Pegape (Goddess)

Element: Good
Domains: Pleasure, Passion, Beauty and Desire
Cleric Domain: Peace Domain
Material: Silks and perfumes are most preferred, but anything indulgent or sweet

Summary

The sweet taste of indulgence, the intoxicating scent of desire, the satisfying touch of lust--Pegape is the name mortals praise for Their blessings of passion in all its forms. The mutable Divinity comes in many forms from any race or sex, delivering blessings to those that praise Them properly. Their worship runs a broad spectrum of acceptability across the continent, but even in places where open worship is denied it is still possible to find Their name whispered in reverant or sultry fashion.

Cultural Reception

Carinthia has banned the open worship of Pegape alongside any of the other Divinities but Alophia. Those that still hold to Their name do so with utmost secrecy--of any cleric not beholden to Alophia, those worshipping Pegape are most likely to be found heretical and given extensive punishments. The Holy Kingdom wages a war against a foe most dreadful and any distraction from that war is a danger to the whole of their society--so claims the Light of Alophia.
Aqualonde lives a life of relative indulgence already, at least compared to their northern cousins, and their closeness with nature finds them already eschewing some of the more puritanical stances that Carinthia holds. Their clerics travel freely but do not find the same devotion as Demeria or even Tyrachon does in these lands.
Avosa Tevosa, home to brothels famed in their majesty and the breadth of their offerings. Sex work and most drugs are fully legal in the pirates' city; each brothel, smokehouse, tavern, and kitchen has some small shrine to Their name. One is most like to find one of Pegape's clerics in Avosa in any of these sites or as ambassador or mediator between unrelated parties. Shame for such pursuits would be odd to encounter in Avosa Tevosa and likely flag the shamer as an outsider.
Tarwa'kem is home perhaps to more smokehouses, taverns, and brothels than even Avosa Tevosa but the mindset is simply a different one. These are places that exist in service to the wealthy and their workers--and Their worshippers--are often seen as second-class to those affluent through other means. Rarely are Their priests openly disrespected of course--Tarwa'kem is a place of free worship--but even more rarely are Pegape's clerics given positions of respect or open influence.

In Art

It is most difficult to pin down Pegape in art due to the sheer variety of depictions They are given. Artists tend to like to draw what brings them pleasure and from one day to another the form that They use to do so may well change. There is a tendency for different kingdoms to draw Them according to their predominant population (elven for Aqualonde, dark-skinned in Tarwa'kem, or brilliantly plummaged as in Avosa Tevosa), but even this fast and easy trend is hardly the rule.
One common thread, however, is a floral element in art that accompanies a painted figure that the artist drew particular inspiration to create. A lovely model for instance might hold a rose petal and so signal desire whether from the artist or the patron of the art's perspective.

Beyond Innocence, Lustful Pursuit by Genesala Holabanise

"Through pleasure's touch and beauty's allure, Pegape's blessings bestow upon us the gifts of passion, procreation, and the celebration of life."