The Adonites

Tenets of Faith

Eat, drink, and be merry.
Although this tenet sounds rather simple on the surface, it encompasses many ideas and philosophies. Underlying this brief notion are a number of important concepts, including the value of camaraderie, the importance of friends, the symbolic nature of food and drink, and the sheer vitality involved with a feast, a party, or a festival.
Follow your goals and seek your own destiny.
No one will fulfill your needs or desires for you; if you do not take a hand in pursuit of your destiny you are doomed to obscurity or, worse, inconsequence. Every mortal holds the potential for great things, but only a sparse handful ever fulfill that potential; all those who achieve greatness do so by their own will, determination, and cunning. Such individuals are worthy of respect.
A corollary to this tenet is that you should not permit others to stop you. Do not surrender to obstacles or those intent on stopping you. Life inevitably places obstacles before every mortal. The Lover calls upon her worshipers to overcome these challenges, even when those barriers seem insurmountable.
Give what you wish to receive.
The traditions of good hospitality are important to the Adonite faith. These hospitality “laws” exist in the majority of mortal cultures to one extent or another, including that of orcs and giants (strange or dangerous as their traditions may be). The hospitality traditions began with The Lover.
The hospitality laws have often proved critical in enabling diplomacy and negotiation. Sitting together and eating in peace is often the first step on the road to understanding and compromise.
The hospitality laws operate both ways; the host operates under several expectations, as does the guest. Those individuals who observe these laws are considered blessed by The Lover. Those who break the hospitality traditions are risking a number of curses. These laws have become so embedded and sacrosanct that most people, regardless of overall beliefs or ethos.
Seek new horizons and new experiences, and let nothing tie you down.
Freedom, both of mind and body, are crucial to all mortals. There are many kinds of imprisonment or enslavement; most mortals are chained down by something in their lives, often without realizing it. Anything can, in its own way, restrict your dreams and prevent you from achieving your potential. There are cruel and evil chains, such as slavery, imprisonment, torture, and violence. At the same time, there are things often considered “good” that also place inhibitions on mortals, including material goods, wealth, and even family members. The core principle of this tenet is that you must pursue your dreams and passions, even if you must cut ties with everything in your life.
Many other religions protest vigorously against the ideas within this tenet. They ask sharp questions of Adonite clerics: if your spouse and children are preventing you from reaching your secret dream, do you just cast them aside, thinking only of your needs? Do you abandon all duties to your lord, your community, and your clan on some foolish whim?
The answers to these questions, as far as Adonite clerics are concerned, are ultimately “yes.” If you have a heartfelt and burning passion or ambition, you must pursue it, even if it means surrendering everything holding you back, good or otherwise. Just as important, her clerics argue, is that you discern true life’s passion from fleeting desire or whim of the moment. There is a vast difference between what you have always wished for, and something that holds your attention for the moment. Is your dream worth pain, suffering, and conflict? If yes, then do what you must, so long as you understand the consequences and costs involved.
This does not mean that The Lover encourages husbands to leave wives, parents to abandon their children, or soldiers to abandon their posts. Duty, obligation, and service are important and have their place. At the same time, each mortal must judge when to follow their passions to the exclusion of all else.

Worship

Traditional Worshipers: 
Bards, Paladins, Rogues, Sorcerers, Summoners, Skalds, Swashbucklers

Priesthood

Enable celebration, encourage laughter, and enhance the enjoyment of participants. The Lover’s priests often serve as hosts of parties and festivals. They make certain participants enjoy themselves, and that food and drink flow freely.
Wherever an Adonite cleric travels, he is expected to facilitate goodwill and trade between people. Often, the cleric serves as a mediator or neutral third party in a disagreement or dispute. He opens discussions by offering food and drink to everyone present, thereby invoking the hospitality laws and binding the participants to behave.
The church of The Lover, although widespread and popular, lacks much in the way of serious political influence or power. Her church is somewhat disorganized, with little concern for hierarchy, chain of command, rules, or edicts. On the downside, an Adonite cleric may not always have the resources of his church to utilize, especially in remote areas or frontier regions. Although priests of The Lover are discouraged from violence, their faith demands they learn how to protect themselves and defend others from harm. After all, every party has its crashers, so every party needs a bouncer.
Limitations & Sacrifices: 
Some people might believe that a cleric of The Lover enjoys the best of both worlds, and never has to make a sacrifice or give up anything. His life is essentially one long party. In truth, however, most Adonite clerics are hardworking, diligent, and determined. They understand the importance of celebration, but they also appreciate the host inevitably bears the greatest burden of work to see that his guests are enjoying themselves. A cleric of The Lover is not free to simply party, drink, and feast until they pass out. He must see to the needs and desires of others and ensure the festivities continue without interruption. If this means he must travel through a blizzard to bring a keg of ale, or he must chop firewood to heat the mead hall, so be it. Likewise, a cleric of The Lover must often deal with difficult or emotional individuals before, during, and after the party – rarely a pleasant task.
Although The Lover is not the god of diplomacy, the god and the overall faith expect clergy to serve, in many ways, as de facto diplomats and representatives in a wide variety of situations. Whereas many other religions and organizations have their own agendas and ulterior motives, followers of the The Lover are about as apolitical as possible. As a result, they often function as good mediators in an emergency, or in situations where no other objective third party is available or willing.

Type

Religious, Pantheon

Deities

• The Lover

Divines

• The Lover