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Shar: Difference between revisions
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*Only {{CharLink|Shadowheart}} can have Shar as a deity. | *Only {{CharLink|Shadowheart}} can have Shar as a deity. | ||
*Shar was available as a deity for non-Shadowheart player character [[Cleric]]s in [[Early Access]], but the option was cut in the full release of the game. | *Shar was available as a deity for non-Shadowheart player character [[Cleric]]s in [[Early Access]], but the option was cut in the full release of the game. | ||
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== References == | |||
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Revision as of 01:21, 7 November 2024
![Portrait Shar.png](/w/images/thumb/d/d1/Portrait_Shar.png/70px-Portrait_Shar.png)
“I am nothing. I am the empty room. The dreamless sleep. The shadow's shadow. There was no pain before my sister set the sun aflame. Now you exist to suffer until you find your way back to my embrace.„
Overview
Shar is the twin sister and enemy of Selûne and the patron deity of Shadowheart. She is associated with the domains of Death and Trickery. Shar cannot be the deity of a custom player Cleric.
Shar’s presence is described as a feeling of emptiness, a feeling like one with the darkness, shadows that cloud thoughts and memories, and a feeling of oblivion-like loss.[1]
Church of Shar
Shar is considered an evil goddess, and as such her faithful are feared and reviled. Sharrans rarely flaunt their worship openly due to this - as well as the fact that it breaks Shar’s teachings to reveal themselves. Worship of Shar is forbidden outright in some places.
Sharrans take pride in secrecy, trickery, interrogation, torture, and stealth. They do not shy away from brutality, and have been known to display their enemies' bodies. Secrecy is valued so highly that some Sharrans undergo a ritual to have their memories temporarily suppressed. Sharran culture is militaristic, given their centuries-old war with the followers of Selûne, often referring to her as the “moonwitch”. Shar has been at war with Selûne since before most history was written, thus making it an eternal conflict from the eyes of mortals. Shar’s creed focuses on waging war against her sister Selûne. Initiates of Shar are taught to reject anything that may distract them, including romance.
Shar is known to be unforgiving and ruthless even toward her own devotees, claiming that if any of her warriors are caught, tricked, or blunder, they are unworthy and weak.
Followers of Shar are also enemies of Lathander and his followers.
Ranks of the Church of Shar from highest to lowest:
- Dark Justiciar
- Mother Superior of Shar
- Justiciar Crusader
- Sharran Fidelian
- Sharran Sentry
- Sharran Novice
Dark Justiciars
Dark Justiciars are an honorary order within the priesthood of Shar, who were granted supernatural abilities and carry out her will throughout Faerûn. They are considered Shar's most elite warriors, known to be formidable in battle - though Viconia DeVir mentions that they are better deployed as daggers in the shadows, not massed upon a battlefield.
In order to ascend to the rank of a Dark Justiciar, initiates must pass the Gauntlet of Shar; a series of trials that prove a variety of skills valued by the Dark Lady. If the trials are survived, the initiate has to kill a cleric of Selûne (for a hundred years, this was the ever-regenerating Dame Aylin.)
Dark Justiciar equipment is quality gear. A Sharran crossbow is described as powerful, nicer than duergar craft, graceful but hardy, and “exquisitely designed”. Their uniforms are clad with the symbol of Shar. They incorporate various fabrics, including velvet tunics and dark cloaks. Sharran armours are described as fine, “unusually robust”, and handsome. [2]
There are very few living Dark Justiciars remaining in Baldur's Gate 3; the vast majority appear as a race of Undead creatures, serving the Lady of Loss in death.
Variants
Ceremonies and Rituals
The Nightfall Feast (also known as the Nightfall ceremony) is a sacrificial ritual in which worshippers enjoy a banquet in honor of Shar, then kill an innocent in her name. It is considered a sacred right among her followers and is meant to honor her with an act of wickedness.[3]
On a Moonless night, the faithful of Shar can show their devotion by committing an act of depravity in Shar’s name.
Related quests
Related items
Related literature
A is for Azuth, and other Gods XI
An Open Heresy
Abandoned Journal
Artefact Mission: Agent Roster
Artefact Mission: Challenges
Become Our Friend
Bonded By Love - Husband's Diary
Bonded By Love - Wife's Diary
Canticles of the Dark Mistress
Captives of Shar
Client List
Cloister Budget
Damaged Journal
Dark Justiciar's Journal
Dark Justiciar's Plea
Dusty Book
Grymforge: A History
In Search of the Nightsong
Innkeeper's Journal
Interrogation in Three Levels
Investigation Notes
Lunar Dark Lies
Magical Histories, Volume 1: The Origins of Mystra
Magical Histories, Volume 2: The Spellplague
Martial Catechism
Mistress of the Night and Friends
No Price Too High
Reflections Upon the Mirror of Loss
Report on Activities of Enver Gortash
Scuffed Manifest
Security Guidelines
Sharran Initiate's Notes
Sharran Registry
Sharran's Journal
Sharran's Psalm
Surgery and Physiology: A Sharran's Primer
Teachings of Loss: Dark Justiciar
Teachings of Loss: Endless Dark
Teachings of Loss: Forgetting and Loss
Teachings of Loss: Light's Love
Teachings of Loss: Oblivion
Teachings of Loss: Own Secret
Teachings of Loss: The Nightsinger
The Final Sacrifice of the Moon Daughter
The Gauntlet of Shar
The Genesis of Selûne and Shar
The Glories of the Nightsinger
The Rumour of Reithwin
The War between Selûne and Shar
The Unburdening
The Unclaimed
Tome of the Faith-Leap Trial
Tome of the Self-Same Trial
Tome of the Soft-Step Trial
Related characters
Sharran Fidelians
Sharran Sentries
Sharran Novices
Related locations
Quotes
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— A is for Azuth, and other Gods XI |
"In the beginning came morning, then night; two sisters clashed - one dark and one light.Selûne did call forth the moon and the stars; Shar cloaked them in shadow to cover our scars."
- Plaques in Grymforge
Notes
- Only Shadowheart can have Shar as a deity.
- Shar was available as a deity for non-Shadowheart player character Clerics in Early Access, but the option was cut in the full release of the game.
References
- ↑ Companion and player character dialogue when interacting with the Sharran artifact that grants temporary Darkvision.
- ↑ Companion and player character dialogue while interacting with items in Grymforge.
- ↑ Companion dialogue after finding the banquet table in Grymforge, and dialogue from Shadowheart’s 3rd romance scene, on the Shar path.
Gallery
External Links
Shar on the Forgotten Realms Wiki