Heron

To most, Heron remains as a bit of an enigma. Even her own followers remain ignorant to her motives, though scholars do believe that they're simply pawns for whatever greater plan that the Dark Lady has in mind. Heron serves as a patron saint to several walks of life -- all of which belong to villainy.

Spheres of Influence: Murder and Secrecy

Title(s):  The Dark Lady(Or 'Lady in Dark')

Symbol: A dagger stabbed through a set of playing cards. Alternatively, a skull surrounded by playing cards. There are many more, depending on the sects.

Depiction: A woman dressed in dark robes, with a blank, gray sheet of skin for a face.

Month: Hera, 3rd month of winter.

Relations

For the most part, the Lady in Dark does her best to remain neutral among the other deities, though Natinatara (among other gods) views her with revulsion.

Churches and Clergy

The Heran religion is considered a cult in just about every country save for Malibor, where she is barely tolerated. There are many 'hunts' for the cultists, but due to the elusive and slippery nature of the cult, it rarely gives favourable results. The cult is split in a few sects, each one focusing on a different aspect of Heron and paying little attention to the others. They all have vague connections, however. Followers of Heron all wear certain masks to identify themselves as devoted to their god. '

The first known cult is the Greyfingers, a vast organization of assassins that are rarely seen to the public eye. Members of this cult live a secret life, and many stories revolve around the assassination of prestigious nobles at the hands of the Greyfingers.

The Children of the Mask is an organization dedicated solely to spies, thieves, and general secrecy. While this sect rarely deals with the murdering aspect of Heron, they're outright notorious for forming vast criminal syndicates. A lot of Halflings are ashamed to admit that a lot of their people are part of this cult.

Last but certainly not the least known is known as 'our lady's teeth'. This particular guild focuses solely on the murdering aspect, and while they do have secrecy, they generally prefer a more...open approach to their methods. The guild cares not where or how blood is spilled, so long as it's done in Heron's name.

Heron's places of worship are generally very well hidden, and are usually found beneath the guise of criminal organizations such as thief and merchant guilds. These guilds usually hide their nature to most of the underlings, with only a small circle of worshipers acting as the ringleaders of the group.

Holy Texts

Heron is known to have several holy texts, but they are often disguised with as unremarkable books with various code names to hide their identity. A known text is called 'The Truth Beyond the Mask"



Notable Equipment
Save for classic cloak and dagger, not many know of Heron's personal armoury. It is said that her mask is what allows her to disguise herself as anything she likes.

Rituals:


Ascendance Night: In order to celebrate Heron's Ascendance, followers of her gather on the 1st of Hera in order to perform various rituals, depending on the particular sect. Most kidnap a human sacrifice, who is usually killed in a way depending on the sect's beliefs, while the thieving sect simply conducts a complicated and risky operation in her name.