Pansophia, the Knowing Mistress (Pan-SO-fee-a)
Pansophia, the Knowing Mistress, also known as the Knowing Mistress. The sage goddess of curiosity, learning, truth and prophecy. The patron deity of the Tabaxi and Sphinxes, the Sage of Study, Skill, Logic, Knowledge and Reason.
She opposes Vecna, whom deals in dark secrets and hidden knowledge.
Church of Pansophia
Worshippers
Scholars, mages, wizards, scribes, teachers, sages, theorists, craftsmen, artisans, those who are learned, those who are literate, and adventurers of all kinds. Her clerics and clergy mostly consist of scribes, who try to preserve found knowledge, while her actual clerics are often adventurers travelling the world on the search for more and more wisdom to unearth. Most worshippers are Tabaxi, but all those seeking knowledge or magic, must appease this goddess at least. Wizards, especially good ones, hold her name in veneration. The hierarchy of the Pansophian faith is wide and varied, separating into orders concentrating on one form of magical energy or another. Clerics, specialty priests, wizards, and bards can all be found in its ranks without regard to experience level or origin. The general rule of the Pansophian faith is that talent and ability for the job outweighs social rank or legendary feats. Only those clergy members who gain their spells directly from a higher power gain their spells directly from the goddess, but all are welcome within the church's hierarchy. They are often known as the Servants of Mystery. Titles within the faith vary from temple to temple and follow no standard form across the whole of the church, though most temples are rigidly self-consistent. The Church of Pansophia preserves magical lore so that magic can continue to flourish in the future even if the dominant races of Aetheus were to fall. It's members also seek out those who are skilled in magic or who have the potential to use it, keeping a close eye on those who are likely to become skilled. Her clerics are often encouraged to explore magical theory and create new spells and magic items. Sites dedicated to the goddess are enhanced by the Weave to allow any spell cast by her clerics while in them to be affected by metamagic. Pansophian temples can be structures of almost any size or style, and some shrines are natural caves or special grottoes. Through the grace of the goddess, Pansophian priests who stand in a place sacred to Pansophia can cast spells for the maximum possible damage, duration, or extent of effect (their choice of which). Such places include all Pansophian temples and shrines, and most private spellcasting chambers. Pansophian clergy work hard to preserve all magical lore in secret libraries, private safe-holds, well-guarded research laboratories, and small, hidden stashes so that magic flourishes in the future regardless of what befalls the thinking races of Aetheus or the powers of the planes. Pansophians also search out beings skilled in spell use, seeking to keep watch on the identities, powers, and behaviour of individuals likely to become magic wielders of importance. Not everyone can find old magic of note, but all clergy of Mystara can devise their own new magic upon gaining sufficient experience, and they are expected to do so. In this way, the magical study remains a growing, vibrant thing, and magic does not merely become a handy power to serve rulers and engineers as a tool to tame die Realms but remains a thing of wonder.Orders
Order of the Valiant Quill The Starry Valiant is an order of Pansophian bards who often work as information gatherers and rumourmongers for the church or spend part of their time in designated libraries unearthing magical knowledge and then preserving it for posterity. Order of the Mystic Star The Church of Pansophia sponsors an order of rangers, known as the Order of the Mystic Star. These rangers receive their spells from Pansophia. They serve as long-range scouts and spies for the church and also deal with magical threats that threaten the natural order of things, such as unloosed demons and creatures born of irresponsible wizardly experimentation. Knights of Mystic Fire The Church of Pansophia sponsors a knightly order of paladins, the Knights of the Mystic Fire, who are granted their spells by Pansophia. They often accompany members of the clergy on quests to locate lost hoards of ancient magic and also form the cadre from which the leadership for the small groups of armed forces who guard Mystra's larger temples and workshops is drawn. Order of Starry Knowledge More a cult than an order, these clerics and priests try to unravel the mysteries of the multiverse in their search for lost or hidden magical secrets. In doing so they stumbled upon an Elder Evil known as The Haunter of the Dark and the Shining Trapezohedron.Temples & Shrines
Those are mainly kept in secret - but many within civilised centres remain as open and public archives protected by her clerics and worshippers, containing all kinds of knowledge, good and terrible. The temples are more like libraries of ancient knowledge. Hundreds of tomes, scrolls and letters are stored in them, usually less organised than real libraries and more like vaults of stored knowledge, they are often sought out by scholars to find less known wisdom.Realm
She resides within the Endless Athenaeum in the Astral Plane.Divine Domains
Arcana - Balance - KnowledgeHoly Books & Codes
All books, texts, scrolls, tablets and any form of written knowledge is sacred to Pansophia and her followers. Destroying knowledge, no matter its kind, is among the most terrible crimes a person can commit in their eyes. The Codex Gigas The Codex Gigas is a fabled and legendary tome that magically contains every spell, ritual and magical secret ever conceived by man. It is said to be so enormous in both size and knowledge that it can never be moved from its stand, where it was placed by the Lady of Mysteries herself. Many seekers of knowledge, both wizards and scholars, have been searching for the book all over Aetheus but nobody seems to have found it so far, or at least nobody who is talking about it. The Malleum Arcanarum The Malleum Arcanarum is primarily used by wizards from Canterune as tome of wisdom regarding all schools of magic and magical secrets. It describes the difference between controlled and chaotic magic, as magic is chaotic in its rare form, and how to use magic without furthering the chaotic energies that flow through Aetheus. The Sagacious Libram The Sagacious Libram describes how to gather information, preserve knowledge, and encourage learning. The Libram is unusual in that its meaning and content seem to hold different meaning to each individual reader. The language of The Libram is such that it seems to contain countless hints, legends, and even rumors. Clerics of the faith believe the words within the book are not only divinely inspired, but magical as well. These words offer up secrets and valuable clues to Pansophia's followers, but only those devoted and vigilant to seek them out.Divine Symbol
Triple eye iconography. Also, a unique eye-and-staff symbol.Tenets of Faith
- Unmask those who would destroy the Knowing Mistress. Learn their secrets and unveil them to the world.
- Uphold and teach the importance of reason, perception, and truth in guiding one’s emotions and path.
- Condemn those who lie, even among your allies, for evil folk gain power when their followers obscure the truth. Never stoop to the level of liars.
- All things lost are to be unearthed, no matter the cost. Seek out far away dungeons, planes and realms on your search for lost knowledge and on your way learn the lore of these places. Record your wisdom and your experiences for future generations to learn from them.
