Goddess of Trickery and Deception
Group (Pantheon): The Twelve
Domains: Trickery, Illusions, Deception
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Sarna's holy symbol is a silver mask, split into two halves: one side smiling with joy, the other side weeping with sorrow. These opposing faces represent the dual nature of trickery -- both the charm of illusion and the pain deception can cause. This symbol is often worn as a pendant or engraved into jewelry, hidden beneath clothing to avoid unwanted attention.
The faith of Sarna is secretive and decentralized, fitting her domain of deception. Formal temples are rare, as her followers prefer hidden sanctuaries, urban safehouses, and secret shrines built into forgotten places. Her faith thrives in societies that restrict personal freedom, where cunning and deception are necessary for survival.
The Veiled Shadow
The mysterious high priest of Sarna's faith, known only by title. They operate entirely from the shadows, their identity concealed even from senior clerics.
Masks of Sarna
Senior priests and agents who oversee cells of worshipers. Each Mask is identified only by an enchanted mask that shifts appearance and voice, ensuring anonymity even within the faith.
Whispers of the Mask
Cunning priests and agents tasked with spreading Sarna's influence through espionage, cons, and manipulation. They specialize in obtaining sensitive secrets and using them to influence mortal events.
Shadowblades
Rogues and assassins dedicated to Sarna, performing covert missions such as liberating prisoners, toppling tyrants, or eliminating dangerous figures. Their loyalty is often ensured through secret vows and enchanted marks.
Followers of the Hidden Path
Common worshipers, often thieves, spies, illusionists, and performers who venerate Sarna by embracing her tenets of cunning and disguise. Many operate without the direct knowledge of the Masks of Sarna.
Lady Nyssira, "Twilight's Whisper" (past)
Role: Veiled Shadow and Legendary Spy
Legacy: Nyssira was a master of deception during the Fifth Age, orchestrating the fall of tyrannical rulers through manipulation, espionage, and blackmail. Her true identity remains unknown, though legends claim she faked her own death and disappeared.
Keira Nightthorn (past)
Role: Assassin-Priest of Sarna
Legacy: A famed Shadowblade from the Fourth Age, Keira singlehandedly dismantled a brutal death cult by infiltrating its ranks. Her enchanted dagger, Veilfang, has become a symbol of Sarna's power to destroy evil through deception and cunning.
Mask of Silent Song (present)
Role: High Priest of Sarna's Largest Urban Cult
Legacy: The enigmatic leader of the Shadowveil Syndicate, a powerful network operating in the Twilight Coast. Known for balancing crime with secret acts of rebellion against corrupt rulers, the Mask of Silent Song's true face has never been revealed.
Arvel the Silver-Tongued (present)
Role: Traveling Trickster and Charismatic Bard
Legacy: Arvel is a beloved bard, spy, and master of disguise who spreads Sarna's teachings through stories, often sowing unrest against oppressive regimes. Despite numerous bounties on his head, he remains a folk hero and rumored agent of Sarna's faith.
Velira Duskmask (present)
Role: Enchantress and Master Illusionist
Legacy: Velira is an arcane practitioner who blends sorcery and divine magic. She leads the Whispers of the Mask, using enchanted mirrors and arcane illusions to gather secrets and control power brokers in the Aurensul Collective.
The faith of Sarna is most active in urban environments where intrigue, politics, and secrecy are commonplace. While outlawed in more rigid kingdoms like Ilyndor, her worship is tolerated (and secretly supported) in power-hungry cities such as the Stormmarch Republic and the Redspire Compact. Her influence is strongest in criminal underworlds, thieves' guilds, and among disenfranchised social classes.
Sarna's followers have strained relationships with most lawful-aligned deities, especially Theris (justice) and Talandra (order and peace). However, they frequently collaborate with more chaotic deities such as Zephyra (tempests) or Naeris (twilight and secrets) when interests align. Sarna's faithful are always at odds with abyssal cults and forces of domination, seeing them as threats to personal freedom.
The faith of Sarna faces both external and internal challenges:
Sarna, the Goddess of Trickery and Deception, is a divine patron of cunning, mischief, and manipulation. She represents the shifting nature of truth, the power of cleverness, and the inevitability of change through unexpected means. Sarna is not inherently malicious; she values creativity, adaptability, and the breaking of oppressive systems through unconventional methods. However, he worshipers can range from harmless pranksters to dangerous manipulators.
Sarna is often depicted as a sly and enigmatic figure with a knowing smile. She wears flowing robes that shimmer like liquid shadow, changing colors depending on the viewer's perspective. A delicate mask, half-smiling and half-weeping, conceals much of her face, symbolizing duality and hidden motives. She is frequently shown holding a silver dagger in one hand and a string of enchanted charms in the other.
The faith of Sarna is a living enigma, operating from the shadows and shaping the world through secrets, lies, and clever manipulations. Her followers are as likely to spark revolutions as they are to orchestrate elegant cons. Sarna's legacy endures in whispered legends, in stories of impossible heists, and in the shadows where truth and deception blur beyond recognition.
Source: Homebrew, 2024.
Trindle Spring Lutheran Church RPG Club | Mechanicsburg, PA