Irori (ih-ROHR-ee)

Irori is the god of enlightenment, self-perfection, knowledge, healing, and inner strength. His followers claim that he was once a mortal who achieved absolute physical and mental perfection and thus attained divinity of his own volition. He is one of the core gods of, if not the most powerful deity of, the Vudran pantheon, but has an increasing following in the Inner Sea region as well.

History

Stories told in the Azvadeva Pujila recount Irori's quest for enlightenment and ultimate ascension to divinity.

Relationships

Irori respects that other deities are different spiritual beings and that what is correct for him may not be so for them. He, therefore, tries to avoid interfering with other divine beings, unless they threaten his work or his people. He has a particularly good relationship with Abadar, and has an ongoing feud with Asmodeus, because of the Lord of Hell's penchant for corrupting or destroying the things that others have built. Due to his importance in a just, stable society, Shizuru is friendly with Irori. A minor rivalry exists between his faith and those of Cayden Cailean, Iomedae, and Norgorber, as he considers their rise to deity status through the Test of the Starstone as cheating. Despite this tension with Iomedae, followers of her faith allow paladins of Irori to train in their Tempering Hall in Absalom. Cayden Cailean, however, finds Irori "stuffy". Erastil respects Irori but has his usual philosophical niggles about Irori's "selfishness". Irori also sometimes comes into conflict with Nethys, whose chaotic aspects the Master of Masters finds unharmonious; Magrim usually serves as an intermediary between them in case of friction Urgathoa, goddess of hedonism and excess, finds Irori's strict moderation annoying. For the same reason, Hei Feng disrespects Irori and expects his followers to treat Irori's in the same way. Chaldira Zuzaristan views him as a close friend, but he considers her 'help' irritating.
Irori's mortal nephew, Gruhastha, followed his path to be a god in his own right as well. He now serves as his uncle's advisor, but disagrees with him on some finer points: Irori views obstacles as individual challenges, but Gruhastha considers them something that must be addressed for the greater good of society as a whole.

Appearance

Depictions of the Master of Masters in art are quite rare because his followers believe that his true form cannot be adequately described by mortal hands. When he is depicted, he is generally shown as a physically flawless Vudrani male with a shaved head, except for a long, single braid, wearing sandals and simple robes. He is generally shown sitting or in meditative stances.

Realm

Irori makes his home on the plane of Axis, in a realm called the Serene Circle.

Providence

Irori shows his displeasure by sudden and mysterious cramps, fatigue, or hindrances in the form of sickness or insanity.

Servants

Irori holds enlightenment and the quests for knowledge and self-perfection of both body and mind above all. As such, sentient creatures are more associated with his faith than any animals or beasts. His divine servitor race, the pavbaghas, look like enormous white tigers, but are actually the reincarnated souls of his enlightened followers.

Unique servants

Cheu Chem
This favored servant of Irori is an intelligent, celestial white tiger.

The Old Man
Appearing as an elderly human male of uncertain ethnicity, and a dexterity and strength far beyond a mortal of his build and age, the Old Man is Irori's herald.

Sixth Rebirth
This favored servant of Irori is a dour stone giant monk.

Church of Irori

Worshipers

Irori is worshiped by all who seek enlightenment and self-improvement. He has many temples in Vudra and on the Isle of Jalmeray, as well as a monastery at Tar Kuata in Osirion. He also has a large following on the continent of Tian Xia, where he is known as Iro-Shu. The teachings of the god were introduced into mainland Tian Xia by Vudran missionaries in 2187 AR. He is also worshipped widely in Absalom, Katapesh, Nex, Osirion, the Mana Wastes, and Qadira, and among Tian and Vudrani throughout the Inner Sea region. Most Avistani folk are somewhat put off by the Master of Masters' strict adherents, even though the religion is quickly growing in the Inner Sea region. Irori is respected and worshipped by dwarves alongside their own pantheon.
Some green dragons worship Irori and suffer derision for so doing by other green dragons who call such worship the Cult of the Man God.
The Monks of the White Feather in Qadira are suspected of being a splinter group of the Church of Irori but do themselves deny this association.

Clergy

Irori's priesthood consists primarily of clerics and monks. Priests are responsible for mentoring others as they try to attain self-perfection either by guiding followers or through rigorous testing and trials. Each must follow his or her own slightly different path to enlightenment, but there is little infighting among Irori's followers. Priests have no formal raiment, but prefer to dress plainly with a single long rope of braided hair they wear around their neck. Upon death, masters of the faith are said to join Irori to serve him for all eternity, while those who have not yet achieved perfection are reincarnated to begin the process anew.

Temples & shrines

Temples are usually elaborate complexes filled with rooms for prayer, sleep, and exercise where the faithful train both day and night to achieve perfection and cleanse their ki, or life-force. They are not generally open to the public, and petitioners are asked to wait quietly outside and not disturb those who are meditating within.

Absalom

In the Foreign Quarter of Absalom stands a gladiatorial arena called the Irorium with an attached temple, the latter of which is watched over by Ysia Iron-Palm, high priestess of Irori.

Katapesh

Katapesh is a centre for worship of Irori and the Hall of Irori is found in the Dawn Gate quarter of Katapesh (city).

Qadira

The Church of Irori is one of the three primary faiths of Qadira. The Temple-Monastery of Irori lies in the centre of Katheer and there are many monasteries in other parts of Qadira including the Open Palm of Sheehad, located in the foothills of the Zho Mountains.

Holy texts

The followers and adherents of Irori's ways hold all knowledge as sacred, specifically that which can help to improve oneself and lead one closer to enlightenment.
Unbinding the Fetters This is a lengthy tome describing meditation, physical exercises, dietary regimes and other methods to help mortals transcend their limitations. It is a difficult book, full of aphorisms, metaphors, and riddles designed to challenge the reader's preconceptions.

Holidays

Rituals require very specific preparation, both in mediation and diet, and each path to enlightenment may require different holidays and holy experiences. Dates are extremely important to Irori's faithful. Each follower of his teaching must decide for herself what dates are significant, as Irori's faith is an individualistic one. Of particular importance are the days that relate to a given temple or monastery, or that impact a given monk's path toward enlightenment.

Favored animals

Gods are often associated with certain animals, either because they possess a quality favored by the god, or because the god's faithful feel a special kinship to them. Irori's favored animals include snails, white tigers, mantises, and octopuses.

Organizations

The Sacred Order of Archivists is a secret society of scholars headquartered in the Chelaxian city of Kintargo that protects and preserves the written word from the revisionist historians in the government and the Hellknight Order of the Rack.
The Hellknight Order of the Godclaw worship the lawful aspects of Irori, without considering his other values, but are in no way associated with his other followers.