Karan, the Spelunking Half-Elf

Goddess of the unknown, caves, darkness, the underdark, precious stones, and desires.

Created by Dejers.

The darkness plays cruel tricks on your eyes, showing them that which they most despise, hiding the objects of their desires.
Yet is the light any kinder? Revealing true horrors by removing the blinders? Subjecting us to the various twists that we must survive. Showing the routes and new boundaries that it defines?
Boundaries hidden by the shade, hidden by the grey. Hidden by those that would hide it away. The only people that would reveal the light again are those that societies try to lock away.
The light plays cruel tricks on our eyes, opening them to the truth of our desires, revealing the reality of what we despise.
The Darkness is so much kinder, hiding those horrors away behind blinders. Removing the various twists that light would make us survive. Removing those boundaries that would hold us fast and ever-entwined.

While Rogalev seeks to light every darkened corner and to fill it with people and life, Karan merely wants to have been there. She has wandered across the furthest corners of the world and into the elemental planes themselves. In this, she is similar to Chando Meywa, removing herself in part from the ways in which the other gods represent themselves.
She holds that the worlds still hold grandeur that she has not experienced yet and constantly searches it out. Sometimes joining in with adventurer groups that have passed the normal boundaries of the universe and ventured into the truly untamed wilds. However, a major part of her values hold that knowledge should be shared and presented to others.
As the god of exploration, she encourages the DraKaise-Stricken and those that would seek out adventure. However, she doesn’t do so for the same reasons as Rogalev. No, the exploration of the farthest points brings back entertainment and ideas for the future, increasing the quality of life for those that can’t make it as far.
Those that make the exploration their goal and the retrieval of this new knowledge their mission hold special places for the goddess. She also has a soft spot for those thieves and burglars that act with a hint of interest for the common good; those that would reach in and take the secrets and strange-ities of the universe from the cages that they have been held in for so long.
On the other hand, those that use knowledge and the restriction of knowledge for control raise her ire. She finds the worst of these to be those that blackmail and extort, taking the greatest advantage of those that can be crippled by information. Many do-gooders and other groups use her backing to carry out vengeance against those that would act in this manner and often get away with it. After all, it's hard to fight against a "divine" act of retribution.

Organization:

The clergy of Karan are difficult to find, namely because any real cleric is out exploring and any real temple of hers is difficult to get to. Some of the better known ones are sprinkled in the depths of the Southern Floodlands, the heights of the Draconic Range and obscured by the darkness of the Underdark.
However, a few cities that maintain adventure potential hold actual temples for her followers to congregate within. Those that embark from Iwasunna often stop by the biggest known temple of Karan that dominates part of the city there. Most temples act as massive repositories of knowledge as the protections of Karan extend not to the people themselves, but to the memories of them.

Worshipers:

The bard seeking an epic to sing for the memories of the dead, the adventurer making their way towards paths yet unmade, the elder remembering the life they've made and secrets they've bared. These are all followers of Karan, the goddess of Desires both real and those left unsaid. The vast majority of people, however, can't bear to follow the whims of DraKaise to make their destinies their own, and instead hold to the familiar and dream of the what could have been.
The cities of KravMaw and Forkden are filled with people who dream of the potential that she promises. Her holding of the memories of adventure act as a reservoir for the public to remember and build upon the works of those that have come before.

Mortal Representation

A Half-Elf clad in dark leather armor and adorned with tools of an adventurer. Ropes, grips, packs and weapons are all usually found on the goddess, with ranged weapons more popularly shown.

Divine Symbol

Karan is most often represented by a partial Lunar Eclipse, with the moon beginning to take on it's blood-red color as the last of the sun fades away. More complicated versions of this symbol often have this view demarcated by the edges of a cave or a warren.

The Darkest, Purest, Pitchest Black, Where all can see there is no turning back. Here you hold or here you try To receive your understanding and gain Karan's Pride.

— Priest of Karan.

Domains

Karan favors those that protect and share knowledge as well as those that merely seek it; her domains include Knowledge, Nature and Trickery.

Knowledge, Nature, Trickery

Karan's Thoughts of Other Deities

Firn, the Chilled Halfling: The call of home is a key understanding for any adventurer or explorer. It fuels the tired feet on the hardest trails and aids them to return to their rightful place. Karan finds Firn to be the true friend of the traveler and explorer, for she provides the community to support them, and a place to rest.
Chando Meywa, the Distant Locus: Chando is an explorer as well, but the yearning and things for which she seeks remain different. While Karan seeks out the interesting, Chando yearns to Know, as much as possible wherever it can be found. While their goals may not align exactly, Karan finds Chando to be a kindred spirit of suitable likeness.
MeyGana, Roar of the Sea: The thought born by countless adventurers, to set off on a ship. To find riches and treasure. To find fame and fortune. The seas favor those who search, and MeyGana is no different. Yet MeyGana retains the danger associated with adventure and the seeking of value as well.
The Raven Queen, Courier of Souls: The Raven Queen only holds to solidify her dominion and hold on the stolen lands of her forebearer. She does not seek out change, in fact, she strikes it down if it opposes her narrow values. Karan avoids her lands, and seeks her adventure elsewhere.
Plospryn, The Thaw of Spring: Plospryn has values, she doesn’t oppose growth or adventure. But she falls slightly flat on other portions. Her hopes and dreams aren’t as solid as others. This gives Karan pause, and causes her to veer away.

Rahz-Pluoht, The Fiery Blade: Rahz is a pest. Battle is one of the biggest hindrances to exploration, and one of the most likely things to fell an explorer. The fact he revels in it to such a degree is nothing more than another reason to dislike him.
Garma, the Halfing of the Hearth: Nightly meals are key to exploration. It gives time to recuperate, discuss plans with partners, etc. Garma as the representation of that and the relation to home and returning to it, Karan keeps him in High Regard.
Rogalev, the Human Adventurer: Karan is conflicted about Rogalev. On one hand, he supports adventurers and explorers to a great degree, on the other, he does so to expand and settle there so it can be transformed to a shape that pleases him. As such, she flips back and forth on if she puts up with Rogalev or not.
MasToch, the Dwarven Flame: MasToch doesn’t quite put forward any of the same ideals or goals Karan does, but he maintains the best spots to drink and celebrations are the true friend of most any explorer.
Armide, the Sun Spider: Armide, the slain god. Before his death and subsequent Resurrection, Karan was intrigued by the Shadowfell and the various planes Armide presided over. Now, Armide is a pariah, and Karan stays far away from most anything that has to do with the Raven Queen.
Hextank, Ascendant: HexTank holds that sense of comradery that most others lack. The Explorer and adventurers mottos and creed hold to a small group. Not a vast city or community, but those you walk alongside and wield your blade for. Protection, cooperation, understanding. While it is a mystery, Karan quite likes this mystery.

Holidays

Karan is a supporter of the Celebration of the Melting of the Passes.
The Melting of the Passes: Not all adventurers are cooped up during the winters, but all look forward to the day the passes are no longer covered in ice. So, when couriers rush out from the worst areas of harsh traverse due to the clutches of winter alerting all of the safety of the pass, Adventurers celebrate alongside anyone else who will, then they set out to their dangerous destinations. These include mountain passes, to iceberg laden ocean routes, to plains that have frozen to solid sheets of ice.

MeyGana Chibi by Amber Lynne

Theme Song

Divine Classification

God