Jergal

Jergal is the fatalistic Seneschal of the Dead who keeps records on the final disposition of all the spirits of the dead.

Appearance
Jergal usually takes the form of a skeleton in long, dusty robes, an endless scroll in one hand, a quill in the other. On the rare occasions he manifests on the mortal plane, he usually takes the form of a very tall, very thin man of extremely advanced age, who stands tall and carries himself with poise and formality. Another mortal manifestation is the sound of a heavy tome being closed with chilling finality. This manifestation often occurs upon the death of an exceptionally long-lived mortal, particularly one who has extended his or her life with potions of longevity and like manipulations—such as the magic of an archwizard.

Personality
Jergal is now seen as an uncaring custodian of the dead. He is thought to record the passing of the living and to aid Kelemvor in seeing that souls are properly bound to their appropriate afterlife. Unfeeling and excessively formal, he never angers and always speaks in a disembodied, chilling voice that echoes with the dry whisper of a long forsaken crypt. The fatalistic undertaker of the universe, Jergal cares little for anything besides an orderly accounting of the fate of the world as it slowly sinks into death.

Background
Legend has it that Jergal is an ancient deity. The story goes that in the time of Netheril he was worshiped as the god of death, murder, and strife. Yet with the passing of time, he became bored with his position. Then one day three mortals, each a powerful adventurer, met Jergal in the lands of the dead, determined to destroy him and take his power. Instead, Jergal calmly abdicated his throne of bones and allowed each of the three mortals to take part of his divinity. Thus it was that Bane assumed the portfolio of strife, Myrkul the rulership of the dead, and Bhaal the portfolio of murder. Jergal lost his former stature and became a scribe of the dead.

Worshippers
He is rarely acknowledged directly, except for being mentioned at funerals and among those who practice the custom of writing the name of the deceased on a sheet of parchment and placing it in the corpse’s mouth. This rite is common in places where an individual’s grave or tomb isn’t marked with the person’s name.

Few people favor Jergal as a deity, and most who do are concerned with the dispensation of the dead in some way. Priests of Jergal serve communities as undertakers and caretakers of gravesites. Jergal has few temples dedicated to him, but his priests are welcome in the temples of Wee Jas, Kelemvor, Deneir, and Myrkul. His faithful send their annual recordings of mortality to holy sites where records of that sort are kept.

Clergy
Jergal’s clergy shave their heads smooth and garb themselves in unadorned gray robes and long, white gloves. Some orders wear white death masks, particularly when undertaking ceremonies. In addition to serving as scribes, funerary workers, and morticians, Jergal's priests keep careful records of births, deaths, and causes of death. Jergal is perceived in many societies as a psychopomp, a compassionless steward of death who would visit each mortal at their appointed time and transport them to the appropriate realm in the afterlife. One of the largest orders of Jergal's clergy is the Keepers of the Crystal Archive.

Dogma
Each being has an unchangeable fate that is chosen for them at their moment of creation. Life is a process of seeking that fate and eternal rest beyond the gates of Death. Existence is but a brief aberration in an eternity of death. Power, success, and joy are as transitory as weakness, failure, and misery. Only death is absolute, and then only at its appointed hour. Seek to bring order to the chaos of life, for in death there is finality and a fixedness of state. Be ready for death for it is at hand and uncompromising.