Lesser Deities of Avlis, Volume 4

Hurine (Merchants, Trade)

Hurine is the patron goddess of merchants and business people. Often, those who deal in business matters will have a small statue of her somewhere in their shop or on their person when traveling. Though the majority of her worshippers are laymen who deal in some sort of mercantile trade, Hurine does have clerics and temples, though they are few. Normally, they act as small centers where business folk can come to ask for success and financial rescue. The clerics of Hurine are often seen as great financial advisors and shrewd dealers in all sorts of business, and many consult them for advice on these matters.

In Southern Negaria, shrines to Hurine can be found in Deglos, Elysia and Le'Or T'Nanshi. Visimontium is home to one of her largest temples.

Yeraiah (Femininity, Fertility, Strength)

In ancient times, Yeraiah was one of the first goddesses to appear on Avlis. Originally, she was a mortal human woman whom Mikon fell in love with early on in his godhood. Though they never had any offspring together, Mikon loved Yeraiah deeply and elevated her the status of a lesser goddess around the time she began to grow old. With her newfound immortal vigor, Yeraiah began reaching out to the female inhabitants of Avlis, particularly those located in Jechran. She taught them how to survive in the wilds independently from the help of males, and she showed them the secrets of fertility and the power of feminity.

To this day, her primary worshippers are in Jechran, which is a nation dominated by female humans and elves. The tribes that worship Yeraiah ask for her help in daily life, love, and child-rearing. Though Yeraiah is particularly venerated in the home, she is also well-known to those who are close to nature and the warrior ways. Ranger and druid maidens of the forests and jungles are known to pay homage to her.

Deities like Yeraiah who are capable of producing druidic priests and priestesses each have a unique perspective on nature and the wilderness. In Yeraiah's point of view, Nature is the nurturing parent of all living things, and life is a circle. Those who are nurtured must also nurture others in return, and the cycle of nurturing must continue. There is no official structure known as the Church of Yeraiah, although she does have a large temple that dominates part of the city center of Myleah.

By the general populace, both in and out of Jechran, Yeraiah is seen as the gentle nurturing Mother of Avlis, whom Mikon took on as a wife because of her endearing qualities and stern but infinitely wise and calm demeanor. Even women who do not worship her as a primary deity will come to Yeraiah or her priestesses for help with childbirth or conception, as well as matters of motherhood that occur later in life.

In Southern Negaria, there are temples to Yeraiah in Mikona and Visimontium.

Ti'si'faan (The Sun)

Ti'si'faan was one of the original nature spirits of Negaria, from the time of the Supreme. When the tanar'ri were slaughtering her race she used every ounce of power she could muster to "jump" to safety. Ti'si'faan was unable to return after the jump, because she did not have the power to leave where she ended up.

Many centuries ago a shaman of the Klitikuk tribe in Tyedu learned of Ti'si'faan during a spirit walk, and convinced his tribe to worship her. Ti'si'faan gained the powers of a demigoddess through this worship.

Ti'si'faan got the idea of "jumping" to safety after one of her friends, another of the ancient nature spirits, fled to a bear cave and entered a dark portal that momentarily appeared there. According to the Klitikuk tribe, these are the only two indigenous spirits to have survived the tanar'ri massacre during the Age of the Gods. It was later learned that the other spirit was In-Nabbah Ser, also known as The Gentleman.

Ti'si'faan was briefly summoned to Negaria to help defeat and destroy The Gentleman. After that, she began to communicate more openly with her worshippers in Tyedu. It is now known that while The Gentleman fled the tanar'ri to a demiplane known as The Hole, Ti'si'fan hid inside the sun.

In AOD 2259 In-Nabbah Ser returned to threaten Negaria for a third and final time. Many heroes and adventurers opposed him. They found the Klitikuk tribe and had them summon an avatar of Ti'si'faan, who was able to weaken In-Nabbah Ser enough to allow the adventurers to defeat him. To prevent In-Nabbah Ser from ever returning to Negaria, Ti'si'faan absorbed his soul, consuming it with the fire of the sun. She absorbed the divine power he had in the process - power originally stolen from Dagath - which elevated her to a lesser goddess.

The Klitikuk tribe mainly beseech Ti'si'faan to provide warmer days in the short Tyeduan summer, and to provide sunny days for the few crops they planted. Shamans of Ti'si'faan in the tribe tend to the sick and bless crops. Since the defeat of In-Nabbah Ser, she has also been touted as a force against evil undead. It is expected that this aspect of her worship will be promoted as her influence extends south.

Since until now Ti'si'faan had only been worshipped by the Klitikuk tribe, she has no organized church. Her first shrine has been consecrated in Ferrell and her clergy is spreading through Southern Negaria.