the goddess of night, secrets, loss, and forgetfulness.
She represents pains hidde n but not forgotten, and ven-
geances .carefully nurture d away from the light. She is
said to have the power to make folk forget their pain or
become inured to a loss, and many peopl e in distress
pray to Shar for such a blessing.
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, who wish to forget something, or who have lost
something and wish to recover it. Priests drawn to serve
Shar often nurture their own deep wounds or dark se-
crets, which in the ir minds ma kes them best suited to
console those who s uffer from a simila r ill. Throughout
the world's hi story, many followers of Shar have done
dark deeds in her name- most notably the shadovar of
Netheril, a n entire society dedicated to Shar. The trag-
edies and losses brought a bout by the fanaticism of her
followers have caused many places to outlaw her wor-
s hip a nd thus driven mos t of her priests into secrecy, but
s uch prohibitions only heighte n the priests' umbrage at
authorities and make the faithful a focal point for rebel-
lion a nd revenge against whoever rules.SILVANUSOak Father, the Old Oak, Old Father Tree
Silvanus represents the entirety of nature, deserts as
well as forests, sharks as much as deer. But folk in the
North, who contend with the danger s of forests, moun-
tains, and plains, see Silvanus more as a god of those
places. Silvanus is thought of as a grim a nd severe
father figure who metes out flood a nd drought, fir e and
ice, and life and death in the wilderness. In legends he
often commands other nature deities, dealing out re-
wards and punishments to them as is fitting.
Nature and its impartial fairness is central to the
dogma of Silvanus's faith. His priests seek to know the
total s ituation, to view the macrocosm; their viewpoint
is n't confined to one person's or one nation's idea of
what is best. The loss of a farming community to goblin
raids is a trage dy for some, but the event provides an
opportunity for the wilderness to grow up and make
the land fertile again, which in turn provides new chal-
lenges for those who would return to tame it.
The creed of Silvanus dictates tha t nature's glory must
be preserved not merely because nature is beautiful, but
because wild nature is the true state of the world. Its ex-
panses refresh and revita lize the mortal soul , and give
SYMBOL OF SILVANUSbreath to all the world. Many of his faithful oppose the
expansion of settlements into wild places, and consider
excessive consumption of natural resources to be not
only wasteful but blasphemous.
Silvanus often receives veneration from travele rs in
wild la nds, explorers, and resid ents of rural communi-
ties far from the protection of a local lord or a great city.
The oak leaf i s Silvanus's symbol, and a grove of oak
trees within a village or on its outskirts is often dedi-
cated as a shrine to him. In rural places where oak trees
don't grow, an oak leaf etched into the bark of another
kind of tree signifies a sacred site.SUNE
Lady Firehair, th e Lady of Love, the Princess of Passion
Sune Firehair is a deity of passion a nd th e delights
of the senses. She is the goddess of beauty in all its
forms-not just pleasing s ights , but also enchanting
sounds, lu xurious tastes and scents, and the exquisite
pleasures of the flesh , from a love r's caress to the brush
of s ilk on the skin. Her worshipers seek out these plea-
sures in life, not out of mere decadence, but because the
experience of pleasure is the touch of Sune herself.
T he followers of Sune have a reputation as hedonists,
and so they are, to a degree. More than that, her priests
foster beauty in the world. They do so by creating art, by
acting as patrons for promising ta lents, and by investing
in merchants who bring lu xuries to far-off places that
have never seen satin or tasted a luscious wine.
Her priests consider loveliness to be one of their
greatest callings, and all are trained in comportment,
fashion, and cosmetics. Indeed, so ta lente d are Sune's
priests in the creation of beautiful appearances that
many take pride in their ability to present themselves as
stunningly attractive examples of either gender.
But beauty is more than s kin deep, say the Sunites; it
issues from the core of one's being and s hows one's true
face to the world, whether fair or foul. The followers of
Sune are believers in romance, true love winning over
all, a nd following one's heart to one's true destination.
Fated matches, impossible loves, and ugly ducklings be-
coming swans are all in the purview of Sune.
Te mples dedicated to Sune are common in human
lands, and they frequently serve as public baths and
places of relaxation. A temple us ually features a mir-
rored and well-lit salon where folks can primp, as well
as see others and be seen. Where a temple doesn't exist,
or in a la rge city where the nearest temple might be tooSYMBO L O F SUNE