Shistar

Called the Wanderer, Lord of Secrets, the Shadow Master, Father Time. Shistar's portfolio includes aspects of magic, mysticism, secrets, shadows, time, knowledge, exploration, the planes, summoning, dreams, and mystery.

Domains: Divination*, Dream, Dream II, Exorcism*, Gateways, Knowledge, Magic, Mind*, Missionary, Mysticism*, Rune, Secrets, Shadow, Summoning*
*This is a prestige domain.

Shistar (Shis tar) is the mysterious deity of magic and esoteric concepts. His name frequents the lips of any who are awed by magic, who wish to keep a secret safe, or who seeks hidden knowledge. Shistar is a patron to those who seek enlightenment through the application of study, a guide to those who pursue existential discoveries, and a mentor for those who plumb science and alchemy. His worshipers come from all races; dragons, eldritch giants, and ancient undead liches call upon Shistar in their incantations.

Shistar (Greater Deity)
Symbol: A five pointed star with a closed eye at its center (the Lumricon or Elements of Shistar as it is often decorated with symbols of arcane elements at each tip), a book with the Lumricon printed within (often in ebony or other dark material), the geometer crux (two ninety-degree bent angles intersected by their points), a bowed draconian head with the geometer crux imprinted on its forehead, the summoner's sign (a circle within a circle, sometimes combined around other symbology), and the quadrigram (a four pointed star that is drawn or fashioned from a dark stone).
Home Plane: The Astral Void
Alignment: Neutral
Portfolio: Magic and summoning, secrets and mysteries, shadows and dreams, time, mysticism and knowledge, exploration, the interconnected nature of things.
Worshipers: Scholars, mystics, arcanists, Silothreni, sages, alchemists, oneiromancers and chronomancers.
Cleric Alignments: Often Neutral, though Shistar accepts worshipers of all alignments.
Domains: Divination*, Dream, Dream II, Exorcism*, Gateways, Knowledge, Magic, Mind*, Missionary, Mysticism*, Rune, Secrets, Shadow, Summoning*
*This is a prestige domain.
Favored Weapon: None
Favored Colors: Gray
Alternate Names: The Wanderer, Lord of Secrets, the Shadow Master, Father Time, Opener of the Way, Keeper of the Mystery.
    Though few dwarves revere Shistar, among the Silver it is known as Orgol "the Sorcerer". Elves name it Elhamel "the Hidden God" (Tenerthor) or Emmanael "the Secret Enlightenment" (Galiadre). Many Silothreni worship Shistar as Inyashet, the "Keeper of Secrets." Halflings in places such as Kindertel call it Eirkali the "Dreamer of Dreams."

Direction of Faith


A world made in the eye of Shistar is one where knowledge is paramount to all other considerations, every creature and thing would be bent towards this purpose. Forums of wise and scholarly academics would debate and present findings of even the most obscure discovery. Grand universities of education and repositories of knowledge would be erected wherever the masses gathered and the presence of magic would be so commonplace as to be inextricable, unavoidable, and available to any who sought its use. In such a world, mortals would not be compelled to worship Shistar, but the deity's very essence would be so tightly entwined into the lives of mortals that their every action would glorify its existence anyway. To those who had devoted themselves and displayed brilliant talent in the aspects of Shistar would discover the secrets of the multiverse and by their very accumulation of powerful knowledge they would create new ones. To this end, all worshipers of Shistar share one common goal: the collection of knowledge. They constantly push at limitations of the "known world" and seek greater understanding.




Origin of Worship


As with other gods of great stature, many claim that Shistar has existed since before time. Many worshipers claim that it was Shistar which started the momentum of time and thus Shistar is the progenitor of all gods and creation itself. Evidence suggests that the worship of Shistar is indeed great, old, and has both waxed and waned throughout recorded millenia, but no mortal yet knows the truth of how ancient Shistar is. Perhaps it is because Shistar believes that knowledge must be earned, but it has not provided any answer to this question of its origins.
    Still, certain long lived beings whose memories have been passed from generation to generation and scholars deeply vested in historical learning agree that there was a time which followed the Unholy Wars where the power of Shistar waxed great in the World of Sulerin. Shortly after the All Stone was brought out from the earth (AC2498) cults devoted to its recovery and protection sprang up. Texts suggest that these mysterious groups believed that the powers of magic whispered to them and compelled them to action. Some of these cults called themselves, "Cults of Awakening," or in ancient Cananor this would be, the "Cult of Shistar." These cults spread northward from the cradle of ancient Aerinia and into the north. Along the way the secrets of these cults gave rise to great superstition of the supernatural, but they also inspired One Channelers and Sol Wielders with their mysteries. It is said that even the Witch Queen Seraphina was a member of one of these cults and powerfully placed to lead her lands against opposing forces during the Unholy Wars (AC2506-AC2559).
    After the end of the Unholy Wars, these cults were popularized and the Age of Wonders experienced a renaissance of magical affluence as the mortal races rebuilt from the destruction of war. This new resurgence of magic led to the creation of extraordinary places, such as the Hall of Kings, intended to be a sign of new racial unity, where the bodies of the greatest war heroes from the Unholy Wars were buried. One of these was a powerful One Channeler called Marioba who, depending on sources, suffered from intense madness or was far philosophically advanced for his time. Doubtless, Marioba was greatly influenced by his travels through-out the Multiverse and he was fearful of the powers he encountered there. As part of his quest for greater understanding he spoke with ancient sages called the Brothers Khan and then retreated into seclusion.
   Marioba was not seen for many years, until he reappeared in the tormented Alasyain desert, the site of where the All Stone had first been found and where terrible magics had raged uncontrolled ever since. There he is said to have created devices called the Rods of Power (AC2717), also known as the Rods of Marioba. Many legends speculate upon the nature of the Rods of Marioba and their purpose. Some legends say that they were of such singular power that Marioba hid them away, others say that they were given to his finest students, yet others say that they embodied nine divine principalities and that they gave rise to the powers of divinity in the world. One legend perhaps holds a shred of truth, that their creation tempered the uncontrolled and destructive magic that raged in the desert and that when Marioba returned from Alasya it was as the avatar of Shistar.
    After his apotheosis, it is said that Marioba spent much time among the elves, that he also traveled the depths of the earth and dwelt among the Silothreni for a time, and then that he traveled north and lived among the descendants of Queen Seraphina Catharin for a time before disappearing. From these three sources there have since descended all of the ancient knowledge with regard to the deity Shistar and its worship.