June 5, 2017

Goddess of Luck and Revelry

The Birth of Antallia:

​Shallorn,​ ​whilst​ ​a​ ​good​ ​husband,​ ​was​ ​not​ ​as​ ​attentive​ ​as​ ​Sarnea​ ​would​ ​have desired.​ ​Frustrated,​ ​Sarnea​ ​began​ ​to​ ​ply​ ​Shallorn​ ​with​ ​wine​ ​of​ ​the​ ​forest.​ ​Overcome​ ​with​ ​a​ ​fit​ ​of whimsy,​ ​Shallorn​ ​took​ ​Sarnea​ ​across​ ​the​ ​astral​ ​plane​ ​on​ ​a​ ​drunken​ ​journey.​ ​Drinking,​ ​gambling​ ​and cavorting​ ​for​ ​several​ ​weeks,​ ​it​ ​all​ ​culminated​ ​in​ ​Sarnea​ ​falling​ ​pregnant.​ ​When​ ​Antallia​ ​was​ ​born,​ ​Shallorn​ ​was​ ​shaken​ ​from​ ​his​ ​revelry​ ​and​ ​was​ ​stricken​ ​by​ ​what​ ​he​ ​and​ ​his​ ​wife​ ​had​ ​done.​ ​Fearful​ ​that​ ​his​ ​new child​ ​would​ ​fall​ ​prey​ ​to​ ​her​ ​grandfather,​ ​Laul,​ ​Shallorn ​cursed​ ​his​ ​child​ ​to​ ​wander​ ​the​ ​astral​ ​plane, forever​ ​a​ ​nomad,​ ​so​ ​that​ ​she​ ​might​ ​evade​ ​the​ ​clutches​ ​of​ ​the​ ​power​ ​hungry​ ​Laul.​ ​This​ ​curse,​ ​while​ ​well intentioned,​ ​did​ ​not​ ​enamor​ ​Antallia​ ​to​ ​Shallorn ​and​ ​so​ ​while​ ​she​ ​may​ ​be​ ​the​ ​Goddess​ ​of​ ​revelry,​ ​she 
has​ ​been​ ​mildly​ ​embittered​ ​by​ ​her​ ​father’s​ ​curse,​ ​seeing​ ​it​ ​as​ ​a​ ​perverse​ ​interpretation​ ​of​ ​her​ ​dominion over​ ​the​ ​realm​ ​of​ ​chance. 

Appearance:

​Antallia​ ​often​ ​appears​ ​to​ ​her​ ​chosen​ ​people,​ ​the​ ​Halflings​, ​in​ ​times​ ​of​ ​joy.​ ​Appearing​ ​as​ ​yet another​ ​halfing​ ​so​ ​as​ ​to​ ​partake​ ​in​ ​the​ ​festivities.​ ​Many​ ​Halfings​ ​don’t​ ​even​ ​realize​ ​she’s​ ​attended​ ​unless she​ ​chooses​ ​to​ ​reveal​ ​herself.​ ​If​ ​working​ ​in​ ​perhaps​ ​a​ ​more​ ​official​ ​capacity,​ ​Antalia​ ​appears​ ​as​ ​a​ ​woman, around​ ​8ft​ ​tall​ ​(short​ ​for​ ​a​ ​God),​ ​clad​ ​in​ ​a​ ​shimmering,​ ​rainbow​ ​dress.​ ​Where​ ​she​ ​walks,​ ​joyful​ ​music follows,​ ​food​ ​is​ ​plentiful​ ​and​ ​coins​ ​appear​ ​on​ ​the​ ​ground​ ​(whether​ ​they​ ​are​ ​real​ ​or​ ​not​ ​is,​ ​of​ ​course, entirely​ ​up​ ​to​ ​chance). 

Temperament:

Antallia is not a cruel or power hungry God, despite her father’s fears she does not take after Laul in the slightest. If she deals with mortals, she treats Elves with coldness and all other races other than Halflings the same. Halflings are greeted with joy, possibly gifts. If mortals request her aid, she will often provide it freely if she feels that some merriment will come of it. Antallia can also be a subject to flights of fancy however. As begets a God of luck that was essentially abandoned at birth, she can occasionally see fit to leave outcomes to chance. Her dress will turn black and white, the music will cease and coins on her path are cursed; Antalia may be the Goddess of luck, but she is also the Goddess of bad-luck. When Antallia feels that chance must play a part in mortal’s lives, she will do what she can to ensure the outcome is balanced, no matter what.

Worship:

She is worshiped in most large cities with the majority of temples focusing less on revelry and more on the uncaring, luck based aspect of her power. Priests and priestess’s dress in black and white, talk about the balance of the universe and observe the universe’s chances. Antalia can’t stand them and many of the priests moonlight as bookies. Outside of stuffy temples though, Antalia is freely worshiped as a Goddess who knows how to have a good time, provided chance is on your side. Worship generally involves the giving of coins, cards or other tokens to a shrine; as well as the normal offerings of thanks. It is considered bad form to ask Antallia for good luck, rather, one should ask that misfortune doesn’t strike.

The Creation of The Halflings

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