Goddess of Peace

The Birth of Ariante:

Ariante was born from the union of Celestian and Ranbeltor and is the youngest of their children. It is said that after Celestian and Ranbeltor had brought their other children into the universe, they elected to rest. Laying together their dreams were made flesh and clashed above their sleeping forms. They roiled and raged around them for 7 nights as the Gods slept fitfully. When at last they calmed in their sleep, their dreams finally joined as one and Ariante was born.

Appearance:

Ariante is a difficult Goddess to describe. Holding sway over the realms of negotiation, cooperation and harmony, she often appears in precisely the form she needs to, whether that be an elf or even a 6ft tall bear. She is however always depicted as carrying a shield for protection and a pair of scales to weigh grievances. When she appears there is a calming, light breeze, the smell of whatever may comfort you the most and a deep feeling of contentment. Many war-loving races and leaders over the years have developed a deep mistrust of Ariante, considering her peace to be artificial. It is for this reason that many races consider the presence of a light breeze before battle to be a sign it will not go well. A raging storm is considered fine however.

Temperament:

Ariante can be both enchanting and frustrating. Exposed from a ‘young’ age to the imminent conflict of her family, Ariante sees conflict as the most terrible waste and will do all she can to defuse it. As a Goddess of peace, she sees the best way to do this as compromise and negotiation. If she is ever drawn into a conflict, peace and harmony will no doubt be achieved. There is not however any guarantee of satisfaction from either side, Ariante’s scales see strictly in shades of grey. Peace, as it were, at any cost. When dealing with mortals, Ariante is always happy to provide knowledge, advice and assistance wherever possible, provided her doing so will not result in conflict. As such, she does not often provide these things. Occasionally however, Ariante will appear after a great conflict to mourn the death of peace and to help bring about its return.

Worship:

Ariante is worshiped on a slightly smaller scale than the other children of Celestian and Ranbeltor. She has very few temples devoted to her outright; rather her presence is invoked in a more general sort of way in a wide range of temples and services. When she does have temples devoted to her, it’s generally regarded as a massive pain in the ass. As her priests are devoted to the idea of peace, they feel that everyone else should be devoted to this idea as well. Preachy, intrusive and happy to get involved in local politics, priests of Ariante are regarded as something of an annoyance for any ruler or village. Thankfully, they are fairly rare; only having set up large scale temples in the Gorgelands to the south and a large outpost in Qinhar. Her priests wear white, carry a set of ceremonial scales at all times (shields are optional) and the particularly devout will go blindfolded. Somehow they are the subject of mockery.

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