Hemlig

Intermediate Deity

At A Glance
Alias:Liesmith, Shroudmaker, The Hidden God Symbol:            A curved dagger piercing an opened hand Home Plane:        The Shadow Alignment:         Neutral Evil Portfolio:         Secrets, deception, treachery Worshippers:       Evil rogues, assassins, evil loremasters, shadowlings Cleric Alignments: CE, LE, NE Domains:            Charm, Evil, Knowledge, Trickery Favored Weapon:    Kukri

History
The origin of Hemlig is lost to time. No one knows if he is the son of Forstorelse, a renegade child of Frihet, an ascended yugoloth, or some other kind of being. The god of secrets keeps his own origins concealed, and only Evighet would know where this one comes from. Hemlig often walks the material plane, typically as a human rogue of dark demeanor, though occasionally he travels as a shadowling or Varsidar elf among the Underdark. He wears black and gray, and normally only has Lightcutter, his kukri, as a weapon. Rarely is he recognized, for he cares little for his followers, treating them as pawns for his acquisition of secrets and knowledge. He respects only Evighet of the pantheon; his fear and desire for Varjo, his consort, is muted by the fact that she is the dominant partner in the relationship.

Dogma
Secrets bring power. Discover the secrets that you can, and use this hidden knowledge as a dagger against your enemies. Gain the trust of others, for that way you can learn their secrets, and thus hold them under your power. Knowledge is power, and knowledge you possess that no one else does is the ultimate power, for they are ignorant of what truths you hold. If any gain power over you, learn their secrets, and thus cause their undoing.

Clergy and Temples
Hemlig's clergy is secretive, even within the Empire. If one walks around proclaiming to be a cleric or follower of the Liesmith, they are either a fool, bribed to do so, or a follower of Hemlig trusting that people would think them the first two things. Though Hemlig is an accepted part of the Pantheistic Church, few clerics follow his ways. At least, openly follow him. Many evil thieves' guilds, bards, and wizards follow the God of Secrets, and shadowlings revere him and his secretive ways. His temples are often windowless, dark and forbidding places hidden deep underground. Others loiter in plain sight, using their nature as something completely innocent to conceal the dark worship that takes place there when no one can see.

Hemlig also has more mystery cults than any other deity does, even the primordial dragons that have to secure worship in such a manner. One cult of particular note are the Shadows, a monkly order devoted to secrecy and assassination. Often they will attempt to kill wizards or loremasters that do not follow the Hidden God, stealing their lore and keeping it secret to increase the power of their Master. Though keepers of knowledge are their preferred targets, they also kill for hire, often infiltrating and replacing the local Assassin Guild. Another is the Brothers of Night, a collection of spellcasters and loremasters that gather knowledge, and with only the leaders of the Order aware of the dark master that they really serve. These are just examples, for many more secretive organizations of this sort litter the Empire, and the world as a whole.

Diety Specific Items
Mark of Hemlig

This burnished-black steel amulet bears a carving in the form of a curved dagger piercing an opened hand, and hangs from a matching blackened chain. It functions as a normal holy symbol, and in addition, has the following powers. When worn by one of Hemlig's faithful of Evil alignment, it provides +5 profane bonus to all Open Lock and Disable Device checks, and the ability to cast Invisibility 2/day as a 3rd level caster. Market Price: 5,100 gp