Valyrian the Dedicated
The Reader, The Knowledge Keeper, The Prisoner
I knew that people are dying, and I knew that people are being brought back to life. What I did not know is why is everyone was sure it should be a divine intervention - and why it stopped working once upon a time. I know it now.
Divine Domain
Valyrian the Dedicated is the goddess of knowledge and order. Some of her followers are librarians, lawmakers... and that part of wizards believing that the magic is not the mysterious Arcane, but just a result of tedious studying and a desperate desire for new knowledge. The followers pray to Valyrian while studying - reproducing written knowledge is believed to be the best sacrifice to The Reader.
Ascension History
Legends say Valyrian was a gnome wizard somewhere among the countless planes of existence. She desired knowledge more than anything and believed that even a resurrection rite could be achieved merely but studying well enough. In her pursuit of the unknown, she became a famous adventurer on that far plane. In the ancient tomb of forgotten spirits, she was still looking for new sources of information, even though her group's dedication aimed to save the plane from a devastating curse. For Valyrian, the curse was merely a minor side quest - and eventually, she stumbled upon the source of almost infinite knowledge, the great library kept by an ancient fiend who was, in turn, bound to the library by a powerful lich. She, as it said, sent her party ahead to the dungeon exit, and let the fiend lure herself to take the keeper's place in the library. Valyrian took an oath to read all the books and scrolls of the seemed-to-be-infinite collection and secluded herself from the world for years and years - at least, as time passed inside the library. Surprisingly, the oath was eventually fulfilled - and Valyrian now possessed the ultimate knowledge, including how to break free from her prison and even how to achieve godhood. The latter was by no means an easy task - but Valyrian had now infinite time and resources to collect everything needed for the proper rituals. The ascension had a caveat, though: after everything was completed, Valyrian found herself 'decoupled' from the native plan and drifted at the Interplanar Cosmos for an unknown time. At some point, she managed to "cling" to a planet where the first creature just found their first piece of knowledge; it was Torineya - the new home for the old wizard, who is now the all-mighty Goddess.
Parishioners and Followers
The corners devoted to Valyrian can be found in most Torineya libraries and some schools - usually in towns and cities where Valyrian's influence is strong enough. There are two types of settlements where faith in Valyrianis the strongest: academic towns and cities, usually located around the big educational institutions and the communities where order is paramount. Additionally, gnome communes revere Valyrian among a vast constellation of their gods as a deity of knowledge, education, and tradition.
Worshipping traditions
The churches and temples built for Valyrian have a strict, rectangular shape and are not distinguished by pretentiousness. Inside, one can usually find a lot of books and manuscripts being kept in good care by clerics and servants. Statues and drawings depict Valyrian as a relatively young gnome in a pointed hat and a loose robe, always with a book in hand. The holy symbol worn by clerics of Valyrian represents an open book with a square engraved on both pages. This sign represents all of knowledge, order, and the seeming imprisonment of a rectangular study room.
The followers bring valuable books to the temples of Valyrian as donations, and their monetary contributions are used by clerics to both keep books in good care and to expand the collection of rare manuscripts. It is believed that the bigger and more valuable the collection is, the more knowledge would Valyrian pass to church parishioners. On religious holidays, the followers come together and reproduce rare manuscripts to make a pilgrimage and share the written knowledge with a distant church of Valyrian. This way, the libraries of churches and temples are ever-growing following the Goddess' will.
Dogma
Seek the knowledge whenever you can do it. If there is a mystery, research to unveil it. Use orderly methods to study the problems, and always study to achieve the next level of understanding. Education is a supreme process, and you should never stop learning to achieve perfection. Make your life clearly structured and create the order for yourself to follow. No chaos should be allowed as it always slows intellectual development. Make sacrifices to achieve new knowledge, and do not be scared by the hard work required to obtain it. Share the knowledge with those who can understand it, and teach my ways to those who yet cannot. Believe in the power of knowledge to change people for the better and rehabilitate those who lack it, but do not hesitate to use strict laws to help them change.
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Clerics Alignment: LN, TN, LG, LE
Gender: Feminine
Symbol: An open book with squares on both pages
Domains: Knowledge, Order, Secrets
Worshippers: librarians, wizards, educators, adventurers, conservative gnomes
Favorite creatures: Flying monkeys
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