Irea, The Fleeting Spark

Irea, sometimes referred to as the Fleeting Spark or the Violet Mistress, is the Goddess of Magic and Arcane Knowledge in Kaladea. She watches the flow of magic in Eina, content to let it be used by the mortal races in any way they see fit as long as it does not threaten creation itself. Legends say that she taught the secrets of modern magic to the Einan Races to help in their fight during the First Demonic Incursion, and that she appears to those she deems worthy to serve as their teacher. She is the goddess of the wizards and scholars, of power found in ancient parchments and powerful grimoires, unlocked in brief, ephemeral moments of inspiration and made a reality by hard work and discipline.

Sacred Attributes

The Eight Pointed Star (Asterias) is Irea’s most recognizable symbol, representing the eight schools of magic she taught the Einan Races long ago. It has become synonymous with magic itself and is often used as a way to show when an object or an organization, for example, has ties to the arcane. Her Favoured Animal is the Crow, brightest of all the birds, and her Favoured Colour is Violet, whose production requires much work and patience, like the Arcane Arts. Finally, her Favoured Weapon is the Shortbow, which she uses to shoot stars across the sky and spread magic across distances.

Description

Irea takes almost exclusively the appearance of women, though those forms can be of any age. She has been depicted as a beautiful young lady just as often as she has been an old crone, and on occasion has even taken the guise of a young child. Most recognizable in all those forms are the invariable presence of any combination of violet and feathers, as well as a tendency to appear dressed in rich, jeweled garbs on which light shines and refracts.

The goddess also sometimes takes on the form of a crow, and there are tales of young wizard apprentices witnessing their newly acquired feathered familiars transform into beautiful women garbed in violet before their eyes. Of course, the wizened old masters of the arcane will tell you that this is nothing but wishful thinking spread among the youngsters, but they will do so with a twinkle in their eyes and a faint smile on their lips.

Personality

Although Irea can appear haughty and terribly stern on first impression, she is not devoid of humour. In fact, the goddess is known to challenge mortals with riddles and conundrums as a way to measure their worth, and overall seems rather fond of surprises. It is simply in her nature to appear somewhat cold. As a goddess of magic, Irea is of course biased toward her art and sees the arcane as the greatest tool there is, a vessel through which one can accomplish nearly anything. But such power must be granted only to those that are capable of wielding it effectively. Magic is, after all, dangerous beyond measure, especially in the hand of fools. It is unstable and prone to disaster, whose repercussions can shatter entire worlds. As such, it needs to be regulated thanks to applicable knowledge and expertise. Perhaps this is why she maintains an air of self-importance. Not simply out of pride for her magic, but also to deter those that would be unworthy to wield it. As such, her blessings are generally reserved for those that have proven capable of both the eagerness to discover and the patience to learn.
Beyond her relation with magic and its practitioners, Irea values intellect in itself. Wits and sagacity of course, but tempered by a healthy amount of rational thinking. Expertise of any kind is valuable in her eyes, as it is knowledge in itself that is worthy of respect. It is neither good nor bad, without taste or smell, and only its loss can bring Irea to anger. Mismanagement is distasteful to her, and she cares very little for those that do not show ambition. But it is only the destruction of knowledge, especially arcane knowledge, that will without a doubt bring on someone the fury of Irea. And the enemies of the mistress of magic never last very long.

Worship

As the Goddess of Magic, Irea’s worship is centred around the practice of said art. Practitioners of the arcane across the entire Kaladean Empire pray to her, and few establishments dedicated to the practice of magic do not bear the mark of the eight-pointed star. Not only that, but many amongst those who value knowledge, or search for it, worship the goddess in their own way. As such, the worship of Irea is one of the most widespread in the Empire. Perhaps it is not so obvious from the outside, as those that pray to Irea are often reclusive, focused on their books and experiments, but a simple library or a small laboratory is just as much a place of faith for the followers of Irea, as any temple can be.
With that being said, it remains a fact that the clergy of Irea dwells primarily where magic is kept and practiced. Priests and Priestesses of the Goddess of Magic often themselves dabble in the practice of the arcane, or at least assist those that do. After all, the conservation and development of magical knowledge is their primary task. Temples dedicated to Irea are found near-magical establishments, when not directly part of it, and they often serve as extensions of those establishments. More akin to libraries and vast study halls than places of prayer, those temples are often filled with adepts of the arcane mingling with members of the clergy, the only difference between them often being the more prominent sacred symbols worn by the latter.
It comes then as no surprise that the Great Temple of Irea is itself attached to one such magical establishment. The Arcane Academy of Telos is perhaps the only place of magical learning that can hope to rival the White Palace, and many attribute that fact to its proximity to the place of dwelling of the Goddess of Magic. The two institutions as in fact so close that it is not rare for students of the academy to join the clergy upon or even before graduation, and it has become a yearly tradition for new students to visit the Temple for good luck in their studies. And sometimes, some of the more daring students choose to wander even deeper into the walls of the temple, where powerful artifacts and grimoires of forbidden magic are supposedly kept, sometimes coming back with incredible tales to tell their comrades, and sometimes not coming back at all.

Divine Domains

Arcana

Knowledge

Holy Books & Codes

The Violet Scrolls

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Symbol: Eight Pointed Star

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Favoured Animal: Crow

Favoured Colour: Violet

Sacred Weapon: Shortbow

Tenets of Faith

There is no nobler endeavor than gathering knowledge, for each of us should seek to understand both the natural and supernatural world

One should always look for ways to better use magic, and be wary of being used by it.

Ambition should always be tempered by discipline, and emotions subsumed by rationality.

Holidays

14th of Ireos: The Day of Apex (The day of the year when magic is at its strongest, and as such when many important arcane rituals take place.)

Divine Classification

Deity

Alignment

True Neutral

Realm

The Eight Towers

Church/Cult

Kaladean Pantheon