Shalmao (5e Deity)
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Shalmao[edit]
Alignment. Lawful Good
Domains. Nature, Knowledge
Divine Rank. Greater Deity
Pantheon. The Divided of Gi'ona
Shalmao is the introspective goddess of dreams, spiders, and the destruction of nightmares. The life of Shalmao and her followers is an orderly one, built on the foundation of spreading respect, awareness, and rationalized reasoning to all who willingly listen or seek aid. As the goddess of spiders, Shalmao and her followers believe heavily in self-control believing those whom force others from learning or making decisions as the enemy of these values, and as such find themselves at odds with mind-washing cults and demons. They are prepared to face these horrors through vigorous and eternal training in the Dream Web though only intervene in affairs outside their realm if called upon or no other decides to fix the problem first. Shalmao is a benevolent deity who believes in the Balances of Nature as a tool that benefits all, utilize the harshest lessons therein to raise herself and her followers to greater heights of power and strategy.
Personality: She thinks through her actions, and those of her followers, intently. She believes in redemption through deed, but is mature in this belief, putting on sane and restrictive measures to those in the process of atonement.
Orders[edit]
Clerics of Shalmao are seldom seen in the Civilized World but in the Wild Lands and the Realm of Dreams her worshippers are plentiful. Many shamans and dedicated tribal healers dedicate themselves to Shalmao and her teachings, and even where they know not but the stories still bare some version of her symbol to call upon the goddess and her spiders to devour the nightmares that would otherwise plague their peoples. Among the druids, however, Shalmao finds communion in droves. All those who seek knowledge from any of the many species of spider through orderly means come to her for it in the Dream Web or are visited by one of her devoted in spider form for training and/or assistance.
- The Order of Dreams
The expeditionary forces of Shalmao's realm, headed by the goddess herself who goes simply by the name of 'Spider' while with them. This order comprised of a seemingly infinite number of giant spiders led by the highest-ranking clerics and druids of her lands, cross the Dream Web reaching out to dreams immeasurable to seek out and end whatever horrors may twist them into nightmares. Her vVi'dasi lead from the front lines, directing regimens of spider and follower alike across the dangers of the Dream Web, through its web-stones, and back to the Central Web-Stone when their task is done.
Rites[edit]
- The Right of Ascension
This act is performed upon spiders who have faithfully and dutifully served in the war against the Skin Taker Yunu Azid. They have performed a heroic feat, defeating his demons or aiding heroes who have gone on to save their realm and are deemed worthy of ascension by their goddess or her vi'dasi. The spider's spirit is taken (if alive, with its body) to the Central Web-Stone of the Dream Realm where they go through a ritual which takes a day and a night, with the prayers of cleric, druid, paladin, barbarian, and vi'dasi alike to aid them. When the rite ends the spider stands, now a young vi'dasi ready to serve.
History[edit]
She shared with mortals the Knowledge of Dreams and cast out the Lord of Nightmares known as Yunu Azid the Skin Taker whom once resided within the center of the Dream Realm, which became known forever after as The Dream Web.
The Dream Web[edit]
A Megalithic Glowing Web in an endless night sky with eight central web-roads that branch out in every direction. The Webs are not a flat plane but a sphere in the center of a gigantic band of flesh, the remains of the Skin Taker's old Realm. The stars which make up the night sky are actually dreams connected to individual places and beings, eternally watched over and calculated by the Vi'dasi of the realm. At the Web's center is a Gargantuan Turquoise Palace in the shape of a star-web with eight points, each one an entrance to the Palace from one of the eight main Web Roads. This Palace is known as the Central or Grand Web-Stone or the Heart of the Vi'dasi. Branching out from this location, along each of the main web-roads, are eight different turquoise palaces (The Great Web-Stones) of smaller status, known as the Pumps or Valves of the Vi'dasi, the central roads themselves called the Vein of Dreams. Along the other web-roads are different, smaller-scale, Palaces of various Stone called Web-Stones.
In the Web-Stones live Vi'dasi, their Giant Spider Regiments, and the more social of Shalmao's followers. Outside of the Web-Stones are Spiraling Spider-Webs known as the Lungs of Terror. These Webs contain constant unending nightmares that have yet to be fixed and are constantly assailed by the Barbarians, Warring Vi'dasi, and more Violent Spiders that call the realm home. A seemingly eternal battleground for those that seek an unending fight, ones that if defeated can shape the course of entire worlds.
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