Lao Shu Po

Lao Shu Po

(Deity)

Titles

Grandmother Rat

Adjective

Laoite

Alignment

Neutral evil

Portfolio

Assassins
Rats
Spies
Thieves

Worshipers

Ysoki, assassins, smugglers, spies, thieves, Absalom Station, Akiton, the Diaspora

Favored Weapon

Dagger

Source: Core Rulebook, pg(s). 487

More information about this subject might be available on PathfinderWiki.

The goddess Lao Shu Po, also known as Grandmother Rat, is the patron deity of ysoki, and the patron of assassins, rats, spies, and thieves. She teaches that the universe gives nothing for free and individuals should do whatever they can get away with and jealously hide it away. She believes that betrayals are ubiquitous and expected, and one should only rely on oneself.

History

Legends tell that Lao Shu Po started her existence as a normal rat who gained divinity by gnawing on the body of a dead god . While first she was a goddess of darkness, she eventually turned to those who conduct their business under the cover of darkness.

Dogma

Lao Shu Po prefers that her followers work from the shadows, whether its the knife in the back, the starship power core rigged to explode, or the poison in the cup. She also teaches that they should keep their eyes and ears open, in case they can learn something that they can later turn to their advantage. Although Lao Shu Po endorses self-sufficiency, she admits that sometimes it is beneficial to band together for mutual strength and protection. Even so, betrayal is inevitable and that it is best to betray others before others turn on you.

Church

Cults of Lao Shu Po are banned in many societies, while others, including some very upstanding governments, appreciate the skills of her cultists as spies and assassins, and sometimes they can even operate openly. Lao Shu Po allows her followers to remain loyal to their employers as long as their own personal ends are served, but trusting them is always foolish.

Worshipers

Lao Shu Po is worshipped by criminals concealing their business from the authorities under the cover of darkness. She is also viewed as a patron of the ysoki, who mostly worship her to placate her and rarely embrace her ideals. Nevertheless, a large number of Lao Shu Po's priests, who call themselves her 'grandchildren', are ysoki. In the Pact Worlds system, Grandmother Rat's followers are thought to be particularly common on Absalom Station, Akiton, and the Diaspora.

Temples

Few temples to her exist, and all are unassuming, small, and often hidden in plain sight. They can include an apothecary in a low-rent neighborhood where poisons are sold, a dark chamber in a drug den, a forgotten corner of a space station's waste reclamation level, or maintenance tunnels hidden beneath a busy city street.

Unholy symbol

Lao Shu Po's unholy symbol is an emaciated rat curled in on itself.