Torsuth the Trickster – The Shadowkeeper
Lord of Deception, Deceit and Cunning

Torsuth is a capricious spirit – taking on many forms and interfering with great regularity in mortal affairs. Among more regular forms are those of a sly, smirking fox and various smaller humanoids – typically appearing in leather armors or commoner’s garb. Unassuming and benign in appearance, his avatars are typically anything-but. Always speaking in a honey-tongued voice has caught many a fly of thought, luring them into his web of schemes under the guise of riches, power and more often than not, morbid curiosity.

Torsuth’s domain is the underslung shadow realm, tangential to so many others – where he hosts ethereal courts among the deepest and darkest reaches. Unnatural and ever shifting, it is a place few stumble into by accident and fewer still escape by design. Whole twilight landscapes held together by scant threads of silver-moonlight – bordered here and there by rivers and deluges of light that seeps in from bordering realities. Dark reflections of urban angles and ruins piecing through – contrast giving them substance in a place of formless wilds and blurred expanses, prowled by unchecked wild fantasies and thoughts given form. Ageless and transient, it is marked only occasionally by pockets of civilization – typically settled refugees escaping other worlds or inadvertent prisoners who have lost their way and know not how to return home.

Those who follow the Shadowkeeper do so for myriad reasons; some to curry favor on their heists, others to compete for glory or a place in the rosters of his shadow courts, where only the most clever or conniving scheme to sit. Although many commit their crimes in his name, Torsuth has no love for petty thugs or base actions – they are unoriginal, thick lined smudges on a canvas reserved for finer, more subtle hues and deeds. The artisian conman, skilled tactician, hushed assassin and background manipulator hold his attention. He is particularly fond of those who divine unique, unorthodox solutions – for consistent cunning catches the Trickster’s eye. Although whether or not this is a boon or a curse depends solely on his mood; he is just as likely to use his influence to facilitate someone’s plot as he is to throw a wrench in their plans to see how they work around it as a test.

His covens and cultist wisely keep themselves concealed – being associated with the Deceiver does not well suit open faced temples or promote much trust among party members. They perform their schemes in quiet and a deed unnoticed is a successful endeavor. When rumors of their deeds circulate unattached to them in the inns and taverns, the only badges they need to wear are knowing grins.

Never the less, Torsuth is often associated with strange ceremonies during particular times in the autumn season. Wearing masks, often shaped to one of the storied forms the Shadowkeeper has taken, such a silver fox, smirking coyote or laughing hyena, follower and public alike openly engage in festivity and tomfoolery. Some say Torsuth himself walks among the masses during such times, inciting mischief for its own sake. Whether legend or not is hard to say – and he most likely prefers it that way – leaving follower and foe alike to find for themselves if they are pursuing glory or simply chasing shadows.

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Another of my DnD dieties – depicted superbly by the masterful  guarazu
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What better way to honor the Trickster and share his glory than Hallow’s Eve?
Prince of Thieves, with a coins and daggers up his sleeve;
Honor him with your deeds in the parlor and on the street -
Though, heed his coming – you never know if he bears a tricks or a treat