Aiswin

Aiswin

God of Secrets, Vengeance and Shadows
   Fate, Knowledge, Night, Planning, Retribution, Trickery. The Short Sword. Weapons of Balance.
   Aiswin the Whisperer lurks in the hearts of all men and women. Filled with venom and hurt, he offers succor to those who have been wounded by the wrongful acts of others, but his edict demands an eye for an eye, and a life for a life. A born manipulator, Aiswin teaches the weak to use treachery and poison (literal and metaphorical) to fell the strong, and believes that the greatest possible sin a thinking being can commit is to forgive an enemy who has genuinely and knowingly wronged her.
   Aiswin holds as his protectorate all who work at night, or work alone, and is revered by many thieves and assassins' guilds. Yet, his favour is a fickle thing for any guildmaster to try to hold, because he hates the oppression or degradation of the weak -- one who wishes to hold his favour had best not treat their underlings poorly or encourage victimization of the innocent. Aiswin has cults rather than a priesthood, forming loyal cliques from those who have been rejected by their peers or alienated from society. A common cliche states that Aiswin has dominion over everyone who has nobody else.
   Aiswin is the god of vengeance, not the god of all-consuming vengeance for imagined slights. His favour comes upon those who have been genuinely hurt, though he is lax in enforcing morality upon his clerics and many pursue very destructive, over-reaching schemes against their enemies. Some even end up going insane for having nurtured their bitterness for so long. When clerics of Aiswin are not pursuing their personal vendettas, they tend to find work as spies, assassins, political advisors and vigilantes.
   Aiswin is True Neutral, and his clerics may be of any alignment. Good clerics of Aiswin pursue just vengeance on behalf of those who cannot protect themselves, while evil ones blame groups for the acts of individuals and carry out vengeance upon entire family lines, nations, genders or races to sate their bigotry. The majority fall in between these two extremes, being bitter, self-absorbed and vengeful without becoming truly depraved. Aiswin's chosen weapon is the short sword, and his holy symbol is a crimson heart-shape with a blade driven through the center. He grants access to the domains of Fate, Knowledge, Night, Planning, Retribution and Trickery.
   Worship: Aiswin accepts sacrifice only of creatures killed as blood vengeance -- hostile creatures who wounded the petitioner before the petitioner killed them. Sapient creatures sacrificed in accord with blood vengeance are far more valued than others. He is angered when his followers attack creatures who are not hostile to them, or when they use magical effects with the [Light] descriptor. He also expects his followers to slay any creature who gravely wounds them before they move forward in their lives (in game terms, leveling up, or delving deeper into the dungeon). Conversely, however, he is exacting and gives his followers no allowance for such transgressions before he becomes angry.
   While Aiswin places few restrictions on his followers, other than expecting them not to betray or kill friendly creatures, and he offers a number of useful secrets and artifacts long thought lost, but is subject to a serious restriction: he can only offer direct divine aid to his followers between sunset and sunrise. When the sky is bright, Aiswin has no direct influence in the world. Areas deep underground are typically considered to be eternal night, but even there Aiswin cannot offer aid in areas of bright (magically produced) sunlight.
   Blessings: Aiswin is always willing to strike at the enemies of his followers, should they ask for his aid. He will also transport worshippers to safety when called upon, heal or resurrect them or identify their items. For more devoted petitioners, he may purify the body, clear the mind or even remove fatigue. However, Aiswin cannot offer any aid to followers when they are in areas of bright light. Aiswin does not take converts lightly, however, and it takes a great deal of effort on a petitioner's part to bring him to accept a new worshipper. He does not casually aid lay worshippers, but will resurrect even a comparatively unskilled loyalist.
   His more permanent blessings include an affinity for hiding in shadows, magic to conjure darkness or command the shadows, a preternatural insight into weaknesses and a silvered tongue.

Domains: Fate, Knowledge, Night, Planning, Retribution, Trickery