Shar - Mistress of the Night
Shar, Mistress of the Night, is is the human goddess of Darkness and loss. Her domain covers several aspects from physical darkness to darkness as it exists in the minds and souls of mortals. An often misunderstood goddess her worship is not as common as others in the Pantheon. Shar is revered by those who must venture into dark places and so pray to her for protection, such as miners, as well as by those who have fallen into melancholy and despair. For those who worship her she is seen as a beacon in the dark, a rallying point to gather around to protect against the less savory denizens of the dark. Yet they do not set themselves apart from these parts of the darkness, a core tenant of Shar's worship is balance, balance between the light and dark of life. Her followers believe that without the loss and the darkness mortals experience their lives would be hollow. Similarly if some darkness must be embraced to protect those unable to survive the dark then that is balance. Some fear that this path leads precipitously close to the one tread by Asmodeous and the other lords of the nine hells.
Originally a mortal woman in the Age of Arcanum, she ascended to godhood and destroyed the previous god of darkness. After her ascension, her true name has long been lost, the name Shar was given to her by Night first among The Endless, the meaning is not known but the original god of darkness was a consort of Night. The Mistress of Night was originally a mortal wizard who lived during the Age of Arcanum, she was a follower of the previous god of darkness, but became disillusioned with his worship when she felt he was leading his followers too far towards evil. She developed rites that allowed her to destroy him and take his place, becoming the first mortal to achieve godhood. Her rise to godhood is variously described as either involving her challenging her predecessor and overtaking him or as having instantly destroyed him upon her ascension. She sundered his name from reality, so that it even disappeared from his temples at the moment of her ascension; likewise, her name was taken even from the memories of those who knew her and was later believed to be either lost to or removed from the historical record. In fear, the remainder of the pantheon swiftly destroyed and prohibited these rites, though it has not stopped others from trying.
There is a dark side to the worship of Shar, those her view not as a guiding light in the dark but as a cloak under which to commit fell deeds. Thieves and cutthroats will pray to her for darkness to cover them and hide them. There are those who ask her to mask the darkness in their minds and souls so that they might hide their thoughts of vengeance and revenge until they come to fruition as a knife from the dark. Whether these prayers are answered is between each mortal and Shar but there is no doubt that she has a penchant for secrets and secrecy. Her messages to her clergy are often vague and left to their interpretation and she has no special love of sharing knowledge, a stance that has put her at odds with Ioun in the past.
Divine Domains
Darkness, Loss, Twilight, revenge
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