Naelea, Goddess of Knowledge and Curiosity
" Naelea. If there was ever was a patron for the bookish types and curious cats that never made it home, she would be the one. Her Seekers delve into the unknown and the forbidden within the Empire, willing to brave the potential arrests, all for the sake of knowing secrets of the First Age. I could never do that, I like my head attached." ~ Korvish Strain, Chronicler of the Vault of Whispers.
Naelea is a relatively young Goddess among the Vanigraad pantheon. Emerging, so they say, from the inquisitive nature of mortal minds, Naelea spoke to her first cleric sometime in 327 FA. Occuring during height of humanity's intellectual and magical renaissance, Her voice was a rallying call to scholars and magical practitioners alike. After this first contact, the cleric established the Cathedral of Curiosity, the first official temple to Naelea in the city of Aeranas. From there, Her faith spread to every corner of Vanigraad to some degree. Cementing followers even in the deeper reaches of the Empire, where such faith is generally frowned up in the Second Age due to restrictions on magics within the Empire's borders after the establishment of the Twilight Accords.
Naelea is often depicted as a young humanoid figure with sharp, angular facial features and long chestnut brown hair. Her hazel eyes sitting behind a pair of silver half-moon glasses. She is shown carrying a large leather bound tome in her left hand and a magnifying glass in her right. These are are often described as her Holy Symbols, the tome symbolizing the pursuit and protection of Knowledge. The magnifying glasses symbolizing Her and Her followers' desire to pursue their curiosities and dig deeper into the mysteries of the world. An snow white owl is sometimes shown to be resting on Her shoulder, a symbol often associated with Her high intelligence and penchant for reason and logic over emotion.
Naelea and Her followers prioritize the pursuit of ancient artifacts, hidden manuscripts, and other pieces of lost knowledge, in part, due to their collective curiosities, as well as their drive to archive all of these findings for academic purposes within the Vault of Whispers. A vast underground library that exists deep below the narthex of the Whispering Halls. This fascination, or obsession depending on who you ask, has lead the church's followers into conflicts with the Empire. As their searches sometimes lead them to the borders and deeper reaches of the Averheimian empire. While these conflicts are sometimes short lived and do not result in any direct punishments, it is not uncommon for followers of Naelea to lose their lives to the Empire's executioners or the Inquisitorial Circle. The Empire's secret police force.
Naelean's are encouraged to see the world through the lens of logic and reason, over emotion and instinct. To a Naelean, everything has a purpose, no matter how obscure that purpose maybe. They value individuals of action, and often rely on these people to accomplish goals they are unwilling, or unable to accomplish on their own. Naeleans also chronicle the flow of history and conflict, while often times refusing to intervene in these events even if they have the capacity to alter the end result. This, in turn, has garnered the Naelean church a reputation of mistrust among the many peoples of Vanigraad. So much so that clerics of Naelea and agents of the Vault are subject to quiet glares, open insult, and even outright refusal of service from blacksmiths, apothecaries, and even other churches.
Naelea is a relatively young Goddess among the Vanigraad pantheon. Emerging, so they say, from the inquisitive nature of mortal minds, Naelea spoke to her first cleric sometime in 327 FA. Occuring during height of humanity's intellectual and magical renaissance, Her voice was a rallying call to scholars and magical practitioners alike. After this first contact, the cleric established the Cathedral of Curiosity, the first official temple to Naelea in the city of Aeranas. From there, Her faith spread to every corner of Vanigraad to some degree. Cementing followers even in the deeper reaches of the Empire, where such faith is generally frowned up in the Second Age due to restrictions on magics within the Empire's borders after the establishment of the Twilight Accords.
Naelea is often depicted as a young humanoid figure with sharp, angular facial features and long chestnut brown hair. Her hazel eyes sitting behind a pair of silver half-moon glasses. She is shown carrying a large leather bound tome in her left hand and a magnifying glass in her right. These are are often described as her Holy Symbols, the tome symbolizing the pursuit and protection of Knowledge. The magnifying glasses symbolizing Her and Her followers' desire to pursue their curiosities and dig deeper into the mysteries of the world. An snow white owl is sometimes shown to be resting on Her shoulder, a symbol often associated with Her high intelligence and penchant for reason and logic over emotion.
Naelea and Her followers prioritize the pursuit of ancient artifacts, hidden manuscripts, and other pieces of lost knowledge, in part, due to their collective curiosities, as well as their drive to archive all of these findings for academic purposes within the Vault of Whispers. A vast underground library that exists deep below the narthex of the Whispering Halls. This fascination, or obsession depending on who you ask, has lead the church's followers into conflicts with the Empire. As their searches sometimes lead them to the borders and deeper reaches of the Averheimian empire. While these conflicts are sometimes short lived and do not result in any direct punishments, it is not uncommon for followers of Naelea to lose their lives to the Empire's executioners or the Inquisitorial Circle. The Empire's secret police force.
Naelean's are encouraged to see the world through the lens of logic and reason, over emotion and instinct. To a Naelean, everything has a purpose, no matter how obscure that purpose maybe. They value individuals of action, and often rely on these people to accomplish goals they are unwilling, or unable to accomplish on their own. Naeleans also chronicle the flow of history and conflict, while often times refusing to intervene in these events even if they have the capacity to alter the end result. This, in turn, has garnered the Naelean church a reputation of mistrust among the many peoples of Vanigraad. So much so that clerics of Naelea and agents of the Vault are subject to quiet glares, open insult, and even outright refusal of service from blacksmiths, apothecaries, and even other churches.
Divine Domains
- Knowledge
- Curiosity
Tenets of Faith
- Preserve history without intervention
- Chronicle knowledge, protect it at any cost
- Seek knowledge in even the darkest places
Divine Goals & Aspirations
Naelea does not desire further recognition within the Divine order. She is content to view events unfolding on all planes of existence and record them as they happen. Her lack of any direct action in events, Divine or otherwise, draws ire from some of the other deities. As Naelea often possesses information or knowledge of events or strategies that may swing a conflict, or argument, in favor of one deity or another. Her strict protection of this knowledge is also what protects Her against retribution from other deities. As none are willing to risk potential destruction of the "Insert library name on X plane" (Work out this name in the future.)
Divine Classification
Deity
Religions
Realm
Children
Ruled Locations
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