Lady Maya, Queen of the Paladins (3.5e Deity)
Lady Maya, Queen of the paladins[edit]
| Lesser Deity | |
|---|---|
| Symbol: | Twin Swords crossed over the symbol of the paladin order |
| Home Plane: | Material Plane |
| Alignment: | Lawful Good |
| Portfolio: | Adventurers, Commoners, Paladins |
| Clergy Alignments: | Any Good |
| Domains: | Fire, Good, Healing, Law, Sun, Protection, War |
| Favored Weapon: | Bastard Sword |
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A human who founded the paladin order and was made a goddess upon her death for destroying a monstrous abomination which threatened all life including the gods.
History[edit]
Youth[edit]
Born to a mortal homeless mother who died during childbirth, she was raised by her older sister, she learned how to survive on the streets by lying, cheating and stealing. When she was fourteen her sister died of a disease that was spreading through the city; she took up the sword and left the city to start a new life. She started wandering around the continent taking missions ranging from being a bodyguard to retrieving and discovering ancient artifacts.
Founding of the Paladins[edit]
At the age of nineteen she encountered a warrior who she fought alongside for a time, after travelling together for a year she saved her from an assassination attempt from a group of creatures wearing black armour and black hooded cloaks. Once she and the warrior defeated the group of assassins the warrior introduced herself as Valkyrie Brynhildr and said she was a servant of Lady Akara, Goddess of Life and said that she had been hunting the creatures for five years and told her that the creatures were servants of a being which called itself The Bane and had been killing indiscriminately and was posing a large threat to life itself, Feeling sceptical about this she said that she had a hard time believing what she was saying so Brynhildr asked her to follow her and lead her to an old citadel, entering the throne room she saw a bright white light from where Akara emerged dropping to her knees she was overcome and saddened without knowing why. Upon seeing Akara's face asked her why she had suffered her entire life, seeing her sorrow Akara used her powers to bring Maya's sister's spirit from beyond the grave so that she may see her sister and speak to her one last time. Feeling overcome with both sorrow and joy Maya wept for everything she had done and everyone she had wronged. Begging forgiveness she swore her life to Akara's service and vowed that she would help her however she could. Telling her to rise to her feet Akara said that pledging herself was unnecessary and that the people she wronged would forgive her if she asked it. Over the course of the next three years she began gathering people from across the globe and forming them into an order sworn to protect the people, not just the nobility and to serve the gods which she called the Paladin order. During this time she forged herself of a suit of Armour made of adamantine baring the symbols of the Paladin order and the Symbol of Akara. Using what remained of the adamantine she forged herself a sword mixing it with but a tiny bit of starsilver, Naming the blade "Justice" which she hoped it would help bring to all the people of the world. She took up the blade and left once again.
A New Journey[edit]
By chance she met up with Brynhildr on the road and they decided to journey with each other for a while. While on the road she saved Brynhildr’s life from servants of The Bane once again, laughing she claimed that she was either very good luck as she kept saving her life or very bad luck as she had to keep on saving her life. Asking to see her sword Brynhildr took the sword and muttered a small incantation over it causing a golden light to appear around her sword, she told Maya that whenever she called out the swords name in the old tongue the sword would burst into flame so that she may be able to protect that dear to her better. Thanking her another light, this time pure white, surrounded the sword. Brynhildr told her that Akara had given the weapon her own blessing and that the weapon had been infused with some of her holy might with the same conditions to access its power. Thanking them both for the blessing Maya set out on a journey this time to destroy The Bane before it had a chance to cause even more problems and grew even more powerful.
Confronting The Bane[edit]
Eventually reaching an old cathedral and joking about how cliché it was she ventured in cutting her way through The Bane followers laughing again at the cliché she claimed that it was like old war games where the mooks were weak as hell. She prepared herself believing that as weak as they were their leader would not be. Reaching the central chamber she finally encountered The Bane and claiming that she would destroy it for the sake of all living things, and that more importantly she was fed up with the constant attempts on her friend’s life. She charged and engaged the beast in combat. After a bitter battle that lasted for three days leaving her bruised, battered and bleeding, she realized that her initial belief had been correct and that she was far outmatched. Taking up her blade she rested it against her forehead and asked for everyone to lend her power for one last attack. She put all of her own energy into this last attack and charged The Bane and in one moment she called forth her sword’s name and swung the blade as light filled her vision and she lost consciousness. What happened next remains a mystery unknown to all including Maya herself.
Birth of a Goddess[edit]
Eventually Maya regained consciousness and saw both Brynhildr standing over her grinning, standing next to her looking serious Akara asked Maya what happened in the past year. Confused that Akara didn't know, she sat up and started recounting the events since she left Brynhildr a year before, saying that she had questioned and interrogated her way to The Bane’s fortress and fought her way through it and eventually fought against it. Brynhildr looking shocked at this asked if anything unusual had happened during the fight and Maya told them about what happened to her sword at the end of the fight. Amazed Akara looked at Brynhildr and told her that she hadn't expected that. Confused Maya asked what had happened and that she felt weird and different, Akara told her that she had destroyed The Bane but obliterated herself in the process. What happed after that they refused to speak of but told her that she had been had a god by the elder ones but that she had been given few powers and little domain but if she proved herself worthy they may give her more powers, Akara also said that she had been assigned to look after her and that her powers were over life most specifically birth and reincarnation with some measure of control over light more specifically over anti-evil/darkness magic so that she could stop creatures like The Bane should they appear. Amazed she said she had decided to returned to her order saying that she would look after them as she had once promised and she vowed to protect all those unable to help themselves and all adventurers and explorers. Akara smiling said that was her choice but to make sure she did her “job” properly and gave her a suit of silvery white chainmail and a white robe to wear under her armour, saying that she should look the part of a goddess. Laughing and thanking them she set of home to the Paladin headquarters where she told them what had happened to her over the past year, prostrating themselves before her they declared her their goddess and the “Eternal Queen of the Paladin Order”. Taking a bit of advice Akara and Brynhildr had given her and gave them access to some of her magic to strike down evil and protect those in need but warned them that if they ever betrayed their oaths as paladins then she would strip their powers from them. She decided to stay with the order and remains with them to this day.
Beliefs[edit]
Maya herself is a devout worshiper of Akara, Goddess of life, however what she asks of her followers is adherance to the paladin code and a resect for all life even that which is evil.
Dogma[edit]
Among her followers who are almost entirely members of the paladin order she encourages adhering to tradition but not to resist change but to help it so that the world grows, She believe that honour is important to people but that it is not the be all nor end all and to flee if it will allow survival and to follow laws unless they are corrupt, unjust or discriminatory, She believes in the existence and survival of life above all others. She will strip a paladin of their powers only as a last resort if they betray the paladin order or their ideals.
Clergy and Temples[edit]
Almost all of Lady Maya's worshipers are members of that paladin order however she is also worshiped as the protector of the homeless, helpless and adventurers.
Pantheon[edit]
Not a central member of the central pantheon but accepted as a member by others due to her having earned their respect in her short time as a goddess and the vast importance of her role. She is however a member of Akara and Khar's pantheon who govern life and death.
Personal[edit]
Appearance[edit]
She appears as a twenty four year old woman with waist length blonde hair and navy blue eyes. She wears a white knee length robe over a suit of celestial chainmail, an adamantine locked gauntlet with the symbol of the paladin order on the elbow, knee length adamantine greaves with the symbol of the paladin order on the knee and adamintine shoulder pauldrons with the symbol of life engraved on.
Personality[edit]
A kind and benevolent woman she believes in the holiness of all life regardless of any differences. She is calm, relaxed and friendly, she enjoys being around people and is rather open with her emotions. She has a rather cavalier attitude about propriety and formality however is respectful when she needs to be. She is helpful and supportive to anyone who hasn't wronged her but can be very vengeful towards those who have hunting them down personally and killing them in gruesome fashions to make an example if they earn her spite. She has been known to go around through the poorer sectors in cities and give food and money to the homeless as she is able to sympathize as it was once something she experienced.
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