Most people know to conduct themselves with the proper respect and awe in the
presence a deity. However, for the sake of those who are unfamiliar with
such etiquette or who have need of a memory refresher, we provide these
simple, easy to follow guidelines. If you follow this outline, it should keep
you out of unnecessary trouble with offended deities and perhaps even
enhance their view of your roleplaying.
Initial Contact with a Deity
Think...what would you do if the head deity of your religion in real life
suddenly manifested before you? Would you yawn? Would you say, "Heya, God,
how are things?" Would you take no notice? In reality, after you finished
wetting your leggings, you would most likely be paralyzed by a combination of
fear, awe, and joy. Roleplay this. Bowing to an Immortal is not enough,
especially if you have never been in His or Her presence before. Kneeling is
good, and prostrating yourself before the deity is also acceptable. Note
that this is not just before the deity that you follow or wish to follow,
but also before ANY deity, whether you respect their sphere of influence or
not. It is also common practice to ask permission before looking directly at
any Immortal. A deity like Cyric would like to see you grovel in the dirt
but one like Mystra would prefer that you kneel.
Subsequent Contact with Deities
It is up to each Immortal how casual you may become in His or Her presence.
Sune for instance would like you to appreciate her beauty, Cyric would like
to see you utterly terrified, Tyr would like to see you bow in respect. At all
times, however, mortals must remain appropriately respectful. One must always
ask leave of the deity when one needs to leave their presence--simply
walking out of the room is disrespectful and could get you summoned by divine
hands back to the deity. One must remain vigilant about maintaining a
posture of respect--deities can be unreliable in their moods and be easily
offended.
Contact with Members of Other Religions
In your contact with members of other religions, remember that the deity
you follow has both friends and enemies amongst His or Her counterparts. Be
informed about your deity's standing with the other members of the
pantheon, and you will avoid great misfortunes--it is considered blasphemy to
have too much of an affection for members of a religion whose immortal being
is out of favor with the one you follow. Being raised from the dead or
resurrected by a priest of an opposing religion is particularly repugnant to
the gods, and they may react accordingly.
The Powers of the Deities
When you ask to be accepted by a deity, you are placing your life in His
or Her hands. If accepted, from then on, you are at their mercy. If you
displease the one you follow, they may choose to punish you in any in-
character manner that they see fit. This includes slaying, energy draining,
cursing, revoking your membership in their religion, or a combination of the
above. They may not, however, spam you, verbally harass you, or attempt to
punish you in any out of character way. Should this occur, please try to
document it and submit a complaint on the forums. Gods are more restricted in
meting out punishments to those who do not follow them, but beware--
sometimes immortals give each other permission to do what they will with a
follower who has fallen out of favour.