Faergol

Name: Faergol
Titles: The Grinning Shadow, The Cracked Mirror, The Soulreaper, The Last Laugh
Nature: Faergol is a smirking, laughing and smug deity who delights in playing tricks and pranks on mortals, just for the fun of it. While he takes his duty in death seriously, he has been known to allow a handful of mortals he likes to escape his clutches, especially when they amuse him. He has also been known to lure those he does not like into his hands. Death's sense of humor is twisted and often of a sarcastic type. He encourages mortals to spend time alone, and in silence, as these are best times to play his tricks onto them.
Gender: Male
Time of Power: Night, particularly midnight
Portfolio: Dark, Illusions, Tricks, Secrets, Punishment, Reverence, Solitude, Humor
Favored Alignments: N/A
Restricted Alignments: N/A
Allows Druids?: No
Allows Spirit Shamans?: Yes
Allows Paladins?: No
Favored Weapon: Dagger
Symbol: A Comically Grinning Skull
Domains: Death, Darkness, Cold, Luck, Trickery

Death is, for the vast majority of the creatures of the world, the final experience of reality which mortals experience. In time, it will come for all things, regardless of their deeds or accomplishments. The mortals of the world know death all too well, and have experienced it second hand through the deaths of many people and things around them. For some, it is a welcome release against the pains of life, while others rage against it until the moment that the dagger of death severs their soul from their body. Death is a return to the world of darkness, it is said, in which Faergol holds the souls of the dead for a time before ushering them to their rewards in the personal realms of their chosen deity. This darkness, and all darkness, is an essential part of the world, hiding secrets, and ideas never meant to be known, from mortal minds. The darkness is at once a place of great danger and great protection, shielding those who know and respect it from the bite of death.

Faergol is nearly always depicted as a heavily robed, almost shapeless figure with a hooded and featureless face - except for a grin. The exact sensation that this grin gives varies widely, although many see the grin as a laughing one. Faergol is often depicted holding Shroud's Fang. It is a small serrated dagger that appears to be made of blackened bone and dyed in dried blood. Its slightest wound is said to sever a soul from a living body. Mortals who find Shroud's Fang never realize what it is until they have completed His task or fail him, in which case it bites at their souls.

Holy Symbols of Faergol are usually carved in the abstract shape of a skull, either by blackened bone, clear ivory or dead ebony. It is common for the interested cleric to request the task from a crafter due to the difficulty of handling the materials, but it is not uncommon for His clerics to pick up such skills for that reason alone. At Faergol's whim at times, in the hands of a devout cleric, the eyes of the skull might seem to follow the observer wherever he or she may be.

The church of Faergol's most important duty is the protection of the dead after they have died. The church is often in control of crypts and cemeteries which they tend with utter solemn obedience. The cleric often offers cheap funeral services for any family that can afford one. However, these clerics make up only a small part of Faergol's most devout followers. Any other aspects of the church are not recognized officially. Faergol has many sects and cults centered around him, although finding them is often an challenge. Many of his clerics also live lives as hermits, and shamans often serve him as well, hunting down any spirit or soul that may have somehow escaped his grasp. Valkshir however, typically shun the worship of Faergol as a whole. It is said those who worship Faergol amongst them who are discovered will swiftly meet him in person.

The Lord of Death is commonly worshiped by hermits, shamans, assassins, caretakers of the dead, rogues and tricksters of all kinds.