Syrul (goddess of deceit and trickery)
Syrul (SIGH-rul) is a ‘barbarian’ goddess of deceit and trickery; the patron of the assassins and thieves. She is rarely worshiped openly outside of ‘barbarian lands like the Crimson Coast or the Blood Isles. She and her followers like to hide the truth under layers of deceit, obscuration and illusion.
Syrul appears as a dirty, smelly old hag in tattered clothing (an illusion that covers her appearance). She is never without Small Lie (a dagger of venom made from an evil unicorn's horn) and Harsh Truth (a rod of withering made from a gold dragon's crystallized soul), and rides a great nightmare called Flamedevil. She can see through any deception or illusion, and her holy symbol is a forked tongue.
“The best way to protect what you know is to shield it in a lie. Speech is deadlier than any weapon; the greatest and smallest fall with a well-spoken untruth. Give your word to advance your cause, and break it when it is no longer of use. Trust is for fools, and betraying a fool is the greatest gift and lesson you can give them. Honesty and straightforwardness are for the dull-witted.”
Her clerics use their ability to lie effectively in situations where they can cause the most trouble: markets, courtrooms, embassies, and fortune tellers’ booths. Many are skilled actors, performing in self-written plays that slander authority figures. They engage in debate, and are hired by leaders to confuse and misdirect spies and unwarranted foreign dignitaries. They travel to escape persecution, to find rumours to escalate, and to exploit the trust of greedy and foolish explorers.
Alignment: Neutral Evil, Weapon: Dagger, Symbol: Forked tongue.