Tilo

*"Tilo is the sea, and all things hidden in it, and every river and stream and droplet of rain that is born from it. Tilo is the sky, and every unseen spirit that dances in it. She is the wind, the rain, the calm and the storm. She is the horizon that wanderers look to, and the sense of wonder for what lies beyond it. She is in every song that is sung, every artwork that is created, and every embrace that is shared. She is the mother, the child, the lover, and the muse. Tilo is love, unconditional and pure."*
**Tilo** (/ˈtiːləʊ/); also known as the Lover, the Mother, the Bringer of Joy and the Dove; is one of the four lunar bodies orbiting Cato Vilo, and is one of The Four. She is globally worshipped as the deity of life, love, mercy, joy, and the sea and sky, and embodies the element of Water. She is thought to be Avo's younger twin, and a mother figure to the world, as well as the childlike wonder all people have inside of them. In her various depictions, she is exclusively portrayed as female. When used in comparison to her twin sister Avo, Tilo is sometimes referred to as the Bluebird.

## Lunar Body

Tilo is the second smallest of the lunar bodies, shimmering with a beautiful pale blue colour. She is always visible in the night sky throughout Cato Vilo, and notably does not have a 'new moon' phase.

## Portfolio

Tilo's portfolio includes the sea, the sky, weather, horizons, travel, good fortune, love, passion, art, life, fertility, motherhood, family, children, joy, mercy, healing, and revelry. Tilo teaches her followers to be kind and generous to one another: nurture the young, heal the sick, and give to the needy; and to treasure the gifts of love, family and friendship. She loves all, but favours those who live with an open heart and an open mind, and despairs for those who have lost their way to selfishness and cruelty. Tilo's followers tend to fall into the domains of Life, Nature, Peace, Tempest, or Twilight.

## Worship

Tilo is worshipped globally as one of the major deities of the Cato Vilan pantheon, and is the only god whose complete portfolio features prevalently in every culture. Overall, she is a patron to mothers, children, healers, lovers, artists, musicians, sailors and wanderers.

## Cultural Interpretations

### Depictions

Tilo is often depicted as a blue orb to represent her physical lunar body. The majority of human and elvish cultures favour this symbology, as well as intricate knotworks of a water droplet, or intangible depictions of water and air in constant motion, most often expressed in the medium of paint. Some elvish cultures represent Tilo as a blue-skinned nymph or elf with flowing blue hair, often adorned with white flowers, and three pearlescent eyes. It is believed that the elves inherited their beauty from her, so naturally, depictions of her are almost universally beautiful. An interesting quirk of cultural interpretations is that Tilo is widely depicted nude, her hair granting her modesty. The Saarthenali and the more reserved human cultures seldom follow this trend, though, instead showing her in flowing robes or gossamer gowns. Halfling and dwarven cultures prefer a more motherly figure: a plump figure with flowing curls. However, this is where there likeness ends, as halflings dress Tilo in a beautiful blue and white dress and have her as the gentle, nurturing, feminine halfling mother, while dwarves portray her as a strong mother dwarf who is beautiful by conventional dwarven standards, often nude. Almost all renditions of Tilo have three pearlescent eyes, and often she is shown with cupped hands and a peaceful expression.

### Personality

In The Monomyth, Tilo is shown to be entirely pure of heart, and deeply connected to Cato Vilo, harbouring great love and empathy for the mortals she helped to breathe live into. She is a gentle and loving free spirit.

## Interactions

As a major deity, Tilo is able to freely interact with mortals, and she actively does so, far more than the other gods. Tilo enjoys making her presence known, viewing herself as a mother figure for mortals and hence nurturing them with love, lessons and praise. She bestows blessings and gifts to those who follow her teachings, and fills her followers with the feeling of a mother's purest love.