Shar

SHAR Mistress of the Night, the Lady of Loss, Nightsinger, the Unseen Lady, the Dark Traitor, the Shadowy Seductress

Symbol: A glistening purple eye outlined in black with a black pupil or a cowled hunting cloak of unadorned black stretched out flat

Home Plane: Niflheim/Palace of Loss

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Portfolio: Dark, night, hatred, loss, forgetfulness, sleep, nightmares, illusions, lies, trickery, unrevealed secrets, hiding places, betrayal, treachery, seduction, thieves, thievery, murder, winter

Worshippers: Shar was worshipped by those who wished to trick or control others through illusions, lies, betrayal, treachery, seduction, or threat of murder; being in control of a situation or being the one pulling everyone else’s strings was very important to Sharrans. She was worshipped by blinded, nocturnal, or sub- terranean-dwelling humans and allied beings and by those who hated light. She was also worshipped by many who favored dark surroundings or who undertook deeds or did business in darkness, such as thieves. She was venerated by those who were bitter or were grieving over a loss and wished to find peace (especially through vengeance) and by individuals who wanted to forget. She was also placated by those who knew their wits had been harmed and wanted to find peace or those who had been mentally harmed and wanted to remember fully or be restored in their minds. Many in Faerûn feared nightfall, the casting of the cloak of Shar, because of the dangers that lurked in its folds.

Favored Weapon: The Disk of Night (Shurikan)

Cleric Alignment:NE, LE, CE

NWN Domain: Cavern, Darkness, Knowledge, Evil

History Relationships: Shar was a schemer and manipulator. Her philosophies made Moander and Kozah easy compatriots for her schemes, and Targus was hopelessly smitten by her beauty and thus easily led to whatever action she wished him to take. She was the mortal enemy of Selûne and battled her ceaselessly. The undying enmity between the two goddesses is older than recorded time, and neither deity would forgive or forget. Shar disliked Amaunator intensely for both the light he brought and his unyielding nature.

Dogma: Dark Followers (the faithful of Shar) were instructed- ed to reveal secrets only to fellow faithful and to never follow hope or turn to promises of success. They were to quench the light of the moon (the faithful of Selûne and their holdings, deeds, and magic) whenever they found it and hide from it when they couldn’t prevail. Above all, the dark was a time to act, not to wait. Faithful of Shar was not supposed to hope and were therefore forbidden to strive to better their lot in life or to plan ahead except in matters directly overseen by the clergy of the Dark Goddess. Consorting with beings of good alignment who actively served their deities was a sin unless undertaken to take advantage of them in purely business dealings or to corrupt them from their beliefs and into the service of Shar. Devotees of Shar couldn’t speak out against clergy of the goddess, nor interrupt their devotional dances for any reason. Lay worshipers were required to prove their faith by obedience to the clergy and by carrying out at least one dark deed ordered by a priest of Shar every year—or bringing at least one being to believe in, and worship, the Dark Goddess

Day-to-Day Activities: The clergy of Shar seemed to pursue practical, local goals designed to further the power of the priesthood and of those who worshipped Shar, rather than to openly oppose other faiths (save that of Selûne). Shar desired to bring all humans under her sway by promoting general lawlessness and strife. In this way, most folk would suffer loss and turn to her for peace—especially through vengeance—and the influence of all other faiths would be lessened. Specifically, Sharran clergy were enjoined to work covertly to bring down and corrupt all governments, particularly within cities, and to publicize Shar’s patronage of avengers so that the desperate and despairing humans of other faiths turned to her to get revenge. Sponsorship of thieving guilds and hedonistic clubs of all sorts was a key part of this assault on order, as was the encouragement of political intrigue everywhere. Shar’s love of secrecy was strong. Her clergy worked toward fulfilling her desire for secrecy by always acting through manipulation and behind-closed-doors intrigue. They also worked through and promoted shadowy cabals and organizations that appealed to human desires to be a part of something elite and important, to keep secrets, and to be involved in the mysterious.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: As so many devotees of Shar kept their faith secret (and this secrecy was encouraged by senior clergy), the Sharran faith had no set holy days aside from the Feast of the Moon. To Dark Followers (the faithful of Shar) this holiday was known as the Rising of the Dark. They gathered on it under cover of the more widespread venerations of the dead to witness a blood sacrifice and learn of any plots or aims the clergy wanted them to work toward during the winter ahead. The most important Sharran ritual of worship was Nightfall, the coming of darkness. Clergy held this ritual every night. It consisted of a brief invocation, a dance, a charge or series of inspiring instructions from the goddess spoken by one of the clergy, and a revel celebrated by eating, drinking, and dancing together. Lay worshipers were required to attend at least one Nightfall (or dance to the goddess themselves) and had to perform—and report to their fellows—at least one small act of wickedness in salute to the Lady every tenday. On moonless nights, Nightfall was known as the Coming of the Lady, and every congregation carried out some significant act of vengeance or wickedness in the Dark Lady’s name. The most important ceremony of the priesthood of Shar was the Kiss of Shar, a horrific night-long revel of slaying and doing dark deeds in the name of the lady that ended with a feast at dawn.

Affiliated Orders: Clergy of the Sharran faith who had killed one of the clergy of Selûne were rumored to gain access to an honorary order or secret society known as the Dark Justiciars. The Dark Justiciars were rumored to be able to cast the illusion/phantasm spells that nightbringers could cast at heir full skill level, rather than at half their level. Many thieves’ guilds also had strong connections to Sharran cells, and such affiliated guilds were used by Sharran cells for particular plots mercilessly.

Priestly Vestments: All Sharran priests either had black hair or dyed or ensorcelled their hair to a black hue. The colors purple and black were used extensively in Shar’s church and among her followers. Most Sharran clergy dressed in black cloaks or soft, silent dark garb with purple trim, piping, or accessories during rituals. High ceremonial dress for those of rank or taking a special role in a ritual was a long-sleeved robe of deep purple over a black velvet chemise or black trousers and a black shirt.

Adventuring Garb: Sharran clergy wore practical clothes in the fashion of the land they were in while pursuing day-to-day life. They were fond of jewelry fashioned from obsidian, black onyx, amethyst, and purple jade, but they were not required to wear it. When entering a situation where they might encounter hostilities, they wore armor and took appropriate protective measures.