Kiaransalee, also known as the Lady of the Dead, is a drow deity whose portfolio includes vengeance and the undead. Kiaransalee is a cruel, twisted and vengeful deity. The Lady of the Dead became insane ages ago; however, she managed to keep her cunning and she could still clearly remember every slight or insult towards her, whether it was real or imagined. Kiaransalee is swift to anger, powerful, and has plotted a dark revenge to all who have wronged her. Kiaransalee prefers company from the mindless undead she can manipulate at will, over sentient beings that are possessed of independent thought. She rarely trusts anyone else to do justice to her vision and thus prefers to settle her problems herself.
Kiaransalee's clergy is comprised of orderly regimented cells, but the faith lacks in overall organization. The Revenancer's clerics are mostly found in small drow communities or in special enclaves, and act constantly in secret. Her clerics are agents of vengeance who plot against anyone who ever slighted the faith. They regularly organize slaying missions to acquire corpses for animation, and are very active in persecuting slaves. A few of the church also join the Cult of the Dragon and become Wearers of Purple. Eventually, most became undead themselves. The clergy of Kiaransalee includes only living and undead female dark elves.
Temples
Kiaransalee is worshiped in solitary secrecy in cities dedicated to Lolth in simple shrines hidden away from prying eyes. Such shrines are simply black marble sarcophagi adorned with carved depictions of the dead rising up to take their revenge on the living. To venerate the Lady of the Dead, a priest of Kiaransalee simply lies within her personal sarcophagus while holding her holy symbol clasped in two hands across her breast. According to legend, if a living priest of the Revenancer is disturbed while so engaged, Kiaransalee grants her the powers of a vampire for the next 24 hours.
While the only true temple of the Lady of the Dead is the Acropolis of Thanatos, smaller chapels exist in the wilds of the Underdark. Such chapels are typically small caves in which the skulls and bones of countless long-dead creatures have been partially absorbed by the walls, roof, or floor of the cavern. Kiaransalee is said to guide small bands of worshipers to such sites far from the prying eyes of the Spider Queen's priests where they can worship in secret and plot their vengeance on their spider-loving kin.
Vestments
Drow priestesses dress in loose black robes with hooded cowls stitched with bone and ivory. They wear gray skullcaps on their shaven heads and thin silver rings on every finger save the thumb. and sporting at least one silver ring in each hand. Some spread a grayish paste made of the ashes of incinerated corpses over all uncovered skin. They mostly reside in the Acropolis of Thanatos and are capable clerics and necromancers.
Priests of Kiaransalee are forbidden to wear any sort of armor, preferring to trust their own magical defenses and the combat skills of their undead bodyguards. Many priests substitute a silver ring of protection for one of their ceremonial rings to supplement their defenses. Members of the Revenancer's clergy are trained in a wide variety of weapons, but most favor slim poisoned blades, garrotes, and maces so as to minimize the damage to bodies that could later be animated.
Hierarchy
Kiaransalee's clergy are known collectively as the Crones of Thanatos. High ranking priestesses are called Yathrinshee. Novices are known as the Commanded. All other members of the clergy are known as Nighthags. Titles used by Kiaransaleen priests vary widely across temple hierarchies, but those used at the Acropolis of Thanatos include Bones of the Dead, Flesh of the Zombie, Terror Touch of the Ghoul, Chill Touch of the Shadow, Raking Claws of the Wight, Life Leech of the Wraith, Rot of the Mummy, and Spirit Harvest of the Spectre. As one might expect, many of Kiaransalee's faithful are transformed into undead servitors either by their own hands, by the hands of other priests, or-in very rare cases-by the hand of the goddess herself. High-ranking priests may become banshees, liches, vampires, or—if truly favored—Kiaranshee (Kiaranshee are banshees who retain their spellcasting powers, whether they were necromancers or priests).
Rituals
Clerics of Kiaransalee prayed for their spells at midnight, the time of day in which spirits are most restless. Each individual cleric performed a handful of minor devotions to Kiaransalee each month.
The Graverending: The single annual holy day of the faith was called the Graverending and was celebrated each Midwinter Eve. The Graverending was an individual ritual, where each cleric animated as many undead as she could handle. These undead were known as the Vengeance Hunters and they were consumed only with a desire for revenge against those that ended their lives. They hunted down this killer unerringly within 24 hours. When a Vengeance Hunter was destroyed it did not rise again. These undead returned to their graves after their 24 hours or after their vengeance had been executed, if possible.
Orders
Legion of Vengeful Banshees: These banshee knights' sole purpose was to battle the undead tanar'ri servants of Orcus. Their base of operations was the Acropolis of Thanatos in V'elddrinnsshar.
Death comes to all and cruel vengeance will be exacted on those who waste their lives on the petty concerns of this existence. True power comes only from the unquestioning servitude of the once-dead, mastery over death, and the eventual earned stature of one of the ever-living in death. Hunt, slay and animate those who scorn the Revenancer's power, and answer any slight a thousandfold, so that all may know the coming power of Kiaransalee.
Kiaransalee manifests as a sinuous female drow, wearing only silver jewelry and silk veils. She wields Coldheart, a dagger that perpetually drips acid, and when it pleases her she dons the Mantle of Nightmares, a cloak of bones that causes magical fear in all who gaze upon its horrors.
Kiaransalee had many foes and only loose allies. In the hopes of loosening Lolth's web she allied herself with such deities as Hoar, Velsharoon, Malar, and Vhaeraun. Her chief enemies were Deep Duerra, Dumathoin, Eilistraee, Kelemvor, Laduguer, Jergal and the Demon lord Orcus.
