Waukeen

Waukeen ( pronounced: /wɑːʌˈkin/ wau-KEEN or: /wɑːˈkin/ wah-KEEN ) was a lesser deity of the Faerûnian pantheon known as the Merchant's Friend, Liberty's Maiden, and the Golden Lady. Her portfolio included everything related to commerce and the accumulation of wealth through free and fair trade, as well as the beneficial use of wealth to improve civilization. Those that venerated and appeased her included merchants from lowly peddlers to the wealthy owners of trading companies, investors, accountants, entrepreneurs, caravan guides, warehouse owners, philanthropists, deal-makers, moneylenders, and so on. Waukeen was also the goddess of illicit trade and the patron of many smugglers, fences, black marketeers, and "businessmen" on the shady side of commerce. Collectively, her worshipers were known as Waukeenar.

History
At the time of the Time of Troubles, Waukeen was still a relatively young deity with few enemies other than Mask, whose portfolio was naturally opposed to hers. As such, it was quite unexpected that Waukeen was never seen during the Time of Troubles and never reclaimed her mantle following its conclusion. The truth behind her disappearance is that she conspired with Lliira to leave her divine mantle behind and escape to the Astral Plane with the aid of a deity from another world. Once on the Astral Plane, she intended to make her way back to her realm via the Abyss through the purchased aid of the demon lord Graz'zt. However, Graz'zt betrayed her, making her his prisoner, and it was not until she was rescued by daring adventurers in 1371 DR that she regained her divinity. Waukeen has since revitalized and reassured her worshipers of her existence and her restored divine power. She is very closely allied with Lliira (who held her portfolio in trust while she was imprisoned), Gond (whose inventions she appreciates), and Shaundakul (whose portfolio complements hers). Aside from Mask, her only true enemy is Graz'zt, against whom she has sworn her eventual revenge.

Divine Realm
According to the Great Wheel cosmology model, Waukeen's home was on the neutral plane of Concordant Opposition, also known as the Outlands, in a shared realm called the Marketplace Eternal—a huge bazaar that covered many square miles/kilometers. The Marketplace Eternal was divided into four quarters and Waukeen's quarter was called the House of Barter. Somewhere in the midst of her quarter Waukeen had an opulent golden palace that contained a portal to Lliira's realm in Brightwater on the plane of Arborea. Shortly after Waukeen's return to power, the World Tree cosmology model came into favor and Brightwater was described as its own plane with the Marketplace Eternal as the center of the populated region, and Waukeen its sole owner. Surrounding the Golden Lady's demesne were four quarters, divided between Lliira, Tymora, Sune, and Sharess,

After the Spellplague, Brightwater was no more and the Marketplace Eternal moved to the plane of Eternal Sun where it sprawled around Amaunator's Palace of the Four Suns.

Personality
Waukeen was an active and enthusiastic deity who enjoyed the ebb and flow of goods via commerce and the rapid pace of business in a thriving marketplace full of spirited bargaining—so much so that rumors of her presence at particularly intense negotiations involving one of her worshipers became legendary. Her side always got the best bargain, but the other party usually walked away also feeling satisfied about the terms of the deal. Waukeen was driven to accomplish a goal and move on to the next one and, rather than being frustrated when the usual business practices failed to work out a solution, she was willing to try alternate methods. This manifested itself in her church sometimes allowing the ends to justify the means. Her stubbornness and dogged persistence occasionally got her in predicaments and likely led to her imprisonment during the Time of Troubles.

Relationships
Waukeen's closest ally was Lliira, who was the trustee of Waukeen's portfolio while she made her ill-fated attempt to get back to her realm in the Outlands during the Time of Troubles. However, when Lliira started answering the prayers of Waukeen's followers during her long incarceration, many of the Waukeenar assumed their goddess was dead and switched allegiances and rededicated their temples to Lliira. After Waukeen returned to power, she was jealous and upset that so many of her faithful did not return to her service, and this slightly soured the friendship between the two goddesses.

The Golden Lady was one of the first to support Gond and his inventions over the doubts of most other deities. Shaundakul was also an ally of the Merchant's Friend as his portfolio touched hers in areas such as long-range traders, and caravans. Waukeen had no real enemies among the pantheon except Mask, the Master of All Thieves, because larceny is bad for business. She naturally had an unending hatred and thirst for revenge against the demon lord Graz'zt who broke a deal, took advantage of her weakened state, and held her captive during the Avatar Crisis.