Sharindlar

Lady of Life, Lady of Mercy, the Merciful, the Bountiful, the Shining Dancer

When a dwarf falls sick or is struck down in combat, he often utters, prayers to Sharindlar (sha-rihn-dlar), the dwarven deity of healing and mercy. Dwarves make no secret of their veneration of this benevolent goddess who protects the dwarven people through the kindness and the restorative touches of her clergy. What most dwarves are loath to admit to their taller companions, however, is that Sharindlar represents a side of dwarven life rarely observed by outsiders. When dwarves abandon their taciturn moods for an evening of dance, or when a hardened warrior softens to accept the vows of marriage to his childhood love, Sharindlar is invoked as a deity of gaiety, romance, and dance
Sharindlar (Sha-RIHN-dlar) the Merciful is widely known as the dwarven goddess of healing and mercy. Dwarves wounded in battle are often healed in her name. Sick dwarves, dwarven healers, midwives, physics, and lovers pray to the Lady of Life. However, her aspect kept secret from nondwarves is her most important modern role: her patronage of romantic love, courtship, and fertility. Dwarves of all alignments and races who are courting appease her, as do those who sentence others in the cause of justice. When dwarves dance, they pray to Sharindlar to guide their feet, for she is said to be the greatest dancer the dwarves have ever known.
Sharindlar is on excellent terms with most of the other members of the Morndinsamman. She has forged working relationships with those whose principles she abhors-Abbathor, Deep Duerra, and Laduguer-to facilitate her efforts for the benefit of the dwarven race. The Lady of Life has served as an emissary between Laduguer of the gray dwarves and Moradin on the rare occasions they must communicate. Sharindlar has little tolerance for hatreds or rivalries that interfere with her efforts to dispense healing and mercy to the wounded and distressed. She has made strong friendships with the deities of the korreds, and some myths claim that Shiallia, the Dancer in the Glades, is the offspring of Sharindlar's brief dalliance with Tapann.
Sharindlar is invariably warm and caring with a kind word for all, both mortal and divine. She is given to shouts of joy, impromptu dances, and gales of uncontrollable laughter. The Lady of Life is an inveterate match-maker and true romantic who seeks to conjoin star-crossed lovers no matter what the odds. More than one favored dwarven bachelor or maiden has been swept up in a series of whirlwind affairs, thanks to the unceasing efforts of the Shining Dancer to provide the perfect mate.
Clerics of the Shining Dancer arc known as thalornor ("those who are merciful"). They spend most of their time ministering to the needs of the sick or frail in dwarven communities, providing words of encouragement with a gentle bedside manner. When not engaged at the bedside, clerics of Sharindlar work to instruct youth on proper dwarven courting rituals, even going so far as to play matchmaker between two "compatible" youths. Of late Sharindlar's command of fertility-has expanded the thalornors influence over animal husbandry and developing new strains of crops. Concerned as they are with births, both from a medical and metaphorical perspective, most thalornor treat the Thunder Blessing with even more reverence than their brethren, often, bending over backward to encourage thunder twins to join clergy. Temples often are large halls with ample space provided for dancing and celebration and plenty of intimate guest rooms for visiting revelers
Clerics of Sharindlar pray for spells in the morning. Holy ceremonies, most often practiced when the moon begins to wax, at Greengrass, Midsummer Night, and whenever the moon is full, commonly involve secret congregations in hidden caverns. At such gatherings, supplicants dance around a natural pool, chanting to the Lady of Mercy while casting items of gold into a sanctified cauldron, Participants draw a small amount of blood from their forearms, allowing it to seep into the cauldron, the contents of which are heated until molten and cast into the central pool.

Divine Domains

Life

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Flame ring rising from a steel needle

Tenets of Faith

Be merciful in speech and deed. Bring relief and healing where needful. Temper anger and hostility with constructive and charitable endeavor. The children of Moradin must live in safety and propagate. Maintain and encourage the traditional rites of courting and marriage. Celebrate the endless, joyous dance of life by living it to the fullest. Sharindlar restores the fertile seed of dwarven life, while Berronar protects the fruit.

Divine Goals & Aspirations

Day-to-Day Activities

The traditional duties of Sharindlar's clergy include dispensing healing and mercy to dwarves and other individuals in need. This role requires both hospices in dwarven strongholds and travel to isolated dwarven holds scattered throughout surface and subterranean wildernesses. As dwarven birthrates slowly decline and the ranks of the Stout Folk shrink, particularly among the shield dwarves of the North, priests in Sharindlar's service devote most of their energy to reverse these trends, with the assistance of Berronar's clergy.
The Merciful Maidens/Youths have focused on maintaining and teaching dwarven courting rites: traditional dances, ritual forms of address, and the like. They strive to bring young dwarves together, engendering likely matches, particularly outside the traditional clans, hoping to increase the number of prolific unions. Sharindlar's oversight of fertility has been extended in many dwarven cultures (particularly in surface-dwelling cultures such as High Shanatar and Besilmer) to include agriculture and animal husbandry. A particular emphasis has been placed on developing new strains of crops - wheat, barley, mushrooms, lichens, etc. - and hardier breeds of beasts - donkeys, sheep, etc.

Priestly Vestments

For ceremonial functions, Sharindlar's priests wear red robes with a blue girdle. The head is left bare except for a robin's egg blue scarf. The holy symbol of the faith is a silver disk embossed on both sides with the symbol of the goddess. It is often hung from an argent chain placed around the neck.

Adventuring Garb

Sharindlar's priests avoid violence if possible, but they defend themselves or their charges against obviously hostile and violent opponents. While they prefer regular dwarven garb, the Maidens of Mercy gird themselves with armor when appropriate. A blue scarf, tied around the brow, upper arm, wrist, or ankle, is worn as an adornment. Although they rarely advertise it, members of Sharindlar's clergy usually carry a small knife so that they can mercifully end the suffering of creatures whose pain cannot otherwise be alleviated and whose demise is imminent.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Over the millennia, Sharindlar has worked to establish good relations with her entire pantheon, including strained friendships, with even Laduguer, Deep Duerra, and Abbathor. On many occasions, the Lady of Life and Mercy acts as intermediary between Moradin and those he has cast away when some calamity forces usually opposed dwarves to act in consort. In general, however, Sharindlar finds politics stuffy and boring, and prefers to speculate on the romantic futures of both mortals and the divine. She shares great kinship with Shiallia, whom many believe to be her daughter through a dalliance with a fey god.

Symbol: Flame ring rising from a steel needle
Home Plane: Dwarfhome, Nidavellir/The Merciful Court
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Portfolio: Healing, mercy, romantic love, fertility, dancing, courtship, the moon
Worshipers: Bards, dancers, dwarves, healers, lovers
Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG
Domains: Life
Favored Weapon: "Fleetbite" (whip)
SUPERIOR: Moradin
ALLIES: Angharradh, Chauntea, Cyrrollalee, Eldath, Hanali Celanil, Hathor, Ilmater, the Morndinsamman (except Abbathor, Deep Duerra, Laduguer), Sheela Peryroyl, Shiallia, Tapann, Yondalla, various Animal Lords
FOES: Urdlen

Divine Classification

Intermediate Power

Current Location

Mount Celestia, The Seven Heavens