Ibrandul

Ibrandul was a chaotic neutral lesser deity of the Underdark, caverns, and dungeons. After the Time of Troubles, he was dead, his name and following having been usurped by Shar. In Calimshan he was also believed to have power over darkness and stealth. "Ibrandul guides you in the dark ways, drives away some dwellers in the darkness who would do you harm, and from time to time reveals great treasures to those who venture into the depths."

- A second-hand telling of a sermon from Thalandar, high priest of Ibrandul.

Description
Ibrandul was commonly depicted as a monstrous ibrandlin, with a grey-scaled body with a reddish underside and a red and brown mottled back. His avatar in this form was called the Stalker, and it was said to roam the caverns of Pandemonium hunting other predators there.

The second form he took was that of a humanoid with grey and black stone skin, with eyes that glowed like patches of lava. He frequently altered this form, called the Skulker, to change his exact appearance.

Personality
Ibrandul was moody and taciturn, and he radiated an aura of gloom, darkness, and ages long past. He was also restless, ever wanting to explore the Underdark and hunt down those who would harm his followers. He was said to aid and guide those who served them when they were in need, but he was also rather inattentive of his followers. That inattention was thought to have played a part in his eventual death.

Relationships
In life, Ibrandul was allied with Mask and Ilmater. He was an enemy of both Lolth and Shar, as both desired his dominion over caverns and the Underdark; Shar also hated his power over darkness and felt that he stole worshipers from her. He was also enemy of Lathander as their portfolios were directly opposed.

Dogma
""There is perfect freedom in perfect darkness: independence, individuality, liberty from the judgment of others. Ibrandul protects you and guides you in the dark ways. He drives away those who would do his children harm and from time to time reveals great treasures to those who venture into the depths. Remain steadfast to him, and he will stand by you.""

- Dogma taught to the Initiates of Enveloping Darkeness

Ibrandul's dogma held that the Underdark was every bit as vital as the surface world, and that darkness was its redeeming quality.

Worshipers
Ibrandul was a popular deity amongst adventurers. He was worshiped mostly in Calimshan and other parts of the Shining South, where it was believed that he watched over humans who ventured into hostile underground areas. His priests primarily proselytized to adventurers and to poor folk in cities; they were also expected to build secure temple-fortresses deep underground, to serve as sanctuaries in the night below. Specialty priests of Ibrandul were required to be chaotic neutral and reasonably healthy. As novices, they underwent a special initiation ceremony that involved ingesting ibrandlin blood; the ceremony resulted in patches of scales appearing on their wrists, forearms, chest, back, and legs, which granted them great natural armor, but which also had a deleterious effect on their natural charisma. Such priests were also taught how navigate underground (though they had a poor sense of direction aboveground), and typically were knowledgeable about, variously: mining, training animals, local history, dwarven runes, fungi recognition, sound analysis, and/or underground survival.

Ibrandul's specialty priests were also granted the spell create ibrandlin. Their uniform was dark purple robes covered with a pattern of large, overlapping silver rings, and belted with a black sash.

History
Worship of Ibrandul began in the prehistory of what was later called Calimsham, some time after the defeat of the Djen. A tribe of nomadic humans was abducted from the Calim Desert by drow raiders from Guallidurth. The humans were kept as slaves for centuries, too afraid of the surrounding darkness to flee. Until, that is, a monstrous lizard came out of the dark, drove off the drow, and led the humans into the wild tunnels. Some of the humans returned to the surface, while other remained as tribes in the Underdark (eventually becoming skulks), but both carried with them the worship of the Lord of the Dark Depths.

During the Time of Troubles, Ibrandul was seen wandering in the Underdark below Undermountain; however, during that period of weakness he was, unknown to his followers, slain by Shar, who took his guise and deceived his followers. She found masquerading as him quite useful, for it allowed her to subvert the worship of Selûne without drawing attention to her own nightbringers, particularly in Waterdeep. The petrified corpse of his avatar was believed to lie on a lost level of Undermountain.

During the events of the Second Sundering in 1486 DR, a Chosen of Ibrandul appeared, in the shape of a female drow named Ashdra. She was captured by the Red Wizards of Thay and taken to their so-called Temple of Shadows.