Shar, Goddess of Darkness and Loss

How does one speak of Shar? There is a divide, a mental gap, that must be crossed when you ponder what exactly it means to be a god. On one hand, you have mortals such as Kelemvor who were able to acquire a divine spark of their own and ascend to godhood. This is a very comforting thought for the rest of us mortals, one that is easy for us to grasp. We see it as potentially the next step of our own fleeting existences. What do gods possess that we don't, other than immortality and greater power than any mortal could hope to achieve? The formerly mortal gods also still appear as we do (more often than not), so we are able to see them in us and us in them. Of course, once a mortal has ascended to godhood, they are actually no more like us than we are akin to music or starlight. They may choose to look like us, but they are now something else entirely.

Perhaps it is easier to comprehend when we look at a god who was never mortal, one who came to be before we mortals even existed: Shar. She, alongside her sister Selûne, were two of the first beings created in the multiverse. They were gradually shaped from the primordial essence of the universe itself, a shadowy mist neither light nor dark, which had separated into the most primal of dualities to form them. Back then, they were still so close as to appear as one, and were nearly inseparable. The night and the moon. Blackest dark and silvery light. Together, the sisters acted in perfect harmony, completing each other. They brought balance to order and chaos, and created the planets and celestial bodies as we know them.

Proud of their creations but wanting to do more, the sisters attempted to infuse these new worlds with life. Their efforts gave birth to the Goddess of Life, Chauntea, the Great Mother. Together, the trio spread life throughout the expansive sea of Abeir-Toril, greatest of their worlds. But, in order for Chauntea to truly foster life and make it grow beyond the deep, cold oceans, she needed warmth. She turned to the sisters for a source of heat for her to use and, for the first time, Shar and Selûne were not of the same mind. You see, warmth was anethema to Shar's nature, and she could not abide it, yet Selûne wanted to see their work though to the end. Divided and unable to see eye-to-eye, the two struggled with their dilemma. Eventually, the struggle turned into resentment, and resentment turned into hate, sparking a fight between two sisters for the fate of their worlds. Many new gods were birthed from the emotions and desires that poured from the goddesses. War. Murder. Death. Concepts that had never been known now had names. Eventually, when she saw an opening, Selûne reached through a fold in the universe and into the Plane of Fire. There she grabbed a fragment of ever-burning fire and, though it seared her arm, fashioned it into the Sun.

Shar was enraged by the deception and betrayal. In her anger, she spread her mantle of darkness throughout the universe, engulfing every light that there was. Selûne felt her power waning with the light and, in a desperate act of survival, tore free a piece of her own divinity and hurled it at Shar. Selûne's divine essence struck Shar, fusing with and ripping off some of her own divinity as it passed through her. The joined divinity of Selûne and Shar coalesced into the first Goddess of Magic, Mystryl, who joined forces with Selûne against the Goddess of Darkness. Unable to withstand both her sister and Mystryl, Shar relented and was banished to the dark recesses of the multiverse, leaving Selûne and Chauntea free to create new and wondrous life under the warming rays of the Sun. In her dark exile, Shar waited for centuries, growing ever stronger. There she allied with the Shadevari, primordial lords of shadow who had lurked in the far reaches of the darkness from the time of her own birth. She would have her revenge. For now, she waited, biding her time and staring callously at the distant light of the sun, her hatred and fury increasing with every second.

Darkness Eternal

Now we will bring ourselves forward in time, to the modern age of humans and elves. Nearly 40,000 years forward, years during which Shar waited patiently in the shadows. Let me repeat that. 40,000 years Shar waited, until the year 1358 DR in Dalereckoning, until the Time of Troubles, to enact her revenge. This here is exactly why you cannot examine the elder gods with the same lens that you would use to view an ascended mortal. They are ancient beyond the scope of anything that we know, ancient beyond our feeble comprehension.

Now that this distinction has hopefully set in, I will go on. When Ao forced the gods to walk Toril in their avatar forms, in punishment until the stolen Tablets of Fate were returned, Shar seized on the opportunity. In this extreme instance, while their divine essence was fully contained in their avatar, she knew that a god could be killed. Even an elder god would have little more power than a mortal could achieve. However, the death of Selûne would not be enough to appease Shar, not after all this time, not after what she had done to her. No, her church had to be dismantled, and the faith of her followers destroyed. Selûne would not be allowed to recover once the deed was done. Shar's plan was fiendishly clever and well executed. Simple and enacted with such audacity that no one suspected the truth.

Shar came to the city of Waterdeep, her avatar form disguised as that of her sister's avatar, Luna. Selûne had already been quietly living in Waterdeep in her avatar form for some time, of her own free will and with her divine powers locked behind a dimensional door. She was unaware that the other gods had been exiled to Toril, or that her divinity was now truly inaccessible and that she was vulnerable. Shar proceeded to Selûne's temple, the House of the Moon, where she called out to her sister's followers. The faithful heeded her call, and soon the temple was surrounded by those eager to see their beloved goddess. They greeted Shar as Selûne, renewed their devotion to her, and accepted every word that Shar spoke as divine law. When the true Selûne (in her avatar form Luna) and her friend Vajra approached through the crowd, Shar lambasted them as unbelievers. The mob of devoted followers turned on them for criticizing their goddess, and held Vajra back while Shar confronted Luna, where she defeated her sister in a duel of spells and took her prisoner.

Her plan now in full effect, Shar visited Luna's prison cell daily. There, she slowly began to corrupt her sister's mind, using her appearance and complete control of the temple to sow seeds of doubt as to who the true Luna actually was, and therefore the real Selûne. Eventually, though, Luna's friends noticed inconsistencies in how Shar portrayed her, how quickly she rose to anger and her show of thirst for the blood of her captive. When her ruse was finally uncovered, Shar was forced to fight the rebels, who surprisingly managed to ward her off and escape with the real Luna. In a blind rage, Shar chased them down at Luna's Inn, the Selûne's Smile, which she destroyed with her rod of oblivion. Luna, having been struck by the rod as well, watched helplessly while her friends fought to defend her. Somehow, they managed to hold Shar off just long enough for Vajra to open the dimensional doorway that was sealing away Selûne's godly power, allowing the goddess to regain some of that lost divinity. The two sisters then battled high above the streets of the city, a story that is well known and often told. Selûne's light, at long last, drove away the shadows and forced Shar to once again submit to her sister in defeat.

Birth of the Shadowfell

I wish I could say that Shar went back to the shadows after that embarrassment and stayed out of the affairs of gods and mortals alike. Unfortunately, this is nowhere near the truth. What she did do instead was proceed to create one of the greatest disasters the multiverse has ever known: the Spellplague. Her battle with her sister above Waterdeep only encouraged Shar. Once the Time of Troubles had ended and the gods were restored, she reached out to Bane and Cyric as allies. With their aid, she plotted to undermine the influence of both her sister and the Goddess of Magic, the new Mystra. What happened as a result, though, was not what anyone had anticipated.

You see, prior to this, Shar had secretly created the Shadow Weave, a conduit to accessing magic separate from the normal Weave that Mystra controlled. Shar's ultimate plan was to kill Mystra; with her gone and the Weave dormant, mortals would be unable to use magic without Shar's blessing and the Shadow Weave. The influx of followers would boost her divine power substantially as a result. So, with a little help and manipulation on her end, Shar convinced Cyric to kill Mystra. Her plan had worked. Unfortunately, when Mystra died the Weave collapsed completely, for the two were inextricably linked, and with it the Shadow Weave too. The end result was the spellplague, where mortals lost access to all magic as raw magic ripped across Toril, changing the very land. Defeated even in her greatest success, Shar finally stepped back into the shadows. There, she combined the Plane of Shadow and the Negative Energy Plane, weaving them into the Shadowfell, which she now rules as her own.

Immortal Nature. Shar doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Shar's Followers

As the worship of Shar is outlawed in most of the Material Plane, the Sharran clergy operates there with the utmost secrecy. They worship in isolated cells, ensuring the entire clergy isn't compromised if a Sharran cleric is discovered. Aside from spreading Shar's faith by acquiring new followers, they also attempt to sow discord and further lawlessness in society. Ideally, for Shar, this would cause more people to suffer great loss, and the swelling negative emotions would lead them to the worship of the Dark Goddess.

Dark Justiciars

Much like Shar is possessed by a burning hatred for her sister, Selûne, the Sharran loathe the Selûnites (as Selûne's clergy is called). In fact, the Sharran do all they can to hamper the Selûnites and dampen the influence of Selûne. However, the greatest act a cleric of Shar can make is slaying a cleric of Selûne. Doing so grants the Sharran cleric the title of Dark Justiciar, and exaltation within the Sharran clergy.

Order of the Dark Moon

Monks of this repugnant "order" are sorcerers skilled in martial arts. They are powerful, violent, and cunning, using their skills for assassination and desecrating holy sites, all to further the might of the Mistress of Night. They don't answer to Shar's clergy and operate as a completely independent body.

The Shadovar

An entire society dedicated to Shar, many of whom have been transformed into creatures merged with raw shadow: the aptly named shades. I've already talked about this in great length, so let me just reiterate this: If Telamont Tanthul and his Shadovar ever return, we must gather all of our armies and mightiest heroes, and pull that city out of the sky once and for all.

Nightbringers

These (exclusively female) harbingers of darkness are the most zealous of Shar's followers. Kissed by the Dark Lady as they were transformed into shades, the nightbringers now wield immense demigod-like power. They are, in fact, best described as an extension of Shar herself, simultaneously much more than they used to be and much less. You see, a nightbringer leaves behind its mortal body and becomes what can best be described as a spirit of shadow. A vestige of what it once was, now utterly consumed by darkness and driven by Shar's will.

Roleplaying Shar

Shar is an ancient and perverse goddess; the embodiment of darkness and despair. Shar’s voice is carried by a soft tone that gently caresses the senses of any who hear it, instilling a calm enthusiasm for ultimate bliss. Many people turn to Shar in times of a great loss or betrayal, hoping for the darkness to alleviate their pain. However, the Mistress of Night only magnifies this grief, manipulating their emotions with false hope and systematically converting them into feelings of bitterness, resentment, and vindictiveness.

Dark Devotions. The Dark Lady expects complete reverence and obedience from those who have fully converted to her worship. Her use of slow, subtle, and systemic corruption, as opposed to brute force, has garnered her one of the most loyal followings of any deity. As a result, it is rare that any Sharran would even think of abandoning their faith. Unlike most other deities, Shar cares little for elaborate festivals and prayers in her name, preferring that her worshipers devote more time to their assigned operations in promoting her doctrine of vengeful nihilism.

Blinded by the Light. While Shar’s disposition is generally composed and unfettered, her loathing for her sister often drives her into fits of rage. This can inspire reckless decisions, such as ordering different sects of her followers to abandon their ongoing operations and congregate on one location to strike a blow at Selûne's clergy. This carries the risk of unmasking the identities of Shar’s cultists, who usually reside in small and secretive societies in different parts of the world. She might even assume an avatar form to quench the heresy herself, or to corrupt a Selûnite cleric.

Fighting Shar

The Mistress of Night is among the most dangerous beings in the multiverse, wielding her power with a complete disregard for others. While most mortals are deemed worthless and far beneath her notice, she works tirelessly to destroy any who withstand her corrupting influence and pose a real threat to her power.

Shar's Traits

Ideal. “I am everywhere the light doesn't impose its corruptive nature.”
Bond. “The light is a wicked thing that must be abolished at all costs.”
Flaw. “My loathing for my sister often supersedes my better judgment.”

Shar's Names and Powers

Names. Shar is known as the Dark Lady, the Nightsinger, the Lady of Loss, the Dark Goddess, and the Mistress of Night.

Godly Senses. Using an action, Shar can perceive anything within twenty miles of her worshipers, objects, and sites dedicated to her worship, or any location where one of her names was spoken in the last hour. She can perceive from any number of locations at once while remaining fully aware of her surroundings. If Shar senses a location in this manner, she can block other deities from sensing that location with similar abilities, so long as the area is covered in darkness.

Portfolio Senses. Shar can sense anything that happens in darkness. When looking at a creature, she can sense any event in the creature's life that caused it mental pain or despair, as well as anything the creature longs for.

Shar's Lair

Shar’s lair is the Palace of Loss, located in the shadowy realm of the Towers of Night. It used to be within the Shadowfell itself, but after the Spellplague the looming tower inverted into a gaping hole called the Foundation of Loss, which now serves as the entryway into the Towers of Night.

Shar has a challenge rating of 45 (565,000 XP) if she is encountered in her lair.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Shar can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects:

• Shar conjures forth 1d4 + 1 darkfiends or dreadhounds, 1 nightbringer, or 1 shadow dragon with a CR no higher than 15.
• Shar causes the lair to become thick with a sensation of overwhelming loss. Each creature in the lair hostile to Shar must make a DC 28 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature gains a Short-Term Madness (see chapter 8 in the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
• Until initiative count 20 on the next round, Shar’s divine might brings the will of her foes to its knees. Creatures hostile to Shar can’t cast spells using a particular ability score. Roll a d6 to determine which ability score: Intelligence on a roll of 1-2, Wisdom on a roll of 3-4, and Charisma on a roll of 5-6.
• Shar regains one expended use of her Legendary Resistance trait.

Regional Effects

The Towers of Night, a realm of Shar’s own creation, is a vast desert of black sand. Packs of dread hounds and shadow mastiffs roam the sands. The realm also has the following features:

• The sky is void of celestial objects, such as a sun, a moon, or stars. Non-magical light can’t be created here, and magical light only shines half as far as normal.
• Countless black citadels rise from the ground. They stand miles apart. Most lairs for shadow dragons, while others are inhabited by liches that Shar has allowed residence. Such creatures have lair actions within their citadel. The Palace of Loss is the largest of these citadels.
• A creature that hasn’t been invited by Shar, can only benefit from its darkvision out to half its normal radius.
• The first time a creature enters the Towers of Night and whenever it finishes a short or long rest, it must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or be overcome with deep despair. Roll a d6 on the following table to determine the effect or choose one. The effect takes root in the character’s inner personality and does not necessarily manifest in outward behavior right away. As such, it is unlikely to be detected on the onset. A creature can repeat the saving throw when it finishes a long rest outside of the Towers of Night. On a successful save, the despair effect ends. Otherwise, only a wish spell can remove the despair caused by the Towers of Night.

If a creature is already suffering from a despair effect (such as the Shadowfell despair outlined in the Dungeon Master’s Guide), one of the following effects replaces it.

1. Fatalistic. The creature feels an overwhelming sense that their inevitable doom is near, which wears on its will to fight against it. The creature automatically fails two death saving throws when reduced to 0 hit points and has disadvantage on further death saving throws. In addition, the creature regains only half as many hit points from magical healing.
2. Indifferent. The creature is so overwhelmed with despair that it becomes increasingly difficult to rouse them to action. The creature has disadvantage on initiative rolls, can't benefit from Inspiration (either Bardic or DM-gifted), or the haste spell.
3. Jealous. The creature begins to doubt their own capabilities compared to their companions, which gradually eats away at its self-esteem. Outside of combat, the creature has disadvantage on ability checks while within sight of any allies and can't benefit from the Help action. In combat, if this creature witnessed at least one of its allies score a critical hit for an attack roll in the previous round, the creature’s next successful attack or damaging spell deals only half damage.
4. Mistrustful. The affected creature becomes suspicious of its allies. The creature has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws while within 5 ft. of an ally. Unless incapacitated, it also can't benefit from any beneficial abilities from its allies which require touch (such as the Lay on Hands feature or the greater restoration spell).
5. Squeamish. The creature is overcome with visions of loss, causing it to develop an overwhelming distaste of causing harm to others. It deals only half damage to creatures that are below half of their hit point maximum.
6. Dark Devotion. The creature renounces all other deities as it realizes that Shar is the only deity worthy of its worship. The creature is also charmed and convinced that Shar must be heeded and protected. The creature isn’t under Shar’s control, but it takes Shar’s requests and actions in the most favorable way.