Bellamane

## Bellamane, Goddess of Passion

**Excerpt from "The Sermon on the Soong,"**

"...And from the great chasm, the molten rock churns and the mountain spits fire from its raging belly. It whispers within the ash, searing your arms and legs; your clothes charring as the blood of this mountain rains down upon you. Yet, there is no malice. No ill-intent upon you brothers and sisters. You merely stand in the path of a rage that has built upon itself year after year after year, and, now, as the clouds gather below us and the ash above us; our flesh pink and sandals smoldering from the heat of the flames we will witness passion as only this, our mother orb, can deliver. Lady Bellamane, rejoice with us! Hear us in this, your greatest hour! Followers, rejoice in this: That you are free to feel release yourselves! Follow your lust blindly and your heart will open to unbinding love. Follow your rage and your soul will be cleansed. Record your affairs and the world around you, find the beauty that your heart desires and lusts for and then,only then, will you make it your own."

## Symbols

Over the years, followers of Bellamane have adopted scores of symbols to honor Her. Below is a small sampling, others still can be found spread throughout the lands:

**The heart**- A red heart on a field of white.

**The golden torch**- A bright flame burning upon a golden torch.

**Pokow Soong**- The tallest mountain known to mortalkind. The famous "Sermon on the Soong" was given near the volcano's peak during its only recorded eruption. It is also a symbol for many's undying thirst for adventure.

## Holidays

**Festival of Love**- The month of Cuspis. A month for expressing one's heart or to wear it on his sleeve.

Followers of Bellamane are prone to hold impromptu festivals, art faires, and balls, allowing the moment to serve their passions and cravings on a whim.

## Beliefs

Followers of Bellamane are arguably the most outspoken individuals in any crowd. Wearing their passions on their sleeves, they are quick to speak their hearts and minds or to discuss and debate the virtues of their faith. Though many find a follower of Bellamane's verve and gusto unappealling, none can hold them suspect as to the strength of their faith.

Bellamane's followers are quick to find the beauty in life even in the darkest, ugliest of times or places and, indeed, many of Her followers tend to capture these moments in glorious pieces of art to preserve for centuries on end. Creativity and expression are both passions, some would say lusts, that fuel the artist devoted to Bellamane.

Rumors abound of secret orgies held in Bellamane's name that last for days or even weeks on end, amounting to a festival of drunkeness, excess, and debauchery. Whether or not there is truth to such claims, there are very few of Her faithful that would deny themselves the lust of their heart's content. Lust is seen as a powerful release of passion that culmintes in a pure, existential love. A love unknown to those who refuse to surrender first to their lusts. Lust is not contained to matters of the flesh, either. Her teachings spread beyond such trivialities, reaching out to everything that drives our passion. Passion, afterall, is the spirit's most prized possession. It is what defines us and makes us what or who we are.