Demons can become gods!
Torn laws are scattered throughout the world, combined with the Nine Hells and the Abyss, Demon Lords and Archdevils can also possess divinity, gaining power and authority comparable to gods!
According to Tike's observations during this period, Ao strives to maintain the balance between order and chaos, good and evil. Neither side can completely overwhelm the other, and they are always in a state of prolonged stalemate.
With the return of the Goddess of Magic, Ao immediately supported Cyric's ascension. There are few close relationships among the gods of immense power, and this is likely Ao's idea as well.
This presents a rare opportunity for the anti-Ao alliance. If Ao intervenes, the alliance members can probe Ao's strength and decide on their next plan. Tike is quite certain that Ao would not want to see the promising commercial domain fall into the hands of the Abyss! The promotion of Graz'zt, the demon lord of the slaadi, to godhood is enough to make all gods vigilant. After all, with this demon from the Abyss successfully achieving godhood, the Abyss's influence in the Prime Material Plane has increased dramatically!
Graz'zt, possessing the divine portfolios of betrayal, cruelty, political corruption, and the formidable slaadi, is considered an enemy by almost all gods. He has been a god for quite some time, yet his status as a god of minor power is evident.
Politicians and traitors secretly worship Graz'zt, but any display of reverence towards the demon lord of the slaadi would result in a more agonizing fate than being displayed on the Wall of the Faithless.
Bane, the god of tyranny, once coveted Graz'zt's divine portfolios, but the cunning demon lord of the slaadi merged his divine realm with the Abyssal plane he controlled. With the backing of Abyssal consciousness, Bane is also wary and dare not act rashly.
It is conceivable that if demons were to seize Waukeen's portfolio of commerce, the impact would be incomparable to that of Graz'zt!
After sending off the Red Knight, Tike immediately contacted the members of the anti-Ao alliance.
"This is an excellent opportunity!"
Mystra spoke immediately, "Ao has already used the Tablet of Fate twice. The crisis of the Weave's uncontrolled state and the sweeping of all gods into their divine realms must have come at a cost! The fact that the Dead Three could steal the Tablet of Fate is the most reliable evidence!"
Tike then turned to Kelemvor, the Recorder of Death, "Your Highness Kelemvor, did the Dead Three steal the Tablet of Fate at your behest?"
Kelemvor remained silent for a moment, then slowly replied, "They asked me how to obtain power beyond that of other gods. I was merely fulfilling my duty to assist the new God of Death."
This was undoubtedly an admission that his actions had guided the Dead Three. The four goddesses' eyes lit up, and they immediately pressed further, "Is there something wrong with the Tablet of Fate?"
"I cannot answer that question." Kelemvor's quill flew out, writing something on the parchment.
"But you can see for yourselves."
A dim golden light spread, taking all five deities into Kelemvor's memories.
Bane and Bhaal were, after all, gods of immense power. The images Kelemvor saw were not continuous, and some information shielded by divine power was inaccessible to Kelemvor.
Although there were only a few glimpses, the state of the Tablet of Fate was undoubtedly very strange.
Kelemvor had no reason to lie! And in his memory, Tike clearly saw that the Dead Three had not actually succeeded! The Tablet of Fate had detached itself after Ao used it!
This discovery invigorated the four goddesses. Ao did not have complete control over the Tablet of Fate! Or rather, the Tablet of Fate was rejecting him!
"Your Highnesses, I know what you are thinking. But I must remind you, Ao still has the authority to strip us of our divine powers! Once he senses our plan, we will not have a second chance; therefore, we must still proceed with caution. If we cannot strike a fatal blow, we must lie low and wait for the opportune moment."
Kelemvor's words were like a basin of cold water, extinguishing the flames in the goddesses' hearts.
"Indeed."
Tike was the first among the four goddesses to notice the problem. "The legal domain of Amaunator, the Sun God, was completely lost with his death, and Mystra's temporal domain was also lost due to frequent reincarnations. There is no god of intermediate power or higher in the legal and temporal domains, and the Tablet of Fate is a part of the laws, which might have caused irreparable damage."
"Isn't this a good opportunity?" Shar's deep black eyes flashed with light. "Now it depends on how much Ao is willing to pay to save Waukeen."
"However, before that, there must not be any deity qualified to succeed Waukeen in the domains of commerce and wealth."
Sune nodded, "How weak do you want Iyachtu to become? As the custodian of Waukeen's divine portfolios, her demise at this critical juncture will attract unnecessary trouble."
"Who would suspect us?"
Tike chuckled lightly. "If the Goddess of Joy meets with an accident, the Abyss would be the target of suspicion among the gods, wouldn't it?"
Sune had only tried to spare Iyachtu out of consideration for their past interactions. Since the other allies did not care whether the Goddess of Joy lived or died, she said no more.
"Since the Abyss has intervened, Hell cannot remain idle either."
Tike looked at Kelemvor again. "The Underworld is closest to the Abyss and Hell. Do you have a way to point the evidence towards the Archdevils?"
The millennia-long blood feud between the Abyss and Hell, and the Archdevils' desire to prevent a new god from emerging from the Abyss, making Iyachtu suffer the same fate as Waukeen, is not incomprehensible.
"Easily done."
Kelemvor had no friendship with the Goddess of Joy and naturally did not mind using her to test Ao. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Myrkul, the God of Death, fell in Waterdeep. Before his death, he poured all his divinity and divine power into a divine artifact called the Crown of Horns, and the whereabouts of this artifact were naturally not hidden from Kelemvor, the puppet master behind Myrkul.
Just as the gods were mobilizing their churches in the Prime Material Plane and gathering strength to counterattack the Abyss, the Goddess of Joy, Iyachtu, learned a shocking piece of news! The Pope of the Church of Joy, while investigating the case of missing priests, personally witnessed the divine artifact left by the God of Death, the Crown of Horns, appearing in a devil summoning ritual.
This loyal Pope immediately called for the goddess's descent, and Iyachtu also personally saw the Crown of Horns, which contained Myrkul's divinity, slip away before her eyes.
Myrkul, the God of Death, possessed the divine portfolios of death, decay, corruption, and twilight. By obtaining his divinity, Iyachtu had the hope of obtaining the three portfolios other than death!
Although the portfolios of decay and corruption were not in line with the nature of joy, the value of the divine portfolios was still immeasurable. Iyachtu could completely ask Sune to help her exchange these two portfolios, or spend a lot of time purifying them.
And the portfolio of twilight was necessary for Lathander, the Lord of Dawn, to complete the portfolio of the sun. As long as the portfolio of twilight could be given away, Lathander and his lover, Sati, the Goddess of Earth, would certainly not be stingy. If she gained the support of these two gods of immense power, she might be able to secure the largest share of the benefits in the domains of commerce and wealth.