Ixinos: Island of Amazons

Ixinos: Island of Amazons - Religion

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Wanderers of Ixinos

Amazon Heroine Prestige Class

[Religion]

The pantheon of deities worshipped by the Genifari is similar in many ways to that revered in the Realms at large, but there are some interesting differences as well. Foremost is the fact that (with the exception of The Reaver) all of the Ixinian deities are female. The ancient Witch Cult of Raumathar held that all divine beings had both male and female aspects, and that all growth and vitality was contained within the female aspect. This concept has been carried on to present-day Ixinos.

The Witch-Cult worshipped primarily Selûne, goddess of the moon, and Shar, the evil goddess of the night and of loss and despair. Although those two goddesses -- thought to have once been aspects of the same being -- are anathema to each other, the Witches regarded them as necessary balancing arms of a unified whole. Of course, some Witches favored one of the two goddesses over the other.

When Kuzello and her followers arrived on Ixinos, they brought their dual priesthood with them. During the tumultuous early decades of the nation's existence, the priestesses deftly manipulated the balance of power by remaining officially neutral in the "sword-swingers vs. spell-slingers" rivalry, while surreptitiously offering aid to whichever faction they perceived as the most advantageous. Following the disastrous Untheri invasion in the late 2nd century, the worship of Shar fell into decline.

Most of Faerûn's powers are at least recognized on Ixinos, if not actively worshipped. Only Selûne has remained strongly popular throughout the entire history of the island. Some other notable highlights of Ixinian religious history:

275 DR - Queen Vritamasthi is approached by proxies of the goddess Eldath (Datha on Ixinos), who enlist her support in a running struggle against Umberlee for influence in the Sea of Fallen Stars. In the era known as the Days of Blue Sorcery, Datha serves as the patron goddess of the queens of Ixinos in return for certain divine powers. This era ended in 559 D.R. with Datha's capitulation, and the assassination of Queen Bizameudo by agents of Umberlee. Formal worship of Datha died out completely by 600 DR.

459 DR - The wizard/cleric Anzana Darahni founds the church of Lathea (Lathander) on Ixinos. Ten years later she lays the cornerstone for the Citadel of First Light, the island's largest church.

869 DR - The adventuress Weréne Torvika and her companions return from Cormyr bearing the faith of Tormo (Torm) with them. Tormo becomes a favorite patron of professional warriors, though most also worship Selune or Lathea.

Only Selûne, Lathea and Tormo have permanent temples on Ixinos. The Moon Fane of Selûne is located in the city of Sirhala, where it was rebuilt after its destruction during the invasion of Anaglathos more than a century ago. The Citadel of First Light is located near the summit of Mt. Aphaea, the highest point on Ixinos. Tormo's modest temple is in the city of Tazixor.

A list of all the goddesses with clergy among the Genifari, and relevant notes:

NAME (Ixinian)	NAME (common)	Notes
Chauntea	Chauntea	The only two druids on Ixinos -- Kellomy Suthale and her assistant, Halina -- worship Chauntea. She has no actual congregation, but is called upon at sowing and harvest time.
Lathea	Lathander	Nearly 400 clerics (second only to Selûne) and a few paladins form the clergy. Roughly 25% of the Genifari worship Lathea exclusively, and up to 50% worship her in combination with some other goddess.
Lovanga	Loviatar	The "Sister of Screams" is not openly worshipped, but a secret cult of warriors honors her in the belief that inflicting pain on themselves and each other builds toughness and indifference to wounds in battle. They have no clergy, but meet in secret and insert many short needles into various parts of their bodies, leaving them there for days or weeks so that they may live in constant pain and learn to ignore it.
Milea	Milil	Ten priestesses serve the interests of the goddess of music and song, and have a congregation of about 50 including bards and musicians.
Mystrè	Mystra	The goddess of magic has about two dozen priestesses, all of whom are considered members of the Silver Sisterhood and many of whom are multi-classed as wizards or sorceresses. The members of the Sisterhood all honor her, though usually not exclusively.
Selûne	Selûne	The predominant goddess of the Genifari, with almost 1,000 clerics and the worship (full or jointly) of more than seven in ten Ixinians.
Suna	Sune	Sune was originally known in Raumathar as Kossuni, and was held to be the daughter of the fire-god Kossuth. She represented the beauty of fire and its beneficial aspects, and strove to protect mankind from her father's rages. On Ixinos she is considered the goddess of fire and of athletic perfection and physical beauty. Her sexual and love aspects are less prominent. She has about a dozen priestesses.
Tormo	Torm	Patroness of honorable warriors. She has about 100 priestesses and the worship (in whole or in part) of perhaps a quarter of all Ixinians.
Tymora	Tymora	The goddess of good luck. She is worshipped mainly by adventurers, especially the She-Wolves, and has fewer than 10 priestesses.

Other deities who are recognized, if not worshipped, by the Genifari:

"The Reaver" -- originally Jergal, then Myrkul, then Cyric, now Kelemvor. The Reaver is the god of death and the only deity depicted with a male aspect on Ixinos. The Genifari fear him and do not worship him.
Datha (Eldath). See above.
Sharo (Shar). Originally co-patroness of the Genifari, her worship died out on Ixinos over a thousand years ago.
Silvanya (Silvanus). Known chiefly through her (his) worship by the Emerald Enclave druids. No active worshippers on Ixinos.
Achlero (Umberlee). Evil sea goddess. Her worship is forbidden on Ixinos. One clan, the Kargida, were banished from the island nine centuries ago for supporting her in secret. Their descendants are now the Kargidu, the degenerate clan of semi-human marauders who roam the Inner Sea causing destruction under the guidance of three she-demons in service to Umberlee.