Shevarash

Shevarash: The Black Archer, The Night Hunter, The Arrow Bringer

Symbol: A black arrow snapped in half, above a blue teardrop
Home Plane: Arvandor (Fennimar)
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: Hatred of the Drow, Vengeance, Crusades, Loss, Revenge
Domains: Chaos, Elf, Retribution,War
Worshipers: Arcane Archers, Archers, Elves, Fighters, Hunters, Rangers, Soldiers, Sorcerers, Those who seek revenge
Aliases: Elikarashae
Cleric Alignments: CE-CN-CG-N
Favored Weapon: “The Black Bow” (Longbow), “Traitorbane” (Great Sword), “Shama” (Spear), “Ukava” (Sling), “Maelat” (Club)

History/Relationships: Shevarash (Pronounced Shev-uh-rash) is the Elven deity if vengeance and military crusades against a hated foe. The Black Hunter has come to embody the hatred the Tel’Quessir have against Drow, and to a much lesser degree, Fey’ri. Because he is worshiped primarily by those who burn with revenge against the Drow, some theologians speculate that Shevarash exists to keep all of that malice, anger and bitterness out of the hearts of the rest of the Seldarine.

The Night Hunter is unique among the Seldarine, as he was once a mortal being, who was raised to divinity with the assistance of Fenmarel Mestarine. The mortal Shevarash lived approximately six thousand years ago, in the lands around the Elven Court. On Midwinter Night –4400 DR, a large army of Drow and Duergar marched from the Underdark. They quickly overran the Dwarven city of Sarphil, which had been left mostly unguarded, since most of the city’s warriors were at the Elven Court, reaffirming their long-standing alliance with their Elven neighbors. The army from the Underdark then turned to the Elven Court itself, and slaughtered countless Elves and Dwarves in a sneak attack.

Shevarash, an archer, was present when the army of Drow and Duergar attacked, and was one of the few to survive the brutality. However, none of his friends or family survived the devastation. Alone, depressed and filled with grief and anger, Shevarash decided that he had no reason to live, other than extracting his revenge for the Dark Court Slaughter, as it would become known as. The grief-stricken Shevarash swore an oath to never smile, laugh, or experience joy until Lolth, and all of her Drow faithful were destroyed.

Shevarash went about doing just this. During his “career”, hundreds of Drow were slain by his hands, male and female, ranging in age from infants to elderly. He was finally slain in –4070, almost 400 years later, after being mauled by a horde of summoned Myrlochar. But, with his final breath as a mortal, Shevarash launched an arrow that buried itself in the breast of Darthiir’elgg Aleanrahel, High Priestess of Lolth, and summoner of those Myrlochar, killing her. Shevarash’s body was recovered by his companions, and he was entombed in a small cave in the Elven Court.

The Lone Wolf, Fenmarel Mestarine, had taken an interest in Shevarash. On my occasions, the Lone Wolf secretly aided Shevarash in his crusade against Lolth, and against Drow. Upon the death of Shevarash, Fenmarel Mestarine received permission by Corellon Larethian to appeal to Ao the Overgod, to grant Shevarash divinity. Ao allowed it, and Shevarash underwent apotheosis.

Shevarash existed in relative obscurity, since he had few worshipers, and the portfolios he had gave him little power. When the Seldarine merged with the deities of the Yuir, Shevarash merged with Elikarashae, another relatively young warrior deity, who hated Drow almost as much as Shevarash. This gave Shevarash a moderate boost in power, and coupled with the fact that his worship base was now steadily growing, Shevarash was now an established member of the Seldarine.

Shevarash has many allies in his war on Drow. Of the Seldarine, he is closest with Corellon Larethian, Fenmarel Mestarine and Solonor Thelandria, though he often gets frustrated at their lack of willingness to take the battle to the Drow themselves. The Human deity Hoar shares Shevarash’s appetite for revenge, and the Human deity Shaundakul shares his thirst to explore the Underdark.

Both Calladuran Smoothhands and Psilofyr share Shevarash’s enmity towards the Drow, and the three deities often collaborate to come up with strategies on how to upset the plans of the Drow. Much to the distress of all of his other allies, Shevarash has recently been drawn to the soothing embrace of Shar. Corellon Larethian is working to slowly distance Shevarash from Shar, but the goddess has a firm hold on Shevarash.

Shevarash’s primary foes are Lolth and the rest of the Dark Seldarine, with the exception of Eilistraee, who he tolerates with greatly practiced disdain. In his crusade against Drow, Shevarash has picked up some other enemies, most of whom are deities that are worshipped by some of the more sinister and evil races of the Underdark. These enemies include Blibdoolpoolp, Deep Duerra, Diinkarazan, Diirinka, Gzemnid, Ilsensine, Ilxendren, Laduguer, the recently perished Maanzecorian, The Blood Queen, and The Great Mother.

Shavarash has no actual divine realm of his own, but he shares the Fennimar with Fenmarel Mestarine. Shevarash, seeking solitude, often comes to the deserted glades of Fennimar to be alone and think.

Dogma: The greatest enemy of the Seldarine is Lolth, who sought 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 were long ago 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!

Avatars/Manifestations: Shevarash normally takes the form of a tall, muscular Wood Elf, much how he appeared in life, according to theologians and historians. He wears black Elven Chainmail, and a black Cloak of Elvenkind. Slung over his back is his famous bow, the Black Bow. When appearing to his Yuir faithful, Shevarash takes the form of Eikarashae, a dexterous Wild Elf, who wears animal skin clothing, has leaves tangled in his long brown hair, and carries a spear.

Sometimes, the Black Archer manifests as a bright white flame that engulfs the being that Shevarash is aiding. The flame goes not cast off any heat, nor does it burn, but is still sheds bright light equivalent of a Daylight spell. The flames bestow Mage Armor, Haste, Ironguard, Shield and Protection from Missiles upon the being they engulf. The fire also aids the blessed individual in battle against Lolth’s servants, particularly Chitines, Drider, Drow Mylochar and Yochol (+1 to Hit and +2 to Damage).

To indicate his favor, Shevarash has his faithful discover web stone engraved with his symbol, torn spider webs, and crushed spiders. To indicate his displeasure, the Black Arrow manifests as a pair of glowing red orbs in the darkness, like some kind of malevolent creature waiting to pounce from the shadows.

Agents/Petitioners: Shevarash has very few agents. He is served primarily by Aasimar, Agathinon, Ancient Treants, Asuras, Eladrin (Ghaeles), Elves and Reverend Ones.

The Church of Shevarash: The church of Shevarash is fairly small, and in some Elven communities, is completely absent. The church of Shevarash is most well known in communities where Drow raids are fairly common. Among most N’Tel’Quessir communities, the church of Shevarash is not present. In Myconoid and Svirfneblin societies, the church of Shevarash is present, is often very well known and very appreciated.

Among we Tel’Quessir there is a sort of universal sadness and pity for the faithful of Shavarash, myself included. Though we appreciate what they do, we also have pity for them. The all-consuming thirst for revenge that burns within them is more akin to the way the N’Tel’Quessir mind works. Though I do not believe this myself, some Elven theologians say that followers of Shevarash are denied entry into Arvandor, because of what all of the corruption that the anger they carry in their hearts does to their spirits.

Temples of Shevarash are always located in caves that connect Elven-occupied forests with the Underdark. His temples are constructed so that they serve primarily as a fortress, and a base of operations, and a place of worship and spiritualism secondly. Hastily constructed shrines dot the Underdark. Shrines serve as makeshift bases of operations, defensible locations, and burial grounds for fallen comrades, should they not be able to be brought back to the surface for a proper burial.

Novices in the Shevarashan church as known as The Haunted. Fully ordained priests and priestess’ are called Dark Avengers. Priests and priestess’ have other titles, but all are unique, and make mention of specific exploits, or events. Some titles include, “Destroyer of Drow” and “Murderer of Menzoberranzan”.

Shevarash’s clergy is almost evenly split between Wood Elves, Moon Elves and Sun Elves. A few Half-Elves from those same subraces round out the list. Very surprisingly, the Black Archer’s clergy is exactly evenly split between males and females.

Day-to-Day Activities: For the most part, the Church of Shevarash is totally consumed with its campaign to root out and destroy the Drow. Individual priests and priestess’ spend their days drilling, designing tactics for combat in the Underdark, and training new recruits. Many take it upon themselves to guards known entrances to the Underdark, or small communities where Drow attacks are likely. Many Clerics of the Black Archer from adventuring companies that enter the Underdark that attack Drow and Drow communities, while others join already established adventuring companies, for the same reason.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: For the church of Shevarash, Midwinter Night is a somber time of remembrance. The night is in remembrance of the Dark Court Slaughter, but each adherent of the Black Arrow’s faith is stressed to think of his/her own losses as well. It is on this holy night that new priests and priestess’ are ordained into the clergy. In honor of Shevarash’s original oath, priests and priestess’ reaffirm their vows to never laugh or smile again until Lolth, the rest of the Dark Seldarine, and their wicked worshipers are all destroyed.

Major Centers of Worship: Upon his death, Shevarash’s body was taken to a large oak tree on the outskirts of the Elven Court by one of his closest friends and comrades. His mortal body was entombed in a small natural cavern among the roots of this ancient oak. When the Black Archer ascended to divinity, this oak tree turned charcoal black, stopped growing and stopped producing leaves. The tree is still quite alive, according to Druids, however.

The Vault of Unquenched Vengeance, as the tree and cavern are known now, is Shevarash’s most holy site. All followers of Shevarash aspire to make a pilgrimage to this site at some point of their lives. The cave underneath the oak tree has been fortified into a “fortress”, and serves as the terminus for the last entrance into the Underdark in the area, or so the faithful of Shevarash say.

Affiliated Orders: The Church of Shevarash is very decentralized, and thus, has no “official” orders. However, this hasn’t stopped individual crusaders from adopting their own monikers and operating like an official order of the Shevarashan faith. For instance, the “Black Arrow Brigade” was a group of Shavarashan priests, priestess’ and lay worshipers who organized themselves, and participated in the recent Elven Crusade, giving wizards cover while fighting on the outskirts of Myth Drannor.

Priestly Vestments: The ceremonial garb of the Black Archer’s clergy includes silver Chainmail, a blood-red cloak that only falls to the small of the back, and a silver helm with a fixed visor that covers the upper portion of the face, including the eyes. The holy symbol of the faith is often given a physical aspect, as a broken arrow that has been dipped in Drow blood and blessed by a priest or priestess of Shevarash.

Adventuring Garb: Clerics of Shevarash favor bows to other weapons, but have no qualms with drawing a blade in hand-to-hand combat. In most cases, they employ, and utilize a wide variety of weapons, although some priests and priestess’ decide to specialize with one or two weapons. Most Clerics prefer Elven Chainmail, since it provides a great deal of protection at no sacrifice to maneuverability.