Greater Deity ( Divine Rank 18 )

Symbol:
Black disk with deep purple border
Home Plane:
Plane of Shadow
Alignment:
Neutral Evil
Portofolio:
Caverns, Darkness, Dungeons, Forgetfulness, Loss, Night, Secrets, the Underdark
Worshipers:
Anarchists, Assassins, Avengers, Monks (Dark Moon), Nihilists, Rogues, Shadow Adepts, Shadow Dancers
Cleric Alignment:
Chaotic Evil, Neutral Evil, Lawful Evil
Domains:
Cavern, Darkness, Evil, Knowledge
Favored Weapon:
"The Disk of Night" (Chakram)

Shar is a twisted and perverse being of hatred, jealousy, and evil.

She can see every being, object, and act performed within Darkness and holds dominion over pains hidden but not forgotten, carefully nutured bitterness, and quiet revenge for old slights.

She spends much of her energy battling her old nemesis, Selûne, in a war that is older than recorded time.

She is the creator of the Shadow Weave.

The church of Shar is made up of independant cells that have strong, authoritarian leaders.

All cells in a particular region is under the purview of a superior priest.
Clergy members revel in secrets, using them to tie each other together in loyalty and community.

The pursue practical goals of advancing the power of the priesthood and Shar's worshipers while avoiding direct opposition of other faiths (Except that of Selûne).

The clergy of Shar work to overthrow governments, promote Shar's patronage of avengers, organize secret cabals, and create false cults to their ends.
Clerics of Shar prays for their spells at night.

They have no faith-wide holy days except the Rising of the Dark, which occurs on the Feast of the Moon and involves a blood sacrifice and the revelation by senior clerics of which plots the church will be advancing in the coming year.

At least once a tenday, a cleric must attend a Nighfall, a dancing and feasting revel performed at nightfall that is followed by a small act of wickdness that cleric reports to her superiors in the clergy.

Shar's clerics often multi-class as rogues.

She has an elite order of sorcerer-monks in her service that uses the power of the Shadow Weave.

((Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, page 248 and 249))

Shar (Mistress of the Night) - Neutral Evil

Goddess of the Dark, Night, Loss

Garb:
Ceremonial dress is long-sleeved robes of deep purple, parted in front to reveal black tights.
A black skullcap covers the entire head, except for women with jet black hair;
This is left long as a symbol of the Dark Lady's pleasure.

Symbol:
Circle of black with a border of deep purple
Ceremonies: During the Festival of the Moon, Sharrans celebrate the Rising of the Dark, when the directors of local cults outline the dark plots of the coming year over the quivering body of a live sacrifice.
Once a tenday, followers must engage in an act of wickedness, ideally after a nocturnal dancing and feasting ritual known as a Nightfall.

The goddess is said to be darkly beautiful.
She is often worshiped by those made bitter by loss of a loved one, for in her dark embrace all forget, and although they forever feel loss, they become used to such pain until they consider it the usual and natural state of existence.

Shar battles continually with Selûne, slaying her often (I.E. every new moon), and is worshipped (or paid lip service by) all surface-dwelling beings who dislike light.

Those who make or take disguises worship Leira, but those who seek only to hide or bury something pay homage to Shar.

Shar appears as a raven-haired beauty dressed in black.

Shar is a popular amongst goblins and other light-hating beings, such as drow whom have tired of the rule of Lolth, and many venerate (without actually worshiping) her when doing business in the dark.
Followers of Shar are called "Nightbringers".