| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| DrMbutu |
Posted - 28 Sep 2014 : 01:43:00
Reading through the FR wiki's entry on Sharess, it mentions that Sharess fell under the sway of Shar after the fall of Myth Drannor, but during the Time of Troubles she was restored to her former self by Sune.
What does this mean for any game set during prior to the Time of Troubles? I assume she would be a CN or CE deity during this time? What is she generally doing, and what would her temple look like, what would worshippers be doing, and so forth?
I'm imagining a church generally as corrupt as their mistress, with a few small pockets of "heresy" who hold to the old worship of Bast, but are hunted down by the main body of the church. Perhaps they are still granted spells by some secret little part of Sharess who is trying to fight against the corruption. |
| 10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Markustay |
Posted - 04 Oct 2014 : 03:00:02
Perhaps Shar is not so much a 'Sundered' deity as she is a shattered one.
Picture an irresistible force (Selune's energy) slamming into an unmovable object (the body of Shar). Have you ever seen an explosion? Sure, a great big chunk may have torn out-and-through, but little gobs of Shar-stuff may have fallen all over the place.
Think about it... the world had TWO deities, and now it has MANY. Her main 'thing' seems to be collecting and absorbing other gods; maybe she not stealing anything - maybe she just trying to put herself back together. Just something else to consider is all. |
| xaviera |
Posted - 04 Oct 2014 : 02:42:13
I think that these views hold a good deal of the truth. Sharess, while only a demi-goddess herself, has a number of connections with other deities, either through overlapping pantheons (common interests) or direct relations of one sort or another - Anhur, Selune, Sune and Lliira being the most obvious, as well as alleged involvement with Ilmater and, no doubt, others (though her connection to Waukeen is presumably post-Shar). Probably the easiest way to get to Sharess is through her attraction to hedonism, so hooking up with her in a sexual fashion and encouraging her to try more and more outlandish things is no doubt Shar's opening move. I see the Maidens of the Forbidden Fruit as almost a pre-apocalyptic orgiastic cult with a "take whatever pleasures you can now for tomorrow you may be dead" attitude.
Of course, Shar the manipulator (manipulatrix?) is clearly the driving force here and is well aware of what she's doing, even though her partner/victim is not. Sharess has been sitting around in Calimshan for a hundred years or more without much to do, possibly fuming about Vhaerun or fretting over Selvetarm, and is completely lacking in purpose and direction. Shar preys upon her uncertainty, boosting her ego and constantly encouraging her to 'try just a little bit more' (it wouldn't surprise me if there are some threesomes with Loviatar going on here too at this point). In the end, Sharess becomes despondent at how she's deviated from her original personality, having become essentially the divine equivalent of a serious drug addict in a psychologically and emotionally abusive relationship. In driving her down this path, Shar manages to overlay Sharess' original feline pleasure-seeking nature with cynicism and self-loathing, and it is in this sense that the Lady of Loss is most successful, having led her victim to surrender her own self. It is only through the waters of the Evergold that Shar's scheme is thwarted and her negative influences washed away.
quote:
Originally posted by Aldrick
Those that have been hurt by another or have been made victims, and then turn to Shar for comfort -- they are twisted in subtle ways. They begin to nurture the pain and bitterness; they see themselves as victims [...]
The other major group she goes after are those that experience loss. She twists these individuals differently than the first group. In addition to being a goddess of loss, she is also a goddess who embodies hopelessness. People turn to Shar in times of loss, because she will - at least momentarily - numb the pain. She will help you forget about it. However, in forgetting about it, she opens your eyes to an ugly truth about the world: the futility of life. She pushes you toward nihilism. She makes you realize that you will ultimately lose everything that you love and cherish, if not before you die then certainly once you die -- because you can't take it with you. You will lose the people that you love, the material possessions that you covet and already possess -- everything. She preys upon this futility of life; the temporary nature of it, and then she begins to twist the individual. If life is temporary, and you are ultimately going to lose all that you possess; then you better enjoy it now while it lasts. The boundaries between good and evil start to erode away, and you begin focusing on living life to the fullest. Eventually, you start to realize that you can do what you want. There are no laws or limitations that bind you and hold you back, they are constructed by others, and they are for people who act as if they are going to live forever. You take your pleasure and desires from where you can, always aware that it is a fleeting experience that will ultimately be taken from you completely. There is happiness and joy there, but only for the briefest moment before it is gone; then you are forced to find another way to recapture that happiness and joy. [...]
However, it is Shar viewed through this lens which makes a deity like Sharess vulnerable to being seduced by her. Sharess is a goddess of living life to the fullest. However, everything is temporary, and pleasure does not last forever. In seeking pleasure for yourself, it is easy to start forgetting about those you could be hurting in the process. Shar would twist Sharess, turning her pleasure seeking nature into almost like a drug-addicted nature. Sharess could begin to hunger for the pleasure she experiences to be ever greater than the last - to last longer, to be more wondrous. ...and in this way, Sharess is tempted into the darker realms of pleasure -- pleasure at the expense of others. [...]
Basically, this is how I see the Shar and Sharess relationship operating. Sharess started to fall under the sway of Shar. Literally. They likely had a lesbian relationship between one another. It was likely one of those relationships where you know is abusive, but you just cannot seem to get away from. Every time you think you walk away -- she finds some way to suck you right back in... it was Sune who found a way to break that cycle, and save Sharess from Shar.
Had Shar subsumed Sharess she likely would have become the goddess of dark desires, and forbidden pleasures. This would have just been another way to prey upon the vulnerabilities of mortals, and to lure them into her trap. This is why Shar would have wanted Sharess, and that is how Sharess likely fell under her sway.
Controlling Sharess may be a prelude to many of the other outcomes suggested here, or it may be nothing more than an exercise in manipulation for the sheer twisted pleasure of it - just because she can. I think Aldrick's second post best captures the possible dynamic between Shar and Sharess - particularly the aspects of loss and hopelessness. I don't think that secrets have much to do with it (as I can't see Sharess being easily embarassed) save for the secret that, deep down, she despises herself for what she's become.
I started a short story about Sharess (in the guise of Iamar, the syl-Pasha of Calimshan's concubine) and Shar, but never managed to finish it. Still, it perhaps gives the sense of how I see the two of them together:
quote:
Iamar winced and buried her face in a satin pillow as the other girls of the hareem laughed at some joke one of them had made. There had been a time when she would have enjoyed the sound and even gone over to join them at play in the bath or to exchange hints on how best to wear their hair, but these days she was often too sick to be able to summon the energy even to dress in the morning. With an effort she rolled over, kicking feebly and irritably as the rich silks of her dress held her leg for a moment. Her head ached and the exotic incense that smouldered in the burner nearby threatened to choke her. With a deep sigh, she managed to rise to a sitting position oon the couch and then, with the assistance of a convenient candelabrum, pull herself to her feet. A drop of hot wax falling on her arm from one of the scented candles evoked hardly a murmur as she listlessly padded from the room and into her private chambers, closing the heavy wooden door behind her.
Making her way to the sturdy teak casket on her dressing table, she sat heavily on the brocaded stool before it and lifted shaking hands to open the lid and extract one of several small vials sealed with wax. Iamar looked at the empty golden cup on the table before her where it sat amidst the forest of perfume bottles, cosmetics and jewelled rings and bracelets, any one of which would buy a dozen slaves and leave enough left over for a banquet at which they could serve. She forced her gaze to move down the nearby curtain, across the marble floor inlaid with intricate mosaics depicting individuals, couples and groups of various compositions engaged in erotic dalliances, over a casual pile of cushions embroidered with sequins and cloth-of-gold, to a sturdy teak sideboard upon which rested a heavy silver decanter of fresh water. She stared at it for a long moment with heavy-lidded eyes, unable to summon the additional energy needed to rise and fetch the water for herself, sighing deeply in resignation of the fact that she was unable to even find the will to be disgusted at herself for her lack of volition. Instead, she looked down at the goblet and touched it with a lacquered fingernail, causing it to to slowly fill with clear water. She stared at the vial in her other hand, fingers gripping it tightly, then fumbled with the seal to open the tiny tube of powder. Her listless hands would not fully obey her, however, and the golden goblet was knocked onto its side, water spilling over her dressing table and cascading down her legs while the crystal container rolled under the table with a dull tinkling noise. Iamar moaned in frustration, her hands dropping to her lap and picking aimlessly at the sodden silks, her eyes filing with hot tears of frustration at the loss of the vial that she needed so much. She sat there for a long moment, shoulders trembling, unable to even think of how next to procceed, until a faint stirring in the air heralded the presence of someone else in the room. She tensed, hunching her shoulders, keeping her eyes fixed on the droplets of water falling slowly from the edge of the desk.
"Why, my dearest sister," came a soft yet husky voice. "Whatever has happened?" Cold fingertips touched her bare neck, causing her stomach to tighten, then rested lightly on her shoulder, the sharp nails pricking at her skin. "Dont tell me that my little Sharess has made a mess of her self?" came the mocking words, like a knife with a velvet handle. "Here, let me help you." The newcomer entered her field of vision, kneeling beside the stool. The woman was tall and pale-skinned, with long black hair that seemed almost to float around her as she casually and effortlessly tore a strip of Iamar's silken garment and used it to mop the water off the floor, leaving it in a sodden pile under the table. She looked up, purple lips and wide dark eyes set in a severe, pale face. "Oh, my sister, you are such a mess" she purred, a cruel smile parting her lips for an instant. "Tsk, tsk. Look at you. All the enthusiasm of a used-up whore. It's a wonder the syl-Pasha even bothers to come to you for your services any more. You have all the appeal of a sack of potatoes." She snorted and shook her head, reaching under the table for the tiny vial. "Is this what you're looking for? Here, let me help you with it, since you seem unable to lift a finger on your own account. " The pale woman rose with a whisper of silk and righted the golden cup with a disdainful wave of her hand. She popped the seal on the vial and sniffed at the contents before shaking the fine powder into the cup and lifting it. She passed a hand over it, causing it to fill once again nwith water, and stared at it as it begain to boil. "Dream mist, hm? Is life as the syl-Pasha's favourite concubine so drab that you need to seek refuge in this?" The pale woman held the goblet out, the tempting vapours rising from it, the attractive scent tickling Iamar's nose, and she slowly lifted her shaking hands for it, though without meeting the other's eyes. The tall woman pulled it back. "Ah ah, not just yet, my sweet. I have a favour to ask of you, one which I am sure you'll happily do for me. After all, you've turned out to be such a disappointment to so many others. I hope you wont disappoint me..."
As for Sharess's activities pre-ToT, I've looked into that here and come up with what I think is a rough timeline:
-2489 DR: Mulhorandi gods arrive in Faerun
250-450: Bast absorbs Felidae
300-650: Bast departs Mulhorand
675-700: Bast joins with Zandilar & gives birth to Selvetarm
720-800: Bast falls under the sway of Shar & becomes Sharess
1358 DR: Sharess freed from Shar's influence by Sune
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| Baltas |
Posted - 02 Oct 2014 : 11:18:43
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
Wow, best depiction of Shar I have read so far. I will have to go and rewrite all my Shar stuff with this in mind.
Indeed, and that's actually also more, or less the interpretation how I viewed always Shar, rather than how she was represented in canon in 3E and latter materials. While Shar was always interesting, when WOTC and writers turned their attention to her, they turned her into a much more generic evil deity, creating plots around her that often would fit Bane, Tiamat or Cyric more.
Especially, that the Sisters of Light and Darkness myth, shows actually Shar as a kind-off sympathetic figure, with her motivation being closer to fear than actual malice. As a being of darkness, her sister creating the sun might have been something utterly terrifying for the future Lady of Loss. Selune can be seen as actually violating Shar's very being, when creating Mystryl. Shar definitely is said to have lost a significant part of herself to Mystryl, and this hole in her being might have corrupted her into the today's malignant goddess. Maybe even Shar's devouring of other beings, and worlds is somehow an attempt to fill that void/hole in her?
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| see |
Posted - 02 Oct 2014 : 01:32:13
quote:
Originally posted by DrMbutu
Reading through the FR wiki's entry on Sharess, it mentions that Sharess fell under the sway of Shar after the fall of Myth Drannor, but during the Time of Troubles she was restored to her former self by Sune.
What does this mean for any game set during prior to the Time of Troubles? I assume she would be a CN or CE deity during this time?
Officially, she was CG.
To quote the whole Sharess entry in the (pre-ToT) 1st edition FRCS's "Cyclopedia of the Realms" booklet, p.17:
quote:
Sharess, a CG aspect of Shar worshipped in Calimshan, Waterdeep, and by idle rich or decadents all over the Realms. Sharess is a goddess of lust, free love, and sensual fulfillment, and is worshipped in prolonged fests with scented baths, music, good food, dancing, and other gratifications. Her symbol is a image or representation of female lips, carved traditionally from amber or ruby, and worn at wrist and ankle on thin gold chains.
To quote the whole Sharess entry in the (post-ToT) 2nd edition FRCS's "Running the Realms" booklet, p. 59:
quote:
Sharess
This strange and radiant demipower is believed to have once been a part of Shar, the goddess of night and loss. She is a chaotic good deity worshipped in large urban areas such as Waterdeep, Calimport, and other cities along the Sword Coast. She is the goddess of hedonism, lust, and sensual fulfillment, the Patroness of Festhalls.
Sharess's faith is still at the cult stage, with long worship services that resemble nothing so much as extended feasts and orgies, heavy on the pleasures of the flesh and light on the teachings of the spirit.Sharess puts even Sune and Lliira to shame with her excesses.
The true nature and identity of Sharess is unrevealed. She may be a direct part of the evil Shar, preparing her following for despair and loss. Or she may be a new thing entirely: a goddess of excess. A goodly number of former followers of Waukeen who have rejected Lliira's teachings have become interested in Sharess.
Sharess's symbol is the image ot feminine lips carved from dark amber or ruby and worn on a golden chain on the wrist or ankle.
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| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 28 Sep 2014 : 19:09:53
Wow, best depiction of Shar I have read so far. I will have to go and rewrite all my Shar stuff with this in mind. |
| Aldrick |
Posted - 28 Sep 2014 : 16:49:46
quote:
Originally posted by Demzer
I know some would cringe at this, yet another "Shar is the font of evil everywhere", but i enjoy thinking about her much more as a subtle manipulator of both mortal and divine entities than as the big villain acting in full daylight with all her Shades and flying cities and airstrikes and whatnot.
Exactly. This has always been more the style of Shar, and not the in-your-face Shades. One of the primary reasons I disliked the Shades (aside from being returned from a dead empire and thrust into prominence), was how they twisted the nature of Shar. She was never an in-your-face evil entity.
Shar is like a dark mother who always seems to have her arms out stretched to her children, always willing to embrace them. When they're hurt, she calls to them, letting them know that she understands their pain. The comfort from her feels good; those that seek it feel that she understands, and she can find ways to soothe those pains that you experience. However, in the process and in subtle ways she poisons and twists you, and in the end you destroy yourself and are consumed by her.
Shar is the goddess people call to when they are afraid of their truth being known. She protects your deepest and darkest secrets. The things that you hide, the things that you are fearful of others learning about you are the things that she can see most clearly. When you experience pain caused by another, especially one that you love, when you experience some great loss such as the death of someone you love deeply, or when you have been harmed in some way as to be made a victim -- Shar is there to provide you succor. She is the comforting night, dark and seductive, and those that embrace her are in turn twisted by her -- for the same reasons that she herself is twisted.
Those that have been hurt by another or have been made victims, and then turn to Shar for comfort -- they are twisted in subtle ways. They begin to nurture the pain and bitterness; they see themselves as victims and begin to hunger for vengeance. Even if their victim status is justified (and it frequently is), they ultimately become victim creators themselves. Shar is the embodiment of the Nietzschean Aphorism: "Those who fight monsters should take care not to become monsters. For when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back into you." Shar is the dark abyss that twists mortals into becoming the beings that they fight against. In becoming "monsters" themselves they create more victims, which in turn feeds Shar. In this way, Shar creates a never ending cycle of abusers and victims, preying upon each of them in turn until they destroy themselves. She is the goddess who benefits from Gandhi's observation: "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." Someone has to break the abuser-victim-abuser cycle; someone has to be hurt and be willing to let go of the bitterness and pain (something that is impossible for Shar to do) and forgive those who hurt them. Otherwise, they are easy prey for Shar.
The other major group she goes after are those that experience loss. She twists these individuals differently than the first group. In addition to being a goddess of loss, she is also a goddess who embodies hopelessness. People turn to Shar in times of loss, because she will - at least momentarily - numb the pain. She will help you forget about it. However, in forgetting about it, she opens your eyes to an ugly truth about the world: the futility of life. She pushes you toward nihilism. She makes you realize that you will ultimately lose everything that you love and cherish, if not before you die then certainly once you die -- because you can't take it with you. You will lose the people that you love, the material possessions that you covet and already possess -- everything. She preys upon this futility of life; the temporary nature of it, and then she begins to twist the individual. If life is temporary, and you are ultimately going to lose all that you possess; then you better enjoy it now while it lasts. The boundaries between good and evil start to erode away, and you begin focusing on living life to the fullest. Eventually, you start to realize that you can do what you want. There are no laws or limitations that bind you and hold you back, they are constructed by others, and they are for people who act as if they are going to live forever. You take your pleasure and desires from where you can, always aware that it is a fleeting experience that will ultimately be taken from you completely. There is happiness and joy there, but only for the briefest moment before it is gone; then you are forced to find another way to recapture that happiness and joy. Through this process you will eventually create victims of others, which will aid Shar as previously mentioned. ...and then in the end, of course, you will die and be consumed by her.
The final major group that Shar preys upon are those with things to hide - secrets. The greater and darker the secret the better. However, Shar knows how to work with even the smallest of secrets that people want to hide. The thing about trying to keep a secret, especially a big secret, is that you have to keep lying and keeping more secrets in order to protect the first one. Rather than being truthful, honest, and vulnerable with other people -- Shar tangles you in a web of lies and deceit. Eventually, at the worst possible moment where it will cause you and those you have hidden the truth from the most pain -- your secrets and deceits are revealed. In doing this she hopes to destroy you and those you have hurt through your secrets and lies. Also, in so doing, she creates more loss and victims which fuel the two previously mentioned groups.
So, this is how Shar operates on a grand scale. She preys upon mortals vulnerability and weakness, and then uses those vulnerabilities and weaknesses to cause them to destroy themselves and each other. ...and in the end, she attempts to consume them all. Shar is like this twisted monster that lives in the shadows and dark places of the world, slithering around like a serpent, preying upon mortals, corrupting them, and destroying them in the process before she consumes them. ...and everyone is potential prey for Shar, because everyone at some point in their lives will experience loss, will experience being a victim, or will have something to hide from others.
Shar does not build empires, she destroys empires. She does not build or create anything; she only destroys and consumes everything she touches.
However, it is Shar viewed through this lens which makes a deity like Sharess vulnerable to being seduced by her. Sharess is a goddess of living life to the fullest. However, everything is temporary, and pleasure does not last forever. In seeking pleasure for yourself, it is easy to start forgetting about those you could be hurting in the process. Shar would twist Sharess, turning her pleasure seeking nature into almost like a drug-addicted nature. Sharess could begin to hunger for the pleasure she experiences to be ever greater than the last - to last longer, to be more wondrous. ...and in this way, Sharess is tempted into the darker realms of pleasure -- pleasure at the expense of others. ...and it is here, in this darker realm, that secrets form. Those little naughty things that you enjoy doing, that you do not want anyone else to know about? Shar will help keep that secret safe for you. Eventually, you find yourself doing those naughty little things in the dark where no one can see you -- except for Shar -- and you like it oh so much that you want more... and more... and more... and in the process you create victims, victims, victims... which Shar can then twist to her ends...
Basically, this is how I see the Shar and Sharess relationship operating. Sharess started to fall under the sway of Shar. Literally. They likely had a lesbian relationship between one another. It was likely one of those relationships where you know is abusive, but you just cannot seem to get away from. Every time you think you walk away -- she finds some way to suck you right back in... it was Sune who found a way to break that cycle, and save Sharess from Shar.
Had Shar subsumed Sharess she likely would have become the goddess of dark desires, and forbidden pleasures. This would have just been another way to prey upon the vulnerabilities of mortals, and to lure them into her trap. This is why Shar would have wanted Sharess, and that is how Sharess likely fell under her sway. |
| Demzer |
Posted - 28 Sep 2014 : 09:45:10
I agree with Aldrick but i think there may be more than just trying to get at Loviatar in one way or another.
Given what both embodied, the corruption, decadence and eventual death/oblivion of Bast/Sharess at the hands of Shar would've been a manifest of the philosophy of Shar and a perfect example of her power: turning a goddess so full of life and beauty and ardor into a withered husk and then consuming her.
I also think that the consumption of Bast/Sharess was just one of those "baby-steps" the more careful and far-planning Shar of the past used to ensure her ultimate entropic victory over the Faerunian pantheon. And if we think this all happened before the ToT we know that back then the power of deities was very much more a function of their personal power than the number and ardor of their worshipers and Bast/Sharess was a being that had subsumed 2 other powers up until that point, an indipendent deity out alone in the world with a baggage of power right there for the taking, a tasty snack for power hungry Shar.
Lastly, but i don't have much to base this on, Bast/Sharess was Shar's passepartout to get into Mulhorand, it was the perfect tool to both get in touch with Maskarran operations in that region of Faerun where she couldn't otherwise operate and keep an eye on her wayward son's agents AND a way to get deep connections inside the Mulhorandi empire establishment, through the lover/leutenant of the second in command of the empire (Anhur). It seems very much something Shar would attempt, especially now that we know that her relationship with Mask is a little deeper than god of shadow - goddess of night ... and maybe all the political troubles the Mulhorandi went through with the churches of Horus-Re and Anhur clashing into each other may very well have been aided (if not orchestratd directly) by worshipers of Bast converted to the darker doctrine of Shar/Sharess acting as lovers/counselors/leutenants of this or that general/courtier/high priest. Maybe Set's successes (gaining complete control of Sampranasz in 1350, assassinating the Pharaoh in 1357) weren't just "his" and he owes some of it to Shar/Sharess assistance. After all, destroying the empire of Mulhorand would have given her the possibility to expand eastward and multitudes of shocked, desperate Mulhorandi dealing with the loss of their nation and accepting her and her doctrine with open arms, more so if it was "all fault of Set".
I know some would cringe at this, yet another "Shar is the font of evil everywhere", but i enjoy thinking about her much more as a subtle manipulator of both mortal and divine entities than as the big villain acting in full daylight with all her Shades and flying cities and airstrikes and whatnot. |
| Aldrick |
Posted - 28 Sep 2014 : 06:24:43
There is not much information out there on this topic, but here are my thoughts.
Shar herself is a goddess of dark desires, she is seductive in her own way. It is likely that she was seducing Sharess, and they were engaging in a rather dark lesbian relationship. During this time the clergy of Sharess likely started to tilt a bit more toward Chaotic Neutral.
As things stand now Sharess is very much about spreading pleasure, and encouraging others to engage in pleasure. However, as things were taking a darker turn it was likely that they were starting to focus more on gaining pleasure for themselves regardless whether or not it hurt others.
In some ways, I think Xaeyruudh is right - this likely meant that Shar was having Sharess make a play for Loviatar's portfolios. This situation would have eventually ended up badly for Sharess, as she likely would have fallen to CN at best,and CE at worst. She would have also likely have been eaten by Shar.
During / After the Time of Troubles it is likely that Sune intervened somehow and put an end to things between Sharess and Shar. The clergy of Sharess likely started to go into auto-correct mode in an attempt to re-orient themselves toward more benevolent and pleasure-sharing goals. |
| xaeyruudh |
Posted - 28 Sep 2014 : 05:04:11
Meh.
I can't respond to the canon on this topic because I can't find any really good justification in a Shar-Sharess connection, and disconnecting them would mean that Shar lost interest, and that demands a story. Connecting them in the first place demands a story, too. Better stories than what's found in Faiths & Pantheons (hereafter F&P), from which the FR Wiki entry for Sharess draws some of its narrative. I like F&P, but I would go in a different direction with Sharess.
But here's my reaction to the canon story, from F&P. Pleasure, and sexual gratification in particular, has nothing to do with loss, unless you go out on the tangents of cheating or rape... and while those things occur in every large human settlement on every world, they don't justify a goddess. Furthermore, given TSR's and then WotC's and now Hasbro's skittishness with regard to public opinion, it's a certainty that they don't want a goddess of cheating and rape.
So taking Sharess "under her wing" has to be a ploy by Shar. I'm guessing that Shar would be attempting to use Sharess to subsume Loviatar's portfolio and followers (sadism/masochism indisputably belong to Loviatar) and that's fine but it's certainly not the only option. Sharess is more valuable in other roles, rather than pawn-of-Shar.
I should acknowledge my bias. My time in the Realms has been dominated by Mulhorand, and the larger Old Empires region. Since canon (F&P, and other sources as well iirc) has connected Sharess with Bast, I have a vested interest in Sharess' nature. She's one of "my" gods.  That being the case, I don't want her to be playing teacher's pet to Shar. She should have her own identity and her own destiny. F&P doesn't blatantly kill off Sharess, but my guess about the canon story's intent for Sharess basically kills her off. If Shar achieves her objective and subsumes Loviatar, she no longer has any use for Sharess. But if Shar fails, it'll be because Loviatar and her allies put up enough resistance that Shar gets bored and goes after easier prey... and Sharess won't have a rosy future in that scenario either. Even if Shar doesn't make a move on Loviatar in the near future, Sharess' position is precarious. She's infringing on Sune's territory by being another deity affiliated with love/lust, and she's trampling all over Lliira's turf with her pleasureseeking and ever-increasing presence in festhalls. If she's dabbling in sadism/masochism, then Loviatar is gearing up to take her down. Sharess is a minor goddess in this scenario, antagonizing several bigger girls. And Shar is not going to spend a lot of effort or resources defending her because that would take away from her other objectives and Shar is the epitome of selfishness. The other goddesses may hesitate to kill her off for a little while, but ultimately Sharess is utterly screwed.
The best she can hope for, in the canon story, is that Shar will be successful in eating Loviatar for lunch. And this is still a bleak future for Sharess, because Shar isn't one to share power. She isn't going to install Sharess as a puppet goddess with Loviatar's portfolio and followers... she's going to take that power for herself, so that she can more effectively fight Selune... and everyone else who hates Shar. From a story perspective, if Shar gives part of her power to someone else, isn't she in fact losing something and thus suffering the effects of her own portfolio? She wouldn't see this as a good thing; she would snort in derision and send some of her thugs to visit the family of whoever suggested it.
So that's what I think about the canon story... "Meh." Getting back to your question --"What does this mean for any game set during prior to the Time of Troubles?"-- ...Sharess is whatever you want her to be for your game. Don't worry about matching your campaign closely to the canon (regardless of whether or not you like it), especially now that WotC has booted us 150 years into the future. There are some indications that they're changing their approach to the Realms somewhat, but history tells us that they're not going to go back and talk more about 1350s Faerun... they're going to continue moving into the future. So it's extremely unlikely that canon will contradict you if you fill in the gaps yourself. 
There are at least two possibilities for pre-TOT (and post-TOT for that matter) Sharess.
If you want to make Sharess a servant/slave of Shar then I would tie her in with certain aspects of Shar's 1e portfolio... darkness, loss, and forgetfulness. This is just how I would go at it, with no regard for whatever canon exists on the subject.
- Darkness: Bringing darkness into everything. Sleeping during the day, being active at night, hating the moon (avoiding/despising Selune is a big part of Shar's nature, and this would be required of Sharess) and all forms of illumination, even things as simple as using charcoal and dyes to superimpose blackness on everything within reach. Followers of Sharess might stalk, threaten, terrorize, sexually assault, maim, and eventually kill local chandlers and lanternmakers for sport.
- Loss: Loss of innocence. Innocence meaning more than just the obvious virginity; also loss of youthful naivete, beauty, belief in the inner good of all beings, optimism, and ultimately humanity. Cutting and self-mutilation would be common, as would mutilation of others. Followers would read scriptures and perform rituals, both magical and merely psychological, which brainwash themselves and their listeners into depression, cynicism, and believing the worst of everyone. Suicide is acceptable, but it's regarded as weak particularly in cases where loved ones have already given up or been repelled by one's behavior... suicide only has meaning when it wounds someone deeply. Superior ends are transformations (faciliated by the clergy) into ghouls, wights, ghosts, wraiths... intelligent undead, which go on suffering and spreading loss for eternity. Lycanthropy is acceptable, as it furthers loss and also serves as a slap in the face to Selune, but evil lycanthropes become closer to Malar than Shar, and for that reason Shar doesn't actively encourage lycanthropy.
- Forgetfulness: Drugs and poisons which induce loss of memory, acute melancholy and laziness, and slow deterioration of the mind. These things are to be visited upon the nonbelievers, and only rarely partaken of by the faithful. Shar wants her own servants to be sharp rather than dull.
If you don't feel a need to connect Sharess with Shar then you have a lot more freedom. The 2e campaign setting (Running the Realms, p59) says:
quote:
The true nature and identity of Sharess is unrevealed. She may be a direct part of the evil Shar, preparing her following for despair and loss. Or she may be a new thing entirely: a goddess of excess.
Personally, I would go this route, and leave Shar's portfolio to Shar. Excess can be defined in a lot of different ways. Here are a couple that occur to me.
- Food and/or drink: The stereotype of Romans eating and drinking themselves into a stupor that lasts for days can be brought to the Realms by the church of Sharess. They might use herbs/drugs or meditations to delay the normal consequences of overindulgence in food and alcohol. Inhaled, ingested, and imbibed equivalents of ecstacy (the drug) would be invented, perfected, and used regularly. If you have the inclination to consider fetishes, look up "feeders." Feeders/eaters are undoubtedly limited to some (maybe 5-10%) of her churches rather than being advocated by all of them.
- Wealth: Sharess got some of her following from the church of Waukeen, which suffered from the temporary disappearance of their goddess during/after the Time of Troubles. These new folks were obsessed with coin; some were just greedy, others were frugal, others were probably in it for more philanthropic purposes. Beggars want handouts, commoners want them to spend their money on public works for the enjoyment of commoners, nobles want handouts too, and hey the royalty wants their money too! Sharess is very attractive to these individuals because she actively encourages them to acquire without demanding anything from them (except that they enjoy what they have and acquire more) and without judging them or telling them what they should or should not be doing. Again, probably like 5-10% of her followers, because there aren't huge numbers of wealthy people... but a huge percentage of the wealthy in each city probably gives her great respect.
- Sexual gratification: This is really only on the list because of the later definitions of Sharess. As shown by the points above, it doesn't automatically follow from the 2e description of her. It seems that this is the direction the designers went, though... and that's fine. No judgment here. The point of Sharess is excess though, so if sex is her thing then it needs to be excessive, both in quantity and in display. Prodigious sexual appetite. Enjoyment of and heralding of extraordinarily large genitalia, not just for physical enjoyment but also for "show and tell" on the streets. Over-the-top "PDA" (public displays of affection) and deliberately public acts of lewdness. Costumes, lots of costumes, but designed to draw attention and not to conceal the interesting parts of one's physique.
- All of the above, and then some: Sharess is the goddess of "go big or go home." Be good at everything you do. Be very good. Try every new thing that comes your way, and become good at that too. When you eat and drink, do so with gusto. When you create wealth, do so with every ounce of creativity and strength you have... and actively try to increase your strength and creativity. When you have sex, do so with wild abandon. Do what brings you pleasure, and do it so enthusiastically that it becomes a religious experience, and people want to watch and participate and experience your pleasure. The only rule is break all the rules.
Again, I'm not trying to explain canon. Kinda the opposite actually. Happens a lot, with me. Just trying to encourage you to do what you want and what works for your campaign... if the canon sounds wonky, then disregard it.
Hope you have fun.
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| eeorey |
Posted - 28 Sep 2014 : 02:18:46
If you are familiar with 40k think Slaaneshi cult. Ok perhaps not THAT bad but I'm assuming that her church at that time would be exploring the darker side of hedonism, indulging excessively in pleasure through pain, self inflicted torture or the abuse of the newly initiated. They would not be wholly evil. It would take quite some time for the whole clergy to shift their alignment. They were most likely CN, apathetic instead of evil. |
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