Josca - Chaotic Good Goddess of War and Beauty

Josca: Chaotic Good. Primary domains are War and Beauty. Secondary Characteristics are Personal Combat, Honor (some say Hubris), Orcs (good orcs only), and Strength.

The goddess of war and beauty. Her image is always that of a beautiful woman, whether she is clad in armor or not. The war of which she is goddess is that of organized and efficient warfare in defense of a nation or land. She is not the goddess of rampage or aggressive destruction – though the results can be similar.

Her beauty aspect is that of physical beauty which arises from symmetry or well-planned works of art. However, it also has a strong flair for vanity due to her Chaotic Good nature and can take offense when proper flattery isn't shown.

She is known for being hot-headed and easily offended and expects her followers to always be ready to defend their own honor. Her symbols always include a blue rose. She is not a goddess of love – though many worshipers will attribute this to her mistakenly because of her beauty aspect.

The dichotomy of her primary spheres of influence has often been a source of scholarly debate. With no explanation having ever really gained ground, some just assume that when the spheres were being divided up, she got what was left over. Others believe that as the Gods of Peace came after previous deities, she might have subsumed the responsibility of multiple deities.

In Arisilon, her temples are commonly found in all the major good cities. A few minor monasteries exist around the countryside where adherents engage in spartan militaristic lifestyles and consist mostly of soldiers training constantly.

In Chrailis most of her war temples are actually training grounds around the outer city while in the City Center her temples are devoted to beauty. Due to the nature of Chrailis, it is the Rangers who mostly follower her as they share a common ground as protector of their charges. She also has a following among the orc tribes near Chrailis.

Her month is Korcephalon and consists of 31 Days. Korcephalon is Josca's winged blue warhorse. In her aspect of war, the sighting of her horse is centered in many legends as representing the beginning of the end for enemies, and the nearing of victory for Josca's servants.

Every 42nd year (when Sunfest also occurs in the same year), instead of losing a day, the month gains a day. As a gift, Sanderal his day to Josca so she could mourn her fallen heroes. Then the year is called the Hero's Year, the month called the month of the Honoring Monira.

Colors: Dark Blue
Favored Weapon: Mace or Sword are the standard. Any martial melee weapon can be considered favored.
Symbol: War - Two blue roses with thorned stems crossed over a sword. Beauty - a blue rose with a thornless stem.
Variant Symbol - Orcs disdain the use of a blue rose and substitute a blue scepter or a silver scepter with a large sapphire in the head.
Domains: Charm, Captivation, Destruction, Rage, Glory, Heroism, Honor, Hubris, Legend, Good, Healing, Nobility, Aristocracy, Leadership, Strength, Fist, Resolve, War, Duels, and Tactics.

• First Choice of Domain for a worshiper of Josca able to choose domains must always be either War or Beauty.
• Orc and 1/2 orc priests of Josca always have access to the Orc Domain in addition to their normal 2 domain choices. This is boon Josca specifically provides as orcs seldom follow her.

Obedience War
Spend an hour a day in equal measures practicing various katas and exercises while taking time to meditate on combat and battle scenarios. Once done, for the next 24 hours the worshiper gains the following benefit. If during the surprise round the worshiper has a weapon already drawn but loses the initiative roll by 4 or less, then they will not be considered flat-footed.
Obedience Beauty
Spend an hour a day contemplating the beauty of Josca through reflection or creation of some type of art via a painting, drawing, or poem. Alternatively, one can spend an hour a day in reflection while also working to make themselves as beautiful as possible. Once done, for the next 24 hours the worshiper gains a +4 sacred bonus on all CHA based checks to all Bluff and Diplomacy checks.
Sentinel Boons

1. Warrior of Virtue (SP) remove fear 3/day, bull's strength 2/day, or heroism 1/day

2. True Strike (SU) On your next attack, you gain +10 to hit an advantage to hit. If this misses, the effect stays in effect until you hit, however it does not extend past the current combat. If you hit with a critical, it is automatically confirmed. True Strike is usable only once between obediences.

3. Perfect Reposte (SU) Once per combat, the force of any melee attack from an enemy of Josca (typically an evil or chaotic outsider or an undead) can be parried and redirected back at the attacker. A successful parry is required. If successful, this attack deals normal damage plus the amount of physical damage which you would have taken had the attack struck.

GesturesThe traditional gesture of blessing (and sometimes warding) for Josca is the following: Make a fist with the front two fingers pointed up. Holding it up in front of the face with the palm facing to the face, start on either the left or right side. Swoop the hand down in a 'U' shape outlining the face, then drop the hand a few inches and then in a diagonal move the whole hand upward to where the hand is now barely above the middle of the forehead. Then bring the whole hand straight dwon.