Why wait to be given what you could claim for yourself? Take from the table, don’t be content with scraps. No law that constrains is worth the clay in which it is written. Be unbound.—Excerpt from writings by the Orange Lotus Fleet cleric Eye of the Typhoon
Laverna (pronounced lah-VER-nah) is a pantheonic goddess commonly associated with trickery, personal freedom, self-interest, and spite.
Aserdian pantheon
Chaskan pantheon
Neither Laverna nor her worshipers tolerate others telling them what is allowed and what is forbidden. To her faithful, to desire something for oneself is all the justification needed to take it. Opportunism, self-interest, self-preservation - these are the highest tenets of Laverna.
Laverna particularly favors those that find creative means to undermine others who stand in their way. Tricksters, pranksters, and those that find ways to thrive in the cracks in society are said to be smiled upon by Laverna. According to her clerics, she cares not if one attempts to change an unfair situation, only if one manages to thrive despite the odds against them.
Though the best known of Laverna's followers are the pirates, bandits, and other outlaws attracted to her faith, most are simply individuals who wish to find their own ways, free of the constraints imposed by others. Adventurers, wanderers, misfits - many find reason to worship Laverna. Those that chafe under authority yet are not particularly drawn to the revolutionary ideals of Marya often find their way to Laverna.
Laverna is the sister of Marya, 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 Marya personifies the drive for freedom and self-determination for one's community, Laverna instead represents the desire for complete personal independence. Despite their similarities in the beginning, the followers of each goddess have taken their faiths in quite different directions.
There is no organized church to Laverna. There are few temples to the goddess either, as most of her followers prefer to find their own interpretations of their goddess' values.
Two of Laverna's holy texts are particularly widely read:
- Code of Laverna
- The Code of Laverna is a collection of tenets that her faithful attribute to their goddess. Most provide instruction on how to respond if one is slighted in some way. This text is particularly favored by pirates.
- Under the Surface, Under the Skin
- Under the Surface, Under the Skin is a long narrative about an unnamed thief and their struggles to survive and thrive as they travel between Viridia and Kea Racha during the early 9th millennium. Her followers debate endlessly as to whether the story is fictional or an accurate account.
Laverna is often depicted in an animal form, frequently a fox, seagull, racoon, or other small, mischievous creature. Her followers eschew portraying her as larger than life or in a dramatic manner, viewing her more as an old friend than a remote deity to be obeyed unconditionally. Unusually, clerics of Laverna openly promote questioning the tenets of the goddess, without fearing that it could invoke her anger.
Edicts and anathema
- Edicts
- Take what you desire, take revenge on those that have slighted you, pull pranks
- Anathema
- Allow others to compromise your goals, follow laws you disagree with, admit defeat