Alignment: Neutral

Domains: Sun, Knowledge, Magic

The god/goddess of the sun and moon, this deity changes form and sex with the rising of the sun. She becomes female during the day, and male again during the night. Both of these forms remain distant from the affairs of mortals, as appropriate to their positions in the heavens. Priests of this deity mimic the duality of their chosen, wearing dual colored robes and armor of black and gold to represent the dual nature of the god. Those who are truly devoted will dress in the clothing of their opposite gender so they can represent this deity better.
—-

A deity representing light and dark, day and night Wo’ren/Wo’raeth shares the duality of day and night in body. During the day the deity takes on a female aspect named Wo’raeth while at night it becomes male and takes the name Wo’ren. Unlike many gods that may have separate personalities to represent both aspects and sexes, this deity shares one mind between both bodies and has its attitudes and perceptions shaped by the duality of body. This deity remains aloof from most of the affairs of the material world, as suits its position in the heavens, it remains separate and above it all. This deity concerns itself with the celestial balance, making sure that no faction among the gods gains any more power then any other faction. Wo’ren’s perception of balance is seen by many as arbitrary and disconnected from the affairs of either the celestial, as well as the physical planes. Quite often the balance of power will sway one way or another and Wo’ren will do nothing to intervene. This god’s life on both sides, light and dark has taught it that all change is temporary and what swings one way will most often swing the other. Only in the most extreme cases will this god actually intervene in the course of events, if the actions of one of the other gods or a mortal on the material plane threaten to upset the celestial balance permanently. Even in these cases this deity acts in subtle ways, through its own agents or through independent groups of people that it influences in subtle ways. There have been few events that have drawn enough of Wo’raeth’s attention to cause her to step down from her celestial abode to take a personal hand in matters in either the celestial or the material worlds. In those cases this deity’s power has demonstrated to be immense, and after a few demonstrations no god has challenged or provoked him/her again. The influx of new refugees has made little difference to this deity, as it is simply more elements in the great celestial equation in Wo’ren/Wo’raeth’s self-appointed task to maintain the balance.

Wo’ren/Wo’raeth’s temples are usually in places where the priests can watch and observe the celestial movements of sun and moon. These places are refuges of study, and many claim the priests are more interested in the heavens then the world they live in. These more philosophic studies conceal a deeper mission, the high priests will often send their people out on obscure missions that few understand. It is guessed that these quests assist their god’s goal in maintaining the balance on the material and in the celestial realms, though no one has yet seen enough of the big picture to make sense of what these obscure missions might mean. Within the temple itself rank is determined by direct contact with their patron. The priests have learned not to question these edicts, even on occasions when a new or very young priest has been elevated to power. As an act of faith they take such promotions without argument, as there is always a reason for such acts, even if such reasons may not be known for decades, or even centuries in the future. The most devoted of this deity’s followers try to mirror the duality of their god. These devotees often dress up in the clothing of the opposite gender to represent such duality. The most prestigious act a follower of Wo’ren/Wo’raeth can take is a quest to find one of those rare cursed items that can change the gender of the wearer from one sex to the other. For the followers of this deity it is not seen as a curse, and finding such an item is considered to be a blessing from the heavens.

Elves and other long-lived races find it easier to worship this deity then others. These races’ long lives allow them to see more of the results of the actions of this deity, though even the long lived elves have not yet seen the full tapestry woven from the plots and actions of this deity. The worshippers of this god are also devoutly lawful neutral, as they follow the edicts of Wo’Ren/Wo’Raeth without question, and without doubt.

© 2003, Geoffrey Quick All Rights Reserved.