The Tome Of Drow Lore.pdf - RoseRed

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Worshippers
The worshippers of Kez’Skul are many, but those solely
devoted to him are comparatively few. For example, a
wealthy merchant may pray to the Trickster for help in
the Game of Bones while maintaining Alsythuth as his
foremost god, just as a commander offers supplication to
the Trickster that his flanking manoeuvre might succeed
and fool the enemy while reserving his greater reverence
for Thraud.
This is not always the case, of course. Though not so many
as those who give Kez’Skul only a part of their worship,
there are those drow outside the clergy who are dedicated
to him utterly. Like the members of the priesthood, these
drow come from all walks of life, from the Noble House
prince obsessed with the Game of Bones to the common
con artist working his trade in the grimy back alleys of the
city.
Mu’Ushket (The Knife in the
Dark)
Symbol: A field of black with an indistinct grey face inside
it.
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Governs: Assassins, secrets, shadow, stealth
Domains: Chaos, Death, Trickery
Favoured Weapons: Hand crossbow, short sword
Requirements for Priesthood: Must have at least one
level of rogue
Background
Worship of Mu’Ushket is uncommon and his
temples few in drow society. The primary
reason for this is not his sphere of influence,
as drow have no objections to assassinations
except when directed at them personally.
Rather, Mu’Ushket is an outsider among
the gods themselves, or so it is believed.
Though the gods do not speak directly
on this, or at least the priests have
not conveyed such speech, Mu’Ushket is
considered an outsider by the gods of the drow.
According to legend, Mu’Ushket was born a mortal
drow like any other but, through a life of scheming
and stealthy acquisitions, he gained enormous power.
Eventually, he chose to tread the perilous path towards
godhood and succeeded where all other drow have failed.
This is considered an unlikely claim by many. That
Mu’Ushket seems to be an outsider among the gods of
the drow pantheon is undeniable, but those who doubt the
mortal roots of the Knife in the Dark believe he is simply
another god who has chosen to attach himself to the drow.
It is left to Games Masters to decide which of these beliefs,
if either, is correct.
Whatever the truth of his origins, it is undeniable that
Mu’Ushket has become a force in drow society and is a
popular god among some elements of the lower classes.
His control over shadows, stealth and secrets make him a
natural divinity for assassins and thieves, whose worship he
has almost entirely lured away from Kez’Skul the Deceiver.
Mu’Ushket seems to return the hostile feelings of the other
gods in the drow pantheon, and his cult has no relations
with the churches of other deities. Mu’Ushket is protective
of his worshippers, and watches them closely.
Religious Observances
There are no formalised rituals or observances involving
multiple worshippers in the cult of Mu’Ushket, no sacred
occasions on which his followers gather in great numbers.
Considering that secrecy is one of the primary interests of
Mu’Ushket, this is hardly surprising, as it is difficult to to
keep a large gathering a secret, especially in drow society.
The Knife in the Dark does accept sacrifices, but not
through the usual means. Rather, any act of thievery by
a worshipper of Mu’Ushket is considered a sacrifice
(provided a portion of the spoils go to the church) and any
assassination carried out by a follower of Mu’Ushket is
also counted as a sacrifice (again, assuming some portion
of the fee goes to the church).
Temples
The cult of Mu’Ushket does not maintain
temples in drow cities in the usual sense.
That is, there are no imposing edifices
towering towards the stalactites, inlaid with
holy symbols and proclaiming publicly the
strength of the god. A deity of stealth and
secrecy has no interest in such an obvious
and vulnerable place of worship.
Instead, temples to the Knife in the Dark
are maintained in secret. They are located in
old cellars, hidden meeting rooms, even out in the
Underdeep itself. When worshippers gather, they do so
in small groups, never more than a handful, in a meeting
place referred to as a Den.
There are persistent rumours of a large temple to Mu’Ushket
hidden somewhere in the Underdeep, shrouded perpetually
in magical darkness and home to dozens of Knives and
priests. Some rumours even claim that an avatar of the