Catarr

## Catarr, God of Caves and Monsters

An artistic rendition of Catarr, depicted as both a Shadar-Kai and as a beast with black feathers

### Nicknames

Dark in Shadow, The Bone Collector, Beast Master

### Worshippers

Catarrites, Dark Dwellers

Diesis's Holy Symbol: a beast claw bursting out of darkness

Catarr (pronounced: kah-TAR), known as the God of Caves and Monsters, was once the most prominently worshipped god in the Plane of Shadow. His worship is now mostly done by the people of the Outer Burrows of Lunareth.

## Description

Catarr is constantly changing forms. Usually depicted as a Shadar-Kai with short black hair and dark eyes, he mostly bears the form of a beast, usually with black fur or feathers. Other times, he is just a formless shadow of magical darkness.

Catarr's Lords, while few, are actually the most varied of any deity. They can be Duergar, Drow, or Shadar-Kai, like in his home plane, or any of the races found in Lunareth.

Catarr's holy symbol is a beast claw bursting out of the darkness.

## Personality

Before he was "God of Caves and Monsters", Catarr was greedy and vain. He was a thief, having robbed the gods of their strengths and gifts over the eons in order to empower himself, his home plane, and the people who live in it. Catarr's vanity has lead to the near destruction of the Plane of Shadow, as well as the extinction of the Shadar-Kai, his mortal creations. This caused the people of the realm to despise Catarr, banning his worship entirely.

After the Expanse, he dropped the title "God of Darkness" and dedicated himself to serving Erasil and the Lunareth Pantheon, but mostly still serving himself. He prefers to isolate himself from everyone, refusing help from the gods. He is also jealous, not allowing his faithful to side with any other god, faction, creed, or sovereign.

## Abilities

Catarr is a master of subterfuge, able to seem trustworthy despite all other sources telling you otherwise. He is also gifted in stealth, unable to be seen unless he wants to be seen. Catarr can also shapeshift in to any creature he desires, usually beasts, plants, monsters, and dragons. He is also able to combine creatures together, transforming into dangerous and terrifying hybrids.

## Worshippers

Since the forbiddance of his worship in the Plane of Shadow, there are very few catarrites who are Duergar, Drow, or Shadar-Kai. Most catarrites are from the Outer Burrows of Lunareth, mainly druid groves, ranger conclaves, and blood hunter orders. Catarr regularly gifts these followers by guiding them through the ever changing cave systems of Lunareth. Most of the Outer Burrows have been charted and discovered by people guided by Catarr.

The few worshippers of Catarr that remain from his time as "God of Darkness" have been forcibly removed from the Plane of Shadows, and have found it hard to integrate with modern civilization. These "Dark Dwellers" have found refuge in the Dark Depths, a set of tunnels far below the tunnels of The Burrows, where they have continued their worship of Catarr. while often ignored by the God of Caves and Darkness, the Dark Dwellers believe that like all other things in the past, Catarr will grow bored of his new duties and defect from the gods, returning to shepherd his "true faithful" into prosperity. These Dark Dwellers are often evil, and have learned to dominate the monsters and aberrations of the Dark Depths to use in battle.

## Relationships

While not enemies, Catarr is disliked by the other gods, regarded as untrustworthy due to his previous deeds. While he considers himself reformed, the distrust still lingers. He has recently found himself asking Erasil, God of Magic, for advice, seeing him as a mentor, almost.

## History

### The Cosmic Thief

Soon after the creation of the Plane of Shadow, Erasil and Thusur created Catarr to fill the dark void. Catarr was quickly intrigued by the power the Elder Gods possessed. He plotted to steal the Elder Gods' power for himself, and nearly succeeded. He was able to rob from Erasil the power of creation, which he used to grow his home plane to ridiculous proportions, nearly consuming the multiverse. He was quickly thwarted and forced to reamin within the Plane of Shadow for all of eternity.

### Prisoner of Shadow

While in the Plane of Shadow, Catarr, unable to leave, found his calling as "God of Darkness". He quickly grew more and more powerful, mastering the innate darkness surrounding him and materializing it as weapons and tools. His sentence was ultimately cut short when he escaped once again, using his unique cunning to break free of the Elder Gods' punishment.

### Thief of Creation

After his escape from the Plane of Shadow, Catarr had learned that Erasil and the other gods had learned to create life within their home planes. Catarr was furious, consumed with greed, and planned one of his greatest heists of all time. He managed to sneak into the Crescent Plane and the Plane of Balance, and stole thousands of dwarves and elves from Erasil and Ena, taking them to the Plane of Shadow, where they became the Duergar and Drow.

Catarr grew tired of the Duergar and Drow, choosing to use the powers he had stolen from the Elder Gods long ago to create a new creature. He called his new creations, the Shadar-Kai, and placed them into the highest positions of leadership within the Plane of Shadow. The Shadar-Kai were cruel, like Catarr, and ruled with an iron fist, enslaving the Duergar and Drow for thousands of years.

### The Expanse

After the people of Lunareth discovered the multiverse, it did not take them long to find the Plane of Shadow and Catarr. After this encounter between the Shadar-Kai and the people of Lunareth, Catarr had officially been set loose onto the multiverse. His first act was to wage war on all who stood in his way, which he forced the Shadar-Kai to fight in. While the Shadar-Kai had the support of Catarr, they were unstoppable, nearly bringing Mythspire, the most defensible city in Lunareth, to ruin.

Eventually, Catarr grew tired of his Shadar-Kai as well, who lost his support in the war, leading to their near extinction. Erasil eventually stepped in to intervene, returning the Shadar-Kai to the Plane of Shadow and establishing peace between the realms. This act radicalized the people of the Plane of Shadow against Catarr, now forbidding his worship all together.

### God of Caves and Monsters

After his crushing defeat, Catarr was stripped of his powers and imprisoned within the Crescent Plane by Erasil. There, he found beauty in Lunareth's caves and creatures. He then swore himself to the service of the Lunareth Pantheon. Erasil, noticing Catarr's uncharacteristic conviction, accepted, removing Catarr's title of "God of Darkness" and crowning him "God of Caves and Monsters". With his new title and role, Catarr's vanity has mellowed. Still apprehensive to the gods of the multiverse, he hides within Lunareth's caves, enlightening his worshippers.