Lady-in-Rose

The Lady-in-Rose is the Goddess of art and inspiration. She appeared mysteriously before the free people of Nova Caledon one-hundred-and-one years after its founding, claiming to be the culminated spirit of their ambitions, creations, and glories. This manifestation kindled the spark that would define Aralian culture's pursuit and obsession with artistry and perfection for centuries to come. The Lady-in-Rose appears as an ethereal, brown-skinned woman with graceful hands and piercing emerald eyes, dressed in rose-silk robes. Although she walks barefoot, her pristine skin is unmarred by her surroundings. Her presence is intoxicating, filling hearts and minds with ardor and renewal. The Lady-in-Rose indicates her approval by gilding nearby flora with gold and silver trim. She expresses dissatisfaction with a pooling feeling of disgust with one's self without knowing why. She is associated with laurel trees, morning glories, parrots, pearl oysters, and strawberry trees. Her holy symbol is a flowering laurel blossom against a lilac circle. Blessings 
====Charm of the Artist====
White this blessing is active, you gain a piety bonus to Artistry and Perform skill checks, and to Craft skill checks made to create something for aesthetic purposes.
====Inspired Vision====
While this blessing is active, you add your piety bonus to the DC of effects with the [Figment], [Glamer], [Pattern], [Phantasm], or [Shadow] descriptor.
====Musetouched ====
While this blessing is active, add your piety bonus to the AC bonus granted by the Aid Another action when you aid an ally's AC, or when an ally aids your AC. 
==Obedience and Boons==
Spend fifteen minutes musing on how to improve your art, craft, or performance. The rest of the hour is to be spent acting in pursuit of that improvement. Gain a piety bonus to all d20 rolls made immediately regarding that pursuit (e.g. Craft [sculpture] for a sculptor, Artistry [orchestra] for a composer, etc.). Confer with your DM to what your bonus applies.
====1st-Divine Glamour (Sp) ====
Once per day, you may use adoration 3/day; or eagle's splendor 2/day; or spotlight 1/day as spell-like abilities. Once you have chosen one of those abilities, you may not use another until the next day.
====2nd-Magnificence (Su)====
Once per day as a full-round action, you may invoke the magnificence of the Lady-in-Rose. You radiate a vivid lilac light as the daylight spell, with an effective spell level of (1/2 Character Level). You and allied creatures who begin their turn within the light of your magnificence gain the benefits of Inspire Greatness and Inspire Competence until the beginning of their next turn. Treat your effective Bard level as your character level. Once activated, this ability lasts for (Character Level) minutes per day. 
====3rd-Beatification (Su)====
When you first gain this boon you gain the Muse and Vassal (Lady-in-Rose) subtypes. Pick two Benedictions; you gain the ability to use them as written and are considered a beneficiary for both of them. Should you fail to perform your daily obedience, you fall harshly from the Lady-in-Rose's favor. You become sickened and can no longer use nor benefit from your Benedictions, until 24 hours after you next perform your daily obedience.
==Description==
===Dogma===
Inspiration and Perfection are the twin virtues espoused and embodied by the Lady-in-Rose. Before all other concerns, she demands the faithful to pursue experiences that inspire them to seek perfection in their crafts and in themselves; or to pursue experiences that inspire others to do the same. The Lady-in-Rose greatly prefers her worshipers to pursue works such as dramatic theater, musicianship, or the physical arts. Ultimately, any craft can satisfy the Lady-in-Rose as long as it is made into an art; that is to say, that it is executed with pride and elegance, and brings glory and prestige to the creator, who themself seeks constant improvement. 
Lesser duties that the Lady-in-Rose expects of her worshipers include observing or contributing to events at her sacred temples, called symposiums; the protection of places and objects of great beauty; and the aiding of artists, musicians, performers, and craftsfolk in their pursuits. A worshiper who too frequently neglects these duties will soon find themself out of the Lady-in-Rose's favor, as she has little patience for the indolent or incompetent. 
Nova Caledon and its resident Aralian culture are important elements of the Lady-in-Rose's faith. She is their self-appointed matron and benefactress, and over the Ages has exerted an incredible influence on their beliefs and culture, to the point that her worshipers are often called "Aralians" even if they are not, culturally or ethnically, Aralian. While there is no known connection between the Lady-in-Rose and Nova Caledon's pioneering founder, Cassandra Aralie, it is a popular superstition that the latter apotheosized to become the former. The Lady-in-Rose is notoriously silent on this matter, and her Muses offer compelling and contradictory insights on her origins. 
Good-aligned worshipers of the Lady-in-Rose typically use their talents to benefit others, often improving the quality of life for those with little beauty in their lives at all. They see other Aralians as part of a greater community, and non-Aralians as undisciplined or uninspired souls to be lifted out of the drudgery of their mundane lives. 
Evil-aligned worshipers of the Lady-in-Rose typically seek fame and glory for its own sake, climbing higher on the ladder of ambition by stepping on their lessers. They see other Aralians as competitors and obstacles, and non-Aralians as chaff, fodder, or fuel for the fires of greatness within them.
===The Church===
The Lady-in-Rose holds her faithful to a high standard, but has only one doctrine for mortals who dedicate their lives to her service — the creation and maintenance of her sacred temples, the symposiums. Beyond this doctrine, the Lady-in-Rose applies a very light touch to the organization of mortal structures, leaving the details of administration and bureaucracy to them. Where she decides to intervene, she almost always does so through her Muses, daemons wrought or mortals uplifted with motes of her divinity. While the practices and traditions of her organized religion, called the Laureate Church, will vary greatly from place to place, there are generally two recognized positions within it, being the Lay Ministers and the Ministers-Laureate. These religious leaders generally tend to their symposiums (see Temples), and otherwise the worshipers of the Lady-in-Rose are free to pursue their own business in addition to their divine pursuits.
There is a heterodox branch of the Lady-in-Rose's faithful who believe that she is a manifestation of the majesty of Cyrillia's heavens made gestalt with the brilliant spirit of mortalkind. These Astral Cultists are not persecuted by the Laureate Church, nor do the Lady-in-Rose nor her Muses show them any special disfavor, but they are an uncommon and esoteric order more favored outside of Nova Caledon than within its great walls. Characters with the Astral Cultist religion trait gain a +1 trait bonus to Knowledge (Geography) skill checks, may replace any one of the Lady-in-Rose's granted domains with the Void (Dark Tapestry, Stars) domain and subdomains, and may replace any one of her granted Disciplines with the Sagitta Stellaris discipline.
===Temples===
Religious sites dedicated to the Lady-in-Rose are known as symposiums. These are places of beauty and grandeur, and always include spaces for the faithful to exhibit their artistry. A symposium hosts a public performance, or exhibition, for the public every other Soldae. Larger symposiums boast intricate detail in every aspect of architecture and display, and those with sufficient traffic serve dual purposes as permanent religious and cultural centers (museums, galleries, memorials, etc.). Such centers are expected to favor one style of art or craftsmanship over others, to elevate that form of artistry to new heights, which are themselves overseen by Minister-Laureates (see Clergy).
===The Clergy===
The Lady-in-Rose's clergy are almost exclusively Bards, Clerics, and Oracles, although the only true requisite for a position in the Laureate Church is to either be a skilled artisan or possess the ability to inspire others; preferably both. The official body of the Laureate Church consists largely of Lay Ministers, whose duties include seeing to the base needs of their symposium, interaction with the local community to facilitate the pursuit of inspiration and perfection, and support of the creative vision of their symposium's Minister-Laureates. 
Minister-Laureates embody the twin virtues of the Lady-in-Rose. Their duty is to shepherd the symposium's guests, be they Aralian or otherwise, and to act as a benefactor and patron to their local community. Their duty is also to create art that generates awe and inspiration the symposium's guests. Minister-Laureates can often be found at their symposium working on their next exhibition. Sermons on the Lady-in-Rose's religious philosophy are held every third day at sunrise and sunset, with the inclusion of alternating Soldaes (see Temples). 
A Minister-Laureate will typically excel in one specific field of artistry, and holds authority over their symposium's creative direction for that school or craft. A symposium may have one or multiple Minister-Laureates, who will share the administrative responsibilities of religious office and alternate hosting exhibitions. While there is no official rank structure between Minister-Laureates, those whose artistry is perceived of as higher quality or whose exhibitions attract more guests or more notable guests, enjoy greater prestige and religious status. 
===Adventurers===
Adventurers are the lifeblood of tales that inspire others to rise up and improve themselves and the world around them, to say nothing of the great works of art brought to life by their deeds. The Lady-in-Rose has no particular love of fair deeds or foul ones, so long as they invoke sufficient inspiration thereafter. Among the Aralians of Nova Caledon, joining the Protettori and living a life in defense of the city is a noble calling which protects the realm and provides peace for its artisan elite to labor without disaster or danger knocking at their door. Others take up the call of adventure to seek out inspiration for themselves, searching for the perfect piece of inspiration to finish their work, or to leave behind a legacy to inspire generations to come.
===Favored Classes ===
Bards, Clerics, Diplomats, Oracles, Radiants, and Swashbucklers.
===Clothing===
Aralians are encouraged to dress in refined attire when not pursuing inspiration or perfection, and whatever suitable attire facilitates them best otherwise. Colors such as lilac, rose pink, and sky blue are favored. Lay Ministers wear finely-wrought robes or well-tailored suits and dresses, depending on the fashion of the region, but always wear a pin over the left breast with the Lady-in-Rose's holy symbol. Minister-Laureates follow the same fashion, but in the place of a pin will wear a lilac stole with the same symbol on the back of the neck and ends of the tails. Outside of clothing, Aralians are expected to have access to the tools necessary for their divine pursuits reasonably accessible to them at any time.
===Holy Texts===
There are no holy texts produced by the Lady-in-Rose firsthand. However, and very rarely, a mortal will create a singularly remarkable or magnificent work of art of particular note to the Lady-in-Rose, who will appear before the artisan when the work is being first debuted. These favored exhibitions, and the mortals responsible for them, are elevated into the Galleria dell'Arte, the Lady-in-Rose's officially recognized oeuvre of masterpieces and magnum opi. Divine insight into the Lady-in-Rose's faith can be gleaned from these works, at a surface level and deep beneath, for anyone interested in the Laureate Church.
===Rituals and Holidays=== 
*Festival of New Dawn The 18th of Mystam marks a momentous day, as celebrants flock from across the planes in preparation for the massive, city-wide celebration Nova Caledon holds each year to mark the appearance of the Lady-in-Rose and her palatial divine realm, the Palace of Lilac and Gold. The festival kicks into full swing on the 20th at dawn and lasts for two full days afterwards. Any rolls to generate capital in the city on the 20th are made at a +10 modifier.
*The Musebringer's Faire begins on the 1st of Telth and lasts for an entire week afterward. Artisans, artists, craftspeople, and common folk all flock to the Lady-in-Rose's chosen Faireground for a week-long festival where the skilled and talented extol their abilities in hopes of attracting the attention of a Muse for the year to come. The days of the Faire are considered an exceptionally good time to begin a new enterprise or long-term project.
===Relations with other Religions===
Hadeus is the only one of The Four the Lady-in-Rose has any real relationship with, and it is an unpleasant one. The dispute between the Lady-in-Rose and Hadeus lies primarily with his denial of any true divinity other than his own, although certainly his aggressive evangelism does not ease tensions. Relations between the two started cordially but have dramatically soured over the last century as Hadeanism has struggled to take meaningful root in Nova Caledon. The two are locked in a divine cold war, with no outright claims of hostility, but with tension mounting and a distant conflict ever-looming on the horizon.
* Of note, the Lady-in-Rose shares an unusually amicable relationship with one of the Allfather's Saints — Lavinia. While the Saintess of Beauty is a love goddess and the Lady-in-Rose is not, the two deities get along rather well. Their friendship serves as the basis for the best hope for peace between both deities among their worshipers. The Lady-in-Rose sees Lavinia as a kindred spirit in bad company, who may be reckless in her choice of peers and naïve in her compassion, but too young to be blamed for not knowing better and too remarkable to leave by herself amongst Hadeus and his throng of soldiers.
Mjolandr and the Lady-in-Rose share a strained but persistent friendship. The Poet King is among the elder artists in creation, his talents peerless save her own, and deserves the eminent respect and acclaim he is due. Unfortunately, a dragon's vanity is a cruel master, and as artists are their own worst critics, relations between the two of them suffer and go on. Each thinks of themselves as the superior artist, and while the two conflict on that matter above anything else, they have always enjoyed one another's company and creations.
Kuulvaniz and his fiendish cultists receive naught from the Lady-in-Rose but derision, scorn, and hostility. While both deities share a love for beauty, the similarities end there. Where the Lady-in-Rose is ambitious, demanding, and productive, Kuulvaniz's indulgences are degrading, destructive, and stagnant. His worship is stamped out and opposed wherever it is found by the Lady-in-Rose's militant faithful.
Zannichos and the Lady-in-Rose once enjoyed one another's divine companionship, but had a grievous falling-out in the Age of Titans. As Nova Caledon's use of indentured servitude, caste slavery, and penal labor to support the grandeur and opulence of its artisan elite reached a tipping point, Zannichos challenged the Lady-in-Rose to wield her influence against these practices. Theologians can infer that her response was to the negative. Zannichoan abolition cults are a recurrent problem in Nova Caledon, and their suppression is met with the tacit approval of the Lady-in-Rose's cold indifference. So the story goes, her exact words so disgusted Zannichos that to this day he famously still refuses to repeat them. 
===Realm===
The Lady-in-Rose maintains a palatial demiplane known as the Palace of Lilac and Gold, which occupies a phantasmal non-space in the verdant gardens of Nova Caledon's city-center. The Palace will manifest amidst the garden during great celebrations or holy holidays, although its doors remain barred to all but her most favored worshipers. Very rarely during other times of the year, glimpses of the Palace of Lilac and Gold can be seen through the branches and brambles, and sounds of revelry therefrom can be heard. 
===Vassals===
The Lady-in-Rose rarely graces mortalkind with her direct attention, preferring to do so through her lovely intermediaries, the Muses. These inspiring daemons are attractive, self-centered, and compelled to urge their chosen mortal towards fulfilling their greatness or potential. While more often than not this turns out well for the charge, Muses have been known to be overzealous in this pursuit. 
====Elioud and Nephilim====
Little is known about the Lady-in-Rose's direct children as she has mothered none. Muses, however, are capable of reproduction with mortals, and are responsible for the birth of her divine descendants. The Lady-in-Rose looks fondly on these offspring as wayward nephews and nieces. Their bloodline ensures them the highest peaks of triumph and the deepest pits of tragedy.
Museborn Elioud are stunning to behold, and are graced with a natural ease of confidence that encourages them to pursue leadership. Museborn Nephilim are as gorgeous as their goodly cousins, but their inheritance brings the arrogance that comes from knowing their superiority over others. Both are nearly incapable of abiding by personal inadequacy or incompetence, and are prone to fits of explosive melodrama.
There is a heterodox claim that the mortal descendants of Cassandra Aralie, who yet live and prosper in Nova Caledon and beyond, should be numbered among the Lady-in-Rose's descendants and lineage. In a rare display of direct rebuttal, the Lady-in-Rose has denied the claim that the Family Aralie has on her as a divine ancestor, although the Family Aralie itself persists in this claim to the present day. 
Category:Independent Deities
Category:Deities of Glory
Category:Deities of Nobility
Category:True Neutral Deities
Category:Deities of Charm
Category:Intermediate Deities
Category:Spirit Deities
Category:Gestalt Deities
Category:Deities of Rune