Post by DM mithari on Apr 19, 2009 16:25:33 GMT -5
The symbol of Shar, as found in Faiths and Pantheons (p. 59), based on an idea that Shar's true form is that of a black blob of mist, surrounded by purple fire.
Shar and her sister Selûne were the first two deities in existence after Ao himself. Their conflict has raged ever since the first days of Toril and continues to present day, where while Shar is the singly more powerful of the two, Selûne has numerous allies that help keep the struggle very much alive.
SHAR
Shar (front) and her two avatar forms, the Dark Dancer (back left) who gets you by being sexy (you shallow man-child ), and the Nightsinger (back right) who gets you by being sensible and persuasive. Picture from the Faiths and Pantheons sourcebook (p. 59).
Shar (front) and her two avatar forms, the Dark Dancer (back left) who gets you by being sexy (you shallow man-child ), and the Nightsinger (back right) who gets you by being sensible and persuasive. Picture from the Faiths and Pantheons sourcebook (p. 59).
Since the beginning, Shar has become the deity of many things. At the time of our server, her portfolio includes the dark, night, forgetfulness, secrets and loss. As we are currently set before the Time of Troubles, she has yet to destroy Ibrandul and take his dominion over the Underdark, dungeons and caverns.
Shar thrives on secrets, and it is through finding such out that the faith furthers its goals.
Although the faith is frequently forbidden, there is a pervasive belief that the Sharrans will aid those who have been grievously wronged or suffered great loss... Which is actually true! Or rather, as true as it gets for an evil deity. Of course, several faiths opposed to Shar try their best to stop these rumours by warning people of her, but desperation sometimes gets in the way of reason.
DOGMA
Reveal secrets only to fellow members of the faithful. Never follow hope or turn to promises of success. Quench the light of the moon (agents and items of Selûne) whenever you find it, and hide from it when you cannot prevail. The dark is a time to act, not wait. It is forbidden to strive to better your lot in life or to plan ahead save when directly overseen by the faithful of the Dark Deity. Consorting with the faithful of good deities is a sin except in business dealings or to corrupt them from their beliefs. Obey and never speak out against ranking clergy unless it would result in your own death.
Those who care to learn more can read it here, because I'm not going to do work I don't have to.
The OOC Stuff Everyone Loves to Know
- The fact that devoted Sharrans are horribly evil is probably not unexpected. Characters not willing to commit at least a cold-blooded murder or two just for the sake of joining are not going to be taken in. Keep in mind that this organization represents the core of the active Sharrans of the region, rather than a congregation for every last follower. Of course, all Sharrans can get to find out of its existence, but information and orders handed to them will not be accompanied by names or faces of the superiors, or any explanations as to why whatever they're asked to do needs to be done/known.
- Many organizations ran here require OOC and IC secrecy for their own entertainment, and because that's how they operate. The church of Shar is no exception. I'll not go this over all that again because it gets boring (enemies everywhere, yada ya).
The fun part is that as they're very much evil and very much the faithful of a very deity of secrets, they have an additional safeguard in place to keep themselves safe. What's that, you wonder? You'll just have to join to find out.
- The faith is secretive to the point of hampering itself. Secrets are considered more valuable than gold (unless there's a LOT of it - and then only if it's needed to acquire an even better secret) and are not given up without what the faithful would consider fair trade.
- Internal struggles for power over the other faithful are expected (evil and yada ya), but Shar considers her ultimate goal too important to let mortal power hunger get in the way of it. If such struggles ever DO get in the way of the overarching goal, there will be serious repercussions. The drow might think that "if nobody saw it, it didn't happen" is an acceptable way to handle advancements in station, but killing a high priest to take his place will interrupt some seriously important work - unless you know of the work in detail and can continue it better yourself, of course.
Shar is interesting among the evil deities in that way, since she actually cares for the well being of her followers (to a degree and point - they are of course secondary to her own existence and ultimate plan) and doesn't want them to die unless it's necessary.
To sum the point up: before removing someone among the faithful (by murder or other means) in ambition to take their place, you better know all of their secrets - literally - and be able to work with them efficiently.
- Those interested in being a part of this can send me (DM Chaotic in-game) a PM here on the forum and I'll work with it from there. Of course, if you want to keep your allegiance hidden you shouldn't be openly posting or suggesting things that you might be part of this.
Eligible characters can be anything from Sharran characters already active in the region to those who have a character that the Sharrans might consider a perfect victim to convert - generally those beset by loss, grief or have been greatly wronged and seek revenge. To continue the good old Internet habit of bashing people for fun, they take the emos and give them good (evil) purpose! ;D