Shargaas

Shargaas
Shargass (shar-gas) is a dark and brooding deity of terrifying cruelty and evil. More cunning than Ilneval, his scheming and efforts are cold and calculated. His hatred of non-orcs is rooted in a basic hatred of life itself, and he even views orcs as little more than killing tools to be discarded when their usefulness has run out. He is thought to stalk in the depths of the earth, deep beneath the caves of most orcs, and is seen as the patron of orc tribes that live in the Darkgrotto.

The church of Shargaas is secretive in nature, its members usually hiding their affiliation from the rest of their tribe. The temple is a powerful, but hidden force with most tribes, methodically culling the weak to strengthen the tribe as a whole. Shargaas's clergy can strike fear into even the most powerful orc chieftain, for they often eliminate leaders they see as cowardly or ineffectual with a sharp blade in the back under cover of darkness. The church of Shargaas often works on the edges of enemy battle groups, silently eradicating those who might raise an alarm or put together an effective defense against a burgeoning horde.

Clerics of Shargaas pray for their spells at midnight, when the world is shrouded in darkness. His clergy gather under the darkness of each new moon to honor the Stalker Below in a dark ceremony known as the Chant in the Abiding Darkness. The faithful are required to bring an item of great value to its previous owner to sacrifice to Shargaas, preferably the heart of some enemy. The assembled then begin chanting a series of ritualistic prayers to the Blade in the Darkness, pledging to serve as his silent and deadly weapons. Many clerics multiclass as rogues.

Dogma
The darkness is cold and everlasting, but provides a dark mantle for the blade in the night. With silent stride and hidden hand, cull the weak from the tribe and eliminate all other races. Go down into the deep tunnels and wage war with those who dare abide in the demesne of Shargaas. Be alert for weakness in the eyes of the chieftain, for his mistakes may spell your own doom.