Aelma, Lady of Light

"Your heart weeps for your brother, but do not despair. Though he has given to temptation, do not give into fear. Bonds of blood are stronger than many realize.”
  - Aelma to Yacob, the protagonist and title character of the play King of Dawn

Alternate Names: Apria (orc), Brelauhines (elf), Kirapeny (dwarf), Scimeria (halfling), Solnys (gnome)

Expanded Domains: Charm, Family, Good, Knowledge, Light, Love, Lust, Magic, Protection, Sun

Portfolio: diplomacy, family, guardians, light, lore, magic, purity, sex, the sun, wizards

Recommended Music: Into Sunlight

Knowledge (religion) DC 10:

Known as the White Archmage, Mother of the Gods, and Lady of Light, Aelma is the god of light magic and all that it entails. Aelma taught the mortal races all forms of magic that protect, guard, and enchant.

     Aelma is the estranged wife of Erb. When her husband’s cruelty grew too great for her to bear, she cast him away. She teaches her followers to bring light to the dark regions of the world in the hopes that one of her followers may find her estranged husband. Her exact reasons for such are a matter of lively and enthusiastic debate.

     Temples dedicated to Aelma only accept women as acolytes and priestesses. Second only to the churches of Maidanna, the priesthood of Aelma is the most sought after for performing marriages. In art, Aelma is typically depicted as a beautiful woman in a simple white dress with the sun behind her head.

Knowledge (religion) DC 15:

Centers of learning and knowledge, temples to Aelma frequently closely associate with wizarding colleges. Such colleges tend to be cheaper than their counterparts, a fact largely attributed to their association with the temples to Aelma.

     Some temples to Aelma collect tithes by embracing the teachings of Aelma regarding the body. Such teachings encourage people to take joy in the pleasures of sex, and the temples that embrace this often double as bordellos with the priestesses as the ladies. Linked to the teachings regarding sex are the teachings regarding love. Priestesses preach that love is not to be scorned, that we do not get to choose who we love. The caveat to these teachings is that all involved parties must consent. If one party is unable to, then it is a violation of something to be cherished.

     Rumors traded back and forth between acolytes tell of secret spells known to the priestesses that draw knowledge and secrets from the minds of those that they lay with. These secrets are then used as part of a large information network to further the goals of the temple. They also whisper that should any not permitted learn about this network they will have their memories wiped to preserve the secrecy.

Knowledge (religion) DC 20:

While only women are accepted as acolytes and priestesses, men still have a role in the temples to Aelma. Trained in the teachings of Aelma and the art of the sword, these warriors are sent to hunt and eliminate the undead, considered to be the worst corruption of magic used by mortals.

Knowledge (religion) DC 25:

Tales whispered between temple bunks tell of Aelma’s split with her husband Erb. Some versions say that it occurred after the death of Zarth, when Aelma saw what her husband did to their son. Other versions claim that it was when he taught mortals how to use magic to corrupt and pervert the remains of the dead, creating the first of the undead. A few suggest that it was not any one thing, but multiple smaller instances that stacked upon each other until Aelma could take no more.

     The most widely accepted version begins with a battle. A battle against a beast so powerful, and so terrible, that all the gods were required to defeat it. As the battle drew to a close, one young god was struck down. Struck down because his father Erb used him as a shield against the beast’s attack.

     As the other gods chained and imprisoned the beast in the River of Dreams, Aelma cradled her fallen son against her as she wept. With her tears and magic, she fashioned a bed into which she laid her fallen son. Calling forth more of her magic, she created a pair of birds linked to the bed to pull it across the sky. Swearing that her son’s rest will light the world as brightly as her love for him, she then left to deal with her husband.

     The argument between husband and wife was unlike any lovers spat seen before or since. Words of such power that they altered reality itself were thrown back and forth, until Aelma lashed out in anger and struck Erb. With that, Erb decided that if Aelma did not want him then he would leave. To this day Aelma has tried to make amends, but Erb will not be swayed.

Knowledge (religion) DC 30:

In select temples to Aelma, in the deepest depths of the vaults, are the fractured components to a spell of such destructive potential that the founders of the faith hunted down and destroyed any record of it. The text Lonor Majia however could not be destroyed. Instead it was torn into six pieces, and each was sent to a different temple. Each temple containing a piece of the text is told only that the piece must never be read or used. Only the High Priestess is told the full story, and she only knows the location of her piece.

    

Organization: the Rydwain

“I know a guy in Argoport that makes more money in a year than some Trade Princes buying and selling information. He’s small beans compared to these guys.”
  - Korrin to Varys Silverthorn on the Rydwain

The single largest organized group in the Green Coast, the Rydwain has members in every major city and town from the Viridian Mere south of Wainryn all the way to Whaleden in Sylvanor. Both men and women visit the establishments of the Rydwain seeking company and leave with a lighter purse and shared secrets.

     The Rydwain is a massive network of information brokers that report to the head of the organization. While some ridiculous conspiracy theories suggest that the agents use magic to draw secrets out of the minds of unknowing informants, the truth is simply that a few creative techniques in bed is all that is needed to loosen tongues. Each agent only knows the identity of those that report to them and those that they report to, if that. This results in a web of connections that links all the Green Coast and beyond.

     A few agents advertise their position in order to sell information to the wealthy looking for an edge against their opponents, political or otherwise. These brokers are sometimes frowned upon by those that purchase their services, but few would go so far as to say anything aloud for fear of it reaching the brokers’ ears.

Code of Conduct: Paladins of Aelma

“By the light of the sun, have at thee!”
  - battlecry of Aethul Wynhelm, paladin of Aelma

The following applies to those that would call themselves paladins of the faith, not just any follower of Aelma.

  - Do not judge people by who they love or lust for.

  - The only good undead is a destroyed undead.

  - Be courteous to others, especially women.
  - Accept surrender from defeated adversaries. They are to be treated with respect and cared for until terms for their return can be met.

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