Difference between revisions of "Flower"

Revision as of 16:03, 26 December 2007

God of Love

Realms of Responsibility

This god is the patron of deep love in all its forms. She is responsible for the well being of the families of The Wold. She sees that the family flourishes. She is responsible for midwives. Since families are the building block of the community, she patrons the community by educating them in the ways of love and peace.

She believes that the woman's place in society is more than being a wife and mother, but that her responsibility to her mate and her children come before other interests. She believes that the man's place in the relationship is to be an equal to his mate and to share in the responsibilities of child-rearing. The responsibility of a man to his mate and children also come before other interests.

She guides and teaches the Noble Races about true and deep love. She instructs against the building of relationships upon passion. Passion alone is childish and immature. Passion, however, does has it's place in a marriage of equals who have deep love for one another. She believes in monogamy and fosters that type of morality. She believes in marriage as an institution for life. She hates marriages of convenience and believes that all people have the right to choose who they will marry and love. Love should be the sole reason for marriage. When true love governs a couples life, maturity is the result.

Due to her mortal background, she is also the patron of the arts. She believes in celebrations of life and dance. She believes in the ability of performances of artists to teach morals and pass on the oral traditions of a culture.

Godly Powers

Flower has the ability to recognize deep love wherever it occurs. She can force mortals to remember deep love forgotten. She can cut through all the bad memories, mistakes, faults, and bitter tears of a relationship and make it so that those involved see again the deep love which they once shared.

Appearance

Mortal Form -- In her mortal form, she appears as a beautiful blond haired, blue eyed beauty. Her figure is that of a dancer. Her outward beauty is only surpassed by the inner beauty of her soul.

Avatar Form -- In pictures, Flower wears a mask, so that only her inner beauty shows. To do otherwise would cause those seeing her to instantly give into their passions and become obsessed with the sight of her.

Divine Form -- In dreams and when appearing to her faithful, she holds the form of a Dove with blue eyes that pierce to the deepest feelings within the heart.

Holy Symbol

A flower-shaped symbol, closely based on its High Woldian root, though the true meaning of the glyph is forgotten by most these days.

Priests' Appearance

Clerics of Flower dress in white robes, trimmed in red. Many wear their hair long. Most are beautiful on the outside as well as the inside, however, this is downplayed so that the Servant can exhibit his inner beauty.

Powerful Clerics of Flower sometimes glow with an inner strength and beauty that overpowers their outer features.

Clerics in Society

Known as Devotees of Flower, these priests work among the Noble Races of The Wold teaching the concepts of Deep Love and Acts of Servanthood. The most prevalent method of doing this is by example. They are willing to sit with an ailing nobleman and the next day help a peasant repair the holes in his barn. Many of them marry and have large families, which they raise to love and serve their fellow man.

Some Devotees serve as ambassadors for nations. Others work as mediators in the marketplace. Some find a great work to dedicate themselves to for life or for an extended period of time. Others move from place to place teaching and devoting themselves to the needs of the communities they visit. Some become adventurers heroically protecting the Noble Races from danger and hatred.

Wherever they are, however, they strive to teach about true love vs. passion. They strive to show that passion does not bring joy or satisfaction. They teach that the pain of loving someone deeply is better than the emptiness of passion.

Worship

The worship of Devotees is anything but traditional. Everything taught is done through some sort of performance. Poems are read and plays teaching morals are performed. Stories of love are told. Many, who are not followers of Flower, attend her services for their entertainment value. Many of those leave as followers.

One unique part of the service involves the giving of alms for the poor. Those with more give to those who have less, directly and in person. This also teaches the joy of accepting a gift gracefully, which is a hard lesson of servanthood: the lesson of letting someone serve you and accepting their help. Many times, devotees lead the congregation in acts of love by exiting the temple to spend a precious hour or two helping others before returning to their daily tasks.

Holy Days

Wedding days, birthdays, Day of the Nymph in the Month of Beginnings, Day of the Dove in the Month of Flowers

Content of Sacrifices

Time spent loving and serving others. Gold given in service and love to those who need it.

Ethos

Love never claims, it ever gives. -- Mahatma Gandhi

Spell Domains

Good (PHBp.165), Healing (PHBp.165), and Giving

Giving Domain

This domain is available only to clerics of Flower.

Domain Granted Power -- The cleric can cast Shield Other at will as a standard action, but only on one person at a time.

Giving Domain Spells

1. Remove Fear
2. Aid
3. Helping Hand
4. Imbue with Spell Ability
5. Spell Resistance
6. Refuge (second version only)
7. Holy Aura
8. Foresight (other only)
9. Freedom

Prestige Classes

Server

Troubadour

Pure Cleric