Oghma also noticed Wukong’s vacant position, but he merely glanced over it. After all, Wukong had moved his divine realm to the Domain of Clear Water, and Oghma was unwilling to offend the love goddess Shuna for Wukong’s sake. He, along with the other gods, turned their gaze towards Cyric on the judgment seat.
Cyric, as if driven mad, seemed to have recovered from his frenzy. He no longer arrogantly demanded that the gods grant him the same respect as Ao.
Those deities who disapproved of Cyric’s meteoric rise seized upon his dereliction of duty, and the pantheon erupted into a clamor.
Tyche had no interest in this farce. She feigned attentive listening to the gods’ arguments, but in reality, she used the secret connections within the pantheon to probe for the whereabouts of Max, the god of thieves.
Fate showed Tyche a vision: Cyric, in his mortal days as a thief, plunged a black longsword into the chest of Bhaal, the god of murder, and killed him!
Cyric seemed to sense Fate’s scrutiny and immediately looked warily at Tiamat, the goddess of luck, and Beshaba, the goddess of misfortune. However, he soon shifted his gaze to Savras, standing behind Mystra. This minor deity, possessing the portfolios of prophecy, fate, and truth, had inherited Mystra’s powers. Tyche believed this was one of the reasons Mystra had not yet been reborn.
This time, Tyche truly paid attention to Cyric’s expression. The god of thieves was somehow connected to Cyric. She wondered if the god-slaying sword, Max’s avatar, was still in Cyric’s possession.
Regardless of how the gods looked down on Cyric, the power of a greater deity meant that any punishment he received would be inconsequential. Unless three or more greater deities acted in concert, Cyric was not at risk of perishing.
The meeting concluded hastily, and Tyche learned the full story from Gond.
Cyric, having acquired the portfolio of lies, used its power to create a divine artifact—the “Cyricic,” a book imbued with immense power that proclaimed him the one true god. It claimed that all who read it, even deities, would believe its contents. However, Cyric was foolish enough to read the lies he had woven himself, thus falling into madness.
As Tyche listened to the gossip with great interest, a stir in the Underdark captured the attention of the gods.
Jergal, the ancient god of death, had incited a revolution in the Underdark. The unassuming recorder of deaths cleanly tore away Cyric’s divine portfolio. The primal force of death already favored Jergal, and using Cyric’s dereliction of duty as an excuse, all death-related portfolios were reclaimed by Jergal!
No matter how Cyric raged, it was useless. The power of death abandoned him, and Jergal even left behind several of his avatars.
This outcome shocked all the gods. However, Jergal did not covet the death portfolios he had relinquished. Instead, he chose new successors from among the souls of the dead.
The new god of death was none other than the human warrior Khelben, who, along with the sorceress Midnight and the thief Cyric, had retrieved the Tablet of Fate. The importance of the death portfolio was undeniable. Another fortunate soul, like Cyric, had leaped into the rank of greater deity.
At this moment, Cyric encountered more trouble. His remaining two avatars were intercepted by two goddesses shrouded in darkness. Cyric’s main body, in his divine realm, saw a profound darkness through the eyes of his avatars, and in the next instant, he sensed their destruction.
Tyche and Shar found the information they sought within Cyric’s memories. Max, as an avatar of a golden-fingered elder, had helped Cyric grow and enticed him to slay Bhaal. However, he had not anticipated that Cyric would be granted the portfolios of the three death gods by Ao. After becoming a greater deity, Cyric, in turn, sealed Max within the god-slaying sword and drained his power to strengthen himself.
Max, possessing the portfolio of conspiracy, was unwilling to be passively slaughtered. The Cyricic was completed with his assistance. To gain Cyric’s trust, Max also read the Cyricic and fell into madness. The disoriented Cyric casually bestowed the god-slaying sword upon a priest. After regaining his senses, Cyric was confronted by the gods, and he had not yet had a chance to retrieve the god-slaying sword.
Shar did not hesitate and immediately retrieved the sealed god-slaying sword.
As for what Shar would do next was not Tyche’s concern. Max’s portfolios of thieves, conspiracy, and shadow were all highly compatible with the goddess of night. Whether she would gain faith in Max’s name or simply kill him, Tyche did not care.
“Your Highness Shar, my task is complete. When will I receive what I asked for?”
The portfolios of Loviatar and Talona were not highly valued by Tyche. She was more interested in using this as a pretext to cooperate with Shar and deepen their relationship.
Shar’s expression was unreadable behind her mask, but her tone was more intimate than before. “I will do so as soon as possible. Before Bhaal died, he left many descendants, which led to a change in the ultimate owner of the Throne of Murder. Loviatar and Talona both wish to gain the power of murder and become intermediate deities. I will guide them to focus on you, as your temple has the most children. It is only natural to house the children of murder.”
Tyche nodded and turned her gaze to the Prime Material Plane.
Thanks to the covert assistance of her allies, Tyche’s influence had spread to Neverwinter and Baldur’s Gate during this period. Under the guise of sheltering orphans and protecting the weak, forces of good alignment provided convenience for Tyche’s church. Even forces of darkness showed a degree of respect to the clerics of the compassionate goddess.
The sheltered orphans had stepped onto this stage. Some faded into obscurity, becoming small merchants and dock laborers, but others had made a name for themselves. Tyche reached an agreement with the Assassin’s Guild, inviting assassins to teach the children skills. The Assassin’s Guild could recruit new members from among them, and the children could gain the ability to protect themselves, a win-win situation.
Those orphans with the aptitude for becoming mages also received basic magical education. Mystra generously opened up access to the Weave for these mage apprentices, making it easier for them to connect with the Weave.
As an absolutely neutral deity, Tyche had no enemies, which allowed her to thrive in both good and evil alignments. After all, no one wished to make an enemy of a deity without cause.
From the perspective of the gods and their followers, the church of the compassionate goddess was undoubtedly harmless. Tyche’s clerics never initiated disputes, but their methods of handling affairs were more tactful than those of the god of suffering. Ilmater’s faith was resisted by nobles, while Tyche received support.
Most mothers offered their faith to the compassionate goddess. They would hang Tyche’s holy symbol, depicting lilies, in their living rooms, praying for their children’s safe growth.
Tyche had even encroached upon Helm’s domain of protection. However, her allies in the anti-Ao coalition readily promised to block any potential hostility from Helm. After all, Helm was a loyal supporter of Ao, and the coalition members did not mind seeing the god of protection lose his domain and fall from his position as an intermediate deity.