The Lover

(a.k.a. The Grand Reveler, Master of Celebrations, The Bringer of Dreams)

There are a number of gods with strict doctrine, clear and established rules for clergy, and an organized church hierarchy. The Lover is not one of those gods. Indeed, her church is one of the least organized of any. There never has been or will be an organized central church dedicated to The Lover. She calls on her clerics to serve her in ways they deem most appropriate, and she has little care for ornate temples, elaborate rituals, or other trapping so common in other religions.
As a goddess, The Lover suffers from a lack of understanding amongst most mortals. Because The Lover’s faith remains so loose and open (especially compared to those of other religions), it can be difficult for people to understand what The Lover represents. The Lover is not a goddess focused on groups, organizations, or empires. Her interests instead focus on individuals, including their desires and dreams.

Divine Domains

Main Domains: Charm, Luck
Other Domains: Madness, Nobility, Trickery, Law

Holy Books & Codes

The Tome of Secrets. 
Surprisingly, The Lover’s church has its own religious text. It is surprising given her disdain for organizations and structure. Nonetheless, The Tome is revered by The Lover’s clerics.
The book is not widely distributed or read, although there are no restrictions on who may read or possess it. What is truly unusual about the work is that only a cleric of The Lover can actually remember what was read, and only such a cleric may memorize or recite passages. Others, even the most devoted layperson, cannot remember what he has read in The Tome. If he writes down a section of the book, even the transcribed version becomes immediately forgettable. Despite this, everyone who peruses The Tome of Secrets gains a deep feeling of fulfillment and spiritual well-being that remains long after the words have been forgotten. If someone recites passages from the book out loud, the audience gains a similar good feeling, but quickly forget the words they just heard.

Divine Symbols & Sigils

The Lover's omens tend to be subtle and difficult to interpret. Such portents often reveal more than one meaning, especially to those with wisdom and cunning. When The Lover offers a sign of her will or mood, most people will never even realize it.
Many of The Lover’s omens come in the form of birds such as doves, ravens, or owls. A dove landing on a recent grave provides a sign that the departed died peacefully. An owl landing on such a grave indicates the person died before their time, and someone holds the secret to their demise. A raven flying through a window at twilight is a warning that the room’s occupant is in grave danger. The arrival of a hawk at the doorstep on the night of the full moon indicates someone important seeks the homeowner. Some diviners and priests of the goddess spend their entire lives learning, tracking, and interpreting the many signs and portents connected to the The Lover.

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.

Holidays

Loverime (Frostfall, 11)
Loverime is the day of love. Often celebrated by gifting to a person's romantic partner(s).

Divine Classification

Deity

Religions

• The Adonites

Church/Cult

The Adonites