The Sisterhood of The Pale Doe

The Sisterhood of The Pale Doe consists of a following of men and women dubbed "Maenads" and "Staghearts" with their souls set on spreading peace from horizon to horizon. They spread their gospel from place to place through their travels. Though they are mostly nomadic, these people have found their homes across the world. Their arrival is easily-recognizable. The scramble of hooves and mirthful echo of song indicates that The Sisterhood will soon arrive.
"Rejoice as song flows o'er you,"
"Sing free her blessin' flows o'er you,"
"Though ye may not 'ave known love in your home,"
"Find love in the god who sits on no throne."
== Foundational Myth and General Worldview ==
The fields where the Doe resides weren't always barren and ashy. Years ago, they were thick with foliage. Rabbits raced around, darting from dandelion to dandelion looking for a quick snack. All the while, worms coiled and robins chirped. This was the land of eternal spring, a bastion touched by the first Pale Doe in an effort to assuage the suffering of a being trapped in an unending cycle of pain.
"Any who come in this garden will have their flaws sapped from them, and live a blissful and joyous life, until they leave stronger."
It was, simply speaking, paradise.
Naturally, this brought beings from all walks of life. Men and women squeezed into these warm grasses. Stags, otters, and foxes stood abreast looking for a little slice of heaven on earth. After all, they'd scarcely formed their own countries at the time. What did they know of peace when they fought among themselves.
Soon, the land was crowded. These rolling meadows were thick with creatures of all sorts. The Doe was afraid to return to her own lands, lest she face snarling foxes and angry men.
A dove, stark white with strange red feathers on its neck, descended to these bickering men one day. Blood had been spilt on the holy grass of the Doe's meadow.
Speaking in a stern tone, it turned to the men and squawked.
"You spill blood in a place made to bring peace! Why?"
A man responds, "Dove, sire, we were promised peace! Tranquility! We were told this is heaven."
He cursed at the dove, threatening to tear it wing from wing. Spittle dribbled from his mouth, staining the bird. It bowed its head, before looking up at him.
Viridian illuminated its feathers, and before long it took on the form of a ghastly white stag. Its antlers glowed with a ghastly viridian hue. The man scarcely knew what to do. He called out to it, prayed to it, but when he threatened the man beside him in exchange for the being's mercy, the stag grew angry. Ire flared in its eyes. Its teeth seemed almost sharp, resting in its maw like blunt butcher knives.
Storm clouds gathered around the land that knew neither rain nor thunder. Lightning hissed, before the man stepped backwards in fear, nearly soiling his britches.
The stag glowed again, before the visage of a portly, white doe startled the crowd in the garden. Her hair looked like straw, inlaid with grapevines and antlers, and she wore no clothing. Her fur was a dark shade of white, almost grey amidst the storm clouds.
The man's eyes grew wide, knowing he had spurned the meadow in the face of its creator.
"This garden," she began, "was a test. To many, it's any other garden. The promise of peace came with the hope that people who found it would use its bounties to uplift one another. Heaven isn't a place above us. We make it for ourselves."
The man, and the foxes around him, the stags and does, even the tiny rabbits bowed their heads. They had forsaken their own gift of self determination in favor of inaction in the face of divinity.
Those men did leave the garden stripped of their flaws. They knew, then, that tranquility wasn't a place with a beginning and an end, borders. It was something you make for yourselves, uplifting your fellow man with something stronger than faith; love and solidarity with all. To this day, the Doe's followers hold this message close to their hearts.
== Followers of The Doe ==
The followers of the Pale Doe come from all walks of life. The anthropomorphic deer of her homeland are especially close to her. Though she is a god, The Pale Doe often appears among her followers to sing songs and bask in merriment. Chief among these followers were the Maenads, a group of women who at one time consisted of outcasts from their homes.
The Pale Doe is a patron god of men, women, and nonbinary individuals who despise their bodies. With her blessing, she assuages these feelings. Her blessing isn't one of transfiguration, but one of rebirth and acceptance. The Maenads, in their dysphoric torment, travel with her and learn to love themselves. Along the way, their body changes, but it never becomes unlike how it began. As with all things to The Pale Doe, potential doesn't exist in a vacuum. It is within you at all times. The potential to love one's self and the potential to bring about a more worthy world do not exist in isolation.
In modern times, the followers of The Pale Doe are far more diverse. Cis or trans, deer or human, all with a song in their heart and eyes fixed on ending pointless conflict will be welcome among the Maenads and Staghearts.
 
== Places of Worship ==
The Pale Doe appreciates worship in many forms, but she strongly encourages her followers to get out into the forest. When they are close to nature, her followers should feel a strong connection to her. As such, it is not uncommon to see large groups of those close to The Pale Doe dancing and singing around a bonfire. Dressed in fine silks, sewn with protective runes, these woodland partygoers should be no stranger to wanderers stumbling upon them.
Also central to the Doe's worship is the Sventree. Massive birch trees, adorned with a crown of crimson leaves, serve as a direct connection to her when she is not in the material plane. When a follower of The Pale Doe dies, some part of their body - be it ashes or antlers - should be formed into the tallow of a candle and placed in a silver lantern. Burning this candle should produce a faint lavender scent, indicating that the deceased is now resting peacefully with their ancestors.
== Worship of The Doe in Rathnir ==
One should contact Hazel Freeman if they wish to dance among the Maenads. Find The Antlered Lagomorph in the forests around Aequalis, and regardless of your nation or persuasion she will meet you with a smile. She takes the form of an antlered rabbit, commonly referred to as a jackelope by her people.
Category:Religions
Category:Traveler's Era