Bifelgan

Bifelgan is the god of trade, barter, and merchants. He shares the domain of crafters and craftspeople with his brother Byregot, and ships and the sea with his wife, Llymlaen, particularly the aspects of those that intersect with trade and the movement and sale of goods and services. Occasionally, he is a messenger god. He is a major god in dwarven and gnomish cultures, and in most human cultures also. Elven and orcish culture mostly consider him a minor god, although this depends on their trade relationships with others. When halflings worship him, it is often specifically as Llymlaen's partner or Byregot's brother, and with an interest in his emphasis on fairness towards all parties in a transaction. His epithets include the Trader, the Rich and the Great Merchant.

Symbols and Depictions

The number three is sacred to Bifelgan and appears as a motif in most of his symbols. His significant devices include the Borromean rings, where the three interlinked rings represent the three parts of a transaction: the two parties and their agreement, as well as the coins in his origin myth. He is sometimes symbolized by the triquetra or a simplified triskelion with a triangular center and curling tips, particularly when he is invoked with his wife for protection on a ship.

Bifelgan seems to express a preference for appearing and being depicted as a man, although he has been known on several occasions to appear as a woman. Although like all deities, Bifelgan can choose his appearance on the Material Plane, he typically appears as a dwarf or human with light brown skin, and bald but with a long dark beard. He is said to wield a spear as his weapon, although he is almost never depicted with armor, as he values talk over combat.

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.

Bifelgan's origin myth concerns the sale of a divine sword crafted by his brother Byregot that their half-brother Balogar desired. Though a master craftsman, Byregot found himself at a loss when deciding on a price, unable to determine what would be equal to the sword's worth besides the materials that went into it. Bifelgan intervened, asking only for three gold coins; one for the materials, one for the labor, and one for the value Balogar saw in it. After this, he earned a reputation for fair dealing.

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.