Duality of Darkness, The Dark Shade
Domains: Darkness, Manipulation, Pestilence, Evil, Death and Undeath
Symbol: A viper wrapped around a blackened heart.
PLAYER INFORMATION:
Requirements for Worship:
The Dark Shade works through force and conquest wherever possible, but its true forte is in deceit and manipulation. The Dark Shade constantly looks to further its power by corrupting those who can be compromised. Clerics of Asoth are a resourceful, relentless lot. They well realize that their mistress has very little tolerance for failure, and therefore throw themselves into their tasks with nearly matchless zeal. Spells are prayed for during the darkness of night.
The Church of Asoth is well-organized, with each and every priest knowing exactly where he or she stands in the scheme of things. However, the Goddess seeks the strongest and most cunning to be her mortal representatives; therefore, there is constant scheming among the faith, and power struggles are not at all uncommon. Followers must be of any evil alignment.
Clerical Domains: Required: Death, Evil, Trickery
Optional: Air, Animal, Earth, Fire, Healing, Knowledge, Magic, Plant, Protection, Strength, Travel, War, Water
Banned: Good, Sun
Noted followers and faithful:
High Priest(ess): None known
Death's Touch : None known
The Viper’s Fang: None known
The Shade's Whisper (Sacred Items)
Serpent Armbands: This is a pair of armbands crafted to look like snakes entwining each arm. Their sinuous spirals are made from some dull green metal. Each tiny scale is picked out with marvelous skill, and the serpents' eyes are small rubies. The intertwining snakes represent the Duality of Darkness.
The Shade's Embrace (Places of worship)
Temple: None known
The Church in War
Asoth Thal is a recent entrant into the world. However, based upon the history of the Drow under Araknia, it can be surmised that the followers of this one would readily fight together in common cause. They prefer more subtle forms of fighting, and have been known to engage in direct assassinations, sabotage, misinformation campaigns, anything to weaken the enemy and their resolve before committing to more conventional battles.
That said, they did not participate in the War of the Sun. In their view, it was not a war worth sacrificing any of their own over. It is suspected they may have made some small forays into the Kingdom during this time, but that has never been proven to this day.
VIEWS ON OTHER CHURCHES
- The Church of the Helmsman (Hated) We have never before seen those so willing to meet their own deity face to face. We gladly oblige them.
- The Church of the Sun Goddess (Hated) The Light has turned and burned itself. It is a matter of time before we will snuff it out forever.
- The Church of Brannegar (Hostile) They are irrelevant, and do not have the means to stop us.
- The Church of Justin(Hated) We have done battle several times. They are capable, but as subtle as a brick to the face.
- The Church of the Death God (Friendly) Killing is our business, and they clean up after us. All very tidy.
- The Church of the Quiet God (Hostile) Humans wishing they were Elves. Excuse me while I throw up a little.
- The Church of Mysilvia (Hated) Our ancestral enemies think us gone. They will never see the truth coming until it is too late.
- The Church of Cyparthia (Neutral) Irrelevant.
- The Church of the War Triad (Mixed) They dabble in light and dark, refusing to take a side. It is our duty to show them how powerful the Darkness can be and sway that pendulum permanently.
- The church of Tyranos (Neutral) We once had a deal with them, and they have yet to honor that bargain. We will call upon them soon enough.
- The Church of Ravenos (Hostile) The Destroyer once threatened all, including our own. We shed no tears for their self-begotten annihilation.
- The Church of Ruhn Alesi (Friendly) Their position is similar to our own. We can not afford to make enemies of them.
DEITY INFORMATION
Alignment: Asoth Thal is Neutral Evil in nature.
Appearance: The Duality of Darkness appears as a strikingly beautiful seductress with raven black hair and sapphire-violet eyes. She is alluring and tempting, but hidden in the depths of her eyes is the maddening need to destroy and corrupt all in her path. The Dark Shades appearance sometimes also takes the form of an ambiguous male rogue.
Messengers: None have been seen...
Known Powers and Practices: Ours is the path of power and rulership. Our dominion is the world. The keys of power are within our reach. Now is the time to take them! Any who wish to stand before us will fall. We will cleanse the world in our vision and rise from its ashes victorious.
Fellowships of Asoth Thal:
Riders of the Black Tide: The Riders are a terrible force of darkness and terror. They gather the minions of the dead and demonic to their banner to war against the warriors of light. Many in this legion become powerful users of her unholy powers, the Blackguard. They are known for their undead mounts with eyes of red flame. Only the most powerful and unbalanced of her legions enter this path, for it chains their souls to the Dark Enchantress.
Oracles of Deception: The Oracles watch the cosmos and the hearts of people for a chance to corrupt. With darkened visions and magics, they delve deeply into the world to find its hidden truths to taint and twist for their own means. And once they have delivered their seed, they lie in wait and help it grow. Many of Asoth’s clerics take to this path.
Walkers of the Serpentine: They are the assassins of Asoth. The Walkers build and rebuild the world and mythos around them in an attempt to lose all peoples in their webs. The minds and machinations of these followers are considered mad, but only because Asoth herself is the only true seer of their logic. Asoth began this sect to hide her plots and desires from the rest of the world. Some in Asoth’s church believe that the web connects all of her followers through their dark dreams and desires, but only the Walkers know the truth.
It was foretold in many forms. The vision was warped and the union of the snake was ensured. Araknia had plans for The Shadow God and he was an easy target, or so she thought. They had a common enemy, the had a common bond and in the end they both would be consumed.
She came to The Shadow God, seeking a partnership. She wanted nothing more than the destruction of the dwarven settlements and could use his powers over the undead to launch an attack. To drive the race to extinction. Her lust for power was growing and he was enamored over her desire to take life. For where there was death, there would be souls to reap and harvest them for the afterlife. He saw this chance to create an undead army of his own, a new threat to the world of Wilwarin, an Undead Dwarven Slayer. His notions and ambitions welled inside him and they agreed upon the partnership.
They planned subtly, she with her various ways of manipulation and he with his magics and trickery. They plotted against the forces of Light and Goodness; they were forming a close knit bond among themselves. It wouldn’t draw the attentions of the Gods yet, and by the time the seed was sown it wouldn’t matter as it would be too late for them to interfere. It wasn’t long before they met one last time in secret to make their plans, each with a plan and a hidden agenda. She smiled seductively at The Shadow God and he grinned manically back. Their fates were sealed in that exchange and as the other began to unleash their powers upon one another their magics collided with a fury and force that began pulling them together.
Araknia sought to draw the powers from The Shadow God as he began his incantations and he in turn reached out for her body, to encompass her with his grafting of his bone to her powers. They screamed as the powers shot through them, both engulfed in a perverse evil that had begun to take on a life of its own. The fusing of the gods was happening and their magics may have failed one another, but in return it did accomplish a horror that has yet to be seen. Their bodies disintegrated into one another, bones clashing, muscles melding and powers intermingling. The sound could be heard from the mortals throughout the lands. The rift between the two had been bridged and now there would only be one.
A dark abomination, the serpent had found its home in the blackened heart and formed a new entity. A powerful being that was encased with the powers of two gods of evil. It lay motionless for a moment as the smoke dissipated from its body and it rose, she stood tall and her figure changed suddenly to that of a male. Then rapidly back again, she looked down at her hands and cackled loudly as she became aware of the situation. The two failed at taking one another’s powers and in the end had succeeded in delivering into the world a new threat against the powers of good.
The Duality of Darkness had been born and was now hungry with power…
