Pantheon Elfico

[DM Artemis]

Shevarash 

The Black Archer, the Night Hunter, the Arrow Bringer)

Demipower of Arborea and Limbo
CN
PORTFOLIO: Hatred of the drow, vengeance, military crusades, loss, revenge
ALIASES: Elikarashae
DOMAIN NAME: Olympus/Arvandor and Limbo/Fennimar
SUPERIOR: Corellon Larethian, Fenmarel Mestarine
ALLIES: Callarduran Smoothhands, Hoar, Psilofyr, Shar, Shaundakul, the Seldarine
FOES: Blibdoolpoolp, the Blood Queen (of the aboleth), Deep Duerra, Diinkarazan, Diirinka, Great Mother, Gzemnid, Ilsensine, Ilxendren (of the ixzan, freshwater Underdark relatives of the ixitxachiti), Laduguer, Maanzecorian (dead), the drow pantheon (except Eilistraee)
SYMBOL: Broken arrow above a tear drop
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN
Shevarash (SHEV-uh-rash), who embodies the hatred the Fair Folk hold for the drow, is the elven god of vengeance and military crusades. He is venerated by elves and half-elves who have suffered the loss of loved ones through violence, particularly those who burn with revenge against the drow, and by those who have sworn to destroy the Spider Queen and the other evil gods of the dark elves. Some elven theologians speculate that Shevarash serves to gather in the bitterness and hatred that has riven the elven race since the Crown Wars, thus keeping the contagious evil of the Spider Queen from spreading to the elven population at large.
Nearly 6,000 years ago, circa - 4400 DR, on Midwinter nightthe longest, darkest night of the year-an army of duergar and drow poured forth from the Underdark and overran both the dwarven realm of Sarphil on the southern shore of the Moonsea and the Elven Court at the heart of the great forest of Arcorar.
The Dark Court Slaughter claimed the lives of countless elves and dwarves, including most of the assembled leaders of the Fair Folk and the Stout Folk who had come to the Elven Court to reestablish their long-standing alliance. Among the fallen was the family of the archer-guard Shevarash, once a carefree hunter of the Elven Court. In an anger-tinged prayer to Corellon, Shevarash vowed to become the Seldarine's hand against the drow to extract revenge for the loss of his family.
The grief-stricken warrior swore a grim oath neither to laugh nor smile until the drow goddess Lolth and her foul followers were destroyed. It was a tall order, but for the remainder of his life, Shevarash became the deadliest nemesis of the drow, raiding their underground cities, slaying their priests, and destroying shrines to their foul gods. Shevarash was finally slain by a horde of myrlochar (soul spiders) after killing the high priestess Darthiir'eigg Aleanrahel and six of her consorts, circa - 4070 DR.
Upon his death and with the assistance of Fenmarel Mestarine, Shevarash the Black Archer underwent apotheosis to become the Night Hunter and the Arrow Bringer.
When the Sy-Tel'Quessir settled the Yuirwood, the Seldarine merged with the ancient gods of the Yuir, transforming them into aspects of the various powers of the elven pantheon. Of the Seldarine;, Shevarash absorbed the aspect of Elikarashae, the youngest of the Yuir gods, as Elikarashae had only recently undergone apotheosis. The Sy-Tel'Quessir settlers of the Yuirwood incorporated the legends of Elikarashae into their own myths of Shevarash, and in the folklore of the elves of the Yuirwood, the god's aspect as Elikarashae became a mighty elven warrior who bore three great weapons: the spear Shama, which could speak to elf warriors of pure heart and noble mind; the sling Ukava, which never missed; and the club Maelat, which could only be wielded in the defense of the Yuir.
Elikarashae was credited with defeating many of the Yuir's enemies, particularly the mountain trolls and drow, for which the great warrior had been lifted up to Arvandor and made a god, or so the myths held.
Shevarash maintains no permanent realm in the Outer Planes, although he visits both Arvandor and Fennimar frequently. The Black Archer is closely allied with the Seldarine, particularly the more militant powers, although none of the elven gods are as consumed with hatred and vengeance as he is. Although Shevarash considers Fenmarel his superior, the Lone Wolf and the Black Archer share little in common aside from their mutual hatred of the drow. Of the rest of the Seldarine, Shevarash works closely with Corellon and Solonor in particular, but the other two powers are more concerned with defending elven realms than bringing the war into the tunnels of the drow, much to the Black Archer's frustration. As consumed by his hatred of the dark elven powers now as he was during the night of the Dark Court Slaughter, the Black Archer now hunts Lolth, Ghaunadaur, Vhaeraun and the other dark gods of the drow directly, often venturing into the Abyss to do so. Shevarash has moderated his hatred toward Eilistraee and the good-aligned drow who worship the Dark Maiden. He does not kill them out of hand, but he still dislikes them thoroughly. In life, the Black Archer's extended forays into the Underdark nurtured his antipathy for the other evil denizens of the Night Below, and as a god he battles their divine patrons as well. Shevarash's allconsuming crusade is such that the only long-standing divine allies he has garnered since his apotheosis are those such as Callarduran Smoothhands and Psilofyr who share his hatred of the drow and their pantheon of dark gods. As humanity has begun to venture ever deeper into the Underdark, Shevarash has begun to work more with human gods such as Shaundakul and Hoar. To the great distress of the other members of the Seldarine, the Black Archer's bitterness is such that he has recently begun to find solace in the soothing embrace of Shar.
Shevarash is taciturn, violent, and consumed by thoughts of bitterness and revenge. He never displays any emotion aside from anger and a brief exultation or triumph after each victory. The Black Archer has no patience for those who do not share his zeal for vengeance, and he has no interest in moderating his crusade in the interests of peace. The Black Archer often dispatches his avatar in anticipation of an attack by the drow on a relatively undefended elven settlement, or if he appears too late to prevent a repeat of the slaughter that still haunts him, Shevarash pursues the dark elves back into the Underdark and hunts them down until all are dead.
appear in the darkness like the eyes of a malevolent beast.
The Church
CLERGY: Crusaders, specialty priests, rangers
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: CG, CN
TURN UNDEAD: Cru: No, SP: No, R: No
CMND. UNDEAD: Cru: No, SP: No, R: No
All crusaders and specialty priests of Shevarash receive religion (elf) and reading/writing (Espruar) as bonus nonweapon proficiencies.
The cult of Shevarash is little known, even among the Fair Folk, except in communities where attacks by drow raiders are fairly common. Although the dedication and passion with which Shevarashan priests pursue their hated quarry is much appreciated by their kin, few elves can understand the intense, allconsuming hatred that consumes members of this faith. To the Fair Folk, the all-consuming hunger for vengeance exhibited by Shevarashan avengers has more in common with the wars waged by the N'Tel'Quess than it does with elven sensibilities.
As such, there is a measure of pity among elves for the sad fate of those who join this cult out of grief, and many elven theologians doubt that the spirits of those who follow the Black Archer are able to ascend to Arvanaith when they inexorably fall to the overwhelming spells and blades of the drow. Among other surface races, the cult of Shevarash is almost unknown. In the Underdark, however, the reign of terror waged against the drow and the other evil-aligned races by the fanatic warriors of Shevarash is much appreciated by those few good-aligned races that dwell in the deep tunnels. Deep-dwelling dwarves, deep gnomes, and myconids in particular give succor to followers of the Black Archer and greatly appreciate their tireless crusade.
Temples of Shevarash are located in cave mouths that connect elf-occupied forests with the deep tunnels of the Underdark and from which drow raiders have emerged (or might emerge). The Black Archer's temples are constructed to serve first and foremost as nigh-impregnable forts blocking access in either direction that can be held by a handful of defenders. Most are designed to withstand long-term sieges and include wellstocked armories, storerooms, and cisterns of fresh water. The walls of Shevarash's houses of worship are typically adorned only with trophies seized from fallen drow. Shevarash's followers sometimes construct shrines to their god in the Underdark, but such monuments are makeshift at best, quickly built in caves that serve as a temporary base of operations. Fallen warriors of the cult are brought back to the surface to be interred or, if absolutely necessary, buried in unmarked cairns in the Underdark so as to hide them from the drow.
Novices of Shevarash are known as the Haunted. Full priests of the Black Archer are known as Dark Avengers. Shevarashan priests have unique individual titles, most of which include a litany of the foes they have slain. Specialty priests are known as dhaeraowathila, an elvish word that can be loosely translated as drowbane. The clergy of Shevarash includes green elves (33%), moon elves (32%), gold elves (29%), and half-elves of those subraces (6%). Shevarash's clergy is evenly divided between specialty priests (34%), crusaders (33%), and rangers (33%), and has equal numbers of males (50%) and females (50%).
Dogma: The greatest enemy of the Seldarine is Lolth, who sought the corruption of Arvandor and the overthrow of the Creator. The greatest enemy of the Fair Folk is the drow, the debased followers of the Spider Queen who long ago were enmeshed in her dark web. Redemption and revenge may be achieved through the utter destruction of the drow and the dark powers they serve. Only then may the joy of life begin anew.
Hunt fearlessly!
Day-to-Day Activities: The followers of Shevarash are consumed with their quest to root out and destroy the drow and the sources of power of their dark gods. As such, since its founding by the lieutenants of Shevarash after their leader's death and apotheosis, the church of the Black Archer has been totally focused on its military campaign against the drow.
Individual priests spend their days drilling, designing tactics for warfare in the Underdark, guarding known entrances to the Underdark, and participating in hit-and-run raids and major assaults on drow-held territories in the Underdark. Not a few members of the Black Archer's clergy join adventuring bands that intend to explore the Underdark, for the cult of Shevarash is small and additional swords in the battle against the drow are always welcomed.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies : Midwinter Night is observed by the cult of Shevarash in memory of the Dark Court Slaughter. On this holy day, those who wish to join the ranks of the clergy are inducted into the faith and vows of unceasing vengeance are shouted into the night. In honor of their god's original vow, each new priest swears to never again laugh or smile until the Spider Queen and the other dark gods of the drow are slain and their followers are destroyed.
Major Centers of Worship: The Vault of Unquenched Vengeance lies beneath a great jet black oak on the outskirts of the Elven Court in the great forest of Cormanthor. This natural cavern is located amidst the roots of the ancient tree and housed the body of Shevarash for a day before his apotheosis.
Since the Black Archer's ascension, the tree has turned jet black, stopped growing, and never produced any leaves, yet it is apparently still alive. The faithful of Shevarash have transformed his temporary burial vault into a fortified redoubt, for the cave serves as the terminus of the last remaining entrance to the Underdark, or so it is believed, in the vicinity of the Elven Court. The temple also serves as the starting point for many crusades against the drow who still dwell below, and all followers of the Black Archer aspire to complete a pilgrimage to the temple before their deaths.
Affiliated Orders: The church of Shevarash is essentially a military cult, and as such, the priesthood is the martial arm of the faith and there are no affiliated orders outside of the faith. Not every member of the church's disparate army is a member of the clergy, however. Individual bands often adopt their own monikers, much as military units do across the Realms, and based on their successes, achieve varying degrees of renown.
Priestly Vestments: The ceremonial garb of the faith consists of silver chain mail, a blood-red half-cloak, and a silver helm with a fixed half-visor that covers only the upper half of the face.
The holy symbol of the faith is a broken arrowshaft that has been dipped in drow blood and blessed by a priest of Shevarash.
Adventuring Garb: Priests of Shevarash favor bows and swords, but they employ a wide variety of weapons in their unceasing quest for vengeance. For armor, most Dark Avengers favor chain mail (elven chain mail if available) as a good balance between protection and maneuverability. Followers of the Black Archer have no compunction against seizing the armor and weapons of the drow for their own use.