1. Characters

The Mockery

God of Violence and Treachery
Deity

The crows and jackals that lurk around battlefields to feast on carrion are said to be emissaries of the Mockery. Cowardly, treacherous, and murderous, the brother of Dol Arrah and Dol Dorn is everything his noble siblings are not. The faithful of the Sovereign Host believe that the Mockery tempts people into acts of betrayal by promising them victory and power, and they do not offer him prayers. The drow of Xen’drik worship the Mockery as Vulkoor the Scorpion. Scholars of the Host identify monstrous deities of war with the Mockery, including gods of the giants and troglodytes.

The Mockery is known as Dol Azur to his most devoted followers, allegedly his name before it was stripped from him.

Source: Player's Guide to Eberron


Province: Betrayal and bloodshed

Suggested Cleric Domains: Trickery, War

Suggested Paladin Oaths: Conquest, Vengeance

Dol Arrah will show you how to fight with honor, Dol Dorn will grant you courage, and when you die, at least you’ll know you did so bravely and honorably. The Mockery will drag you through mud and blood, drive you to betray your principles and employ tactics that horrify your allies and enemies alike—but at the end of the day, you’ll be standing over the corpse of your foe. Which path will you follow?

Those who despise the Dark Six condemn the Mockery as a villain, a monster who encourages cruel and treacherous behavior. This can be as simple as ambushing an enemy, using stealth instead of facing them openly. Or it can mean slaughtering innocents, torturing your foes, breaking a truce— anything to bring you victory. Those who embrace the path of the Mockery may say that such tactics are the only way to bring down a superior foe. Honor is a luxury for the strong; for those who are weak and oppressed, victory is all that truly matters.

Others who follow the Mockery assert that the very idea of honor in war is delusional. Pain, terror, and death are the inevitable results of violence; at least those who follow the Mockery acknowledge the truth others deny. The assassin who kills without warning, the barbarian who sees mercy as a weakness, the pirate who cultivates a terrifying reputation—all these might view the Mockery as an ally. While this can be a dark path for a player character to follow, a hero could use the techniques of the Mockery in pursuit of a noble cause. A grim vigilante who uses stealth and fear to terrify cowardly criminals into changing their ways could be guided by the Mockery

Source: Exploring Eberron


“The Sovereign of Betrayal and Bloodshed,” Neutral Evil

This evil deity, known in some circles as the Betrayer, is brother to Dol Arrah and Dol Dorn. His betrayal lead to his flaying and banishment from the Sovereign Host. Once part of the triumvirate of combat deities that included his brothers, the Mockery now represents the dark side of their portfolios. He is the god of dishonorable combat and unjust war, and is patron to all manner of evil warriors and rogues. Assassin cults, of which the most infamous is the Flayed Hand (Player’s Guide to Eberron 108), keep him in their prayers.

Portfolio: Combat, dishonor, murder, terror, treachery.

Domains: Destruction, Domination‡, Evil, Illusion‡, Trickery, War.

Priest Training: Priests of the Mockery must know betrayal personally, and thus must bring to ruin someone close to them before entering the priesthood. They are also expected to learn something of anatomy and surgery.

Quests: The Mockery’s adherents often exact bloody vengeance on those who have wronged them or their god. They also seek to destroy the priesthoods of both Dol Arrah and Dol Dorn—corrupting a priest of either god earns the Mockery’s highest favor.

Prayers and Rites: The Mockery is often invoked just before a killing, whether through assassination or armed combat. Sacrifices usually consist of things valued by the petitioner’s enemies, perhaps a trusted weapon or beloved mount.

Shrines: The Mockery’s shrines are downright ghastly, more charnel pits than temples. Bloody chains dangle from the ceiling, and the walls are hung with strips of skin. Rather than cleaning up blood spilled in the god’s name, priests treat it chemically to retain its fresh color and viscosity, so that shrines seem literally coated in blood.

Favored Weapon: Kama.

Holy Symbol: Five blood-spattered tools, laid out in the rough shape of the divine Octogram of the Host.

Source: Faiths of Eberron

Title
God of Violence and Treachery

Type
Deity

Gender
Male