**Pantheon:** Orcish Deities (Daughter of [[Gonosh]]) **Alignment:** Neutral **Symbol:** A black hood with white eyes **Domains:** Death, Shadows, Secrets, Balance, Magic **Overview:** Lysara, known as the Lady of Shadows, is one of the enigmatic daughters of [[Gonosh]], the Prime Entity and war-god of the Orcs. As one of the infamous Sisters of Despair, Lysara embodies the silence of secrets, the duality of shadow and light, and the unyielding force of shadow magic. She is a goddess of nuance and mystery—her presence inspires awe, fear, and reverence in equal measure. While many among [[Karudasos|the Dark Lands]] revere her for her subtlety and hidden wisdom, she is not as universally feared or despised as her sisters. Lysara represents a quiet power—one that sees the world in shades of gray rather than absolutes. She is often invoked in times of uncertainty, vengeance, or moral conflict. **Personality & Nature:** Lysara is introspective and calculating, yet not cruel by nature. She does not act out of malice but out of a firm belief in consequence, secrecy, and power earned through understanding and fear. She views mortals as fragile, flawed creatures—sometimes useful, sometimes repugnant. While she may judge quickly, she seldom acts without a reason. Her recent outburst against [[Grom]]—draining him of vitality and casting him from a ledge—broke the Divine Concord, a pact all gods are bound to. It was an act not of rage, but of wounded pride. Yet, the event has drawn the scrutiny of other divine beings, particularly [[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death|Aria]]. **Relationship with Other Deities:** Lysara is loyal to her father, [[Gonosh]], though she is not blindly obedient. Her respect for him stems from shared ideals of strength and order, but her methods are more elegant than his brute force. She holds a wary disdain for [[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death|Aria]], [[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death|goddess of death]] and birth, whom she sees as overly sentimental and naive. Their recent confrontation over [[Grom]] has opened deeper rifts in the divine realms. Unlike many gods, Lysara does not seek open war but rather controlled, targeted action. Her respect for the Divine Concord is tenuous—but it remains, for now. **Worship & Followers:** Lysara is worshipped by those who operate in secrecy—assassins, spies, cursed sorcerers, and orcs who embrace shadow and silence over brute strength. Her rites are quiet, often performed alone or in hidden places. Her symbol is sometimes burned into obsidian pendants or painted in ash upon black cloaks. Her followers believe that balance must be enforced through consequence, not compassion. They see mercy as dangerous, but do not universally oppose it. The core tenet of her worship is _understanding before judgment, silence before shame_. **Artifacts:** - _[[Duskshear]]_, her divine blade, crafted from condensed shadow and laced with forgotten truths. It glows only in moonlight and speaks the names of those it is about to strike. - _[[Veil of Silence]]_, a cloak of woven night that can suppress both sound and memory within its folds. **Role in the Present Age:** Lysara’s appearance in [[Gor’Karn]] marks a shift—less of ambition and more of warning. Her crossing of the Concord’s boundaries hints at growing discontent among the gods, and she may be the first sign of deeper divine unrest. **Legends Say:** - She once extinguished all light from a city for three days to punish a high priest who betrayed her trust. - Her whispers are said to reach across planes, speaking truths only the guilty can hear. - The moon wanes faster when she walks the world in avatar form. **Quotes:** "They speak of justice like it is a flame. I prefer the quiet truth of shadows." "The Concord binds us, yes. But even bonds fray with time." "I do not punish mortals for being flawed. Only for forgetting that gods watch—even in silence." ## **Stats** Medium Celestial (Goddess Avatar), Lawful Evil **Armor Class** 24 (Shadowform) **Hit Points** 620 (25d12 + 375) **Speed** 50 ft., fly 80 ft. (hover) | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | | ------- | ------- | ------- | ------- | ------- | ------- | | 20 (+5) | 26 (+8) | 25 (+7) | 25 (+7) | 22 (+6) | 28 (+9) | **Saving Throws** Dex +17, Wis +15, Cha +18 **Skills** Insight +15, Stealth +17, Deception +18, Arcana +16 **Damage Resistances** All; damage from radiant or force is halved **Damage Immunities** Necrotic, Psychic, Piercing **Condition Immunities** Blinded, Charmed, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Poisoned, Restrained, Stunned **Senses** Truesight 120 ft., Passive Perception 24 **Languages** All, telepathy 120 ft. **Challenge** 28 (120,000 XP) **Proficiency Bonus** +9 --- ### **Divine Traits** **Legendary Resistance (4/Day).** If Lysara fails a saving throw, she can choose to succeed instead. **Divine Shadowform.** Lysara can move through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. She takes 5 (1d10) force damage if she ends her turn inside an object. Her form sheds dim shadowlight in a 10-foot radius, extinguishing nonmagical light. **Avatar of Shadows.** Spells and attacks Lysara makes ignore resistances to necrotic and psychic damage. Once per long rest, she can become **intangible** for 1 minute, taking half damage from all sources and avoiding opportunity attacks. --- ### **Divine Powers** _(Recharge 5–6)_ **1. Shadow Reap (1/day).** Lysara targets up to 5 creatures within 60 ft. Each must succeed a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw or take 66 (12d10) necrotic damage and be silenced (unable to speak or cast spells with verbal components) for 1 minute. Half on a success. **2. Shroud of Despair (2/day).** Creatures of her choice within 30 feet are engulfed in gloom. Each creature must succeed on a DC 23 Charisma save or gain one level of exhaustion and have disadvantage on saving throws vs fear and charm for 1 minute. **3. Curse of Shadows (3/day).** Lysara curses a creature she can see. The target takes 6d10 necrotic damage immediately, and each time they roll a natural 1 on any d20 for the next minute, they take an additional 4d10 psychic damage. --- ### **Actions** **Multiattack.** Lysara makes three attacks with _[[Duskshear]]_ or uses one Divine Power and one Whisperfang attack. **[[Duskshear]] – Blade of the Lady.** _Melee Weapon Attack:_ +18 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. _Hit:_ 20 (2d10 + 9) slashing damage + 27 (6d8) necrotic damage. On a hit, the target must succeed a DC 23 Constitution saving throw or be unable to regain hit points until the start of Lysara's next turn. **Pierce the Veil (Recharge 6).** Lysara stabs a tear in reality and teleports to any shadow she can see within 300 ft. She can bring one creature with her unwillingly (DC 23 Dex save to resist being pulled). That creature lands prone and takes 44 (8d10) psychic damage. --- ### **Legendary Actions** Lysara can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. - **Shadow Step.** Lysara teleports up to 60 feet to a space in dim light or darkness. - **Attack.** Lysara makes one [[Duskshear]] attack. - **Shroud of Silence (Costs 2 Actions).** Lysara targets a 10-ft. radius within 60 ft. No sound can be made in that area for 1 minute. Creatures cannot cast spells with verbal components. - **Invoke Shadow Reaver (Costs 3 Actions).** Lysara summons a 30-ft. radius sphere of pure darkness. Creatures inside take 30 (6d10) necrotic damage at the start of their turn until the sphere ends (lasts 3 rounds or until dismissed).