Bane

Bane
Titles and aliases	The Black Hand The Black Lord The Iron General The Strife Emperor The Dark One The Face of Evil The Lord of Darkness Achra Hextor (disputed) Ares (disputed)
Alignment	Lawful Evil 4e: Evil
Divine Rank	0 (quasi-deity) Peak: 17 (greater deity) Lowest: Dead power

"Do you feel in charge?"

—Bane

In the Forgotten Realms, Nentir Vale, and Exandria, Bane is the Lawful Evil god of tyranny, terror, hatred, fear, domination, oppression, and conquest. He is a god of war and order, feared and hated across numerous worlds.

Bane is one of the big three villains of the Forgotten Realms, alongside Shar and Cyric. He was created by Ed Greenwood, the creator of the Forgotten Realms. He's a member of the Dread Three with his butt buddies Myrkul and Bhaal. He's one of the biggest Big Bads in the entire D&D meta-setting. He's known by many names, including the Black Lord, the Iron General, the Strife Emperor, the Dark One, the Face of Evil, the Lord of Darkness, the Black Hand, the Fap Hand, Big Deal, Daddy Bane, Phor-Yu, and Big Guy.

Alignment

Bane is one of the poster boys for Lawful Evil in D&D.

In the NV, he's described simply as Evil.

Origin

In the Forgotten Realms, the most widespread myth tells of how Bane was originally a mortal man born approximately 2000 years ago who journeyed with his adventuring pals Myrkul and Bhaal on a quest for godhood. The Dread Three went around killing gods left and right, including the Seven Lost Gods, until they eventually amassed enough power to threaten Jergal, god of death. In a twist, however, Jergal actually relinquished most of his powers to the three voluntarily—and thus the three ascended to godhood, with Bane becoming god of tyranny.

There are many conflicting legends concerning Bane's rise to power in the Nentir Vale. Some claim he was born Achra, a son of Khala and (presumably) Zehir, and that his brothers were Tuern (whom he killed) and Kord. This would (presumably) mean he was a full god from the very start and thus didn't have to steal anyone's divinity. However, others claim he was originally a mortal man—a great tyrant (possibly a demigod) in an antediluvian age who ascended to full divinity by slaying the war god Tuern.

In Exandria, Bane was a Betrayer God who attempted to conquer Exandria by engineering the goblinoids and using them as an army.

Some argue that Hextor of Greyhawk is Bane.

Believe it or not, the etymology of the name of the Greek god of war, Ares, is "bane," leading some to theorize they are one and the same.

Death, resurrection, and current status

Ares

All of Faerûn breathed a heavy sigh of relief when, during the Time of Troubles (year 1358), Bane was killed in a grudge match against Torm. He was succeeded by his son, Iyachtu Xvim, who, needless to say, was far less effectual than his father. It seemed that the Iron General was gone for good.

However, Bane did not stay dead for very long. On Midwinter night in the year 1372, Bane returned from death. His son erupted in a pillar of fire, and from his corpse arose Bane reborn. And although death was not kind to the Black Hand, he eventually regained most of his power and was able to shed another great shadow over Toril.

More recently, though, Bane took another great hit, this time in the Second Sundering. When Ao drew a stricter barrier between the mortal and divine realms, Bane was one of the few deities who chose to stay in the material world rather than be banished from it. He suffered a great cost for this. He's now anchored in a physical body and is greatly weakened—a shell of his former self. He is little more than a man now. He doesn't even really qualify as a god anymore. Such was the price he paid for staying on Toril.

Relationships

Enemies

Bane literally has a list of his greatest enemies in order of how much he hates them—something I've always found hilarious. Bane really is just that kind of guy. In descending order, they are:

• Torm (LG)
• Cyric (CE)
• Mystra (NG)
• Tempus (TN)
• Helm (LN)
• Lathander (NG)
• Oghma (TN)
• Ilmater (LG)

Bane views Torm as his very antithesis, himself being Lawful Evil and Torm being Lawful Good.

The animosity between Bane and Cyric cannot be understated, and, in my view, is the most interesting of Bane's rivalries. Cyric views Bane as the greatest threat to his power. In a morbidly ironic way, they actually tend to attract similar followers—and in fact when Bane was killed, many of his followers flocked to Cyric. Thus, Bane has lost much of his power to Cyric over the years. Adding insult to injury, Cyric has also absorbed the powers of several of Bane's friends.

In the Nentir Vale, Bane has been at war with Gruumsh for ages.

Allies

Bane doesn't have a very long list of friends. Loviatar is his queen, and Mask and Talona are some of his known conspirators, but the latter two cooperate with him out of fear, not loyalty.

Bane is part of the Dread Three, along with Myrkul and Bhaal. They have an unclear relationship. It is unknown whether they're truly allies, occasional collaborators, straight-up friends, or what. They certainly seem to view each other as useful.

Interestingly, Bane has a pit fiend servant. His name is Tanetal. Tanetal is one of the only pit fiends who does not serve Asmodeus.

Family

Bane fathered Iyachtu Xvim with an unknown she-demon. I'm not sure how Vivi feels about this.

I have no idea if he and Vivi have kids.

According to legends in the Nentir Vale, Bane is the son of Khala and Zehir, and the brother of Kord and Tuern.

If Bane really is Hextor, then (in Greyhawk) he'd be the son of Stern Alia and brother of Heironeous.

Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera.

Other

Bane used to like Asmodeus, viewing each other as two peas in a pod. They had a falling out, however.

Bane has butted heads with Tiamat before.

It is said that Maglubiyet serves Bane.

Realms

Bane has many strongholds, including:

• The Black Bastion, in Avalas, the first layer of Acheron
• Banehold, previously known as the Barrens of Doom and Despair
• Chernoggar, which he seized from Tuern
• A realm in Gehenna

Worship

Bane was once a greater power, indicating that, at the height of his power, he had millions of worshipers. Millions.

Something interesting to note about the religious institutions devoted to Bane is that they're some of the few outright evil churches that are actually effectual. Many evil gods -- such as Iuz and Talos -- are Chaotic Evil, and their cults, by definition, are disorganized and lack cohesion. Bane's church, however, is orderly, structured, and cohesive, making it one of the most potent forces of evil in the mortal world.

An exception to this is Cyric, who's just so widely worshiped that his cults are able to rival Bane's church.

Symbol

The Black Hand

Bane's most popular symbol is a black right hand with all five fingers together.

Mandate

Edicts	Never allow your fear to gain mastery over you, but drive it into the hearts of your foes. Punish insubordination and disorder. Hone your combat skills to perfection, whether you are a mighty general or a lone mercenary.

Power Ranking

Level	65
CR	uhhh good luck my guy
DR	Current: 0 (quasi-deity) Peak: 17 (greater power) Lowest: Dead power

See also

• Ares
• Zarus

Gallery

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  Return of Bane

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  Bane, the Iron General

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  Bane rising