Vhaeraun

Vhaeraun (Vay-rawn), also known as the Masked Lord and the Masked God of Night, was the drow god of territory, thievery, drow males, and evil activity on the surface world. His worshipers included assassins, male drow and half-drow, poisoners, shadowdancers, rogues, and thieves. Vhaeraun resided in the Demonweb Pits; his realm was called Ellaniath and was his hiding place, the whereabouts of which were unknown due to the god wiping the memories of anyone visiting it.

Description
Vhaeraun appeared as a black-masked (or purple-masked ) male drow who was masked in shadows, had a short sword and dagger, and wore leather armor and cloak. His eye and hair color changed with his emotion (red for anger, gold for triumph, blue for amusement, green for puzzlement or curious interest). He spoke High Drow. When he appeared to Inthracis in 1373 DR, he was missing a hand.

Relationships
Vhaeraun was the son of Corellon Larethian and Lolth, the brother of Eilistraee and the father of Selvetarm. He opposed and was opposed by all of his family members.

He was fiercely opposed by his son Selvetarm, who resented Vhaeraun's machinations. They fought during the Silence of Lolth as Vhaeraun sought to destroy Lolth in her weakened state.

Vhaeraun enjoyed a working relationship with Mask, Shar, and Talona. The relationship with Mask was interesting in that while Mask was interested in absorbing him to compensate his loss of power to Cyric, there were also Vhaeraun's followers who used the resemblance in the two gods' symbols and methods to recruit followers among humans and half-elves.

Vhaeraun was known as the Sly Savage to the followers of Eilistraee.

History
Vhaeraun was the son of Corellon Larethian and Lolth and the brother of Eilistraee. He was cast out of the elven pantheon, along with his mother, after their betrayal was discovered.

In 1372 DR, during the War of the Spider Queen, the drow of Menzoberranzan sent a contingent to Lolth's Demonweb Pits where they discovered Lolth defenseless. Their guide summoned his god Vhaeraun to attack the defenseless Lolth, but Selvetarm appeared and in the ensuing battle they both fell off the web and plummeted into the darkness below.

Vhaeraun was later (Nightal 20, 1375 DR ) killed by his sister, Eilistraee, when he attempted to enter her realm and assassinate her. His portfolio was taken by her at that time.

After the Sundering (circa 1489 DR), Vhaeraun and Eilistraee were alive again, as separate entities. Both siblings made their return be known, manifesting through their avatars to their followers, who enthusiastically spread the world. However, the power and conditions of the two deities, or what move were they planning next remained unknown.

Worshipers
The church of Vhaeraun was loosely organized in largely autonomous cells, mainly due to persecution from the priestesses of Lolth who ruled over the majority of the drow race. Despite aforementioned persecution it had the second largest following among the drow as a whole and the largest one among surface dwelling drow.

Vhaeraun's clergy was almost entirely male.Their goal is to free the drow race from their slavery to Lolth, unite them for dominion and create a society without favoritism based on gender. In order to accomplish this they practiced a passive opposition to Lolth by teaching males disobedience, rebellion and the idea that females are no better than them.

Priests of Vhaeraun encouraged contact and marriage with other elven races, so the various elven races can stand together and advance as a whole.

Aside from this, his followers tried to find a home for themselves on the surface and their clerics strove to establish (preferably self-supporting) settlements on the surface and supported them. This led to frequent conflicts with the clerics of Eilistraee, benevolent drow who strove to live in peace with the surface folk.

Priests often wore ceremonial veils of black silk.

Orders

 * House Jaelre: House Jaelre was formerly a drow house of Menzoberranzan, driven away from the city for being a house of heretics. They roamed the Underdark for many years. In 1372 DR, they were based in Minauthkeep, an abandoned elven fort in the forest of Cormanthor on the surface world.


 * Jaezred Chaulssin: The Jaezred Chaulssin were a patriarchal house of skilled assassins. Their goal was to rid the drow of the tyrannical rule of Lolth and her priestesses. They were based in the ruined drow city of Chaulssin, from which they got their name, but were actually spread throughout most of the Underdark, with agents in most major drow cities. During the Silence of Lolth in 1372 and 1373 DR, the Jaezred Chaulssin instigated a number of rebellions in drow cities in an attempt to overthrow the Lolthite priestesses. Their actions led to the Siege of Menzoberranzan, the destruction of Ched Nasad, and the restructuring of society in a number of other cities, including Eryndlyn and Maerimydra.


 * Dragon's Hoard: The Dragon's Hoard was a merchant band led by Nisstyre of Ched Nasad that formed a small community in the High Forest. Their main base, however, was located in the deep dragon Pharx's lair in the notorious trade city of Skullport beneath the great human city of Waterdeep. The band was involved in the slave trade in Skullport and were almost completely obliterated in 1361 DR by a group of Eilistraeean followers led by Qilué Veladorn.

Clerics

 * Tzirik Jaelre, high priest of House Jaelre (1372 DR).
 * Xorthaul Barriath, Patron Father and head priest of the Jaezred Chaulssin (1373 DR).
 * Shakti Hunzrin, traitor-priestess of Lolth and Vhaeraun (1361 DR).
 * Henge, drow priest in the Dragon's Hoard in 1361 DR.

Worshipers

 * Nisstyre, leader of the Dragon's Hoard (1361 DR).

Appearances

 * Novels:
 * Condemnation
 * Resurrection
 * Sacrifice of the Widow


 * Sourcebooks:
 * Demihuman Deities
 * Faiths and Pantheons
 * On Hallowed Ground