Vhaeraun

The Masked Lord, the Masked God of Night, the Shadow

Vhaeraun (Vay-RAWN) is the god of thievery and the furthering of drow aims, interests, and power in the Night Above, as the surface world is known to the faithful. He is also the god of drow males opposed to the matriarchy of Lolth, teaching that males are as skilled and valuable as females, and thus passively opposing the teachings of Lolth's priesthood on this point. He believes that drow should work with the other elven races for common advancement and never associate or trade with duergar, svirfneblin, or other dwarven and gnome races. (Humans and halflings can be tolerated.)
Vhaeraun is vain, proud, sometimes haughty, bears grudges of legendary length, and never forgets slights or deceptions. Any underhanded means and treachery is acceptable to him if it furthers his aims or is done in his service-but if others so treat him or his people, it is a deep sin that cannot go unpunished. He actively involves himself in drow affairs and moderately often sends an avatar to assist the work of his priests if the proper rituals are performed and the need is genuine.
Vhaeraun is the brother of Eilistraee and the son of Araushnee, who was cast out and became Lolth, and Corellon Larethian. The Masked Lord was cast out of the Seldarine and banished from Arvandor, along with his mother and sister, when his complicity was revealed in Araushnee's plot to destroy Corellon. While he hates all of the Seldarine, Vhaeraun harbors a particular enmity for Sehanine Moonbow, who escaped the Masked Lord's prison at great cost to herself and unmasked the culpability of both Vhaeraun and Araushnee. Likewise, the Masked Lord nurtures an abiding hatred of Eilistraee. The Dark Maiden always held Corellon's favor more than her hateful brother, and she thwarted Vhaeraun's early efforts to bring all the Ilythiiri (southern, dark-skinned elves) under his sway, enabling Lolth and Ghaunadaur to make great inroads among those who would become the drow. Vhaeraun reserves his greatest hatred for the Spider Queen who gave birth to him long ago. The Masked Lord lacks the strength to challenge Lolth directly, so he works against her in shadow, undermines her in silence, and looks to unite the other drow powers against her.
The church of Vhaeraun is loosely organized, its adherents bound to largely autonomous cells. Vhaeraun's clergy is nearly exclusively male and practices passive opposition to Lolth's clerics. They are also active in the surface world, and some preach a heresy of the unity of elven races and their need to work together for dominion. They specialize in intrigue, trickery, and treachery and foment disobedience and rebellion among males. In drow communities, Vhaeraun's clerics often disguise their allegiance, for obvious reasons. Contact and marriage with other elven races is encouraged. Half-drow usually favor their drow parent, and Vhaeraun sees this inexorably raising drow numbers in surface lands. Every cleric works to establish some sort of permanent drow settlement on the surface, and either support that settlement's needs personally, or (preferably) make it self-supporting. Poison use, manufacture, and experimentation is also common, Especially effective spells, poisons, and tactics devised by a cleric are to be shared with the Masked Lord and through him all clergy.
Clerics of Vhaeraun pray for their spells at dusk, before skulking into the shadows. The most important attacks, negotiations, and other activities of the clergy must occur at night. Clerics of Vhaeraun utter prayers to the Masked God of Night whenever they accomplish something to further his aims. Offerings of the wealth and weapons of those they vanquish (enemies of the drow, or regalia of female drow clerics) Symbol of are to be melted in black, bowl-shaped altars. Offerings of magic and wealth are made regularly. The more value, the more Vhaeraun is pleased, though he favors daily diligence more than rare, huge hauls. Midwinter Night, known to Vhaeraun's followers as the Masked Lord's Embrace, is the most sacred time of the year to the followers of the Masked Lord. This annual holy day is celebrated by the Masked Lord's followers with daylong introspective rituals of total sensory deprivation. Each worshiper is expected to cloak themselves in a region of magical darkness and sit or stand at the middle of the effect for a full 24 hours while contemplating Vhaeraun's teachings and dreaming up schemes to advance the Masked Lord's goals in the coming year. All followers of Vhaeraun who wish to perform this ritual are granted the ability to employ their darkness spell-like ability with the necessary extended duration. In the Night Above, nights of the new moon are considered sacred to his followers. Such occasions are observed with midnight stag hunts that range-over miles of shadowy woodlands. Packs of Vhaeraun worshipers on riding lizards brought up from the Underdark, run down a stag and then sacrifice its rack of antlers and still-beating heart to the Masked Lord in dark rites that pervert the ancient ways of the surface elves.

Divine Domains

Trickery

Divine Symbols & Sigils

A pair of black glass lenses that form a mask

Tenets of Faith

The shadows of the Masked Lord must cast off the tyranny of the Spider Queen and forcibly reclaim their birthright and rightful place in the Night Above. The existing drow matriarchies must be smashed, and the warring practices of twisted Lolth done away with so that the drow are welded into a united people, not a squabbling gaggle of rival Houses, clans, and aims. Vhaeraun will lead his followers into a society where the Ilythiiri once again reign supreme over the other, lesser races, and there is equality between males and females.
Priests of Vhaeraun must encourage, lead, or aid bands of drow and allied chaotic evil creatures in thievery and instigate plots, intrigues, and events to continually increase drow influence and real power in the surface Realms. They must manipulate trade, creatures, and intrigues designed to lessen the power of and frustrate the plans of drow priests (particularly those who serve Lolth), and continually foment rebellion or disobedience among drow males. Drow thieves in need must be aided (even if female): healed, bailed out of jail, or forcibly rescued. Drow men oppressed or under attack by drow women must be physically aided in any circumstances. Cruelties against drow men must be avenged.

Holidays

The most important attacks, negotiations, and other activities of the clergy must occur at night. Priests of Vhaeraun utter prayers to the Masked God of Night whenever they accomplish something to further his aims. Offerings of the wealth and weapons of those they vanquish (enemies of the drow, or regalia of female drow priests) are to be melted in black, bowl-shaped altars. Offerings of magic and wealth are made regularly. The more and the more value, the more Vhaeraun is pleased, though he favors daily diligence more than rare, huge hauls.
Midwinter Night, known to Vhaeraun's followers as the Masked Lord's Embrace, is the most sacred time of the year to the followers of the Masked Lord. This annual holy day is celebrated by the Masked Lord's followers with daylong introspective rituals of total sensory deprivation. Each worshiper is expected to cloak himself in a region of magical darkness and levitate at the middle of the effect for a full 24 hours while contemplating Vhaeraun's teachings and dreaming up schemes to advance the Masked Lord's goals in the coming year. All followers of Vhaeraun who wish to perform this ritual are granted the ability to employ both spell-like effects on this day, with the necessary extended duration, by a special boon of the Masked Lord.
In the Night Above, nights of the new moon are considered sacred to the followers of the Masked Lord. Such occasions are observed with midnight stag hunts that range over miles of shadowy woodlands, such as the Forest of Lethyr, the Forest of Mir, the Frozen Forest, the Lurkwood, Rawlinswood, the Trollbark Forest, and the Winterwood. Packs of Vhaeraun worshipers, mounted on riding lizards brought up from the Underdark, run down a noble hart and then sacrifice its rack of antlers and still-beating heart to the Masked Lord in dark rites that pervert the ancient ways of the surface elves.

Divine Goals & Aspirations

Day-to-Day Activities

Vhaeraun's priesthood is nearly exclusively male and practices passive opposition to Lolth's priests. They are also active in the surface world, and some preach a heresy of the unity of elven races and their need to work together for dominion. They specialize in intrigue, trickery, and treachery and foment disobedience and rebellion among males. In drow communities, Vhaeraun's priests often disguise their allegiance, for obvious reasons.
Contact and marriage with other elven races is encouraged. Half-drow usually breed true back into the drow race; Vhaeraun sees this practice inexorably raising drow numbers in surface lands. Every priest works to establish some sort of permanent drow settlement on the surface world, and either support that settlement's needs personally, or (preferably) make it self-supporting. (The settlement of Vhaeraun worshipers in the High Forest, as discussed above, was established by the drow wizard Nisstyre, captain of the merchant band Dragon's Hoard, before his death in a clash with the Dark Maidens of the Promenade in chambers beneath Skullport.) Poison use, manufacture, and experimentation is also common. Especially effective spells, poisons, and tactics devised by a priest are to be shared with the Masked Lord-and thence, all clergy.

Priestly Vestments

Vhaeraun's clergy garb themselves in half-masks, loose silk shirts, form-fitting pants, and leather boots, all of which are jet black. They are never without at least one black-edged bladed weapon on their persons, and most are bedecked with half a dozen or more such weapons. The god's holy symbol is a black half-mask that can, of course, be worn and used like any mask. Priests of Vhaeraun need only be within a mile of their holy symbol to use it in working spells given to them by the Masked Lord. It need not ever be on their persons (except when they first wear it to become attuned or linked to it) or brandished in spellcasting or dealing with undead.

Adventuring Garb

No priest of Vhaeraun can wear any type of armor except leather armor, and dark garb is always preferred. Vhaeraun's clergy favor daggers, short swords, and long swords, but they always select the most appropriate weapon for the task at hand. The Masked Lord's priests are well versed in the use of poisons, and typically prepare several varieties of widely varying onset times, methods of application, and strengths before embarking on a dangerous undertaking.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Vhaeraun is the son of Corellon and Araushnee (who became Lolth), and brother to Eilistraee. Cast out when his and his mother's treachery was discovered, he longs for the surface world he was once free to travel. Allied with Mask, Shar, and Talona, he opposes the other Underdark gods, including his sister. His feud with Lolth is subtle, as he lacks the power to oppose her directly.

Symbol: A pair of black glass lenses that form a mask
Home Plane: Demonweb Pits, Colothys/Ellaniath
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Portfolio: Thievery, drow males, evil activity on the surface
Worshipers: Assassins, male drow and half-drow, poisoners, shadowdancers, rogues, thieves
Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE
Domains: Trickery
Favored Weapon: "Shadowflash" (short sword)
ALIASES: Vhaerun
ALLIES: Mask, Shar, Talona
FOES: Cyrrollalee, Deep Duerra, Eilistraee, Ghaunadaur, Laduguer, Lolth, the Seldarine, Sharess, Blibdoolpoolp, the Blood Queen, Diinkarazan, Diirinka, Great Mother, Gzemnid, Ilsensine, Ilxendren, Laogzed, Maanzecorian, Psilofyr

Divine Classification

Lesser God