The Overseer

The Overseer
Two circles within two squares, forming an abstract sun
Alignment	Lawful Good
Divine Rank	None or Demigod
Pantheon	Ravenloft
Portfolio	Community
Domains	Good, Law, Protection
Home Plane	Demiplane of Dread
Worshippers	Darkonese
Favoured Weapon	Longsword

The Overseer is a minor deity worshipped in the domain of Darkon in the Dungeons & Dragons setting of Ravenloft, introduced to the setting in the Ravenloft Gazetteer II for 3rd edition.

A very young faith by some standards, the Overseer's church is just over a century old and centered in Matira Bay. It stresses the importance of the community and offers hope for overall divine justice in a world that often seems unfair, granting it an appeal that stretches across the social spectrum. The clergy, known as the Witnesses, has no official power and relies on donations from the faithful in order to fund the various charities it seeks to develop and support, such as hostels and orphanages. The faith observes few strict tenets, but instructs the faithful to bring private concerns before the Witnesses, who will then offer spiritual guidance under the strictest confidence. The faith's one taboo is against idolatry, which they feel distracts from existential truth. Unlike most clergy, the Witnesses bear no ability to cast spells, and this is justified through their dogma:

"The Overseer does not grant divine boons; such vulgar displays are tools of fear, not faith. The Overseer sees all, however, and all wrongs shall be made right in the afterlife. In this life, mortals should aid one another and accept aid in turn."

If this is making you suspicious, congratulations; you're a smart cookie. The simple truth behind why Witnesses can perform no holy miracles is because their god does not exist: the Faith of the Overseer was invented by a nosferatu named Tavelia, a member of the Kargat (secret police of Darkon's Darklord) who had observed the waning strength of Darkon's official faith, The Eternal Order, and attempted to found a new religion of her own invention that would serve as a tool for societal control and a flytrap for would-be heroes and revolutionaries.

But... faith in the Demiplane of Dread is a funny thing. If Zhakata can grow from one madman's delusions to being able to empower a priesthood, then so too can a benevolent deity like the Overseer. As such, mechanics for a being a true Cleric of the Overseer are presented as a Dread Possibility. After all, the Dark Powers love to torment all denizens of the Lands of Mist, including the creatures of the Night.