Mara

As the wife to Byrne, Mara is seen as as both a great matronly beauty and nurturing mother. She is strong, sturdy, and caring with a gift for both poetry and music. In some temples she is even depicted with child; although none of the gods have yet to produce offspring. Mara watches over new houses, blesses faithful families with many children, and cures the sick of their ailments.

Mara's commonly seen as a beautiful woman with long, curly brown tresses and soft brown eyes. Her inward calm has a similar effect on all of those who look upon her. The remaining descriptions depend on what her worshippers wish to see. As the new wife she is dressed in long toga or simple tunic. As the mother she is often shown both with child and holding another. When worshipped as the healer she is kneeling in a nurturing position with her arms outstretched.

She is the mother of all humans and as such takes a great deal of interest in their progress. While she is often saddened by their desire for war, greed, and conquest — she also sees their caring devotion and love for children. Many times she has shielded them from the excesses of her fellow gods and once she went to war to protect her charges.

The temples of Mara are some of the most widespread and accepted of the gods. Her clerics serve as healers, midwives, and helpers in the areas where they serve. Unlike most of other clerics who are there to teach or convert the people, the clerics of Mara are there to serve and tend to the needs of the people. To accomplish this Mara sent her followers throughout the land to heal the sick and aid the wounded. Overtime her clerics have become the symbols for peace and healing, a reputation that has lasted through the ages. In most cases this protects them upon the field of battle as a cleric of Mara can only take up arms in defense of the defenseless.

Mara's temples come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but all are open to those people in need of help. They have beds for the sick, assist the crippled, bless new children, and seal marriages in the name of Mara. The clerics go out among the people and help in whatever way they can. The larger temples maintain a poor house and often an orphanage where children stay until they can be found apprenticeships or families that will take them in.

Mara has been linked to a golden circles, a five-pointed blue star, chained hands, or a small blue flame. In each case the banner is an undecorated white field. Worshippers of Mara often pray with a small prayer circle wrapped around a five-pointed star. This is typically kissed or stroked when they are beseeching the goddess' intervention. They also burn a sweet incense and home shrines will typically have a statue of Mara kneeling with her arms outstretched.

Clerics of Mara can be recognized by their headdresses which are white with blue trim. Often complex embroidery is worked within the trim. While in the fields or mine the headdress is pulled around over the mouth or up over the head. During ritual, the cleric will wear a white robe with a blue rope around the waist, cinched at their left shoulder, then tied off on their left wrist. Other clerics will move among the people carrying the artifacts so that they may be touched and the people receive her blessing.

Mara is well-loved by noble and commoner alike. While there have been specific instances where a noble lord has tried to challenge the church's right to heal enemy soldiers &mdask; most nobles understand once the battlelust passes that the same clerics are tending to their own soldiers. The temples of Mara are considered off-limits to any that would seek to do violence.

This order was formed during the War of the Heavens when the clerics of Mara were being slaughtered by the serpentmen. Mara refused to allow her clerics to bring harm to another when the world needed more healing not death. With this edict a group of warriors gave up their swords and poleaxes in exchange for shod clubs and quarterstaves. While it was still possible to kill with these weapons, Mara found the compromise acceptable — thus the Order of the Blue Shield was founded to protect the clerics of Mara when they could not protect themselves. When Mara marched to war, the Order of the Blue Shield traded in their staves and clubs for spears maces — she still would not allow the sword, but those weapons of the house could be used in war when necessary.

Rituals performed by Mara's clerics are long and complicated involving a great many symbols and praises sung to her name. The worshippers will intone liturgies and sing hymns in time to the instruments used by the other clerics. Triangles, drums, and flutes are the most common.

During the War of the Heavens worshippers of Mara were at the front lines of the war with the serpentmen healing the injured and protecting the innocent. Her worshippers died by the thousands as the serpentmen had little care even when those same clerics helped their wounded. It is said that is the was brutal death of one little girl that changed the tide of battle. Mara took up the mantel of Defender of the Home and marched with her warriors into battle. With her clerics and holy warriors she waded into the heart of the battle in the defense of homes and families threatened.