Ilnard

**Ilnard** (pronounced: / ILL-nar) is the Ohuran god of illusions, though he is also commonly associated with deceit, cheating, and gambling. Ilnard is assumed to remain inside the Pantheon of Magic— although few know that this is in fact a deceitful illusion. In truth, Ilnard wanders around the planes of existence to directly achieve his desires of playing games with both worshipers and other creatures of Ohura.

## Description

Ilnard likes to take on different forms whenever he encounters other figures, often shapechanging in the midst of a conversation. This form switches between most types of sentient creatures, though Ilnard has been seen to shapechange into beasts as well. Ilnard's true form is that of a deep gnome with a long, silver-colored beard, wearing a thick, deep purple robe decorated with moving shapes and patterns.

## Personality

Although Ilnard is associated with deceit and cheating, he holds a charming and friendly personality. The god of illusions likes to play games, and will not cheat or gamble if his opponent is onto him. Ilnard holds no grudges to others who cheat or beat him, but instead rewards those who manage to best him.

## Abilities

Being the Minor Deity of the magic school of illusion, Ilnard is able to innately cast any spells of said school at a whim. He is able to conjure up powerful illusions that appear realistic and are even able to inflict harm upon others. In addition, Ilnard can transform into any creature that he has seen, similar to a polymorphing spell. Ilnard uses these abilities to flee and get out of a pinch, or to transform into a powerful being if fighting is the only viable option to a situation.

## Possessions

Unlike most other deities, Ilnard possessed no unique weapon of his own, instead relying on his shapechanging abilities in and out of combat. For gambling purposes, Ilnard has a set of magical dice that are able to roll according to Ilnard's own will.

## Divine Domain

Ilnard's domain lies within the Mystique Planes, the demiplane in which the Pantheon of Magic resides. This domain lies the farthest away from the plane of Lei, as Ilnard fears that the Elemental Lord of Fire might see through his lies otherwise.

## Relationships

While Ilnard was closely related to lies, deceit, and cheating, few beared ill will against him. Ilnard is often composed as a friendly, old man, and disdains from directly deceiving friends. Nevertheless, Ilnard likes to play games and jokes, and is considered to be troublesome to work with. While in the Mystique Planes, Ilnard lounges around with the other Minor Deities of the pantheon. Otherwise, he enjoys spending time in bustling cities, where he earns fortunes through gambling using his illusions and his personal set of magical dice.

Ilnard also has some connection to the Elemental Lord of Fire, although the two rarely meet. The Elemental Lord views Ilnard as a lowly mortal who got lucky in becoming a deity, while Ilnard himself aims to steer clear of the greater deity out of fear of having his secret revealed.

## Worshipers

Despite Ilnard's good intentions, most of his worshipers misinterpret them and instead view the god as a purely evil one. The primary church that follows the god of Illusions is the Shapeless Tongue. This evil-aligned group of people largely consists of petty thieves, gamblers, and other types of criminals, who view Ilnard's works as those excusing foul crime. Because of his principles, Ilnard does not directly interfer with the faction's beliefs, but he does sometimes come as a missionary under the guise of a follower or acolyte in an attempt to dissuade the group's members from their teachings. The Shapeless Tongue is seen as a pagan group of no-good-doers in most cities and towns, and are largely illegalized in these settings. As such, the majority of their guilds are built in sewer systems or other subterranean places to hide from authorities.

Followers of Ilnard had no religious holidays, but instead showed their devotion by donating a small percentage of their earnings gained through gambling or other such acts. In doing so, these followers believed that this small treasure would eventually end up at Ilnard himself, who wandered the streets like the poor would do.

The heraldry of Ilnard— the silvered forked tongue— was worn as an amulet or a ring by followers, who'd often try to hide it from those that might recognize it.

The alternative group of Ilnard's worshipers were spellcasters that knew of his true nature named the Illusionists. These wizards and similar figures had small chapels built into their cities where they could pray to the god of Illusions to learn more about the spells of illusions. The true followers had Ilnard's heraldry branded on their cloaks and robes, and their spellbooks would be made out of an enchanted type of leather that would display a consistent, everchanging display of amorphous shapes and patterns.