Bifelgan
Bifelgan is the god of trade and merchants.
goddess of travel, in particular over the sea. She is the patron of mariners and fishers, invoked for the safe return and the bountiful catch. Despite her association with the sea, she is considered to be a goddess with power over the winds. She is a major goddess in most human cultures, particularly seafaring ones. Halflings worship her as a protector of travelers, so they can return home safely, and elven culture places emphasis on her love of freedom and knowledge of navigation and nature. Her epithets include the Trader, the Rich and the Great Merchant.
Symbols and Depictions
Llymlaen is symbolized by the wave, often drawn simply as a triangle with a curling tip. The compass rose is her symbol as well as ships and sails. Driftwood is sacred to her, particularly if it is from a shipwreck, as it represents her sorrow for those who do not heed her warnings. The long harpoon is considered her sacred weapon, and she often is shown wielding it in drawings and carvings.
She always appears and is depicted as female. Although like all deities, Llymlaen can choose her appearance on the Material Plane, she most often appears as muscular human with weather-tanned skin and short sun-bleached hair - although she has also been recorded appearing as a half-orc, halfling, or rarely, triton.
Worship
Bifelgan has several temples in the Vale, including Redford, Westor, Ironmill, and Elmarch. His major holy day is late in December and traditionally celebrated by trading small gifts.
Myths
Bifelgan's demiplane is the Sigilant Market, a market where it is said that anything can be bought - for the right price. It is located in every plane and no plane at once, and shifts around seemingly at random. Because of its proximity to all of the Outer Planes and its reputation for selling anything, it is a common waypoint for planar travelers. He occasionally voyages to the Far Harbor with his wife, Llymlaen and their twin sons, Nald and Thal, at which point the Sigilant Market is closed and inaccessible.
Bifelgan is the son of Alephan and Nymeia, and Byregot is his older brother. Through Alephan, Dohter and Dreisang are his grandparents. Through Nymeia, Balogar is his half-brother and Tymora and Beshaba his half-sisters. Balogar's children Halone, Brand, and Aeber are his niblings; Aeber in particular is like an older brother to Nald and Thal.
As his older sibling, Bifelgan began as a merchant by selling what Byregot crafted. As the craftsman of the gods, Byregot's skills were much in demand, but he only had interest in the task offered. Bifelgan learned to negotiate payment, and seeks the fair transaction - that labor put in is compensated by equal value.
One myth recounts how he hired Llymlaen to carry him over the Astral Sea in her ship and guide him through the winds of Pandaemonium to Ysgard. During their journey, he fell hopelessly in love with the brave woman who risked life and limb to get him to his destination. He hired her again and again to be his guide, and after many journeys together through the various planes, she admitted to returning his feelings, although she was unwilling to give up her traveling life. When he set out to find the perfect gift for her, he found himself hopelessly lost in Gehenna, trapped by Baphomet; Llymlaen descended into the Bleak Eternity to bring him safely home again.
Llymlaen later married him and bore twin sons, Nald and Thal. As a god with children, parents under stress often make offerings to him to ensure that their suffering is not in vain.
Bifelgan allies himself with Nophica and [[[Draefendi]] in their struggle against Incabulos. Lolth despises his honest nature, as her modus operandi is to use deceit to gain what she wants, not make a fair trade. He is rivals with Yeenoghu, as Yeenoghu delights in wanton destruction of beloved things, and Bifelgan understand that some things have irreplaceable value.
