Paulus

Patron Paulus (a.k.a. The Healing Serpent; The Dragon of Vitae)

Paulus is among the second generation of patrons in the cosmology of Ancestral Patronism. A feathered, serpentine nature spirit and one of the travelling companions of Izetsu, Paulus is the patron associated with air, flying creatures, and the healing arts. Paulus is considered the patron of doctors, pilots, ornithologists, herpetologists, meteorologists, and, among spacers, people who work with life support.

Divine Domains

Air, Healing, Good, Animal; Life, Light

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Much as Izetsu is thematically tied to flesh, Paulus is thematically tied with blood. The Order of Paulus is an honor bestowed on Cobalt Knights injured in the line of duty. The Scale of Paulus is a medal awared in recognition of this honor which depicts common symbols associated with Paulus - namely, a green scale or feather inset with a crimson drop of blood.

Tenets of Faith

The Ancestral Codex sutras associated with Paulus contain numerous exhortations to observe certain ritual purity and cleansing practices which, through modern eyes, are understood to pertain to ways in which religious Evermornans contemporary with the Patron's mythology would try to prevent or treat infections or cure wounds before modern medicine. The Paulusite doctrine promotes the preservation of life, the search for ways to cure the ill and comfort the pained, and prohibitions against causing needless suffering or death in others. Paulus considers the sacrifice of time or personal comfort in the pursuit of these goals to be the highest calling to which one of his faithful can aspire, as these reflect on the goodness of ones own soul. The Aphorisms of Paulus are the closest the Ancestral Codex comes to a notion of 'karma,' suggesting that those who inflict illness, pain, and death in others are likely to suffer the same fate themselves, while those who work to expand the corpus of medical knowledge and apply that knowledge are likely to be cared for by not only others within their own lives, but by fate itself.

Physical Description

Identifying Characteristics

Paulus is generally depicted as a flying, feathered serpent with iridescent green scales and feathers and golden eyes with sheets of crimson liquid flowing over them. Depictions are inconsistent with regards to whether or not Paulus has wings, but otherwise he is most often seen in mythology as some variety of python. Paulus is said to glow and be surrounded by an aura of fine, fragrant dust with medicinal properties for those who inhale it. In the manner of other nature sprits found within the early cosmology of Ancestral Patronism, Paulus speaks intelligibly in the manner of a human despite being shown to have a radically different physiology, though he is also sometimes said to have the ability to directly transmit his words into the minds of those who encounter him; this latter quality has been suggested to indicate that Paulus is actually an early Evermornan depiction of a vbyifabid explorer who might have visited Evermorn shortly after the Arcopel brought humans to the @seal.

Divine Classification

Patron

Religions

• Ancestral Patronism

Alignment

Lawful Good

Church/Cult

Ancestral Patronism

Sex

Male

Eyes

Reddish-gold

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Iridescent green