Bastet
by Marco DalmontePatroness of Rakasta and Cats, Patroness of Instincts and Luck, The Lost Mother
Level, Alignment, Sphere: 15th (Celestial), CN, Thought
Symbol: silhouette of a black cat
Portfolio: rakasta, felines, luck, instincts, life, fertility, prosperity
Worshipped in: Savage Coast (Dunwick), Davania (Arypt), Isle of Dawn (Thothia and Thothian Plateau), Hollow World (Nithia)
Appearance: a lithe and nimble female rakasta with sparkling emerald eyes and a black shiny pelt, wearing Nithian jewellery and a short-sleeved white tunic.
History: Ba-steh was the familiar cat of a shaman of Ka named Kum-rah. The relationship between the two was so strong and Ba-steh's devotion for her master so deep and utter, that Ka decided to award his follower's loyalty turning his familiar into a woman, who then married him. The years passed and Ka decided to test Ba-steh to understand if she had matured into a normal human being or was still an animal inside. However, she utterly failed when she gave chase to a small mice inside the house, devouring it. Ka wanted to turn her back into a cat, but then changed his mind to avoid making his shaman suffer. So he changed them both into a new race, and they became the first rakasta. With the passing generations, the descendants more similar to Ba-steh became the Rakastodon Fatalis and those of Kum-rah' stock became the Cave Rakasta, ancestors of the modern rakasta breeds. In the following years Kum-rah died for minor accidents, but he was always so beloved by his patron that Ka brought him back to life nine times before he was finally admitted into the immortal's paradise. At that point, Ba-steh was left alone taking care of her pups. She started reading her husband's scrolls and became more and more interested in the mysteries of the universe, up to the point that she was able to undertake the path of the Polymath under Ka's sponsorship and eventually became immortal at the dawn of the rakasta civilisation. She then left Mystara to explore the Multiverse, discovering a world inhabited by humans similar to the late Nithians (probably the Egyptians of Laterre in the Dimension of Myth). There she got her first followers and became worshipped as a goddess under the name of Bast or Bastet, and forgot about Mystara for a long time.
Once the civilisation of her worshippers crumbled, she left that world and returned to Mystara, discovering that her spawn had grown in numbers and breeds. She decided to become the patroness of the rakasta, and after dispersing part of her immortal energy to appease the Hierarchs of the Spheres and obtain their approval of her return to the Multiverse, she sided with Ka and Ninfangle as patroness of the Rakasta. She also got a cult of her own among the Nithians (the human civilisation that more resembled the lost followers she had on the other world) as patroness of fertility, luck and prosperity.
Personality: Bastet is an unpredictable creature who loves freedom and savouring life to its fullness. She does not like brute strength, but she teaches his followers to fortify in order to survive and defend themselves by exploiting their instincts. Bastet is extremely cautious, often lunatic and savage, and she trusts only those who have shown loyalty in the long time (like her patron Ka and Ninfangle).
Patron: Ka
Allies: Ka, Ninfangle
Enemies: none
Classic D&D Stats:
Followers' Alignment: Any; Clerics must be Neutral or Chaotic
Favoured weapon: natural claws and warclaws (allowed all types of dagger, javelin, spear and natural weapons)
Clerics' skills and powers: +1 bonus to Dexterity, bonus Alertness general skill
D&D 3E Stats:
Domains: Thought, Chaos, Luck, Fertility
Preferred weapon: warclaws
Source: Dragon #247