Vhaeraun
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Vhaeraun

Masked God of Night


This information is an excert from "Drow of the Underdark" by AD&D.

" Vhaeraun is the god of thievery and the furthering of drow aims, interests, and power on the surface world. He is also the god of drow males as opposed to the matriarchy of Lolth, teaching that females are no better than males. He believes that drow should work with other elven races for common advancement - never associating or trading with duergar, svirfneblin, or other dwarven and gnomish races. (Humans and halflings can be tolerated.) Vhaeraun is handsome, even vain, and does not forget slights and deceptions.

Roleplaying Notes: Vhaeraun is proud, sometimes haughty, and bears grudges of legendary length. Any underhanded means and treachery is acceptable to him if it furthers his aims or is done in his service - but if others so treat him or his people, it is a deep sin that cannot go unpunished.
Vhaeraun is an active god, who finds it hard to hold aloof from the doings and needs of worshippers.

Statistics: Alignment: Neutral Evil; Worshipper’s Alignment: any evil (drow of any alignment); Area of Control: drow males and evil activity (particularily theivery) on the surface world, or against drow of other faiths in the Underdark; Symbol: a black half-mask.

DUTIES OF THE PRIESTHOOD

Priests of Vhaeraun must encourage, lead, or aid bands of drow and allied chaotic evil creatures in thievery, and instigate plots, intrigues, and events to continually increase drow influence and real power in the surface Realms.
They must manipulate trade, creatures, and intrigues designed to frustrate and lessen powers and plans of drow priests and priestesses (particularily those who serve Lolth), and continually forment rebellion or disobedience among drow males.
Drow thieves in need must be aided (even if female) - healed, bailed out of jail, or forcibly rescued. Drow males oppressed or under attack by drow females must be physically aided, in any circumstances. Cruelties against drow males must be avenged.

Requirements: Attribute Scores: standard (drow males only); Alignment: Chaotic Evil; Weapons allowed to Clergy: Any; Armor Restriction: may not wear any armor; Special Powers granted to priesthood: pass without trace, gained at level three, once a day per every level gained thereafter; animate dead, gained at level six, once/day; locate object, gained at level nine, once/day; Command undead.

Aims, Credo, and Ethos: The drow must forcibly claim a realm and rightful place on the surface world, and this must be a society of equality between the sexes. The existing drow matriarchies must be smashed, the warring practices of twisted Lolth done away with, so that the drow are a united people, not a squabbling gaggle of rival Houses, clans, and aims.
Rituals: Priests of Vhaeraun utter prayers to the Masked God of Night whenever they accomplish something to further his aims. Offerings of the wealth and weapons of those they vanquish (enemies of the drow, or regalia of female drow priestesses) are to be melted in black, bowl-shaped altars. Priests of the god must be self-reliant; the only summoning ritual or spell they are allowed to employ is to summon Vhaeraun himself. If Vhaeraun’s avatar comes, and offering of a magical item must be rendered - or one will be taken. If no offering is present, the summoner will find himself on a quest to gain one, to be left on the altar with a prayer for forgiveness. Vhaeraun’s avatar has been known to persuade thieves that make off with magic intended for him.
Customs, Rules, & Taboos: Rituals to summon Vhaeraun must be made in darkness, by night. The most important attacks, negociations, and other activities of the clergy must also occur at night.
Contact and marriage with other elfen races is encouraged. “Half-drow” usually breed true back into the drow race. Vhaeraun sees this practice inexorably raising drow numbers in surface lands.
Every priest must work to establish some sort of permanent drow settlement on the surface world, and either support that settlement’s needs personally, or (preferably) make is slef-supporting.

Equipment, Garb, & Offerings: No priest must of Vhaeraun can wear armor, and dark garb is preferred. The god’s holy symbol is a black mask, which can of course be worn and used like any mask. Poison use, manufacture, and experimentation is encouraged. Especially effective spells, poisons, and tactics devised by a priest are to be shared with the god - and thence, all clergy. Offerings of magic and wealth are to be made regularly. The more, and the more value, the more the god is pleased, though he favours daily diligence more than rare, huge “hauls”.

Specialty Magic: Priests of the god have devised many spells, but these pass into general use (if not combat-oriented, they can even be sold to humans and other wizards, as a sign of friendship, and to enrich the priesthood). The most important spell yet developed by the priesthood of Vhaeraun follows: it allows them to construct magical items normally beyond the powers of priests.

This spell enables the caster to stael the soul or spirit of a recently-slain character to empower magic. The caster’s holy symbol must be touched to the corpse, within 1 turn per level of the caster. The spells calls the life-force of the dead character back into the holy symbol. It will escape again, by itself, if the holy symbol is not touched to another obkect within 4 turns.
The object to receive the life-force must be touched by the holy symbol as a secret word is spoken. The transfer takes 1 round to occur. If transfer is interrupted, the life-force “snaps” back into the holy symbol, cut the transfer can be attempted again.
Once transferred, the life-force empowers an item to function magically for 1 month or 10 charges per level/hit dice (in life) of the dead character. Remember, this spell uses a trapped soul for an “engine” to power a previously-enchanted magical item. It cannot be used to turn a plain item into a magical one, i.e., one cannot use this spell to turn a sword into a holy avenger + 5.
The character cannot be contacted, raised (or otherwise called back to living existence) unless the object empowered by the stolen life force is identified, seized, and held by the being doing the raising. The enchanted object will betray the fact that it holds the essence of a particular being to any magical scrutiny - i.e., a detect magic will not only show a magical aura, but reveal the ghostly image of the stolen soul trapped within the item.
The material component of this spell (not consumed in casting) are the priest’s holy symbol and the corpse. A suitable enchanted item must also be prepared, but need not be present at the casting of the soultheft. "