Wooly Rupert at Candlekeep forum wrote:There are some things about Bane 2.0 that have bugged me. And it's a lot of things, scattered all about.
Bane 2.0 is not using the holy symbol that Bane 1.0 used.
Bane 1.0 favored red and black. Iyachtu Xvim favored green and black. Bane 2.0 favors Xvim's colors, not Bane 1.0's colors.
There is a critter called the Black Beast of Bane. In the write-up of that beast, it notes that Bane 2.0 -- like Xvim -- likes manifestations involving evil critters and carnivores. That was not something Bane 1.0 favored. When I speculated on this in the Shadowdale: The Scouring of the Land adventure discussion, Eric L Boyd's response was "Glad you're having fun speculating.
". I admit that is far from an admission of anything, but it's also not a statement that I was on the wrong track.
The return of Bane was heralded by a vision of him bursting forth from Xvim, with those receiving the vision waking to find cold green flames enveloping their hands.
Here's the real kicker, though: Only Xvim's faithful received this vision. Anyone who had remained faithful to Bane, or who had converted to Cyric, didn't receive that vision. Think about that. Bane's existing and former worshippers didn't get the vision -- only Xvim's followers, most of whom did convert to Bane. So Bane 2.0 gets those who were already faithful to him, and Xvim's followers, as well -- making a combined base of worshippers larger than what either deity had, before that vision was sent.
Xvim has previously masqueraded as another deity other than Bane, with the intent of getting more power out of the deal. And in the Realms, it's not uncommon for one deity to assume the identity of a fallen deity, even if the fallen one had nothing in common with the usurper -- like Shar and Ibrandul, Cyric and Leira, or Lolth and Moander.
Xvim pretending to be his father is already an established thing, in Realmslore. The Empires of the Shining Sea boxed set repeatedly references Teldorn Darkhope, saying that he believes he's serving Bane, but that he's actually serving Xvim. For example, on page 153, his info is given as: "Teldorn Darkhope (LE hm P9 of "Bane" [really lyachtu Xvim]; really an authlim, but thinks he is a dreadmaster), Conqueror of Mintar, Tyrant of Kzelter. Lord of the Knights of the Black Gauntlet."
It also says, on page 155:
"The Temple of the Dark Lord, the temple at which Teldorn Darkhope received the visions that launched him on his schemes of conquest. Unknown to Darkhope, it was not Bane who was whispering tales of conquest and reward into his ears—it was actually Iyachtu Xvim, the Godson of Bane. Darkhope remains unaware of the deception to this day, but he suspects Bane may not be of the power he once was."
There is also, in canon Realmslore, a heresy that point-blank states that Bane 2.0 is Xvim pretending to be his father. In "Monument of the Ancients" (Dungeon 170), on page 80:
"The priests of the Lyceum of the Black Lord in Phlan subscribe to the heresy that Bane was utterly destroyed by Torm during the Time of Troubles. The being they worship as Bane today, the heretical priests say, is in fact none other than the Godson of Bane, Iyachtu Xvim, having adopted his father’s name to more quickly achieve the status and power of a greater god."
What does all of this mean?
As I see it, there are three possibilities.
1) It really is Bane 1.0, with no trace of Xvim. Bane 1.0 has inexplicably decided to act like his son, rather than sticking with centuries of habit.
2) Bane 2.0 is some mix of Bane 1.0 and Xvim. Maybe he is a gestalt entity; pieces of both have combined to form something new. Or perhaps Xvim is not fully subsumed into Bane, and some aspects of him remain dominant and still have influence over the whole.
3) Bane 1.0 is dead and gone. Bane 2.0 is Iyachtu Xvim impersonating his late father; he has gotten a huge power boost by using his father's name and reputation.
It is my opinion that option 1 is unlikely enough to be dismissed. Option 2 was my original theory. Option 3 is the one I currently favor. I like the idea the most, and it is my opinion that it is the option most strongly supported in the lore.
Of course, it's all theories, and none of this evidence is conclusive. I've taken some odd facts and assembled them into a picture that works for me, but that doesn't mean it's the only possible picture, and it doesn't mean I'm not reading into things.
It also is likely moot, with the current trend of less lore and nothing being canon unless the current design team wrote it
