The World of Layonara

Layonara World Lore => Histories/Content of Layonara => The Pantheon => Topic started by: EdTheKet on September 16, 2004, 01:24:00 pm

Title: Shindaleria
Post by: EdTheKet on September 16, 2004, 01:24:00 pm
Aliases: Mother Ocean   
Race: Sea Elf  
Alignment: NG  
Description: Shindaleria is the patron goddess of sea elves. Little is known about her other than that she is the oldest of the elven gods. She is bitter enemies with Mist, as both deities struggle to exert their influence on the seas.  
Worshippers: Sea elves, sailors  
Cleric Alignments: LG, NG, CG, TN  
Domains: Animal, Healing, Magic, Water, Good  
Governs: Sea life, oceans, healing, wisdom  
Dogma:  
The Mother Ocean has always been and always will be; seek the embrace of her safety whenever you need it. Respect the sea and its harmony and it will not harm you in any way. Swim both the great currents and the shallow seas. Promote knowledge and use of the sea by reasonable folk, and fight those that would taint or deplete its beauty and bounty. Think long and wisely before acting; the seas do not alter quickly, but when the waters move, great change is sure to follow. Seek out fellow swimmers who honor the ways of Mother Ocean, and ally with them against those who follow Mist and who feel not the serene waters but only the chaotic waves.  
Clergy Favored Weapon and Clothing:  
Clerics of Shindaleria, most of them sea elves living underwater, prefer weapons and armor they can wear underseas. The trident is a useful weapon for underwater combat and hunting. Clerics of Shindaleria often spend most of their time in the sea, so they need to be able to swim; thus, they prefer clothing over heavy armor that makes them sink and rusts. Followers of Shindaleria prefer blue as their color, be it the light blue of the shallow seas or the deep dark blue of the deep ocean.  
Clergy and Temples:  
The clergy of Shindaleria doesn't have much of a hierarchy. The sea is quite wide and her clerics travel a lot, not meeting each other very often. The oldest and wisest of her clerics are considered closest to Mother Ocean.  
Shindaleria has no actual temples, but numerous underwater shrines exist. They are simple grottoes, walls full of holy text, deep under the surface and rarely visited. Shindaleria's shrines are used to record events in the seas and Mother Ocean's clerics travel there once in a while to record past events in the cave walls. The locations of the most ancient shrines containing the most ancient history of Layonara are guarded secrets, known only to a few of the oldest sea elves.  
Clerics of Shindaleria pray for spells at the high tide closest to midday. Mother Ocean doesn't really have widely recognized holy days, but individual sea elf communities celebrate certain days in her name. The only widely recognized holy day of Shindaleria is The Returning. The first week of Junar, clerics of Shindaleria walk the land, gathering beautiful objects and pieces of art and then taking them to the sea as gifts to Mother Ocean. Everything started in her waters, and eventually, everything returns to them.  
Prayers to Shindaleria, due to most of her clerics being sea elves and spending most of their time in the water, aren't often heard. Some sailors pray to Shindaleria before crossing the sea, for example: "Mother Ocean, grant us passage through your gentle waters, as we pose no threat to you or the life of the seas."  
Constellation:  
The constellation ‘Great Tide’ seems only to be a gaggle of stars to the untrained eye, however to a skilled astrologist, or one who already knows what to look for it’s seven stars that are shaped like a rolling wave.  While many constellations have special arcane and divine meanings, this one according to land dwelling astrologers and diviners does not. Because of Mother Ocean’s unique underwater shrines, and the fact that most of her clerics live underwater, the only significance this constellation has is to sailors. While most constellations point north, this one chooses to sit upon the horizon of the south, and is one of the only constellations with stars bright enough to pierce the powerful morning ‘Mist’ of the ocean.  
Allies and Enemies:  
Allied: Aeridin, Ilsare, Katia, Beryl, Folian S'pae  
Friendly: Deliar, Toran, Lucinda, Az'atta, Prunilla, Grannoch  
Neutral: Rofirein, Vorax, Dorand, Goran, Aragen, Kithairien, Xeen   
Unfriendly: Shadon, Corath, Sulterio, Grand  
Enemy: Pyrtechon, Branderback, Mist, Baraeon Ca'Duz, Viedri’ira