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48<br />
Vermthizzl (<strong>The</strong> Light in the<br />
Deep)<br />
Symbol: None<br />
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral (with evil tendencies)<br />
Governs: Deep drow, fire, humour, trickery<br />
Domains: Chaos, Fire, Trickery<br />
Favoured Weapons: Light pick, scimitar, spiked chain<br />
Requirements for Priesthood: Must be chosen by the<br />
priesthood and pass a series of tests administered by the<br />
priesthood.<br />
Background<br />
Vermthizzl, the Light in the Deep, is actually just a false<br />
face created by Kez’Skul, the Trickster.<br />
Before the end of the goblin war, when worship of the<br />
drow pantheon was growing to crowd out worship of the<br />
old elven pantheon in drow society, one clan that refused<br />
to give up worship of the elven Allfather broke off from<br />
the rest of the drow, determined to find a way around the<br />
goblins and back to the surface. After years of wandering<br />
through the previously unknown terrors and dangers of the<br />
Underdeep, their faith was waning. <strong>The</strong> Trickster had never<br />
stopped watching this clan of drow and, as their faith was at<br />
its ebb and they found themselves huddling in terror from<br />
the shangu at the bottom of the Underdeep, he appeared to<br />
them in the form of a flame.<br />
<strong>The</strong> drow took this to be a manifestation of the Allfather,<br />
and the Trickster did nothing to disabuse them of this<br />
notion. <strong>The</strong>y gladly worshipped him, and he urged them<br />
to remain hidden deep beneath the world, where eventually<br />
they became the Pol’Tah, the deep drow (see page 115).<br />
Slowly, the Trickster weaned the Pol’Tah away from the<br />
few tenets of the Allfather they still maintained, introducing<br />
them to a new religion he literally created as he went<br />
along. Never in all the long millennia since that day has he<br />
revealed himself for what he is, but the Pol’Tah have long<br />
since forgotten the name of Allfather, believing they have<br />
always worshipped Vermthizzl, the Light in the Deep. <strong>The</strong><br />
practices of this religion, which the deep drow truly believe<br />
has not changed, would be abhorrent to the Allfather, which<br />
only makes this millennia-long joke on the deep drow all<br />
the funnier, at least from the perspective of the Trickster.<br />
Still, the joke is beginning to grow stale for Kez’Skul. He<br />
has not yet abandoned the Pol’Tah, nor would he ever reveal<br />
the truth to them, but he has grown desirous for some kind<br />
of change to make his aspect as Vermthizzl entertaining<br />
again.<br />
Religious Observances<br />
Vermthizzl demands sacrifice but since the Pol’Tah have,<br />
until quite recently, had no contact with any intelligent race<br />
other than occasional battles with the shangu, they have<br />
had to sacrifice their own to keep the Light in the Deep<br />
burning. Every year, 16 children are chosen from the deep<br />
drow. Eight are chosen to enter the priesthood; eight others<br />
are kept in tiny cages within the temple, to be publicly<br />
sacrificed throughout the year.<br />
Temples<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is only one temple to Vermthizzl, in the deep drow<br />
city of Drez Khelim. It is a featureless block of stone, the<br />
interior of which is forbidden to any not of the priesthood.<br />
Clergy<br />
As noted earlier, the priests of Vermthizzl choose 16<br />
children at random from the population of the Pol’Tah.<br />
Eight of these children become sacrifices to the Light in<br />
the Deep; the other eight enter the priesthood.<br />
Worshippers<br />
All of the deep drow are worshippers of Vermthizzl. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
is no other god in the society of the Pol’Tah.