Marya

Marya
Titles	Red Rose Bleeding Rose Bringer of Bread
Type	Greater deity
Areas of concern	Liberation, martyrdom, food, agriculture
Typical worshipers	Revolutionaries, agitators, farmers, hunter-gatherers
Domains	Ambition, Change, Confidence, Freedom, Zeal
Divine font	Heal
Divine skill	Society or Survival
Divine ability	Charisma or Strength
Favored weapon	Morningstar
Symbol	Rose flower
Sacred animal	Elephant
Sacred color	Dark red and white

Even if you have only two loaves of bread, trade one to your neighbor for flowers, for bread is food for the body, but flowers are food for the soul.

—Excerpt from a manifesto written by a Talamite revolutionary

Marya (pronounced MAR-yah) is the goddess of liberation, martyrdom, food, and agriculture.

Edicts and anathema

Edicts

Fight for those that cannot fight for themselves, resist oppression, give what you can to support others, be willing to suffer hardship for your cause

Anathema

Support or tolerate oppression, follow orders unquestioningly, hoard resources

Description

Marya is the sister of Laverna, twin goddesses born from the same moment. Both sprung forth when the first mortal beings observed the world the gods had created and desired something else. Where Laverna represents the desire for complete personal independence, Marya instead personifies the drive for freedom and self-determination for one’s community. Despite their similarities in the beginning, the followers of each goddess have taken their faiths in quite different directions.

Legends hold that Marya looked across the world in her first moments and saw the plight of its people. Struggling to feed themselves, they barely held to life, with no opportunities to enjoy the beauty around them. Marya knew she could not sit by and watch. She snuck into the caches of seeds the other gods had used to sow the first plants, and began casting them by the handful down to the world. Edible plants and flowers alike began to sprout from these seeds, transforming the once almost barren landscape into a garden. The people rejoiced but the other gods took notice as well. Marya had stolen the plants the gods had reserved for themselves, and for this she was punished, driven away from the conclave to fend for herself in the void.

Marya still occupies the position of an outsider in most pantheons, something her followers enthusiastically embrace. To them, there is no purpose to enjoying plenitude if others must suffer. Marya and her clergy teach that inviting hardship on yourself is a noble act when done in the service of your community. Any who would oppress the common people are enemies of her faith, but particular ire is always held for those that hoard resources while others struggle to get by.

Followers

Marya is the patron of revolutionaries, agitators, and those seeking greater freedom and independence for themselves and their communities. She is also widely worshiped by farmers, pastoralists, and hunter-gatherers, especially those living in regions of scarcity.

Marya's faith is especially strong today in Talam Galta, where she is seen as the patron of the Free People who rebelled against Koritanite control. Her influence also slowly grows in Tirione's colonies around the western Chaska Sea.

Church structure

Followers of Marya eschew any church structure, believing that a strongly organized faith cannot meaningfully address the changing needs of its adherents. Many regional congregations organize together, but always as equals who consult each other on matters. While clerics and champions of the goddess work together frequently, they have adopted many differing ways of worshiping Marya while holding to her tenets.

Holy text

Marya has multiple holy texts. One of the most widely read is the Manifesto Towards Freedom, a work describing the actions one should take to gain freedom from unwanted overlords. In some regions, particularly in Ishtar, her clergy publish almanacs containing prayers to the goddess interspersed between advice on farming, recipes, calendars, and more. Maryanite clerics often distribute manifestos and pamphlets published on seed paper that can later be planted - rose seeds are especially popular for this use.

The paper of Marya's holy texts are often made in part with rose petals, giving them a distinctive appearance, texture, and aroma.

Relations

Followers of Marya generally have quite good relations with Laverna, though they often see her faith as being too self-interested and believe they could be stronger and more influential if working together. The religions of strongly lawful deities are viewed negatively by Maryanites, especially those of Harinna and Hasamel, as they are perceived as too stifling and willing to tolerate injustice. Socharin is thought of highly by most Maryanites, however, largely due to their shared concern towards farmers and others who tend the earth.

Marya's faith is most strongly opposed to that of Malavisch. Both religions see each other as mortal enemies - the ongoing revolution by Talam Galta against Koritan is in some senses a proxy war between the two faiths.

Depiction

Marya is usually depicted in a humanoid form, frequently dressed in the garb of a farmer or laborer. She is often shown leaving a path of rose petals behind her, a flower said to not exist in the world until she cast its seeds to the ground.

Variations by pantheon

Pantheon	Name	Notes
Aserdian	Izar	In the Aserdian pantheon, Izar is a god of farmers, pastoralists, and hunter-gatherers. She is seen as much less of a liberatory goddess, and is instead viewed as the deity that provided the people of the world with all the food they could eat. She is often prayed to before a harvest or when attempting to locate a meal.
Chaskan	Marya	In the Chaskan pantheon, worship of Marya has traditionally been strongly focused on her aspect as a god of agriculture. Farmers in regions following the Chaskan pantheon have long prayed to Marya for a good harvest. More recently, especially in regions like Koritan, the Western Coast, and Tirione's colonies, Marya's teachings about liberation have gained many adherents. Both sides of the goddess' religion are now influential, though sometimes clerics emphasizing one school of thought find each other in search of common ground with the other.
Hellean	Parrhesia	In the Hellean pantheon, Parrhesia is connected to Hellea's long tradition of impassioned debates and oration. She is seen as the inevitable clash of ideas that leads not only to liberation of people but also to liberation of thought. Her liberatory aspects are very much present, but her clergy usually promote trying to achieve freedom through the frank exchange of ideas rather than through forceful means. Parrhesia maintains her aspect as a god of agriculture, while simultaneously filling a different role as the patron of chefs and those that enjoy fine foods.
Laurentian	Maron	In the Laurentian pantheon, Maron is worshiped mostly for her importance as a goddess of agriculture and food.
Elven	Isan	In the Elven pantheon, Isan is worshiped mostly for her importance as a goddess of agriculture and food.
Orcish	Ranash	In the Orcish pantheon, Ranash is the goddess that sows the world with plentiful food, a view especially held to by hunter-gatherer communities. Particularly good hunts are thought to be blessed by Ranash, as are areas where resources can be found with ease. Her liberatory aspects are still present, though mostly directed at outsiders who would push the community away from their territory and homes.