Pantheon Mulhorandi

[DM Artemis]

Isis

Beautiful Lady, Lady of All Love, Mistress of Weather, Lady of Rivers, Mistress of Enchantment

Intermediate Power of Elysium and Arcadia, NG
PORTFOLIO: Weather, rivers, agriculture, love, marriage, good magic
ALIASES: Isharia (Thay), Ishtar (Unther)
DOMAIN NAME: Amoria/Quietude and Buxenus/Heliopolis (Gizekhtet)
SUPERIOR: None
ALLIES: Bast (Sharess), Hathor, Horus-Re, Nephthys, Osiris, Thoth
FOES: Sebek, Set
SYMBOL: A silver lunar disk on which there is an ankh and a star, surrounded by horns, or an ankh and a star, or an eye and a teardrop
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG
Isis is the daughter of Geb and long-forgotten Nut, the wife of Osiris, the sister of Thoth, and the mother of Horus. She has long been worshiped in Unthar as Ishtar since that goddess left the Realms and bequeathed her divine portfolio to Isis. Although Isis is also known as Mother of the Harvest, her husband Osiris is the dominant god of the harvest, and it is to Isis that Mulhorand prays at planting. During the spring Isis resides in her domain in Amoria overseeing the course of Mulhorand's rivers and the conditions for planting, but toward the end of summer she joins her spouse in Heliopolis to oversee the harvest.
Isis's portfolio overlaps with several other deities as well. Thoth, the Lord of Magic, is the god of neutral wizards and magic in its theoretical, practical form in Mulhorand, but Isis serves specifically as the patron of good-aligned wizards. As Lady of Rivers, Isis continually contests with Sebek for dominion over Mulhorand's waterways. The Lord of Crocodiles represents the lurking death that the rivers threaten, while Isis represents their life-giving aspect. Hathor's role as a nurturer and mother overlaps somewhat with Isis, but Hathor is seen more as a mother, while Isis is seen more as a wife and symbol of the family. Finally, although Anhur is now the god of thunder, rain, and storms (following his assumption of the potfolio of Ramman), Isis is the primary deity of weather in both Mulhorand and Unther.
Isis is a woman of even temper and great dedication. She is a regal and noble deity who is eager to share the knowledge of the gods with humanity and often goes to great lengths to introduce her worshipers to new concepts and ideas. In many cases, these new ideas take the form of magical spells and enchantments. Isis often finds the antics of mortals amusing, but she is a kind, understanding goddess who cares greatly for her worshipers and the peoples of Unther and Mulhorand.
Isis is served by divine minions that can assume the form of a hawk.
Other Manifestations
Isis often manifests to her followers as a ghostly woman rising out of the frothy turbulence of a river or stream. Such manifestations are known to telepathically communicate cryptic words of wisdom before evaporating into a faint mist.
Isis may appear to farmers as a vibrant, lush tree or bush that grows up overnight and vanishes the following eve. Such a manifestation is taken as a sign that it is time to plant the year's crops.
When the Mistress of Weather is happy, she often manifests as a benign rain storm that brings a cooling renewal to the land she touches. When she is troubled, a fairly rare condition, her distress is often felt as a freak weather condition, such as a shower of hailstones in the middle of summer or a sudden storm that arrives out of nowhere, threatens with great bursts of wind, and then dissipates without ever dropping a bit of rain.
When the Lady of Love smiles on two sweethearts, her ghostly form may appear during a tryst to drape an ethereal blanket over the lovers. It is said that this gift forever shields the pair from cruel twists of fate that would drive them apart before their time.
When a Mulhorandi or Untheric hero (male or female) bravely faces certain doom while on a quest favored by the goddess, Isis may manifest as the upper torso of a beautiful woman who gives the hero a kiss on the cheek. This kiss often comes in the midst of a fierce battle. The recipient of the kiss is immune to all damage for 40 rounds caused by whichever type of weapon poses the most severe threat to him or her at that time. Such a kiss leaves a permanent mark in the form of the goddess's symbol. (DM's choice as to which version.)
Gemstones of a pink, white, or blue hue and lotus flowers are sacred to Isis, and she sometimes sends t'uen-rin, lammasu, shedus, gynosphinxes, unicorns, white rabbits, white doves, white hawks or kites, or white donkeys to show her presence, approval, or disapproval.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, mystics
ALIGNMENT: LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: No, Mys: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: No, SP: No, Mys: No
All clerics, specialty priests, and mystics of Isis receive religion (Mulhorandi), reading/writing (Mulhorandi), and modern languages (Common) as bonus nonweapon proficiencies. As Mulhorandi, they all also known Mulhorandi as their native tongue. All of Isis's clergy must be females of Mulhorandi extraction.
All of Isis's clergy must be multiclassed wizard/priests; Isis's human clergy are a special exception to the restriction on multiclassed humans. The human wizard class can be a mage or any type of specialist wizard from the Player's Handbook except necromancer, although the enchanter specialty is favored. The human priest class can be a cleric, mystic, or specialty priest (called a skyweaver). Half-elves, the only nonhumans found in Isis's clergy, make up less than 1/10 of 1% of Isis's clergy and must be multiclassed, pairing the cleric with the mage, conjurer, diviner, enchanter, or transmuter class. Such half-elves are always of gold or moon elf ancestry.
The priestess (human or half-elf) must meet the basic ability score requirements of her wizard and priest classes. Clergy of Isis have the pool of all normally allowable cleric weapons plus dagger, dart, and knife to draw from for weapon proficiencies, they receive the number of combined weapon proficiencies and nonweapon proficiencies of both their classes, and they use the most beneficial saving throws from either their wizard or priest class. Clergy of Isis can wear no armor (not even elven chain mail). They receive a d8 for hit points as clerics do (when they gain a new priest level) rather than averaging hit points between their wizard and priest classes as in normal multiclass characters, but they also use their priest THAC0 at all times for attack purposes.
Isis is the most beloved deity of the common people. She has many aspects: wise woman, dutiful wife, joyful lover, mother of children, benign rainstorm, and nurturer of babes and harvests. As such, she is worshiped by lost persons, those in need of moral and physical guidance, women entering into marriage, all whose hearts are touched by love, farmers and field hands, and young mothers.
Temples of Isis vary widely in architecture, but all exhibit certain common traits. Strong pillars carved to resemble crops support the temple roof. Most rooms remain open to the elements to allow the Mistress of Weather to sweep through unimpeded. Chapels are dominated by everflowing fonts of water which spring forth from solid rock. Numerous shadowed benches and starlit gardens are hidden throughout to allow young lovers to be along in a romantic setting.
All priests of Isis are addressed in public as "Lady Priestess" or "Lady High Priestess" (if of 9th or higher level). Within their ranks, priestesses of Isis use such titles as Seedgiver, Bountiful Sower, Lady of the Harvest, Joylove, Endless River, Rainmaker, Spellweaver, Lady of the Planting, and Joyous Uniter. Approximately 30% of Isis's clergy are multiclassed specialty priests (skyweavers), 15% are multiclassed mystics, and 55% are multiclassed clerics.
Dogma: The clergy of Isis is to encourage love, affection, and marriage in the citizens of Mulhorand and Unther. They are to sow the seeds of happiness, family, and food wherever they go and provide wise counsel for those in need. They are to use their magic only to the benefit of the people of the Old Empires, particularly by shaping the weather to serve the populace and creating magical items and charms for the benefit of all. The clergy is also charged to protect the heroes of Mulhorand and those who are in love.
Day-to-Day Activities: Priestesses of Isis spend their days overseeing the agricultural production of the nation's farms, particularly during planting time. Isis's priestesses use their weather control spells to ensure a bountiful harvest. Members of her clergy also administer most marriage ceremonies in Mulhorand and Unther, work as matchmakers for those in search of a mate, serve as go-betweens for lovers, and counsel young mothers on raising their children. They often fashion charms of Isis for those whose deeds have won the goddess's favor and magical items to serve good causes or lighten the burden of the common people.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The two most sacred days for the clergy of Isis are Greengrass and Higharvestide. During the first festival, the clergy of Isis give thanks to the goddess for her aid in the planting, and during the second they give thanks to both Isis and Osiris for their help with the harvest. Both days are occasions for joyous celebration, wild revels, and moonlit trysts, and all who participate in farming join in them along with the clergy.
Priestesses of Isis have numerous daily rituals as well. They celebrate the Shift in the Winds each time the weather changes for the better and utter quiet thanks to the goddess. Every time they cross a river, they must drink deeply and give thanks for the goddess's bounty. Finally, they must bless each meal given by the goddess's bounty before partaking of a single bite.
Major Centers of Worship: The center of Isis's worship in Mulhorand is in Asanibis, in the Great Vale, although there are many temples devoted to her elsewhere, including in Unther, where her major temple is in Shussel.
The Mystic Cornucopia in the Great Vale is the preeminent temple of Isis. It sits at the heart of a vast network of lush farms where the Mishtan and Klondor tributaries join to form the River of Spears. This sprawling temple is marked by towering pillars, wide-open terraces, lush gardens, countless pools and streams, and vast grain and seed storehouses. Most of the great farms of the Asanibis are administered by the priestesses of this temple.
Other prominent temples include the Temple of Bountiful Joy in Skuld and the Spring of Eternal Hope in Shussel. The clergy of the latter house of worship have become the de facto government of Shussel following the collapse of Gilgeam's government in this decaying city.
Affiliated Orders: The Sisters of Life serve in the Guardians of Skuld along with the clergy of Anhur and Osiris in protecting the capital city. The Shield of the Lady is a fighting order of wizards, clerics, and specialty priests who join adventuring companies active throughout the Old Empires and beyond that serve the will of the goddess (whether they realize it or not). The martial priestesses of this order serve to shield Mulhorand's heroes from the forces of barbarism and evil.
Priestly Vestments: Priestesses of Isis shave their heads bald and paint three blue circles on their foreheads indicating that they are priestesses. They garb themselves in practical pleated white linen dresses, durable sandles, and a simple wig when working in the fields. During temple services and revels consecrated in the name of the goddess, they wear stunning jewelry, gem-encrusted pectorals, ornate golden armlets and bracelets, and wondrous wigs woven with jewels. The relative affluence of a priestess's vestments loosely indicates her relative wealth, power, and prestige. The standard holy symbol of priestesses of the faith is a miniature ceremonial flail engraved with the symbol of the goddess.
Adventuring Garb: When adventuring, priestesses of Isis dress practically, but eschew the use of armor. Those who spend most of their time in agricultural pursuits favor the flail, while those who focus on spellcraft prefer the staff.