Sivora
The Bountiful Sea, The Wrathful Hurricane, Sailors’ First Love, Mother of Mirrors
Sivora (she/her) is the goddess of the sea, hurricanes, fish, reflections, travel, and navigation. The oceans are made salty by her tears, and the tides are said to sway with her emotions. Capable of both stormy anger and bountiful benevolence, Sivora mostly presents a calm, cool demeanor. Her followers are often sailors, fishermen, and others who spend time near the water. Her most devout worshipers are Wavecallers— humans who believe they were given life directly by Sivora herself, without the help of Tephera.
Sivora’s reflections are not only physical, but mental as well, bringing associations of personal growth and past regrets. She encourages mortals to change, even if that encouragement comes in the form of a punishing hurricane. Her fury is never undeserved, and neither is her kindness; one must earn it.
Shapes and Messengers
Sivora presents as a middle-aged feminine humanoid with tanned skin and dark hair. Her exact lineage varies, as she tends to embody as the lineage most common in the group to which she is appearing. When she appears, she takes the place of her devotee’s reflection. Very few have seen her humanoid form outside of reflections.
Her raiment is predominantly ocean blue, along with the black and white of her animal forms. She wears a long, flowing dress that resembles the seafoam in the waves, and jewelry crafted from coral and glass.
She can transform into two different animals. The first form is a large, black-and-white seagull. In this guise, Sivora can often be found leading flocks of gulls across the sea. The second form is a giant orca, which can be seen at the head of orca pods all over Drintera. Gulls and orcas serve as her messengers, and lost sailors will often follow them in hopes of being guided home.
Dominion
The goddess of the sea resides in the largest coral reef on Drintera, ruling over the ocean life. Rumors describe a lopsided, multicolored castle. Branches of coral rise from the water, home to nesting seabirds. All of the castle’s furnishings are built from the remains of long-lost shipwrecks, and scattered within are rooms filled with shining treasure taken from pirates.
Fish and birds are the castle’s majority residents, but there are rumors that mortals live there as well. Sivora has saved countless nearly drowned mortals and gave them a place to stay in her home. She has sympathy for those who were willing to change but didn’t get the chance: pirates trying to return stolen treasure, immigrants sailing to a new country. Those who are saved are transformed into the animals of her dominion. The most loyal are turned into sea monsters, then sent to inflict their goddess’ fury on others.
Myths
The oceans of Drintera were once fresh water. Resting on the beach one day, Sivora’s attention was caught by a mortal on the opposite side of the canyon. Their name was Thua , and Sivora found herself very suddenly in love. Thua noticed Sivora as well and their heart leapt. In their haste to meet the goddess, they tried to swim across the vast sea and drowned. Distraught, Sivora shed so many tears that the world’s oceans filled with salt from her sorrow. Once her eyes were dry, she saw her reflection in the water and promised to never let such a thing happen again. In honor of Thua, she requested that Zuvinar create a star above Drintera’s north pole, to guide mortal sailors on their journeys.
One of the most prominent examples of Sivora as a wrathful goddess is told in the story of Celatra , an infamous ship captain known for the cruelty with which he treated his crew. He sailed the oceans without ever giving Sivora an offering. At least not until her favor was needed, when his ship was caught in a seastorm. Sivora watched as the crew toiled to save the ship, but Celatra hurried to the safety of his quarters and prayed at the mirror. Furious that he only cared when he was in danger, she allowed her storm to sink the ship. Celatra’s crew washed ashore a few days later, alive and worse for wear, but the captain was never seen again.
Symbols
The most common symbol for Sivora is a wave, water drop, or some other graphical representation of water. Sculptures and paintings of fish are frequent in her places of worship, as are decorations crafted with coral, fish scales, ivory from sea creatures, and seabird feathers. Devout worshipers may wear jewelry made of those materials as well, the most common being a glass water droplet hanging from a necklace.
Glass and mirrors are often present in her temples, with some buildings made almost entirely of glass. The heads of some temples will adorn themselves with star-shaped objects, in hopes that their congregants will see them as a guiding light similar to Thua's star.
Patronage
Fishermen from the Icekeep Coast are very careful with their catch. They make sure never to take more than they need, and use every part of the fish they kill. When an individual’s fishing boat is too broken to repair, it’s dismantled and the parts are used to create a temporary shrine by the shore, usually filled with offerings. The tides eventually destroy the shrine, which means Sivora has given her blessing for the fisherman to continue their work.
Bored whalers from Brightwater give their thanks to Sivora by carving scrimshaws: artwork engraved on the bones and ivory of the whales they hunt. The act of carving is considered prayer, and many scrimshaws have images related to Sivora. Orca whales are rarely hunted because they are considered sacred messengers of Sivora. But if a follower happens upon a naturally-dead orca, they might harvest some ivory for ceremonial use.
Folks living near the volcanoes of the Crown of Ash polish the obsidian found near their home to use as mirrors. They pray while holding the mirrors and use them to scry, hoping to see images of their future. Sivora may not be able to provide a plentiful catch of fish, so instead she tries to guide supplicants toward the future they desire. She may send a variety of image to be interpreted: of someone they should meet, items they should acquire, or places they should travel.
Priesthood and Mysteries
(The links in this section require subscriber access—join our Patreon !)
- The Nautical Prophets in Bridvastan 's military in Niere
- The Order of the Mirror
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