Sarastra

Goddess of Night and Magic, Her Celestial Majesty Sarastra Aestruum, Queen of Night and Magic, Duchess of the Heavens, Countess of Thorn, Mistress of Air and Darkness, Lady of the Summer Palace and Bride of Shadow, Patron of the Shadow Fey  

• Divine Domains: Darkness, Knowledge, Labyrinth, Trickery
• Alignment: Neutral
• Favored Weapons: Rapier, dagger

  Sarastra rules the Shadow Realm, the source of darkness and raw arcane energies. Her goals are oblique and mysterious, often cruel and heartless, and this is reflected in her favorite followers, the shadow fey who make her realm home. She plots out of boredom and malice, and her mastery of the arcane and her control of deceptions and misdirection both make her dangerous. She has a perfect memory for the slightest insult, and some of her revenges take centuries to complete.   Sarastra resembles an impossibly beautiful shadow fey woman wearing an indigo dress covered with diamonds and a diadem of mithral and glowing starstones. Her cloak seems part of the night. In the Realm of Shadow her avatar presides directly over the Courts of the Shadow Fey. Her attention is dangerous but can bring great reward to those who please her—a difficult prospect given her mercurial moods. She creates complex rules and protocols for her court, and she changes them with every whim. She recruits many pawns to use against her enemies.  

Worshippers

  Shadow fey, elves, and the elfmarked are Sarastra’s primary followers, although her devotees include human and tiefling arcanists. Pockets of Sarastran worship also exist in Friula, the Maritime Republic of Triolo, and the Free City of Zobeck. Her worship is banned in many areas, particularly among those who favor rival gods of magic such as Khors, Hecate, or Thoth-Hermes.  

Symbols and Books

  Sarastra’s symbol is a stylized star inside a triangle above three whorls of air. Her most holy book is titled The Mistress of Air and Darkness, a book of confusing tales that worshippers use to attempt to decipher her desires.  

Shrines and Priests

  Sarastra’s shrines are common in elven lands and shared with other shadow gods. They are dark structures illuminated by glinting silver offerings. Sarastran shrines feature an entry room partly open to the sky, the moon window or moon gate.   An elven pair currently leads her greatest temple in Midgard at the River Court of the Arbonesse: Laurin Marcen (CN female elf cleric 11 [Sarastra]) and Genessa (NG female elf bard 11). The two have expanded her worship in the Arbonesse and the Grand Duchy of Dornig, somewhat to the discomfit of its rulers.  

Masks

  Sarastra takes on many forms in the mortal realm. In addition to her favored form as a shadow fey, she might take the form of wind and shadow, white deer, ravens, and owls to advise the lost or teach magic. She appears as a pale maiden to tempt chivalrous knights into abandoning their orders and wasting away in pursuit of her.   Despite their similar domains and mutual animosity between their followers, Sarastra and Hecate never acknowledge each other in any manner. Some believe they are the same deity, an assertion their followers deny.   She is called Heid or Gullveig in the North, and Hecate and even Charun have been suggested as masks of Sarastra in the south.  

Other Faiths

  Sarastra counts many deities as rivals or enemies. She has clashed with Charun and Wotan. Her relationship with Thoth-Hermes is more complex, but they are generally rivals. She also competes with other fey deities, such as Yarila and Porevit, for attention from the elves.   Sarastra’s primary ally is the Hunter, in his aspect as the Moonlit King. They are lovers, passionate though often estranged.  

What Sarastra Demands

  Walk the world and understand its magic. Celebrate beauty, mystery and magic. Enchantment, illusion, and deceit are worthy weapons; learn them. Let no thing of beauty perish thoughtlessly. Follow your passions, without regard for how you might be judged. Ignore the laws of men. Sacrifice blood and magic to the goddess by night, and reap your rewards each day.