should be filled with good times and laughter. She is worshiped by many unicorns, pegasi, and other intelligent nonhumanoid creatures, as well as by romantic and swashbuckling adventurers. Although preferring adventure and exploration instead of battle, if forced into a fight she is an intractable foe. Her favourite weapon is the short spear.

Church of Lurue

Clerics of Lurue pray for their spells at midnight, usually in a moonlit glade. They are usually adventurers who traverse the land, seeking to better themselves by experiencing new things and righting wrongs.

Dogma

The Unicorn is a symbol of hope, joy, salvation, and protection for the needy, forlorn, and forsaken. Life is to be relished and lived with laughter. Quests are to be taken on a dare and gifts are to be made on a whim. Impossible dreams are to be pursued for the sheer wonder of the possibility of their completion. Everyone, no matter how unique, is to be praised for their strengths and comforted in their weaknesses. Evil melts quickest in the face of a rapier wit and unshackled joy. Search for the unicorn and in the pursuit find happiness.

References