Atroa

The Sad Maiden, the Bringer of Spring, Herald of Storms, Wind-Daughter, Provider, Shy One, First Sister

Atroa appears as a fresh-faced blonde woman, often with an eagle perching upon her shoulder. With her sling Windstorm, she can strike the most distant foe, and with Readying's Dawn, her spherical glass talisman, she is able to melt all ice in sight.
Atroa is revered by farmers and others who depend on the land's bounty.
There are two sects of the Atroan church: the Planterings and the Bearers. The Planterings concentrate on Atroa's seasonal aspect, working hard at farming, honouring the spring and preparing for winter. The Bearers concentrate on the aspect of renewal, revering the family and urging the proliferation of the human race. They run orphanages, and are usually women.
Priests of Atroa tend to be optimistic and willing to try and experience new things. They are often wandering spirits, rarely spending more than a year in the same place. By nature, they are very forgiving and count every foe turned friend with pride. They love revisiting old friends and lovers nearly as much as traveling to new places. They are busiest in the spring, when they help plant crops. Many are midwives. Many Atroan priests love exploring strange locales, especially if it's been awhile since their last journey. The sling is their favoured weapon. Specialty priests of Atroa are known as Green Daughters or Green Sons.
Priests of Atroa typcally wear simple farmers' clothing with green wide-brimmed hats. Often they wear green cloaks with red dots, and they customarily wear leather gloves for agricultural work. On formal occasions they wear green, knee-length robes with short sleeves and hoods.
Places of worship to Atroa are found throughout lands of The Azure Sea. Temples to Atroa specifically are usually small chapels or shrines, made of wood and with little decoration. They have many windows, which always face the east. Carved wooden images of Atroa sometimes stand in front of the altars, and bells ring out the hours.
Prayers are recited in the morning. The act of working in the fields is counted as prayer in itself, though devout worshipers of Atroa often recite the phrase "Blessed be this ground" over and over while doing so. Priests of Atroa give blessings at the occasion of births and weddings, and also preach at funerals with messages of hope.

Divine Domains

Atroa is the goddess of Spring, the East Wind, and Renewal.

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Atroa's holy symbol is a heart with an air-glyph within, or a kara tree full of ripe, red fruit.

Tenets of Faith

As Goddess of Spring, Atroa is the invigorating breath that awakens the world from its slumber. She gifts the world with new love and new life, renews old friendships, and plucks the heartstrings of lovers, travelers, and poets. The Sad Maiden promotes spring as a time for burying old feuds, repairing old items, and eliminating old biases.
Spring, like the dawn, presages great things; Atroa urges her followers to look to the future with open minds and hearts in order to enjoy them to the fullest. They believe in taking responsibility for what they have began, and nurturing what they have planted. It is a great sin in Atroa's faith to allow a plant to die because of neglect, or to allow a child to go hungry. They believe in the basic good of all people. Celibacy is frowned upon by Atroa, who encourages marriages and pregnancies. Pregnant priestesses of Atroa are considered the holiest of them all.

Holidays

The week of Growfest is particularly important to Atroa and her faithful, when the clergy joins their flock in planting, followed by song, prayer, food, and drink in the evenings. The holiest day is the Spring Feast, on Growfest 4, which is set aside as a day of rest, prayer, and reflection. Her followers leave offerings to the goddess on Great Moons Glory (Readying 11th), to beg her to come early.

Divine Classification

God

Religions

• Cerulean Empire

Alignment

Neutral Good

Gender

Female

Atroa's Symbol by Unknown