Romena (3.5e Deity)
| Greater Deity | |
|---|---|
| Symbol: | Silver Apple |
| Home Plane: | Prime (Chalimba) |
| Alignment: | Neutral Good |
| Portfolio: | Medicine, Peace, Guardianship, Nature, Kindness |
| Clergy Alignments: | Good |
| Domains: | Good, Animal, Plant, Water, Healing, Protection, Magic, Luck, Travel, War |
| Favored Weapon: | Trident |
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Deep within the oldest forest lies a mystical glen where a sense of peace and calm is almost palpable. This is the realm of Romena. Powerful elemental princes of water mingle with archons, eladrins, and guardinals in service to the goddess. Romena herself seems to prefer the form of a gigantic apple tree whose boughs stretch from one edge of the clearing to the other, intertwining with the natural trees at the border of her realm. When she needs a more mobile form the goddess is known to employ flocks of butterflies or a lovely green skinned dryad.
All Clerics of Romena turn undead and channel positive energy. In addition, any cleric of Romena who takes the Water domain gains the ability to rebuke water creatures and turn fire creatures. Druids who worship Romena do not gain the ability to turn or rebuke.
Dogma[edit]
Kindness. Simple kindness is the law of Romena. To help others is the greatest calling in life and that is what the priests of this woodland goddess preach. Charity, defense of the weak, treating the sick and injured, protecting the natural world, lending a hand where it is needed, and simple politeness are all pillars of the faith. Working to expose and oppose the forces of Neldalla is a great secondary goal of the priesthood but never at the expense of the primary teachings of the goddess.
Clergy and Temples[edit]
The clergy of Romena always seem to be wearing a smile, and why not? Theirs is a life spent doing some of the most fulfilling work in all of Chalimba. In addition to the many temples to their goddess, priests may be found running orphanages, hospitals or schools, working as advisors to nobility, tending both wildlife and frontiersmen on the borders of civilization, or traveling to spread Romena's gifts.
Romena's temples are usually designed to be aesthetically pleasing to local tastes. In the Elder Greatwood that has meant open spaces for service with shelter provided by intertwined branches similar to the construction of wood elves, in the empire of Koorbrook it is usually a wood and stone structure involving dark stains and silver highlights. Most non-evil communities will have at the very lest a small shrine to the goddess and larger towns and cities are almost certain to have a good sized temple with at least a surgery and probably a hostel or orphanage attached.
Sects[edit]
Open Hands: The Order of the Open Hands is dedicated to helping others in whatever way it can. Sermons revolve around helping others even when it will cause you hardship "simply because it is the right thing to do." Priests live poor lives, using any money they receive to fund charitable enterprises, soup kitchens and orphanages are two of the most common. While the Open Hands of Romena abhor violence and killing they accept that sometimes it takes violence to protect their flock. Woe to the wicked who cross the path of these pious clerics, bandits and bullies usually escape with their lives but those with a sinister reputation find only the mercy of a swift death. Members of this sect are easily identified by the red color of their apple shaped holy symbols. Most Open Hands are Neutral Good.
Pillars: Through discipline and a deep sense of community these dedicated servants of Romena seek to build the foundation of a genuinely decent society. Aiding one's neighbors and welcoming strangers to the fold as if they were old friends are wonderful ways to build a network of mutually supportive and caring relationships that will sustain the society through difficult times. Pillars of Romena are fond of legal systems based on traditional moral values where punishments lead to rehabilitation or terms of service to the wronged parties. The sense of duty the Pillars develop extends well beyond the clergy and often manifests in neighborhood watches or volunteer patrols of the frontier. It is not uncommon for this sect to comprise a large portion of local militias. These priests can be identified by the golden leaves atop the apple on their holy symbol. Most Pillars are Lawful Good.
Rascals: Rascals adhere to the belief that acts of kindness will lead to further acts of kindness and that every opportunity to do good should be met willingly, that duty should never out weigh desire, and that causing harm to an essentially good being should always be avoided. They see selfish or controlling persons and organizations as targets for ridicule, humiliation, and sabotage and these priests of Romena are quick to take up arms against anyone they perceive as evil or oppressive. The Rascals holy symbol is an apple with a bite taken out of one side. Most of this sect is Chaotic Good.
Defenders: The Defenders are a sect of Clerics sworn to protect the weak. They escort pilgrims and other travelers, guard holy sites, repel invasions of savages, and wage a tireless war against slavers. These warrior priests minister when asked, but usually fill the role of temporal rather than spiritual protectors. It is their belief that good and evil will ever be at war and that they have been called to the priesthood to act as the captains of Romena's army. Unlike most priests of the benevolent lady these priests feel no qualms about putting evil to the sword and take no prisoners when fighting obviously evil foes. The Defenders of Romena always bear her silver apple prominently, often on their shield, and usually incorporate it into their personal heraldry. Members of this sect may be any Good alignment.
Liberators: This sect is devoted to ensuring personal liberties and taking care of the most disadvantaged of society. The liberators spend their days ministering to the poor, at least until they find a tyrant to topple or slavers to kill. When these priests discover their preferred enemies they quickly organize the downtrodden into an effective insurgency or outright revolt. The Liberators are known to be most harsh in their judgment of oppressors but quite lenient in most other cases, generally dismissing crimes other than murder, arson, or significant theft as youthful indiscretions. The priests of this sect usually use an actual apple as a holy symbol, sometimes making due with the core if they met a particularly hungry beggar. Liberators are generally Chaotic Good.
Healing Spring: The Healing Spring is a pacifist sect of Romena's church. They believe that the only way to defeat hate and violence is to oppose it with love. Clerics who follow this path will not even raise a weapon in self defense or to defend their flock. Obviously this sect has seen more than its share of martyrs. Adherents to this path will never turn away a person in need and have even been known to bind the wounds of their assailants. Members of the Healing Spring usually modify their holy symbol by adding tears or dewdrops. This sect is comprised mostly of Neutral Good clerics and some highly dedicated followers.
Crescent Druids: Nature is about growth and life, so say the Crescent Druids. These defenders of nature are just as likely to be found helping a farm yard cow through a difficult birth as tending young oaks in the middle of the forest. These priests are usually found where man made environments meet pristine wilderness so that they may move freely between both. While Crescent Druids are involved in a form of nature worship and associate with the order of Druids, they are in fact Clerics of Romena rather than true Druids. An evergreen tree is the symbol most often associated with the Crescent Druids. Members of this sect may be any Good alignment.
Pantheon[edit]
Chalimbic pantheon
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