Thala

Goddess of the Sea and Evolution

Domains: Tempest, Nature
Weapons: Bident, Net; Cold, Thunder
Symbol: An open seashell from which emerges a lotus flower; the constellation Kraken
Dominion: Water, the Sea, Tides, Cycles, Blood Bonds, Motherhood, Genesis, Change over Time, Growth, Evolution, Erosion, Travel, Exploration, Aquatic Beasts, Sailors, Fishers
Thala is the goddess of the sea, evolution, motherhood, and travel. She holds sway over aquatic creatures and the steady erosion and change of all things. It is said by her priesthood that she is the most ancient of the gods and the mother of all life, arising in the beginning as something neither Titan nor God, but enduring and adapting over time to become first titaness then goddess with the changes in cosmic order, much as the sea itself is eternal and yet forever slowly changing. Outwardly impassive most of the time and filled with confidence, she knows that her domain is vast and unassailable. But while slow to anger, her wrath when roused is as terrible as the full weight of the sea brought to bear. Her mind is inscrutable, and she speaks only in past and future tense, of what has been and will be, never in the present.
Thala holds dominion over all that passes above and beneath the surface of the waters. To most mortals, Thala is the sea and the sea is Thala. Waves, wind, currents, and mighty beasts all fall within her purview. She knows that the power of the oceans to affect global weather and climate - to say nothing of merchant trade across the seas - means she has some level of influence quite far from the coasts that ostensibly mark the limits of her realm. And all mortal life of the land has a primal link to her great waters, for the titans first brought life forth from the seas, and the gods then shaped it into what it is today. Every mortal woman or beast who bears young does so in emulation of Thala's creation and ruled by the same tidal forces as her seas.
Thala rejects any concept of permanence while also being disgusted by impulse and lack of control. She forever acts in subtle ways to change the status quo, both in the physical world as subject to the erosive power of her waters, and also in mortal society as influenced through the hands and words of her followers. But she seeks slow, gradual, measured change over time, not the tumultuous change of great social upheavals, save for when she and her interests have been directly wronged. She does not care which social structure or hierarchies that mortals put into place, so long as they change and evolve in some way over time and do not calcify; she would be as pleased by a king losing some of their power to a parliament elected by the people, as she would be by an elected senate becoming suborned to the will of a dictator.

Thala's Tenets

Thala is patient, but not infinitely so, and holds that measured action after taking stock of a situation is superior to both impulsive reaction and excessive delay. Know what resources and power you have available to you, and use them - do not hold back, but also do not over-extend yourself. Accept that nothing remains the same forever, and prepare for the change that is inevitable so that you may have some impact on how it affects you, rather than futilely resisting it or being caught off-guard. Learn from both your triumphs and mistakes, and grow from them. Honor thy parents and take care of your children, but coddle neither. Know that the world is bigger than you and encompasses more things than you can ever know.

Thala's Relationships

Thala predates the other gods, and is comfortable in her realm. She cares about land and sky mostly to the extent that they touch and influence her realm; she knows that her power and influence extends there anyway.
Thala's most direct relationships are with the Three Faces of War, the gods born of sundered Polemares, former king of the Iroan gods. The former god of War and the Moon was her paramour, the only god she loved and whose love she accepted in return, and she was mesmerized by his dark charisma much as the tides of the sea are ruled by moon above. Now he is dead and his one moon has become three, and even a hundred and more years later her feelings are remain uncertain, like the tides have become uneven under the competing influence of those three moons. She considers Nykos and Stratia to be her children after a fashion, and tries to advise and guide them; Stratia having the keen mind of Polemares, and Nykos his valor and energy. However, she reviles Embrys, the former mortal Ember, who slew Polemares with a weapon of the Titans and seized the power of destruction and upheaval from his erupting spark. The tides of the Copper Moon are violent, and the followers of Thala clash more with those of Embrys than any other god.
Idaedon, god of storms and inspiration, interests Thala above any other remaining god. They share much in common, not least a deep introspection and philosophical nature, and a focus on the future. His questions can pierce her indifferent shell and wake the flowing emotions within her, and in turn he draws energy from her presence, as reflected in his greatest storms gathering strength above her seas before making landfall.
Heliana greatly respects Thala and considers Thala her "goth sister," the cold dark water to her hot bright fire, while Thala in turn is indifferent and is happy to let Heliana think whatever pleases her if it keeps her from meddling. Heliana hungers to claim the title of Ruler of the Gods in the wake of Polemares's passing, but Thala could care less who claims to rule, for she is unassailable within her own domain, the only domain she cares about. When Heliana's schemes touch her waters or otherwise irritate her, Thala acts subtly and through proxies to subvert the sun goddess, not wanting her hand in the matter to become known.
Lyrium, Mytrah and Paideia, the gods of love, agriculture and cities and thus those gods most bound up in mortal activities, are irritating to Thala and she has as little to do with them as possible. Thala is concerned with the "big picture" and the sweep of ages, not the petty dramas of individual mortal lives, save for those of her devout followers who enact the proper rites and show her the proper reverence. Thala knows that towns and cities crumble even faster than the shore under the assault of time and the ravages of nature, and thinks that attempts to craft eternal legacy are little more than hubris.

Worshipping Thala

As goddess of the sea, Thala is worshiped by sailors who rely on the sea for travel, fishers and communities who rely on the sea for sustenance, and authorities who rely on the sea as a bulwark against attack. As goddess of evolution and motherhood, Thala is prayed to by parents hoping for strong and capable children, by those who desire a change in the circumstances of their lives, by those groaning under an oppressive government they wish would improve or be overthrown, and even by ranchers and farmers hoping their next "crop" will become sometime more unique and bountiful than it is today.

Tefnawy

In the Khefiri pharonates of Nubir, Thala is known as Tefnawy. She is believed to have been the great explorer of the Yahre-Nesyt, the legendary Court of Sun and Moon. Tefnawy is said to have traveled to every corner of the oceans and to have plumbed its deepest depths, taming the wild primordial waters and stilling their eternal storms so that mortals could begin to fish and travel by boat. Tefnawy brought forth great currents to sap the oppressive heat of the desert and take it over the sea, thus birthing the tradewinds and bringing needed warmth to colder lands. After her adventures, she gave birth to the rulers of the Yahre-Nesyt and then helped midwive the rest, thus earning the title of the Great Mother. She then ascended as first of the Eternals, while the Yahre-Nesyt set the rest of the world in order after her own mighty example.

Thala's Champions

Suggested Classes: Barbarian, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue
Suggested Backgrounds: Fisher, Hermit, Outlander, Sage, Sailor
Many champions of Thala are those who reject the status quo, who want to enact change in their lives and communities and bring about the turning of cycles. However, some simply embrace wanderlust and the desire to see the world's many wonders. And still others simply revere her in awe for the majesty of her domain and its impact on their life and that of everyone else, and wish to share in the power of the goddess who shapes the continents and has great leviathans in her sway.

Thala's Favor

What brought Thala'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 found on the shore as a newborn, in a basket woven of ocean grasses.
2. You nearly drowned in a shipwreck, but Thala answered your prayers for deliverance.
3. You dreamed of a kraken or sea serpent. When you followed your dreams to the sea, the beast appeared to you and gave you Thala's blessing.
4. You grew up on a fishing boat, and your parents taught you Thala's rites.
5. You were born with a pearl in your mouth, an obvious sign of Thala's favor. You still have the pearl.
6. Gulls follow you far inland, and your dreams are filled with visions of the open sea and its mysterious depths.

Earning and Losing Piety

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

• Supporting those who would reform or overturn institutions
• Preventing cataclysmic change, or guiding it to become measured change
• Offering up a valuable treasure to the bosom of the sea
• Protecting mothers, children or infants

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

• Honoring or serving gods or spirits of fire or the sun
• Using magic to calm the sea's fury
• Upholding an institution concerned with dry land
• Participating in or permitting the slaughter of young creatures

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 Thala, you start with a piety to Thala of 3.

Initiate (Piety 3+)

You gain Inspiration when you defeat landlubbers out of their element or you help mitigate any extreme result into something moderate, or you perform an act that gains you piety. You also have advantage on rolls to know about Thala, her servants, and her works, and you know (the DM warns you) before you commit to an act that would displease Thala.

Devotee (Piety 10+)

As a devotee of Thala's mysteries, you are attuned to the patient power of water. You learn either the shape water cantrip or the ray of frost cantrip (choose one), and learn either the fog cloud spell or the create or destroy water 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+)

Thala's blessing inspires you with the uncontrollable nature of the sea. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed and against effects that would cause forced movement. You also have advantage on skill or ability checks related to swimming.

Disciple (Piety 40+)

Thala bestows upon you the secret of Thala's Demesne. You gain a swim speed equal to your land speed if your land speed is higher, can breathe both water and air, and can see and hear and speak unimpeded by normal water. If you were already aquatic or amphibious, you gain a land speed equal to your swim speed if your swim speed is higher, and gain advantage on attack rolls against non-aquatic creatures while you are both in the water.

Champion (Piety 60+)

Thala's surpassing favor makes you one with the water. You are immune to being charmed and immune to forced movement, are immune to the crushing pressures of the deep, have Resistance to bludgeoning damage and damage from being crushed by other means such as a cave-in or a deadfall trap, and can water walk at will (self only). 
Additionally, increase your Dexterity or Constitution score by 2, and also increase your maximum for that score by 2.