Músila

Músila (MEW-sil-ah), sister of Illithisis the lawful good goddess of healing, wisdom, peace, forgiveness, mothers, childbirth, gifts, and mercy. From her come charitable instincts and acts of contrition, mercy, and redemption. She is associated with the lamb, for she would have all people be as gentle as lambs. Although she is often represented by a white lamb, two simpler symbols are more commonly used to represent the goddess. There is no division in the church surrounding the use of them; it is merely a matter of personal preference. One is a wreath of white lotuses. This can be figurative or real, with some clerics wearing painted symbols of white wreaths, while others adorn themselves in actual garlands of white lotuses. Wreaths have been worn of old by peacemakers, and those negotiating under truce. The other is a crystal tear, meant to remember the tears shed by Músila over the corpses of her brothers long ago. This is a very practical symbol, and the one most clerics most often wear around their necks. Also, it is the simplified form one uses when it must be made in haste, or etched on small surfaces. The symbol is sometimes extended to three teardrops formed into a triangle, with one drop on top and two below. The people who hold Músila in the highest esteem are mothers, healers, and those in desperate need of forgiveness. Most folk, though, see Músila as a reminder of how much better they could or should be, and take her teachings to be for saints, not common people.

Divine Domains

Healing, Wisdom, Peace, Forgiveness, Gifts, and Mercy

Divine Symbols & Sigils

A white lotus, a white lamb or a wreath of lotuses.

Tenets of Faith

“When I was young and righteous, it seemed to me that the world was a place of abundant goodness, and I asked, ‘Why do men do evil?’ But I am old now, and I have no time to question this anymore. Now I see that evil is everywhere, its path perilously easy to walk. At my age, I wonder why men ever do good, for what rewards do good deeds offer? They are few, and many years in the delivering. No, I will let the young cry out in the streets about the wickedness men do. I will leave it to the righteous to shake evil from men’s souls with hard words and harder steel. I choose to spend my remaining days tending to hearts that are safe for goodness, for good is not easy to find, and harder still to embrace.” —The Final Ruminations of Ana Codhwyn, White Hand of the Eighth Circle.

The healing halls are homes to those of truly decent and merciful dispositions. Their residents are neither politically motivated nor cunning plotters who hoard secrets. The faithful of Músila are exactly what they appear to be: the most loving, kind people in the world. They value hope and joy over victory and dogmatism. They purge themselves of pride and self-importance, and live to protect, serve, aid, teach, and heal a wounded world. In this they try to live out the mystery of Músila, who purged herself of the power of fire, given to all the gods, to heal her family. It is easy to see why the Músila grow scarce. Most people do not attend their services or join their numbers because they feel they simply are not up to a lifetime of service and personal perfection. For those who are members of the healing halls, either as congregants, clergy, holy warriors, or white hands, the principles of the faith surround a four-word maxim: Charitable, Merciful, Gentle, and Wise. Following this maxim, the Músila faithful lend aid to all people and seek out those who are good, or who might be good if lent a hand, to help them spread the four virtues.

Charitable

If it is in your power to aid another, why would you not? In her grace, Músila has given a limitless bounty to the children of the earth. If we can aid others, what could dissuade us? Músila gave up her fire, the very power of the soul, so the other gods might live; what might the faithful give that could match this, the ultimate act of charity? For this reason, followers of her graciousness do not demand money for their healing unless there is a good reason (see Wisdom, below) and they gravitate toward areas where the needy congregate. This doctrine stymies the church’s recruitment efforts, as there is nothing to be gained for oneself by joining, except a sense of peace. One does not attend a healing hall to make political connections or business deals.

Merciful

If you are wronged, you must forgive. If you have an enemy in your power who is redeemable, you must seek to redeem him, even though your heart tells you it is folly. Redemption is always better than punishment, and sometimes the mere example of mercy is enough to redeem even the hardest heart. For this reason, followers of Músila never kill people of one of the five mortal races if they can avoid it. Instead, they work tirelessly to redeem the person in question, offering them chance after chance to better themselves.

Gentle

War is never the first resort or second resort, and not even the third resort. Músila followers believe violence against kin—meaning the mortal races—should be avoided at all costs unless self-defense requires it. Músila followers are not pacifists; they take up arms against evil races, undead, dangerous beasts, and fiends. However, against the redeemable (which they tend to define as any person of one of the five mortal races, though individual followers may believe in redemption for other beings—or rarely, that a group within one of the mortal races, such as dark elves, can’t be redeemed), these followers of Músila do not raise hands in anger. They fight only if attacked.

Wisdom

It should be obvious that the first three parts of the Músila's maxim could result in a group of people who are easily exploited, but Músila is the goddess of wisdom and her followers are no fools. They are not being taken advantage of when they give freely. It is this doctrine that keeps the faithful from doing things that are clearly foolish. A shopkeeper that also happens to be a follower of Músila does not give up his shop simply because someone else needs it, but believes he does the most good by owning a successful business and donating his surplus to the healing halls. While the followers of Músila are thought foolish by those who would exploit them, they in fact hold to the hope they can save such people through good deeds.

Holidays

Fiurgeban

Divine Classification

Goddess

Religions

• The White Hand of Músila

Alignment

Lawful Good

Church/Cult

The White Hand of Músila