Stratia

Goddess of Strategy and Commerce

Domains: War, Trickery
Weapons: Sword, Caltrops; Physical, Psychic
Symbol: A winged sandal with a coin engraved with a lunar crescent as the central buckle / strap join; the constellation Chimera
Dominion: The Silver Moon, War, Strategy, Conquest, Games of Skill, Planning, Pragmatism, Opportunity, Commerce, Contracts, Parley, Roads, Officers, Merchants, Spies
Stratia is the goddess of war, strategy, planning, and commerce. She assesses every situation before she acts, and always has a backup plan for if the first should go awry, and a backup for her backup. Her voice is the chime of coin tumbling onto a counter, the bark of a general giving orders, the rapid and inviting patter of a merchant convincing you that you are getting the best deal, and the foreperson directing their team as they carry out a construction or infrastructure project.
Stratia's power is spread across the entire theater of war. Where her brother Nykos inherited responsibility for battles and soldiers from their deceased "father" Polemares, Stratia took on the broader mantle of armies and war itself as a concept, and guides those making the big decisions. This is not to say she has no relevance to individual battles and skirmishes, such as those faced by a small unit or a squad of adventurers - quite the contrary. But she will guide such groups to pick and choose their fights, to know what they are getting into, to assess the strengths and weaknesses of not only their team but their opposition and then make decisions accordingly. Stratia believes and teaches that the battle, and the war, is largely won or lost before the first blade is drawn, based on the capabilities and legwork of the combatants before the fight even starts. Unforeseen opportunities and misfortunes may occur that can swing the tide from time to time, but these are rare enough that they cannot be relied upon, and a sufficiently competent leader should be able to plan around and adapt to these possibilities anyway.
She has also extended her insights about planning and grand strategy into the theater of commerce, a sphere largely overlooked and unclaimed in her "father's" time. A simple shopkeep in a sleepy village may never know Stratia's touch, even if she watches them to see if they rise above their complacent circumstance, but the ambitious and driven business person will catch her interest if they show the proper deference. Her passion is planning and gamesmanship, and she hardly cares if it is in the service of a war between nations or between rival businesses. It is also very much not a coincidence that the first real prototypical guilds of Iroa have arisen in the wake of Stratia's own rise, for they are inextricably linked. Every guildhall of any prominence has a bust, altar, or other dedication to Stratia somewhere within. She is also linked to the Silver Moon, whose light guides clandestine activities under cover of night, but which also represents a hidden and unexpected power that bursts forth when an opponent does not expect it, and which lights the road home for those caught out after dark.

Stratia's Tenets

Stratia embodies foresight - not in the mystical sense of the prophetic Oneiste, but in the practical sense of making reasonable deductions about the likely course of the future from what can be known and inferred by observation and reason. She also oversees a kind of luck, not the actual roll of cosmic chance but the principle that a person can make their own luck by being aware of opportunity and acting to seize it for themself. A plan is only as good as the information used to found it, so strive to learn all you can about your circumstances and likely deviations, even to the point of spying on your rivals or investigating things that you have been told to ignore, so that you are best equipped to make adjustments to the plan as needed. Always come out ahead in every deal - to merely break even is a kind of failure, and to actually lose out represents either a lack of guts to act fully in the interests of your side or an abdication of your responsibility to know what you are getting yourself into.

Stratia's Relationships

As one of the Three Faces of War to arise from and be empowered by the sundered spark of murdered Polemares, the prior God of War and the Moon, Stratia is inextricably linked to her twin brother Nykos and their "other father" Embrys, who effectively birthed them a century ago by slaying the former King of the Gods. She has a fierce rivalry with Nykos, as each values very different things in a warrior and in their approach to conflict and the battlefield. However, her love of strategy games in some way mirrors Nykos's love of and patronage of sports, and she approves of his ability to think on his feet and execute battlefield tactics based on the immediate circumstance, even if she usually bests him despite his greater strength due to her superior foresight and strategy. Although she would rarely admit it she has even more respect for Embrys, recognizing she would not even exist without him but also approving of the incredible feat of planning, misdirection and execution required for the former mortal to slay not just a God, but the most powerful God. She also to some extent empathizes with and shares his philosophy of the ends justifying the means, but does not take it as far as he. Nonetheless, she is most guarded in respect to Embrys of any deity, having already narrowly escaped destruction at his hands several times due only to her wits and Nykos's strength.
Thala, Goddess of the Sea was paramour of Polemares, and acts as a mother figure to the young Stratia and Nykos. Stratia understands her mind better, as both are more concerned with the big picture than the small scale, and both think about the branching repercussions of actions as they play out in the long term. Stratia's silver moon also pulls on the tides of Thala's seas, the calm regulating force in contrast to the more disruptive power of the other two moons, and helps guides sailors who must be active at night.
Xenoves is a keeper of secrets, and so his followers are often at odds with spies who take after Stratia, as they try to pry out those secrets to the advantage of their faction. However, he is also the god of wealth from his dominion over the mineral bounty of the earth, and so his interests align with Stratia's demesne of commerce and merchants. The two thus have an outwardly friendly relationship marked by hidden tension and gamesmanship under the surface, intrigue that is then sometimes stoked by Lyrium to cause mischief. Stratia in turn though also works with Lyrium when the greater part of a strategy, whether in war or commerce, would be served by stoking either intrigue or love between two of the parties to a conflict or rivalry.
Paideia and Mytrah also have tense, mixed relationships with both Stratia and Nykos, as war can be very bad for both the cities of mortals as well as the fields upon which their food depends. However, the goddess of cities reluctantly acknowledges the benefits purchased by the flow of coins, and the goddess of sowing is also the reaper and finds souls delivered unto her by the spread of conflict.

Worshipping Stratia

As goddess of war and strategy, Stratia is prayed to by leaders caught in or planning to initiate a conflict, by spies hoping to glean information that will give the edge to their side, by commanders hoping their battle plans are sound, by the troops under them whose lives depend on those plans, by armorers and weaponsmiths as they dedicate the fruit of their labors, and even by those playing games of strategy with real stakes. As goddess of commerce and opportunity, she is prayed to by merchants as they start a new business venture or set up their stalls for the day, by quartermasters and other "professional buyers" who wish not to be cheated, by moneychangers and minters to bless their work, and by anyone hoping a great opportunity will fall into their lap - though Stratia uniformly ignores this last group unless they are also wise enough to ask for the insight to recognize an opportunity when it presents itself.

Sekhit

In Nubir, Stratia is known as Sekhit. While the legend of Hykore (Nykos) has been forged largely around the struggles both with Apephos (Embrys) and with the varying daemons and other monsters that threaten the world, Sekhit's tales are of bringing an uneasy peace to the many Khefiri kingdoms through inspiration of viziers and pharaohs to conquer and unify large stretches of the land. It is also Sekhit who is credited for the immense surge of prosperity that has blessed the continent in the last century, as roads and potential trade routes stabilized by the aforementioned conquerors suddenly found more able and ambitious merchants to ply them, seeing a greater bounty of coin and knowledge spread across the lands like blood through a mortal's veins. So profound have been these influences that Sekhit, like her brother, is said to have been welcomed with open arms as an Eternal within the Yahre-Nesyt, the legendary Court of Sun and Moon.

Stratia's Champions

Suggested Classes: Artificer, Cleric, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Wizard
Suggested Backgrounds: Folk Hero, Guild Artisan, Knight, Noble, Soldier, Spy
Champions of Stratia are cunning and calculating. They plan ahead so that they can make the best of any situation and get the best of any foe, whether the battle is waged with spear and shield or with wit and intrigue. They often favor mobility, physically and socially, but when they resolve to defense they make themselves as unassailable as the dragon turtle. They always keep an ear to the ground, so to speak, so they can know what's coming and adapt accordingly.

Stratia's Favor

What brought Stratia's path together with yours? You may roll or choose on the table below for ideas, or develop an idea of your own with the GM.
d6 / Circumstance

1. You were baptized in blood or wine, symbol of your parents' desire for you to grow strong or wealthy.
2. Your sibling is a champion of Nykos, or your parents or mentor were slain by a champion of Embrys.
3. You found a weakness in the defenses of an enemy camp or village, allowing your unit an easy victory.
4. You strategically turned two of your rivals or foes against each other and came out the victor over both.
5. One or both parents were traveling merchants, and you accompanied them on the road since youth.
6. Your cunning mentor taught you to always weigh the strengths of every plan and person you encounter.

Earning and Losing Piety

You increase your piety score with Stratia when you expand or shore up their influence in a concrete way, including but not limited to:

• Defeating a champion of Nykos or Embrys
• Achieving victory through tactical superiority rather than brute strength
• Establishing a trade agreement
• Recognizing useful strategies and making your enemies' strengths your own

Your piety score to Stratia decreases if you diminish Stratia's influence in the world, contradict their ideals, or make them look ridiculous or ineffectual through acts such as these:

• Letting victory slip away because of misplaced conscience or emotion
• Failing to plan appropriately for a foreseeable challenge
• Jeopardizing others through rash or foolish action
• Becoming complacent and relying on blunt power or wealth over strategy

As a champion of unusual standing in the world, you receive benefits as your piety score rises. If you are a cleric or paladin of Stratia, you start with a piety to Stratia of 3.

Initiate (Piety 3+)

You gain Inspiration when your pragmatic decision was successful or you conclude a business transaction much more favorable to you over the other person, or you perform an act that gains you piety. You also have advantage on rolls to know about Stratia, her servants, and her works, and you know (the DM warns you) before you commit to an act that would displease Stratia.

Devotee (Piety 10+)

As a devotee of Stratia's mysteries, you know the smart and patient challenger can best those who might otherwise overpower or outnumber you. You learn either the blade ward cantrip or the sapping sting cantrip (choose one), and learn either the grease spell or the expeditious retreat spell (choose one). Choose Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma to be your casting modifier for these spells. You can use the cantrip at will, and the spell a number of times per day equal to your casting modifier. If you are a spellcaster, treat the cantrip and spell as bonus spells known of your class that are always prepared.

Votary (Piety 20+)

Stratia's blessing helps you catch details that others miss. If you fail a passive Perception or Insight check to notice something important or avoid being taken advantage of, but you would have succeeded if your passive Perception or Insight were 5 higher, the GM spends a use of this ability on your behalf and you succeed instead of failing. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to the higher of your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier (minimum 1), and regain all uses after a long rest. Additionally, If you the player seemingly failed to catch something important in the description of a scene or in the narrative, the GM may spend a use of this ability to give you another hint.

Disciple (Piety 40+)

Stratia bestows upon you the secret of Stratia's Acumen. A number of times per day equal to the greater of your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier (minimum 1), you can use the Command Strike or Repositioning Command exploits with a d6 exploit die, or your actual exploit die if you are a martial character. Alternately, when you are assessing fortifications, contracts, loot, or the like, you can spend a use of this ability to gain advantage on an Intelligence / Investigation check to try to immediately zero in on the weakest link in the defenses, any loopholes in the contract, the items in a hoard or a merchant's stall that are actually valuable, or so forth. You regain all uses after a long rest.

Champion (Piety 60+)

Stratia's surpassing favor means nothing slips by you. If you fail a passive Perception or Insight check to avoid being surprised at the start of an encounter, but you would have succeeded if your passive Perception or Insight were 5 higher, the GM spends a use of your votary ability on your behalf and you succeed instead of failing. You can also elect to spend a use of your votary ability at the start of an encounter to gain advantage on your Initiative check, or +5 if you already have advantage.
Additionally, increase your Dexterity or Intelligence score by 2, and also increase your maximum for that score by 2.