The following is the Faiths & Avatars entry for the clergy of Ankursa, the Shadow Demon. Ankursa's clergy is newly born, and growing quickly. The Oloths (as they call themselves) can already be found in the Realms, on Oerth, and among the Planes.

Ankursa (ahn-KOUR-sah) is the goddess of power for survival, and to a lesser degree, a goddess of balance. She is worshipped by those who believe that survival is the most important fact of life, and who dedicate their lives to having their lives. Some would say that she serves Ghaunadaur, but her followers maintain that it is an alliance of mutual gain. In fact, their belief is that they do not worship Ankursa so much as work in union with her so that they themselves may gain more power. Ankursa is a very new goddess, entering the Faerunian pantheon in 1370 DR. Her worship has not spread quickly, and is not well accepted among the established religions. Ankursa was not around for the Time of Troubles.

Ankursa is often depicted as she manifested herself once in Myth Drannor. She is normally a solid, even-minded goddess who seeks to advance the cause of her followers in Faerun. However, she has been known to be fickle at times, especially when her priests become involved romantically. The Shadow Demon shows great favour towards mortals that overcome incredible odds, and will often grant gifts or powers to those individuals, or even to those who are not followers, in an attempt to lure them to her faith.

Followers of the Evening's Razor often cooperate with followers of Azuth, Deneir, Ilmater, and Oghma, as the followers of those faiths are easily exploited. They consider the clergies of Shar, Sune, Tempus, and Torm to be foolish, and are wary of those who pray to Cyric, Iyachtu Xvim, or Tyr. In times of danger, they do not hesitate to flee to temples of Eldath and Grumbar, knowing them to be safe and trustworthy.

Ankursa has only manifested once in the records of the Sanctuary of Shadows. That time, she appeared as a tall, 4-armed woman with feathery white wings, and is believed to have saved Shaundakul's avatar in Myth Drannor. She has informed her followers that this is not her standard form, and that those seeing it should know that she has come seeking vengeance. Her regular form, which is how she appears in visions and during communication, is that of a beautiful young woman, with soft brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair, dressed in tight black leather, and wearing a black cloak. Ankursa's only divine traits are overwhelming beauty and perfect health. She often appears wearing a jade circlet, and has a wand tucked into her belt. Her voice is soft but firm, and its commands are enforced by the night-black blade she carries with effortless skill. Ankursa can use any school of magic, and uses priest spells from the spheres of All, Animal, Combat, Divination, Elemental, Healing, Law, Numbers, Plant, Protection, Thought, Time, Travelers, and Weather.

AC -10; MV 24; HP 236; THAC0 1; #ATT 19/4 or 4/1
Dmg 1d10+16 (Yoi-Pai +7 Str, +5 Kensai, +2 Specialization) or 3d6+17 (Long sword +6; +7 Str, +2 Monk, +2 Specialization)
MR None; SZ M (6') or M (7')
Str 19, Dex 19, Con 25, Int 20, Wis 20, Cha 19
Spells: P:9/9/8/8/6/6/6, W:8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8/8
Saves PPDM 1, RSW 1, PP 1, BW 1, Sp 1

Special Att/Def: In combat, Ankursa normally uses physical attacks, unless she is fighting a foe of considerable power. She knows the weaknesses of any non-unique creature, and is familiar with any non-unique item or spell. Against large groups, she is prone to launching her most powerful offensive spells. Against psionicists, she spares no effort, and is herself immune to psionics. Ankursa is a master of Yoi-Pai, and can be considered a specialist with any weapon she finds. On any successful saving throw, she has avoided an attack completely, and takes no damage or other effect. She is a Wild Talent, with the psychoportive science of Teleport, with an MTHAC0 of 1. Ankursa has 248 PSPs.

Ankursa's avater usually wears several items of power. Her jade circlet allows her to shapechange at will, and her shadow wand can fire 20th level magic missiles, fireballs, lightning bolts, or ice storms once per round. Most powerful of all is her sword, Yorn Oloth, or Dark Demon. Dark Demon is an intelligent drow long sword of speed +6, that operates in daylight without penalty. While wielding Dark Demon, Ankursa has an AC of -16. By giving up the AC bonus for a given time, Dark Demon can do the following: at the cost of 4 turns, Dark Demon can raise its plus to +10 for 1 turn; at the cost of 7 turns, Dark Demon can attack on its own with the same THAC0 and number of attacks as Ankursa, doing 3d6+6 damage per strike, lasting 4 turns; at the cost of 5 turns, Dark Demon can issue forth a finger of death; at the cost of 10 turns, Dark Demon can fire a meteor swarm; and for 7 turns, Dark Demon has the ability to remove any type of magical or psionic barrier within 60 feet. No more than 20 turns can be accumulated at any one time.

Ankursa has often appeared as a tall, 4-armed woman with white, feathery wings. In this form, she wields four magical long swords, including Yorn Oloth, and is almost always manifesting for the express purpose of doing battle against an enemy of the clergy, or a member of the clergy who has made a great transgression. Her followers have learned that when she appears in this form, it is best to be elsewhere.

Ankursa has been known to grant a temporary immunity to psionics, to oloths she favours, in times of need. The Shadow Demon has also often expressed her favour by granting boons in the form of magical items. These gifts are always temporary, and usually manifest in the form of Bracers of Defense or Rings of Protection. These gifts must always be earned, and are often in the possession of powerful guardians. She has also been known to grant special intelligent blades to high-ranking oloths, although the blades tend to have an agenda of their own. On two special occasions, she has granted the use of her sword, Yorn Oloth, to a mortal for some task. On one of those occasions, the mortal was not even a follower of Ankursa. The reason for the bestowal is a cause for debate among the more theological monks of her order.

Priest of Ankursa are found scattered throughout the Realms and the planes, and they are few and far between. Her shrines can be counted on one hand, and she has only one temple. Most of her shrines have sanctuaries nearby where her followers can be safe from their foes, and where items of power can be stored.

The clergy members of Ankursa do not yet have a name, and over 90% of them are specialty priests, who occupy all the positions of rank. Monks and mystics are welcome, but are not considered to have the same devotion as specialty priests. Of course, the leader is always the powerful of a group, but so far no monk or mystic has been such. However, most specialty priests are adventurers by trade, so the monks and mystics often have more power than their rank would indicate.

While most deities that embrace power and ambition tend to have a male-dominated clergy, the followers of Ankursa are fairly evenly split. Symbols denoting rank have not yet been set in stone, although the trends of the Sanctuary of Shadows in the Outlands will undoubtedly be the determining factor in what they end up being. The current terms used by the Sanctuary are, in ascending order: Aspirant, Walker, Linewalker, Power. The term Aspirant is used for those who choose to follow the faith. They are granted the title of Walker when they first display that they understand and believe the Rules of Ambition. Linewalkers are those who have grown confident enough that they have become active in the fight to restore balance. Power is reserved for those few who are deemed 'capable' by the Goddess. There is but one Power currently.

Dogma: The teachings of the Shadow Demon are two-fold, and most of her priests and followers never move on beyond the first half. First and foremost, her believers are taught to take care of themselves. Power breeds survival, and nothing is more important than surviving. Any other goal has the potential to be reached, but only if the seeker is alive and capable. Before anything else, Ankursa's followers must learn to manipulate the laws of society and nature to become as powerful as possible. This philosophy attracts many people who are too shallow to see beyond it.

Power is a means to an end, and those few of her priests who reach the rank of Linewalker understand this. The world as they know it, be that a country or a plane of existence, needs a balance to survive. If any force becomes too powerful, than the balance that keeps everything operating may collapse, and no one, no matter how powerful, will survive. It is the overriding goal of all senior members of Ankursa's clergy to seek to maintain and enforce the balance within the greatest scope they are aware of. As well, they understand that ruling or controlling all within their grasp is not true power, for, as with any other force that grows to powerful, life and nature will collapse. Therefore, her followers seek to become capable and to stop any other from becoming too powerful, without seeking absolute control themselves... just the ability to seize control.

Day-to-Day Activities: The primary obligation of priests of Ankursa is to know everything about their surroundings and what happens therein, to understand the workings of nature and magic, to know how to manipulate and lead those around them, and to report their finding to their Goddess at the end of each day.

Among the few people who know of the followers of the Evening's Razor, they have a reputation for being greedy and untrustworthy. As deserved as this reputation is, the priests of Ankursa seek to dispel this image whenever possible, doing 'favours' and giving 'gifts', all with purposes that remain hidden from the public at large.

Most oloths spend most of their time adventuring, as it is the fastest means of acquiring power. They often adventure into extremely dangerous areas, confident in their ability to succeed where others have failed. While not all are lucky, it is true that oloths have a higher success rate than most, often acquiring large stockpiles of gold and magical artifacts. Only their reputation for power and ruthlessness in defending themselves keeps potential thieves at bay.

The mystics and monks of the religion usually seek power by other means. Often, mystics seek to earn political power, befriending powerful individuals, both humanoid and not. The monks spend more of their time in study, and exchange the knowledge they acquire for items of power from the oloths. All together, they have incredible potential.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The only major holiday of the followers of Ankursa in Faerun is the 7th day of Eleint. It was on that day in 1357 DR that the Goddess came into being. On this day, her followers meet at her shrines to compete and test each other's capabilities. While uncommon, fatalities are not unheard of, as the competitors hold no punches in their efforts to win. The victors of such meets are often granted special boons by the Goddess.

Major Centers of Worship: Ankursa has only one temple to her name, the Sanctuary of Shadows in the Outlands. Located just outside the 5th ring, it is primarily inhabited by mystics and monks. There are rumours that an Orb of Dragonkind is stored there, but the inhabitants of the temple deny this. In the city of Myth Drannor, there are numerous shrines to the Shadow Demon. Each contains a magical glyph that allows communication with Ankursa. They are used to attract and recruit powerful adventurers that are exploring the ruins. As a young Goddess, Ankursa is still accumulating followers and temples.

Affiliated Orders: Throughout Faerun, among the Westlands humans, Thayvians, drow, and touching almost every other major nation, there is a movement forming whose goal is the destruction and removal of psionics from the Realms. Mostly consisting of powerful adventurers and power groups, they are a natural target for the followers of the Evening's Razor. The leader of the group is an oloth, and is the only Power currently. Among their ranks, they have many followers and not a few oloths. These special priests cannot Hide in Shadows or Move Silently, but can make themselves immune to any type of psionics for 1 turn/level, 1/day.

Priestly Vestments: Oloths always wear black all over, so as to better hide in shadows. They are not above donning other clothing, but it will always be for a practical reason, and they will never wear garb that hinders their movement. While adventuring, they tend to wear tight fitting garb. When within civilization, however, they more often wear loose fitting clothing, so as not to be mistaken for thieves. Their footwear tends to consist of high, hard boots, and their head is usually uncovered. Oloths always have a variety of pieces of equipment, usually small pieces that can be tucked in small pockets and pouches. Hidden weapons and magical items are also common. Few oloths wear an openly visible holy symbol, so as not to attract attention.

The monks and mystics of Ankursa also usually wear black, but more out of habit and conformity than practical need. They are more likely to wear her symbol openly.

Adventuring Garb: As stated before, the Shadow Demon's priests whatever is most practical, which in almost all cases is tight-fitting black cloth or leather. Some form of gauntlets is common, although they are always easily removed with one hand. Rings, bracelets, and other forms of jewelry are frequently worn, each with some ulterior purpose, be it a hidden compartment, a weapon, or a magical protection.

• Oloths reduce casting times by 1 on all spells
• All oloths may learn the basics of the Yoi-Pai style of martial arts for 1 proficiency slot. DMs who do not wish to include martial arts in their campaigns should consider this equal to the Unarmed Combat option from SPELLS & MAGIC with no slot cost
• Oloths roll 1d10 for hit points
• All planar oloths have the effects of a composed mind in effect at all times
• Oloths may Hide in Shadows and Move Silently as a thief of equal level (as per the DMG)
• Oloths gain a +2 to saving throws against spells that affect their beliefs (such as charms)
• Oloths may have exceptional Strength, and use Warrior Constitution bonuses
• Oloths may cast wizard spells from the evocation school in addition to priest spells. These spells are cast as if the oloth were an invoker of two levels higher. For example, a 3rd-level oloth casts wizard spells as a 5th-level invoker. Oloths pray for their wizard spells instead of studying to memorize them, and chosen wizard spells replace priest spells potentially available to them that day. (In other words, the wizard spell occupies a priest spell slot.) Oloths gain access to 8th-level wizard spells at 16th level and 9th-level wizard spells at 18th-level. An oloth must have a Wisdom of 18 or higher and an Intelligence of 16 or higher to gain access to the 8th-level spells, and a Wisdom of 18 or higher, and an Intelligence of 18 or higher to gain access to the 9th-level spells. If an oloth is able to gain high-level wizard spells, every 8th-level spell prayed for occupies a 6th-level priest spell slot and every 9th-level spell prayed for occupies a 7th-level priest spell slot. Oloths are always able to read evocation spells on scrolls or in wizard spellbooks as if they knew read magic (but studying spells from a spellbook is useless to them). No more than three-quarters of an oloth’s total number of spells available (round down) can be taken as wizard spells.
• At 5th level, oloths can hit creatures requiring +1 or better weapons with thier bare hands and feet. This increases by one plus for every 4 levels above 5th that the oloth attains
• At 9th level, oloths gain minor access to the sphere of Summoning
• At 16th level, an oloth attracts 20d10 followers

Many oloths are actually a specialized form of dual-classed character. When an individual of any race and class is introduced to the following of Ankursa, they have the option of becoming a 1st level specialty priest of the Shadow Demon. The next time the individual advances a level, they must add the experience points needed to advance as a specialty priest to the experience they need in thier primary class. This amount is what is needed to advance a level. Humans are encouraged to dual-class normally.

The followers of Ankursa are encouraged to recruit among the already-powerful, and this method of introduction allows such to occur. The description of Yoi-Pai can be found in the shadow master spell description. Abilities in italics cost extra proficiency slots, or 2 character points each.

1st Level

Shadow Master (Alteration)

Sphere:	Combat
Range:	Self
Components:	V, S
Duration:	1 turn/level
Casting Time:	4
Area of Effect:	The caster
Saving Throw:	None

This spell grants the caster greater ability in the special style of martial arts of the followers of the Shadow Demon, Yoi-Pai. For every level of the caster, they gain one of the following abilities:

1. A base of two attacks per round with hands and feet.
2. An armour class bonus of +5, but only against those attacks to which Dexterity would apply.
3. Increases hand and foot damage to 1d8.
4. Iron Fist: Increases hand damage only to 1d10.
5. Fall: Lets the caster take only 1/2 damage from falls. This is not cumalitive with the Tumbling skill.
6. Instant Stand: Allows the caster to spend only one attack standing up from being prone.
7. Pain Touch: On a successful hit, the target takes no damage, but has a -2 to hit and AC for 1d3 rounds.
8. Stun Touch: On a successful hit, the target takes no damage, but must save vs. paralyzation or be stunned for 1d4 rounds
9. All-Around Sight: Gives the caster all-around awareness, preventing rear attacks and backstabbing.
10. Crushing Blow: Break 2" wood/level, or half that in stone. A successful hit with a Crushing Blow inflicts double the normal damage bonuses from any source, but uses up all attack available for the round. It can only be used with natural attack.

2nd Level

Flight of Stars (Enchantment)

Sphere:	Combat
Range:	10 yards/level
Components:	S, M
Duration:	1/3 segment/level
Casting Time:	2
Area of Effect:	Special
Saving Throw:	None

This spell enchants a small number of specially prepared caltrops to fly at one or more targets within range. Like a magic missile, a flight of stars requires no to-hit roll, automatically hitting the desired targets. The caster can enchant one star for every level she has attained.

The stars fly out from the caster's hand towards the targets at the rate of three per segment, doing 1d4 points of physical damage when they hit. The caster must be concentrating during this time. While this spell is easily blocked by such defenses as shield, magic resistance is ineffective at blocking its attack.

The material component of this spell are a number of caltrops forged in the form of an eight-pointed star, and cost about 1 gp each.

3rd Level

Phase Blink (Alteration)

Sphere:	Astral, Protection
Range:	Self
Components:	V, S, M
Duration:	2 rounds/level
Casting Time:	2
Area of Effect:	The caster
Saving Throw:	None

This variation of the 3rd-level Wizard spell Blink is similar in some respects, but operates differently depending on the plane that the casting priest currently inhabits. When cast, the spell allows the caster to phase out of her current plane after her actions each combat round. Every round, after the caster has used all her declared actions, she shifts to another plane until the end of the round. At the beginning of the next round, the priest reappears until they have completed their actions. If the caster is indecisive, they remain in their current plane until they take some sort of decisive action. The spell cannot be ended prior to the culmination of its duration.

While on the Prime Material, or in any of the Inner Planes, the caster shifts into the Ethereal Plane. While on any of the Outer Planes, she shifts into the Astral Plane. If cast while on the Astral or Ethereal Planes, the caster becomes insubstantial and invisible, effectively being out of phase.

While apparently quite powerful, phase blink does not allow the caster to take any actions while on the other plane of existence, and can only be and will be triggered by actions taken by the caster.

The material component for this spell is a piece of silver wire for the Astral version, gold wire for the Ethereal version, and platinum wire for the Phase version.

4th Level

Negative Rain (Conjuration, Necromancy)

Sphere:	Necromancy, Healing
Range:	5 yards/level
Components:	S, M
Duration:	1 round
Casting Time:	4
Area of Effect:	3' radius/2 levels of the caster
Saving Throw:	None or 1/2

Negative rain is both an offensive and defensive spell that sucks the life from a priest's opponents and bestows that life force upon her allies. When cast, a rain of negative energy falls upon the area of effect, striking any unfortunate creature below. All creatures are drained of life, at the rate of 1 hitpoint per segment, but undead and other creatures without a life force take no damage. Note that golems and most intelligent blades are infused with a life force and can still be affected, but may make a saving throw vs. spells to avoid any damage.

During the round that the negative rain is in effect, the caster must maintain concentration to keep it going. At the end of each segment, she can redirect the life energy emanating from the rain towards one target within range. If the target is a living creature, they are healed half as many hitpoints as the negative rain drained for that segment, rounded up. If the target is an undead creature, they take that same half amount as hitpoints of damage, unless they fail a saving throw vs. spell, in which case they take the full amount.

The material component of negative rain is a piece of any undead that has connections to the Negative material plane.

5th Level

Ankursa's Blessing (Abjuration)

Sphere:	Protection
Range:	Self
Components:	V, S, M
Duration:	1 day or until used
Casting Time:	1 turn
Area of Effect:	The caster
Saving Throw:	Special

This special spell will not be granted to priests who are not in good favour with the goddess. When a priest receives Ankursa's blessing, she may choose to invoke it at any time within the next 24 hours. When invoked, Ankursa's blessing allows the priest a chance to avoid one spell or attack.

Whenever the caster is subject to a physical, psionic, or magical attack, she may choose in invoke the blessing. The priest then gains a special saving throw vs. Death magic. If successful, the attack automatically fails. This affects even such spells as magic missile that automatically hit.

As an alternative, the caster may wait until the results of an attack have been determined before making the saving throw, such as after the caster has failed a saving throw vs. flesh to stone. In such situations, the caster roll a saving throw vs. Death magic, only with a -4 penalty. Success means the attack has been avoided.

While this spell is subject to a dispel magic, it does not leave an aura about the priest, and cannot otherwise be detected. The material component is the holy symbol of Ankursa.

1. There is no method too easy for killing a foe. Use the most efficient means.
2. Do not gloat or stall.
3. Eliminate foes before they speak. However logical their reasoning is, do stop and listen.
4. No interrogations may take place in a security-risk area.
5. Be secure in power. Destroy even the weakest foe, and leave no clues or riddles.
6. Cremate or otherwise confirm the death of all foes. Never assume.
7. Grant no last requests.
8. Never use an attack that is delayed.
9. Do not interrogate a dangerous opponent, even if they are defenseless.
10. Avoid all melodrama.
11. Never use any force not completely understood.
12. Have a variety of attack forms available (magic, tech, fire, acid, etc.).
13. Maintain a realistic assessment of your strengths and weaknesses.
14. Never use a weapon with any type of flaw.
15. Always have at least two of anything important. Redundancy in defenses and offenses is important.
16. Never trust anyone of similar or superior power.
17. Kill anyone who is lucky or unpredictable.
18. Never do anything on a whim or for emotional reasons.
19. Never disguise yourself if it makes you weaker.
20. All fashion should have a practical purpose. Black hides well.
21. Keep all prisoners of import in seperate dungeons, not cells, and keep the only key with you.
22. Kill all relatives of all enemies.
23. Do not challenge foes directly or engage in one-on-one combat.
24. Do not be chivalrous or sporting. Use your most powerful attack as early and as often as possible.
25. Destroy all means of time travel.
26. Kill all pets of all enemies.
27. Kill enemies while they are weak. Do wait until later. Do not let grudges fester.
28. Treat all allies with respect and kindness.
29. Do not directly search for or assault your bane. Have a third party do so.
30. If a prisoner is being stubborn, kill them.
31. Do not double-cross anyone still alive.
32. Be subtle without reducing effectiveness.
33. Always research fully an artifact before using it.
34. Leave no hiding places for foes.
35. Cure all phobias and habits immediately.
36. Treat all inconsistancies as a full-scaled emergency.
37. Those who save your life may be granted mercy once.
38. Never work, travel, or sleep alone.
39. If an ally is suspected of treachery, kill them, then find out.
40. Treat any hostile unknown as incredibly powerful.
41. Always attack an unknown weakly first. If they live, use your most powerful means.
42. Never follow or engage a foe in unfamiliar or dangerous terrain.
43. Prisoners are a boon, not a requirement.
44. If an enemy puts up a defense inexplicably, duplicate it before figuring out why.
45. Avoid damaging surrounding while attacking.
46. Keep things simple.
47. Make sure that none of your attacks can be used against you.
48. Psionics are dangerous, and must be controlled or eliminated.
49. Do not become emotionally attached. Grant no favours.
50. Report all knowledge to the Goddess for the power of all.