Shar

Overview

Shar is a deeply twisted and perverse deity of ineffable evil, endless petty hatred and jealousy. She rules over pain hidden but not forgotten; bitterness carefully nurtured away from the light and out of the sight of others; and quiet revenge for any slight, no matter how old. It is said that Shar can help her devout followers forget their pain, but what actually occurs is that they become inured to loss, treating it as something mundane and unworthy of notice. The basic inanity of life, and the foolishness of hope are the cornerstone's of Shar's very being. She revels in secrets, underhanded dealings, and subterfuge, and uses her mortal followers as pawns in a perverse game of one-upmanship against everything that was, is and will be.

Description

Shar favors two forms, the Nightsinger and the Dark Dancer. The Nightsinger appears as a 12 foot (3.7 meter) tall humanoid, whose female form is masked in feathers of all sorts that trail away into an increasingly intangible cowled cloak of enormous proportions that merges with any shadows or darkness present. The Nighsinger sings continuously, even when speaking, and her song is hauntingly beautiful and tragic. The Dark Dancer is a 7 foot (2.1 meter) tall, lithe, exquisitely beautiful woman with long, raven-black hair, who dances gracefully and alluringly, her jet-black body sparkling with stars. Her dark hypnotic purple eyes, with their coal black pupils, reflect the primordial void of her birth.

Holy symbol

Shar's symbol is a black disk with a deep purple border.

Favored weapon

Shar carries two short swords, and a number of chakrams known as Disks of Night. Her priesthood have selected the chakram as their favored weapon.

Realm

World Tree cosmology

In the World Tree cosmology of Realmspace, Shar resides within her realm, known as the Palace of Loss, which is located within the Plane of Shadow. The Palace of Loss is a single tower, without windows or doors. Few visitors can figure out how to gain entry or exit, but Shar's petitioners and servants can come and go as they please. The only creatures confined to the Palace are those who would miss their freedom the most, allowing Shar to savor their pain more freely.

Great Wheel cosmology

In the Great Wheel cosmology, Shar resides within her realm, known as the Palace of Loss, which is located on Niflheim, the second gloom of the Gray Waste of Hades. The Palace of Loss is a single great tower rising above the gloom of the plane around it, without windows or doors. Few visitors can figure out how to gain entry or leave, but Shar's servants can come and go as they please. The only souls confined to the palace are those who miss their freedom the most; these Shar keeps close so that she may feel their pain more keenly.

Worship

Shar's doctrine of vengeful nihilism appeals to those who have suffered great loss or betrayal, and her dominance over darkness and night make her popular with the blind (especially if they were blinded accidentally or intentionally due to the actions of others), nocturnal or subterranean humanoids, and creatures who shun the light. All who favor the dark, or do business under the cover of night (such as murderers or cutthroats), curry her favor, as do those whose deranged world view would classify them as insane.

Priests of Shar operate in cells who are organised in a strict hierarchy. They revel in secrets, and frequently establish secret social clubs or false cults dedicated to overthrowing governments, promoting vengeance against others and fomenting unrest through sedition.

In Spelljammer

Shar is a member of the Faerûnian pantheon and as such is considered native to Realmspace. Priests of Shar can travel throughout Realmspace without limitation, but once they leave the sphere, they lose access to all spells until they return. Priests of Shar who travel into wildspace typically shroud the entire spelljamming vessel in continual darkness spells in an attempt to conceal it within the darkness of space; however, this trick doesn't work all that well when passing in front of a light source, such as a fire body, or even a field of stars.

History

After Ao, overgod of Realmspace, created the crystal sphere, the resulting primordial chaos eventually coalesced into twin deities: Selûne, a being of light and creation, and Shar, a power of darkness and destruction. So close were they, that they considered themselves a single being, and together the Two-Faced-Goddess created the heavenly bodies of the sphere and infused them with life, creating the Earthmother Chauntea. The Earthmother begged them for light and warmth, so that she could nurture life on the many worlds that were her body and her limbs; and so the two Sisters-Who-Were-One became divided. Selûne contested with her dark sister over whether further life should be allowed to flourish on the many worlds, and during this confrontation, the gods of war, disease, murder and death were created from the residue of this great deific battle. Eventually Shar got the upper hand, and in desperation Selûne tore the divine essence of magic from her body and flung it at her sister, nearly dying in the process. The essence tore through Shar, bonding with the magic within her and ripping it free, creating the goddess of magic, Mystryl, predecessor of the current Lady of Mysteries. Mystryl favored her first mother, allowing Selûne to force a truce with her more powerful dark twin. Consumed with bitterness, Shar has vowed her eternal revenge.