Shargaas

Shargaas was the orc deity of darkness, night, stealth, thieves, and the undead. His symbol was a skull on a red crescent moon.

Description
Shargaas appeared as a gaunt, tall, ebony-skinned orc with jet-black eyes that seemed to glow an unholy light when in the darkness. He dressed in all black and wore a dark cloak.

Personality
Secretive, murderous, and frightfully cruel, Shargaas was the smartest of the orc gods. He was more cunning than even the general Ilneval, and his scheming was more cold and calculated than any of the others. Though it didn't manifest as the traditional berserker fury of the orcs, Shargaas was nonetheless a hateful being, seemingly despising all non-orc forms of life. However, the Night Lord's hatred of non-orcs went deeper than that, and was rooted in a basic hatred for life itself; in his glowing eyes, the orcs were little more than useful implements for killing that he would eventually discard once they outlived their usefulness.

His hatred of life extended to divine life as well, for Shargaas despised all other deities. Shargaas hated even his own life, and spent much of his time bemoaning his very existence, striking out (typically after careful consideration) at anyone who made it more unbearable, which included practically everyone in existence. Existence itself did not escape the hatefulness of the Night Lord, for Shargaas loathed the very forces of creation that brought him into being. In Shargaas's mind, the best way to avenge oneself upon creation was to steal everything creation held dear, and the vile deity took great glee in using his powers of undeath.

Powers
The strength of Shargaas's avatars was significantly impacted by the level of light in the area. They could see perfectly in absolute or magical darkness for over a mile but were completely blinded in sunlight. In total darkness, they resisted about half of the magic used against them, whereas they resisted on a fourth when in partial light and were completely vulnerable to it when in daylight. If in partial light or darkness, he could hide within the shadows and become nigh impossible to spot, and it was said that when he walked upon the earth that he could hide himself and his followers such that no mortals could detect them.

Shargaas could cast darkness at will, enervation three times each day, and command undead as if he was an incredibly powerful cleric. He could also climb any surface without slipping, even if it was perfectly smooth.

Possessions
Shargaas's cloak was a magical one that protected him from harm and allowed him to cast cone of cold once each day. He also employed an enchanted quarterstaff.

Realm
Shargaas lived in the Night Below, an immense cavern system below the lowest known layer of the plane of Gehenna, Krangath. It was said that his caves extended forever, and all were pitch black. The only creatures able to see were Shargaas himself and his orc and half-orc petitioners and spirit servants.

Worshipers
Shargaas' priests wore red and black leather armor and leather caps. His sacred animal was the bat. His holy days were on the new moons. Stolen items were sacrificed to him monthly.

Connections
Shargaas