Drow and Shar [Archive] - Wizards Community

Drow and Shar [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Triton
07-15-03, 08:03 PM I'm thinking of creating a new force for my party to battle. A drow city that worships Shar. It's run by a leShay Mage/Psion, and their goals are to convert the drow to NE or LE, unite, conquer the underdark and then the surface.
Is there any specific connections in FR for having the drow worship Shar? And does it seem to change the power balance to much?
Azzadar
07-15-03, 08:15 PM I don't know of any connections other than drow living in darkness which is Shar's domain. That sounds like fun. I like different approaches to the Realms. My campaign focuses on the war between Bane and Cyric. The PC's are caught up in a power struggles between two factions of Zhentarim. A priest of Shar is instigating the war, hoping to please Shar.
Gotrex
07-15-03, 08:27 PM I think its quite likely that could happen

i think it would make more sense if the shades were involved

with shar sending those as her agents to temp the drow with the shadow weave because im not sure how likely it is that drow would just start worshiping shar without prompting (priestess's of Lloth probably try to stop drow from learning of other gods and would kill anyone they found to be worshiping a none drow deity like shar)

on the deity front it would make things very interesting

as rather than being a power struggle between mystra and shar it would become a power strugle between mystra, shar and Lloth (nice big cat fight :))
Triton
07-15-03, 09:25 PM Thanks for the input. My idea was for there to have been a faction of the illythari (the more NE and LE drow) who switched to Shar during the Descent. They escaped the collapse of the Great Rift. They had formed a seperate city deeper down than the Lolth and Gaunadar worshipping drow. Shar now faces the same opportunity as the other drow deities. Lolth has disappeared, make your move before she returns.
Sarelle
07-16-03, 02:22 PM One of the main bad guys in my campaigns has been a crazed bounty hunter drow cleric of Shar/Shadow Weave Bard, and his party. He converted from Ibrandul when Shar killed him, and likes Shar much more.
He HATES Sarelle and her friends, among them an archmage favoured by Mystra Weave vs Shadow Weave), a wereboar woeshiping Selūne (shar vs. Selūne), and Sarelle (a good drow).

I think Shar might have a fair few rogue drow under her dark influence.
Triton
07-16-03, 02:50 PM My idea was a large city. I believe I read somewhere that there is a drow city devoted to Shar. Does anyone know?
Azzadar
07-16-03, 04:32 PM Neverheard of it. Maybe they'll mention it in the Underdark suppliment.
KismetRose
07-17-03, 01:52 AM I think that it makes perfect sense that some drow would choose to worship Shar. Not all drow worship Lolth, or only Lolth, and look at the things that Shar represents: caverns, darkness, loss, secrets. The drow are not strangers to such things, and Shar might speak to the drow through the darkness and caverns over which she holds power. Shar is also one of the most ancient deities of the Faerunian pantheon; she did not come from some other plane but was nonetheless formed ages ago, and the drow can appreciate age. Shar is also one of the deities who has never been and will never be mortal. She is not some woman who ascended to godhood like the current Mystra and thus is not to be looked down upon the way that the drow might look down on non-drow deities (for what self-respecting drow would ever follow a human, even a human who has become a god?).

You might consider that the drow might have a very different name for Shar and might not realize that she is the same deity that is worshipped as Shar on the surface. Gods often have more than one name that they answer to (which is sometimes dependent on region) and more than one story that they claim of their origins. (Shar is already standing in for another deity.)

I do not know of any specific references to Shar-worshipping drow cities but that shouldn't stand in your way - make one. It wouldn't take too much work, just a bit of imagination. I do not think that it will imbalance things, but you will have to think about the differences between a Lolth-worshipping society and a Shar-worshipping one. They may have different goals and different attitudes.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Triton 07-15-03, 08:03 PM	I'm thinking of creating a new force for my party to battle. A drow city that worships Shar. It's run by a leShay Mage/Psion, and their goals are to convert the drow to NE or LE, unite, conquer the underdark and then the surface. Is there any specific connections in FR for having the drow worship Shar? And does it seem to change the power balance to much?
Azzadar 07-15-03, 08:15 PM	I don't know of any connections other than drow living in darkness which is Shar's domain. That sounds like fun. I like different approaches to the Realms. My campaign focuses on the war between Bane and Cyric. The PC's are caught up in a power struggles between two factions of Zhentarim. A priest of Shar is instigating the war, hoping to please Shar.
Gotrex 07-15-03, 08:27 PM	I think its quite likely that could happen i think it would make more sense if the shades were involved with shar sending those as her agents to temp the drow with the shadow weave because im not sure how likely it is that drow would just start worshiping shar without prompting (priestess's of Lloth probably try to stop drow from learning of other gods and would kill anyone they found to be worshiping a none drow deity like shar) on the deity front it would make things very interesting as rather than being a power struggle between mystra and shar it would become a power strugle between mystra, shar and Lloth (nice big cat fight :))
Triton 07-15-03, 09:25 PM	Thanks for the input. My idea was for there to have been a faction of the illythari (the more NE and LE drow) who switched to Shar during the Descent. They escaped the collapse of the Great Rift. They had formed a seperate city deeper down than the Lolth and Gaunadar worshipping drow. Shar now faces the same opportunity as the other drow deities. Lolth has disappeared, make your move before she returns.
Sarelle 07-16-03, 02:22 PM	One of the main bad guys in my campaigns has been a crazed bounty hunter drow cleric of Shar/Shadow Weave Bard, and his party. He converted from Ibrandul when Shar killed him, and likes Shar much more. He HATES Sarelle and her friends, among them an archmage favoured by Mystra Weave vs Shadow Weave), a wereboar woeshiping Selūne (shar vs. Selūne), and Sarelle (a good drow). I think Shar might have a fair few rogue drow under her dark influence.
Triton 07-16-03, 02:50 PM	My idea was a large city. I believe I read somewhere that there is a drow city devoted to Shar. Does anyone know?
Azzadar 07-16-03, 04:32 PM	Neverheard of it. Maybe they'll mention it in the Underdark suppliment.
KismetRose 07-17-03, 01:52 AM	I think that it makes perfect sense that some drow would choose to worship Shar. Not all drow worship Lolth, or only Lolth, and look at the things that Shar represents: caverns, darkness, loss, secrets. The drow are not strangers to such things, and Shar might speak to the drow through the darkness and caverns over which she holds power. Shar is also one of the most ancient deities of the Faerunian pantheon; she did not come from some other plane but was nonetheless formed ages ago, and the drow can appreciate age. Shar is also one of the deities who has never been and will never be mortal. She is not some woman who ascended to godhood like the current Mystra and thus is not to be looked down upon the way that the drow might look down on non-drow deities (for what self-respecting drow would ever follow a human, even a human who has become a god?). You might consider that the drow might have a very different name for Shar and might not realize that she is the same deity that is worshipped as Shar on the surface. Gods often have more than one name that they answer to (which is sometimes dependent on region) and more than one story that they claim of their origins. (Shar is already standing in for another deity.) I do not know of any specific references to Shar-worshipping drow cities but that shouldn't stand in your way - make one. It wouldn't take too much work, just a bit of imagination. I do not think that it will imbalance things, but you will have to think about the differences between a Lolth-worshipping society and a Shar-worshipping one. They may have different goals and different attitudes.