The Tome Of Drow Lore.pdf - RoseRed

The one near constant of Kez’Skul is that he hates to lose
worshippers. Though he has kept his aspect as Vermthizzl
(see page 48) secret even from his highest clergy, his
annoyance at the loss of potential worshippers is at least
part of the reason he created this aspect of himself for the
Pol’Tah (see page 115). Of course, even that reason is
overshadowed by the immensity of the joke he has
perpetrated upon them.
Religious Observances
Kez’Skul revels in intricate falsehoods
and well-crafted deceit. He has
no interest in crudely obvious
or lighthearted jokes, which
is good, as the drow are
hardly given to such pursuits.
Rather, he prefers jests which
in cultures other than the drow
would be considered cruelty. For
example, a worshipper of Kez’Skul
who is able to craft an intricate web
of lies, convincing a wealthy merchant
his fortunes are failing and poverty is
imminent before driving him to suicide, all while
his fortunes are in fact growing, would receive great
favour in the eyes of Kez’Skul.
The cult of the Deceiver does practice sacrifice, but it is
less common than in most other drow faiths and certainly
not the nearly-constant practice it is in the church of the
Dark Mother. Kez’Skul has no interest in receiving
the soul of a sacrifice brought kicking and screaming to
the altar. Instead, sacrifices to the Trickster of the drow
must be brought to the altar more subtly. Ideally, this
involves tricking the potential sacrifice into freely making
himself a victim to the Deceiver, or, even more satisfying,
to convince a potential sacrifice to lie down on the altar
without even realising what fate is in store for him.
Obviously, this is an extremely difficult task for the clergy
to accomplish, particularly given the suspicious nature of
the drow and the fact that Kez’Skul’s preferences for his
sacrifices are known in drow society. The clergy of the
Deceiver are themselves excellent at deceit, however, and
they are sometimes successful.
Temples
The temples of Kez’Skul the Deceiver have nothing in
common with one another save their utter randomness.
They are large complexes but, as space is at a premium
in drow cities, most of their volume is vertical. That is,
they are built upward as high as the engineering arts of the
drow can manage and delve even further than that into the
ground, precariously perched upon a labyrinth of tunnels
and catacombs. They never have a single definable shape;
they are not ‘round’ or ‘square’ but rather seem almost to
have been built haphazardly. In those drow cities lucky
enough to have a generously abundant air flow,
temples usually have a large, constantly burning gas
flame at the apex of the roof.
Inside, the temples are a warren of chaos. Secret
passageways, false doors and rotating
walls are the norm. A stranger to the
temple will quickly become hopelessly
lost in this intentionally-confusing maze,
wandering aimlessly until he is either
found by the clergy, makes his way
out or meets his end in one of the many
traps the worshippers of Kez’Skul build
into his temples. A new recruit to the
priesthood usually needs months to
memorise the intricacies and
pitfalls of the temple, during
which time he is often, but
not always, accompanied by
a senior priest for his own
protection.
Clergy
Clergy of the Trickster wear ceremonial vestments
crafted of a specially-treated na’orsuin, which seems to
shift colours depending on the light. While in the temple,
all clergy wear a mask made of the same na’orsuin which
conceals the face completely.
The priests and priestesses of Kez’Skul the Deceiver are
taken from all walks of life in drow culture, for the church
believes that each strata of society possesses its own gifts
for deceit and trickery. Males and females exist in roughly
equal numbers in the priesthood, a surprise to some who
assume that females would be more adept at the work of
the Trickster. Though the clergy of Kez’Skul move about
freely and often outside the temple, they rarely do so in
the masks and colour-shifting garments of their cult. This
is not because of any particular fear, but simply to make it
easier to keep themselves anonymous.
Though most drow cults and churches involve themselves
somehow in the ongoing internecine drow struggle known
either as the Game of Bones or the Sheathed War, the cult
of Kez’Skul the Deceiver is almost certainly the most
active. The Game of Bones is based on webs of lies, deceit,
falsehood and innuendo and the priests and priestesses of
the Trickster have a natural talent at such pursuits that
makes them a dangerous foe.
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