Rhyddid, Goddess of Freedom

The goddess of freedom, those who seek it, and the oppressed, Rhyddid is one of the fifteen primary deities of Illiria. She is the youngest of the pantheon, ascending from the mortal Thüne and displacing the goddess Kiaru. 

The Mortal God

Thüne was born to Half-Elf slaves working as woodsmen in the furthest north colony of the First Empire, what was once Frontier Colony North and is today Ter Eira. Her father Ayu was half-Acundi and her mother Elsiel was half-Rivaen, both direct descendants of Skaldor the Conqueror. She was the youngest of seven siblings, including her twin brother Tryll. Both twins were said to have suffered the Curse of Skaldor. She lived her life as many others in her community did, silently completing work orders as maliciously as possible while quietly cursing the Empire and all who lived in it. Her brother Tryll died to a preventable logging accident thanks to Imperial incompetence, and her father was executed when he dared demand compensation and an apology. Inspired by the People's Revolt over two hundred years prior, Thüne successfully talked her surviving family into destroying equipment in retaliation, and then led her village in open battle against the soldiers sent to punish them. While the Gwelin War for Independence (then the Logger's Revolution) had been ongoing for two centuries, it was Thüne and her leadership that united the bickering factions into a cohesive fighting force and drove the Empire from the island that would become Ter Eira. As many of the soldiers were themselves Elves or Half-Elves conscripted into service, it wasn't long before the Empire had very little hope of a swift crushing of the rebellion. The war raged on, the Empire retaliated in force, and by then Thüne was "General-Queen of the Republic". Recognizing that they would lose and her people would be punished, she did the unthinkable. No one knows quite how it was done, but she managed to ascend into godhood in the middle of a battlefield, drive the soldiers from the shores of Ter Eira, and then kill the god Kiaru to take her place among the Holy Fifteen. This act transformed her worshippers into the Gwelin. Pale like their goddess, and always would they be twins at birth. It is speculated that should Rhyddid ever descend, the Gwelin would transform back into Half-Elves, and much more importantly shattered the moon and broke the seasons. 

Lady Winter

Rhyddid inherited Kiaru's position in the pantheon as the god of winter. As Lady Winter, she causes the snow to fall and the cold to come upon the world. She shortens the days to let the stars shine ever-brighter, and she sets the skies to dancing with a thousand colors. While she is most well-known for the "Freedom God" thing, Rhyddid is most commonly worshipped in her aspect of Lady Winter. She is responsible for Winter, if she should ever fail in her duties the world would collapse because the moons and the plants were not allowed enough time to rest. 

The Once and Future Queen

Popular Gwelin prophecy holds that one day, Rhyddid will come down from the heavens and lead them to victory over the Empire. When worshipped in this capacity specifically, Rhyddid is a doomsday goddess that is promised to break the sky a second time and give personal vengeance on all those who oppress others. 

Chainbreaker

Second only to the Gwelin themselves, Rhyddid is widely worshipped by slaves, prisoners, and those in unescapable situations. Her holy warriors have named themselves for this aspect, the Knights of the Broken Chain and it is from them her holy symbol is derived. Rhyddid preaches that no one deserves to be below anyone else, and it is through her will that on occasion, those who are chained find themselves freed from mysterious, improbably circumstances. It is from this that Rhyddid too takes her form as she appears before mortals, that of a giant Gwelin woman clad in armor made of a thousand broken chainlinks, with snapped manacles around her wrists and a cape of dancing lights.

Divine Domains

Water, Liberty, Darkness, Law, Good

Artifacts

The champion of Rhyddid is called the Winter Knight, always to be seen with the blessed sword Frostbite.

Holy Books & Codes

In the Name of Rhyddid, the Queen of Winter and Defender of the Gwelin, I hereby pledge my blade. To stand against the shadow as long as steel is hard and stone abides. To defend the Gwelin while one drop of blood remains. To avenge what cannot be defended. To strike down the chains that bind us. I swear, by fire and blood, by the ice and snow, by the Dancing Lights of her Aurora to uphold the honor of myself and my fellows, to defend Ter Eira should it need my blade, and to serve in death as well as I served in life. I give my Oath. -Promise of the Broken Chain

Divine Symbols & Sigils

The Broken Chain is the symbol of the freedom goddess, as could be expected. In defiance of Vadaszat, she has taken the polar bear as her favored creature, using them on occasion to guide her followers.

Divine Classification

God

Religions

• The Cult of the Fifteen
• The Oath of Rhyddid
• The People's Republic of Ter Eira

Alignment

Lawful Good

Church/Cult

The Oath of Rhyddid

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Lady Winter, The Once and Future Queen, Chainbreaker, Ascended One, The Gwelin God, The Biting Frost, Iron Lady, She Who Was And Will Be

Year of Birth

496 EK 949 Years old

Birthplace

Ter Eira

Current Residence

The Dancing Lights

Eyes

Entirely black

Hair

twenty cream-colored braids to her shoulders

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Literally snow

Aligned Organization

The Oath of Rhyddid

Other Affiliations

• The Cult of the Fifteen