Church of Desna
Desna is the goddess of travel and journeys, and there are few who traverse the roads who wouldn't spare her a prayer or a simple-worded plea for benediction. Scouts, sailors, and those who travel for travel's sake make up a large number of her followers, though her focus on luck also makes her a favorite deity among gamblers and thieves. Whatever their calling, followers of the Song of Spheres search the world for new experiences, and try to live their life to the fullest.[2][5][3]
The church of Desna has few temples, as its priests rarely settle in a single location. The faithful of the Great Dreamer can be found on the roads of Golarion, and especially among the Varisian caravans and others who who call the road their home and enjoy the beauty of the wilderness. Other centers of worship include the elves of Kyonin, the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, Nidal (where her worship is forbidden), Numeria, the River Kingdoms, the Steaming Sea, and Ustalav.[30][2][5] She is also revered by numerous Kellids,[31] Mwangi,[32] Shoanti,[33] Tian,[34] Ulfen,[35] Varisians,[36] elves,[37] gnomes,[38] and half-elves throughout the Inner Sea region.[39]
Crown of the World
Hundreds of years ago, a clan of tundra nomads called the Uqtaal worshipped Desna as the Queen of the North Star at the Crown of the World. They believed she protected them during the long arctic nights, that at the time of death, their souls would travel to the North Star to be with her. They built the Uqtaal Necropolis at the base of the Wall of Heaven Mountains with a passage called the Path of Spirits that led souls onto the High Ice, and then from there to the North Pole, guided by the North Star. There Desna would find them and take their soul to their final resting place in the stars. Unfortunately, the Uqtaal clans eventually were corrupted to the worship of Fumeiyoshi and forsook Desna.[40]
Halflings
Desna is held in special affection by many halflings, especially those who travel or seek adventure. Traveling halflings take tokens of the goddess and frequent her shrines along their journey.[41] They attribute their special luck and some halflings' ability to jinx as a gift from the goddess. This luck is personified in the goddess Chaldira Zuzaristan, who halflings believe is Desna's loyal friend.[42]
Nidal
Because of their goddess' adversarial relationship with Zon-Kuthon, worshipers of the Song of Stars have long tried to infiltrate the Kuthonite nation of Nidal. Even though the worship of any other deity in that nation is illegal, Desnans have had some success in northern Nidal, in a region known as the Atteran Ranches. When the central government in Pangolais discovered this and was about to intervene, the great ranching families of the area held them off by promising to take care of the problem themselves. They formed posses of mercenaries called dream hunters to track down and eliminate any Densa-worshipers.[43]
River Kingdoms
The Nomen centaurs of the River Kingdoms worship Desna in an aspect called Mother Moon.[44]
Tian Xia
In Tian Xia, Desna is known as the Resplendent Goddess of Fortune, and the Goddess of the North Star.[45][46]
Ancient Azlant
Ancient Azlanti vagabonds and idealists, who rarely stayed in one place for long, worshiped Desna as a goddess of stars before she was gifted the travel domain. Her faith has otherwise remained largely unchanged from the Age of Legend to the modern day. Itinerant Desnans charted the circuit of stars and interpreted the dreams of wanderers who stayed the night in their shrines.[19][47]
Shrines to Desna dotted the roads of Azlant and hostels across the empire's cities. Few were large or elaborate, and some congregations even carried their shrines on nomadic wagons.[19]
Clergy
The informal clergy of Desna is primarily composed of clerics, though on occasion bards are called by some song or whisper in the night to follow her path. In addition, spherewalkers are paragons of the Desnan ideal: they see new sights each day and discover unheard of locales.[2][5][3]
Her clergy usually garb themselves in white robes with black trim and silk caps, highlighted by varied decorative elements (especially among priests of high status), and usually accompanied by one or more starknives.[2][5]
Temples and shrines
Temples of Desna are few and far between, with most locations no more than roadside shrines erected in her honor. Travelers often leave markings and dedications in newly discovered areas and secluded locales. Those few temples that do exist often serve as observatories and are open to the night sky,[2] with plentiful texts, charts, and instruments to help track the stars and determine astronomical events.[3]
Dedicated to the faith of Desna, seven bell towers are believed to have existed at one point throughout the Inner Sea. The seven towers represented the Seven Towers of Desna's palace and each tower housed a sacred Bell of Mercy. Pilgrimages to all seven towers were often undertaken by Desna's faithful.[48]
Holy texts
Writings sacred to Desna tend to be easily portable, written in simple language and often containing references to exotic, beautiful places and roads containing a shrine.[5]
The Eight Scrolls
These writings detail Desna's early days and the basic edicts of her faith.[2][5]
Shrine Wall Writings
Almost all Desnan shrines are covered with the observations and prayers of travelers and priests of her faith, containing the wisdom of the road and hints for the start of new journeys.[5]
Holidays
The spring month of Desnus is named in honor of the goddess, although it is not a holiday.[49]
Ritual of Stardust
This holiday takes place on both the winter and summer solstices. When the ceremonial fires burn low, the faithful throw sand mixed with gems into the embers and make wishes and pledges for the months to come.[5]
Swallowtail Festival
Every year on the first day of the month of Rova, the followers of Desna release cages full of swallowtail butterflies, an act that honors a story told by the faithful.[5]
Favored animals
Gods are often associated with certain animals, either because they possess a quality that the god favors, or because the god's faithful feel a special kinship to it. Desna's favored animals include butterflies, moths, caterpillars, owls, sparrows, dragonflies, and messenger birds.[50]
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