| Title |
Alignment |
Weapon |
Portfolio |
| The Spark |
NG |
Dagger |
Art, Creativity, Risk |
The Church of Pythas
History shows only those that gamble their art in the public eye; the painting in the attic was never painted.
- Tali Ragiodonti, Appraiser for the Painter's Guild
Those that worship The Spark venerate them as an artist, creative, risktaker, or some combination thereof. They are the muse by which any crafter receives talent beyond their years, and those that venerate Pythas will often sign the god's symbol (or a simplified version) on their craft as a token of thanks. Pythas' most ardent worshippers are fearless, but it would be foolhardy to assume they are not calculating in their risk. They are known as out-of-the-box thinkers, and many an adventuring party has done well with a cleric of The Spark with them. Their holy book The Practicum is famous for being a single page of paper that says "Do as you wish for no other, but never cease doing." This serves as a creed for the church, and is said to be the only written record from Pythas' life before apotheosis.
Pythian clergy have no central authority, but are led by regional leaders called Appraisers of the Faith, commonly shortened to "Appraiser." These members are well-respected leaders in thought, for skill in their craft, or their ability to build coalitions and organizations from nothing. These leaders are sought after for their opinions, often seen as having the blessing of Pythas. Seldom is the advice provided wrong, though success is not a guarantee, a fact well-known to those that adhere to the god, for there is no risk without chance of failure.
The Ascension Story
Before their ascension, Pythas was wildly regarded as the exemplar of elven craft in the arts. Ever the risk-taker, they were constantly pushing both themselves and their older sibling
Tomir to achieve more and further hone their crafts. In the mageocracy of
Indai in which they lived, magic flowed freely and suffused the land with wild possibility, and through their apprenticeship under the half-elf Atue Teirni, the Dying Queen of magic and water, they grew in power and legend along with their sibling.
Pythas, always being the risk-taker of the two elves, urged Tomir to apply the code with which they codified magics to the entirety of the world. Under the supervision of Atue Teirni, the pair did just that, pulling on the power of the Dark Star to unmake chaos itself. While Pythas' intentions were pure and Tomir's master of magic apparent, no such thing happened. Instead, latent power within the siblings awoke, catapulting them to godhood. The elves of Indai and Valorus to this day bear the Mortalic mark on their skin, as it was this act that created the Drow (meaning "dark" in Elven a condition that affected even the Dying Queen that aided them. This mark, inherent to Mortalis, rendered the Drow weakened in the light of Animatus - a condition sometimes called the Painter's Mark.
Holidays
Tinkerer's Day. Celebrated on 18 Quinta of each year, this day celebrates the ascension of Pythas. Those that celebrate this holiday often gather in public locations to show off their latest creations, and it is customary and expected for the atmosphere of such gatherings to be constructive and positive. Science, after all, does best with collaboration.
Traditional Dress
Pythas' clergy prefer shades of magenta, amaranth, or pink, often with handcrafted jewlery over tight-fitting, highly stylized clothing.
Aphorisms
As Covert as a Pythian. A sarcastic phrase, given the traditional dress of their clergy, this is a phrase meaning either one was inadvertantly obvious due to a glaring issue or that one is dressed loudly.
Legacy Recalls Risk. Those that do not take a chance and live safe lives are seldom remembered.
