Belief in the Lady of Shadows

Man has long believed in deities. Since the earliest of stories men have spoken, sometimes whispered, of gods that were just beyond the understanding of man. Gods and goddesses that cried out for war, oversaw hunts or harvests, and unknowable forces that had shaped the world and all things. Scholars are not sure when the first stories of comfort deities appeared, but agree it was before recorded history. Those are deities that provided for those in need, watched over children, protected the weak. Later there were more specific kinds of gods and goddesses, focusing on a wide range of daily occurrences that were beyond early man's ability to explain. Such as deities that oversaw the distribution of luck.
A uniquely northern deity, The Lady of Shadows, arose at the time the Northern Kingdom was forming.
The first reported sighting of the Lady of Shadows was by an orphan girl during the flight of the people of Elsene when they were led out from the southern kingdom by the former champion of the King of the South.
Legend says that the girl, orphaned when her parents were killed as demon consorts in Elsene, woke early one morning and stepped out into the thawing snows of the dwarven ruins where the refugees had taken shelter. Looking to find somewhere to be alone in her grief, the young girl found herself staring out across a massive sea of clouds, over which stretched the elongated shadow of a giant woman. Terrified, the girl ran back to tell the others of what she has seen. As the refugees followed the girl back to where she had seen the sight they too briefly saw shadows moving along the sea of clouds, but the clouds were dissipating as the sun rose higher into the sky, revealing a mist-shrouded valley stretching out to the north of the mountains.

The Crown of the World mountains had long been thought to be the edge of the world by the people of the Southern Kingdom. Stories were whispered around hearths that only demon infested wastes lay beyond the jagged peaks. For the refugees it seemed as though the shadow lady that had been seen was a divine spirit that was guiding them to a land beyond the reach of the Temple of Justice, and thus began the whispers of the God of Justice having a sister who dwelt in the shadows and protected widows, orphans, and the homeless.

Public Agenda

The followers of the Lady of Shadows seek to assist those of the lowest classes in the Kingdom of the North through subtle manipulations and anonymous actions that provide assistance and support to those most in need of aid. Such actions might include the anonymous donation of needed food, medicinal items, or clothing to the poor, homeless, widows, or other persons, or groups, that are too often overlooked by society.
Followers of the Lady of Shadows seek to remain hidden from recognition for their acts of charity and kindness, but may, on occasion, come together to openly provide support for those suffering from a major disaster or event that requires a significant offering of aid and support for those affected. At such times, followers of the Lady of Shadows will simply begin showing up and doing what needs done without fuss or any expectation of recognition or compensation, fading back from notice as the situation calms to maintain their anonymity.

Assets

Those who follow the path of the Lady of Shadows do so for varying reasons, and most simply hold to a mindset of "help others". While there are thieves and assassins among the followers of the Lady of Shadows, the greater portion of followers are those who have slipped through society in one way or another: widows, orphans, the homeless, and beggars.
There is no formal temple dedicated to the Lady of Shadows, as her followers feel that any area of deep shadow is sacred to the deity. During certain times of the year, solstices and equinoxes, temporary tents are set up in secluded areas or back alleyways near to markets. Made of fabrics dyed black and draped in clothes of black, gray, and shadow blue tones, these transient temples are tended to by a woman shrouded in similarly dyed robes wearing a cowl that hides her features as she offers the blessing of the luck the the Lady on those who attend the temple. Those more philanthropic, thieves, or ones seeking to buy favor with the Lady of Luck, have been known to move through the gathered crowds at these shrines and 'pickpocket' small purses of coins into the pockets of those attending the tent temple services. It is considered by many thieves to be a blessing on their skills if they can go completely unnoticed in this activity.
The tent temples are set up some time after the sun has set, and taken back down by the next sunrise, with no notice other than whispered rumors as to where or when a tent might be set up. It is assumed the tents are made and dyed by the persons that build the temples, as no records can be found preceding the appearance of the materials having been purchased anywhere in the area, nor are the materials found discarded after the tent has been taken down - leaving some to offer up the possible explanation that the Lady of Shadows creates the materials from the shadows themselves, and to shadow the materials return when the time comes for take the temple down.

History

The story of the Lady of Shadows in the Northern Kingdom traces back to the earliest days of the kingdom, when the people that fled persecution in the Southern Kingdom made their way over the Crown of the World mountains.
After a winter spent huddled in the ruins of an abandoned dwarven city, a young girl is said to have woke early and looked out on a mass of clouds that formed a great sea to the north of the summit. Terrified by the sight of a giant shadow, the girl raced back inside the building that the group had taken shelter in.
The people went out, to see for themselves this massive shadow being that the girl had seen, only to see the clouds slowly parting to reveal a lush green valley stretching out before them.
Whispers of the shadow having been the Lady of Luck began to spread through the refugees, who descended into the high valley area that would come to be the Kingdom of the North.
To the anger of the orcnea and the annoyance of the dwarves, some claim that the shadow that had been seen in the legends of the Lady of Shadows was The Sleeping Lady from both ocnean and dwarven mythology.

The Sleeping Lady Mountain by theloneconspirator

((Note the image shown is of the Sleeping Lady in Alaska, and is only to show the shape of the mountain that is a part of the Spine of the World mountain range.))

Cosmological Views

Followers of the Lady of Shadows see the movements of the Sun as being sacred to their faith, with days of significance being the solstices and equinoxes that mark the longest day, longest night, and the two days of the year when the day and night are of equal length being significant days for them.
They also mark the darkest phase of the moon, which is considered the most fortunate night.
The faithful also see clouds in the heat of summer or the depths of winter to be signs of the favor of the Lady of Shadows. Because in the summer the cover of clouds prevents the days from growing too hot, and in the wintertime the days are warmest when there is a dense covering of clouds in the sky.

Ethics

The followers of the Lady of Shadows hold to a belief of giving aid to those in need, and even the poorest of beggars on the street will, if they follow the Lady of Shadows, give what they are able to someone in need.
Thieves who follow the Lady of Shadows will balance out their acts of thievery with acts of philanthropy, giving a portion of what they have taken from wealthy merchants and lords to the poor of their city or town. Such thieves tend to follow a belief system of honoring the Lady of Shadows and Luck by using the skills the Lady gives them to aid the ones She protects: widows, orphans, and others in need of compassionate aid.
Some who follow the Lady of Shadows walk a darker path, adhering to the darkest shadows of the night as they perform acts of assassination. Such individuals often act as dark knives, taking on select contracts that they feel, in some way, balance out their dark deeds with a tipping of the scales to aid those outside of the interests of the Temple of Justice. Such assassins usually work alone, without affiliation to any kind of guild or organization, allowing them to refuse contracts that they feel would go against their personal perception of the code of ethics they feel they should adhere to as followers of the Lady of Shadows.

Worship

The followers of the Lady of Shadows see any dark shadow area as being scared to the Lady of Shadows, but of particular note are:

Shadows behind Statues of the God of Justice

It is believed that the Lady of Shadows is sister to the God of Justice, and has been 'pushed back from view' by Him, so the followers of the Lady of Shadows consider any shadowy area behind a statue of the God of Justice to be a sacred space to their goddess and a proper place to pray to her. Often secret altars decorated with black or blue candles and symbols sacred to the followers of the Lady of Shadows can be found in these locations - much to the anger of the Justicars, who are the devout followers of the God of Justice.

Shadows Cast By, or onto, Clouds or Fog Banks

Clouds are one of the sacred symbols of the Lady of Shadows, a tradition going back to the reported sighting of a tall shadowy figure that stretched out across a sea of clouds having been what guided the people to the valley that is now the Northern kingdom. Any shadows that are cast by, or onto, clouds are therefor considered to be sacred spaces of, or signs from, the Lady of Shadows. This extends, as well, to those cast by or onto fog banks.

Granted Divine Powers

Followers of the Lady of Shadows tend toward the learning of shadow-based magics that aid in going unseen, moving in silence, or escaping from pursuers.
See:Thief Magicsfor a listing of spells commonly known by followers of the Lady of Shadows.

Representation of what refugees saw when entering the lands north of the Crown of the World Mountains.
((Image: Wikipedia - CC BY-SA 3.0))

Above is a representation of what was likely seen by the people that fled the Kingdom of the South when they first looked out on the lands beyond the Crown of the World mountains.
(Image from Wikipeda: Brocken spectre within glory rings. (CC BY-SA 3.0))

Known as:

• The Lady of Shadows
• Lady of Luck
• Sister of the God of Justice

Less often known as:

• The Sleeping Lady
  (If you want to really irritate a dwarf or orcnean.)

Goddess of:

• widows
• orphans
• beggars
• homeless
• thieves
• assassins
• fortune tellers
• gamblers

Type

Secret, Religious sect

Location

The Northlands

Related Ethnicities

• Northerner