Manem, Prince of the Depths

The Third Brother of Oros

(a.k.a. the Drowned Sovereign, the Squall Maleficent)

Holy Books & Codes

• The Orisons of the Ocean: A holy book of Manem filled with prayers and hymns to the Drowned Sovereign. Used frequently in rituals and rites by the Church of Manem.
• The Eukatra Cartogram: A mysterious and virtually indecipherable map whose mercurial lines and symbols only appear while soaked with sea water and whose landmasses match none known on Edras. Each time the Eukatra Cartogram is dried and made wet again, its features shift and change. Sages devoted to Manem use the map as a sort of divination tool and a spiritual guide on their 'journey towards apotheosis'.
• The Book of Transgressions: A book held in the vestibule of nearly every church devoted to the Drowned Sovereign. The faithful will frequently record transgressions they have suffered in the book in the hopes that Manem will seek vengeance on their behalf. More frequently, the local priests of Manem will task church servants to right particularly heinous wrongs they find in the book - usually in exchange for a healthy donation from the wronged party. Writing a false transgression in the book is said to carry severe punishments and curses.

Tenets of Faith

• Children are precious, I will care for and protect them. Those who would abuse, traumatize, or mistreat them will feel the wrath of the storm.
• Justice is fair and impartial, Vengeance is personal and visceral. I will not confuse the two. I do not seek to rehabilitate or fairly punish, these things are for kings and governments. They may seek to satisfy the law, but I will seek to satisfy the wronged.
• I am the instrument of my own justice. If I am wronged, I will take vengeance with my own hands. Those who wrong me will be repaid tenfold.
• Tribulations are a gift, not a punishment. I will be the rock upon which the waves crash - never faltering.
• Water is life. I must protect the rivers and waters and oceans to keep them safe and pure for all.
• I will offer my services to all those who travel upon the water, especially those who are unable to defend themselves. Their journeys aid us all.
• Order is an illusion for the weak and simple-minded. Those who seek to tame the masses with this lie inevitably fall into tyranny and oppression. I will not help to enforce laws and rules on a people who wish to be free.
• The only certainty is that nothing is certain. I will embrace the everchanging storm and at its center - in the eye of the great typhoon - I will find my true self.

Holidays

• Tidesfest: On this religious holiday in early Stormrise, all who travel on the water make offerings to Gozreh in the hopes of safe passage for the coming year. Likewise, those living near bodies of water pray for a season with few storms and little flooding during this time.
• The Ceremony of Gathering Rains: Taking place on the first day of Rainsmoot, The Ceremony of Gathering Rains is a grand celebration that ushers in the rainy season and gives thanks for the growth that it brings. It is considered a sign of great favor if it begins raining during the festivities.
• Unshackling Day: A holy day of great importance to the Church of Manem, Unshackling Day celebrates the ideals of liberation, emancipation, and freedom. Symbolic in many modern kingdoms, traditionally Unshackling Day was the day when slaves who had served their term, were set free. In the Age of Kings, however, the day is more commonly celebrated by the forgiveness of debts, minor lawlessness and hooliganism, and demonstrations against oppressions. 

Temples & Shrines

Mane's temples are always open to the sky and often contain some sort of pool or open water at their heart. Coastal temples are usually made of driftwood, and are often just a wooden wall with lean-tos on the outside rim. Some temples incorporate water wheels, windmills, lighthouses, or other structures that harness the wind and waves or are essential to a community that relies on the sky and sea for survival; for these locations, tending the mechanism of the structure is a hereditary, traditional role, and priests who assume such a position tend to have remarkably advanced knowledge of the necessary engineering despite the church’s general preference for wildness and nature over civilization.
Shrines are incredibly simple, often just a flat stone at a high elevation or on a secluded beach, a large whale bone jutting from a cleft on a rocky shore, or a place where the waves crash against a crevice to create a high-arcing spray. Some shrines remain underwater most of the time and only appear in years when stellar conjunctions cause especially low tides. Others are built on driftwood, and released downriver or into the ocean on small rafts, carried on a wayward and unplanned path.

Providence

Manem shows his favor by the sudden appearance of a gentle breeze that carries with it the smell of salt, the unexpected sound of waves crashing on a shore, or dreams involving a specific, and unusual-looking sea creature. His displeasure is seen in the sudden appearance of extremely localized storms or other bad weather, being watched or hounded by bizarre albatross-like birds, or the continuous taste of brine in one's mouth.

Rituals

• A seeker who prays for vengeance against someone who wronged them can write the wrongs done against them on wooden charms and then tie them to stakes in low-tide so that the sea takes them
• A seeker who wishes for to cure a waterborne illness needs to first hang a set of chimes where they will be stirred by either wind or water, then chant prayers as they attune themselves to the sound of the chimes; afterwards, they must drink a mouthful of pure water and pour a handful over their head
• A seeker who desires to plunder the depths for secret knowledge or treasure might simulate the act of drowning by fully submerging themselves in a body of water, exhaling all of their breath, and painfully inhaling water instead of air
• A seeker who wants to change the weather, either to call storms or to ward against them, should consecrate a weather vane or lightning rod made from cold-forged iron and engraved with prayers to Manem, drive it into the ground at the highest point in the area, and then impale one who practices slavery (or a suitable effigy) upon it

Scions

• Od'ythliss, Scion of Tides
• Uyeda Honoka, Scion of the Tempest
• Nemesis, Scion of Vigilantes
• Sinsinar Fiddlepitch, Scion of Discord

D&D 5e Rules

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Domains: Water, Storms, Vengeance, Chaos
Favored Weapons: Trident, Net

Pathfinder 2e Rules

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Domains: Duty, Destruction, Lightning, Water
Alternate Domains: Zeal
Follower Alignments: CG, CN, CE
Favored Weapons: Trident
Cleric Spells: 1st: phantom pain, 2nd: sea surge, 3rd: lightning bolt
Divine Ability: Constitution or Strength
Divine Font: Harm or Heal
Divine Skill: Athletics

Holy Symbol

Divine Classification

Deity

Religions

• Ru'ora Archipelago
• The Brisingelion

Alignment

Chaotic Neutral

Current Location

Sanctum, the Dwelling of Deities

Realm

Sasona, the Bashful Twin

Parents

Oros, the Infinite Spirit

Gender

Male

Ruled Locations

• Sasona, the Bashful Twin

Sworn Enemies

Water Elementals, Aboleths, Storm Giants, Kraken (and their servants), Hydras, Merrow, Sea Hags, Kelpie

Favored Weapon(s)

Trident & Net

Sacred Animal(s)

Sharks, Crocodiles, & Octopi

Sacred Color(s)

Azure

Patron Kingdoms

Ru'ora Archipelago

Common Worshippers

Sailors, Pirates, Slaves, Children

Preferred Offerings

Blue Precious Stones and Gems, Items that have been Struck by Lightning, Drowned Slavers