Sharess
| Game background | |
|---|---|
| Title(s) | The Dancing Lady, Mother of Cats |
| Home plane | Brightwater |
| Power level | Lesser (demipower) |
| Alignment | Chaotic Good |
| Portfolio | Hedonism, sensual fulfillment, festhalls, cats |
| Design details | |
Sharess (/ˈʃɑː rɛs/ SHAH-ress[1][2]) is a fictional Faerûnian lesser deity of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game
Contents
Publication history
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
Sharess was first described in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Set's "Cyclopedia of the Realms" booklet (1987).[3] Sharess is described in Empires of the Sands (1988) as one of the gods worshipped in the nation of Calimshan.[4]
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
Sharess, along with her clergy, was further detailed in Warriors and Priests of the Realms (1996).[5] She was described fully in Powers & Pantheons (1997).[1]
Her relationships with the nonhuman deities in the Forgotten Realms was covered in Demihuman Deities (1998).[6]
Sharess is described as one of the good deities that celestials can serve in the supplement Warriors of Heaven (1999).[7]
Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition (2000-2007)
Sharess appears in 3rd edition in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book (2001),[8] and was further described in Faiths and Pantheons (2002).[2]
Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)
Sharess is briefly mentioned in the 4th edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. In the wake of the Spellplague, she has become an exarch of Sune and dwells with her in the astral metropolis of Brightwater, a realm within the Astral Dominion known as the Gates of the Moon.
As a Deity
Sharess is the deity of hedonism, festhalls and sensual fulfillment. Sharess is oft depicted as a beautiful, voluptuous woman with the head of a cat (especially in Mulhorand). She has the individualistic and hedonistic personality of a feline and she is constantly grooming herself to ensure her appearance is always up to standards. Sharess is an innate flirt and loves toying around with beautiful mortals; once she has had her fill, she swiftly moves on to other sources of pleasure.[2]
The Church of Sharess is of casual nature, and her clergy are responsible for the running of many festhalls found throughout large cities in Faerûn. These festhalls seek to indulge every pleasure imaginable. Privately owned festhalls usually employ at least one or two Sharessan clerics.
The Church of Sharess probably celebrate the most festivals out of all the faiths of Faerûn. These revels are known collectively as the Endless Revels of Life. Even daily events present a chance for Sharessan to revel; sometimes even the rising and setting of the sun. Their most beloved festival is the Midsummer's Eve festival, where the pursuit of pleasure has no boundary. Sharessan clerics pray for their spells at dusk.[2]
History
Sharess was once Bast, a Mulhorandi power who was the patroness of cats, and Anhur's lieutenant. During the Second Empire, she subsumed the portfolio of Felidae, a beast cult deity of felines, nomads, and sensual pleasure. Struck by wanderlust, Bast traveled across Faerûn leaving many cults in her wake. During these travels, she also subsumed the divinity of Zandilar the Dancer, the goddess of the Yuir elves, so that she gained the elvish goddess' portfolio of intense passionate love. She began to experiment with the darker side of pleasure and fell under the sway of Shar. She began to become known as Sharess, but before she was completely subsumed by Shar, she was freed by Sune, during the Time of Troubles.[2]
Relationships
Sharess has restored alliances with Selûne, Sune, Milil, Hanali Celanil, and Lliira. She now opposes both Loviatar and Shar, who has never forgotten that Sharess escaped from her clutches. She also remembers her Mulhorandi roots, and opposes the evil Set along with the other good-aligned gods of that nation.[2]
Dogma
Life is to be lived to its fullest, in decadent sensual fulfillment of yourselves and others. That which is good is pleasurable and that which is pleasurable is good. Pleasure is to be sought out at every opportunity and life is to be lived as one endless revel. Spread the bounty of Sharess so that all may join in the endless revel of life and bring joy to all those in pain. Infinite experiences await those who would explore, so try the new as well as savoring the old.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Boyd, Eric L, and Erik Mona. Faiths and Pantheons (Wizards of the Coast, 2002)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Haring, Scott. Empires of the Sands (TSR, 1988)
- ↑ Terra, John. Warriors and Priests of the Realms (TSR, 1996)
- ↑ Boyd, Eric L. Demihuman Deities (TSR, 1998)
- ↑ Perkins, Christopher. Warriors of Heaven (TSR, 1999)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
