Mara

Goddess of war and peace Mara

Due to the long history of war and conflict in their region, the Dercians ended up in the unique situation of having a single goddess for both war and peace.
No one is quite sure how or when it happened but the legend goes that a few years into the First unification war a bright being in the shape of a woman appeared during a gathering in front of the palace in Pearlhal, here she should have presented herself as the manifestation of the people of Dercias love for war and peace and their dedication to avoiding war but also their willingness to fight once the war had broken out.

Apparel & Accessories

Mara wears armour that covers the upper part of the chest and shoulders sometimes with armour going down the left arm, under the armour she wears a dress.

worshippers

The worshippers of Mara are typically very broad, ranging from the soldiers in the armed forces to diplomats.

Clergy

The priesthood of Mara will follow the military of Dercia into battle and will perform the job of medics during battle, healing soldiers and after battle hopefully bringing back as many as possible. When not performing their duties in the military the priesthood will perform the rituals associated with Mara in the settlements that have a temple dedicated to her.
There is a branch of the priesthood of Mara that has dedicated their lives trying to track down the position of their most holy book, The Book of Mara that was stolen by Clifians a long time ago.

Temples

The temples of Mara can be found in all major Dercian settlements and they are typically located either near or in the middle of the settlement with in the major cities a large plaza in front of the temple.

Divine Domains

In the Starlighters Pantheon Mara is in a unique position, being the goddess of two of the most powerful domains, that of war and peace. In most of the nations of Mirateia, the domains are separated into two beings called Fira and Cassius and each has its dedicated priests and followers but in the Empire of Dercia the domain of peace normally belonging to Fira have been folded into the domain of war and forms the foundations of the goddess Mara.

Holy Books & Codes

Across Mirateia there are several codes and holy books dedicated to the goddesses of war and peace.
In the empire of Derica, the unique situation of two goddesses into one also created the unique situation of a holy book called The Book of Mara  a book with a direct link between the followers and the goddess herself.

Tenets of Faith

One of the main principles of beliefs by the followers of Mara is that without war there can not be peace and without peace, there can not be war. The Dercians want peace and they are willing to go to war to defend this peace, the Dercians view war as a means to defend the peace and will swear to take no thinking life unless it's to save others.
The Dercians also believe that when the times are peaceful that they should prepare for war and not only when war seems imminent and that having a strong peacetime army will help signal to enemies that war is not worth it and throughout that preserve the peace.

Involvement in daily life

Unlike the other versions of herself and the rest of the gods in the Starlighters Pantheon Mara is very involved in the daily life of her followers and the empire in general. Over time the people of Derica have come to call it the Blessing of Mara and the blessing is typically bestowed by the goddess even before the person is born. Not much is known about the blessing other than its typically given to people Mara can sense will play an important role in the future of the empire or she simply just have taken a liking to their future and wants to give them a helping hand in life, Crown Princess Ira is one of such people who the goddess have given the blessing, a way to spot those with the blessing is that their eyes turn red and their hair silver-white.

Holidays

In the empire of Derica, some events celebrate the end of major wars like the week-long celebration of the signing of peace during The war of Western expansion were especially the peace side of Mara is celebrated.
But while there are plenty of smaller events that celebrates the goddess, the Dercians a long time ago dedicated an entire month to celebrate the tenants of Mara and over time the month became known as the month of Mara.

The personality of a goddess

Mara tends to be kind and just and is willing to listen to her followers when they contact her, while she is more than willing to help the people of Dercia she also wants her followers to be able to solve their problems without her help but if all options are tried she sees no problem in giving a hint to a solution or a helping hand.
She views the rather unique situation of being a goddess with three bodies as an interesting view of how the mortal and celestial world is connected.

Let me tell you, the gatherings back home can be interesting when the other versions of "me" is there                                                                                                                                                               - Mara speaking to a follower.

Divine Classification

Goddess

Religions

• Imperial Guard
• Starlighters Pantheon

Alignment

Lawful neutral

Age

Unknown

Gender

Female