Lord of Darkness

The Dark One

THE DEITY

Name(s): THE DARK ONE, NERULL, BLACKSOUL, BLACKMOURN, DEVOURER OF LIGHT, EYELESS ONE, RULER OF THE NIGHT, LORD MIDNIGHT, LORD TWILIGHT, LURKER IN THE VOID, LORD OF DARKNESS

Spheres of Influence: Blacksoul is the deity of dusk, darkness, and moonless nights.

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Spells Returned: At Midnight

Favored Weapon: Greataxe

Appearance: The Dark One always appears as a shapeless, amorphous cloud of complete blackness.

THE CHURCH

Worship: Underground temples, with all lights extinguished, are the typical houses of worship for Knights of the Black Pit. Although the layout of any given temple of the Church of Endless Night varies by location, one constant is a bowl of burning incense that produces a thick, black, lingering smoke. Since the smoke represents the embodiment of The Dark One, priests will expose themselves to great danger to maintain the fire’s safety.

Worshippers of the Dark One do not meet regularly. Worshippers lock themselves in a pitch black room and say prayers for an hour. If more than one worshipper lives together, they pray in separate rooms or at different times to maximize their isolation.

Unholy Symbol: An eyeless raven gripping a bloody eye.

Unholy Days: Any lunar eclipse (new moon) is considered an unholy day, but a solar eclipse is the unholiest day of all. Overcast, dark nights are also revered.

When Diadolai is eclipsed by a smaller moon, the church calls for the Darkening. They perform mysterious ceremonies in total darkness (their canon calls for “a thousand blind steps” before the ritual area is entered). They sacrifice the eyes of a sentient creature, preferably a worshipper of The Eternal Lantern, to The Dark One. If a faithful worshipper volunteers for this sacrifice, the congregation bestows a considerable amount in gifts in admiration upon him.

A lunar eclipse, or better yet, a solar eclipse, is the most revered night of all. Clerics of The Eternal Lantern might be held captive for weeks in anticipation of this night. The higher the rank of cleric, the greater the prestige for both the character that captured him and the cleric who actually performs the ceremony.

Unholy Color: Black.

Unholy Animal: Bat. Caves frequented by bats are favored resting places for traveling Knights of the Black Pit.

Raiment: Needless to say, clergymen of the Church of Endless Night, who tend to perform their worship in dark, underground caverns, are not particularly preoccupied with fashion. The vestments of these Knights are always plain, jet black robes. Most clerics of The Dark One own no other clothing save for the terrible masks they wear during ceremonies and rituals. Faithful members are prohibited from intentionally trimming their fingernails, although there is no violation if a nail breaks accidentally.

Sayings: “Darkness is enlightenment.” - “The black void is near.” - “He shall swallow the light and consume the soul.” - “See the darkness.” - “Blessed are the blind, for they see only darkness.”