Vandra

Greater Goddess
 * Symbol: An angelic figure wreathed by a halo
 * Home Plane: Mount Celestia
 * Alignment: Lawful Good
 * Portfolio: Victory, honor, war
 * Clergy Alignments: Lawful Good, Neutral Good, Lawful Neutral
 * Domains: Glory, Good, Law, Nobility, War
 * Favored Weapons: Longspear, longsword

Vandra is the goddess of victory and honor. Her title is Lady Victory. She is considered by most scholars to be one of the most powerful living gods. Faotim was her husband for a time, and Calvirian, the sun god, and Luto, the goddess of motherhood, are Faotim and Vandra's children. Her sister Thryn is the goddess of slavery and is her eternal enemy. She is currently married to Rast, who fights an eternal war against Thryn. Dammarian is her son with Rast.

Dogma The pursuit of honorable victory is the highest of ideals. Have compassion and love for those weaker than you, for they cannot gain victory for themselves. Instead, they rely upon you to win the victory for them.

Be loyal, obedient, and dutiful, upholding laws, rules, and the most ethical stances through both unwavering support and armed vigilance, for by this is the sweetest victory won. Seek corruption constantly and stamp it out. Give swift but brutal death to traitors. Where laws are unjust or flawed, as the laws of men can often be, urge improvements and alternatives rather than a confusion of ever more laws.

Train lawkeepers and judges to be just, and watch over them to ensure that they perform with impartiality. Serve with all your heart as well as your reason. Every failure of duty saddens Lady Victory; every success empowers her and brightens the world.

Question your actions and stances rather than sinking into the sin of self-righteousness. Always be vigilant; Vandra watches you, and expects you to watch and guide others.

Clergy and Temples The clerical order dedicated to Lady Victory is known as the Church of Vandra. It as a very structured organization, led by a man known as the High Bishop. He oversees the doctrine of the Church; if the High Bishop says it, the Church teaches it is so.

Directly beneath the High Bishop are the four Archbishops, each of whom governs a different region of churches in Ohma. There are two Archbishops for the Free Cities of Alnia, one for Westmark, and one for Ysgard. The heads of each church are called Bishops, and they oversee the priests in their church and lead their flock.

The Oath of Vandra
I, being dedicated wholly to the service of Vandra, Lady Victory, Goddess of Justice and Queen of the Gods, do solemnly swear to uphold these strictures in accordance to the decrees of our High Bishop, directly given by our goddess. I understand that failure to adhere to this oath is a failure to my goddess, to my church, and to my fellow man.

I will never lie. My word is my bond. I will never intentionally deceive or mislead another, even in the service of good. I may choose not to answer, but to lie is unacceptable. I will never steal. If an item belongs to another, I may not take it for myself. In an emergency, I may commandeer necessary provisions, such as horses, food, or weapons, but I will always make reparations to the injured party.

I will be honorable in combat. I will employ no unfair advantage against my enemy. I will not attack from behind. I will not fight ‘dirty’. I will never slander another, and if anyone slanders me, I will resolve the challenge in single combat. If I lose, I will concede to my opponent’s martial prowess, pray and practice, so that when the time comes, my faith will lift me to victory. If I must die for the cause of good, then I will do so with honor and dignity. I will not throw my life away, and will retreat if it is necessary. If my opponent surrenders, he will be spared and given proper mercy. I will never torture an opponent who has surrendered. I will never charge headlong if I can take the time to devise a strategy. I will fight smart and fight hard.

I will deal honorably with prisoners. Should an opponent ask for quarter from me, I will grant it unless there is no way to get him to the proper authorities, or if, having been granted before, the opponent escapes and returns to his evil ways. If I give quarter to a foe, he becomes my charge, and I take full responsibility for his safety and well-being until he can be given to the authorities. If a prisoner dies while in my charge, I become responsible for making reparations to his family or, if possible, returning him to life to be charged by the proper authorities.

I will always be chivalrous. I will come to the aid of those who cannot defend themselves. I will treat all ladies with respect, even those who do not act ladylike. I will obey the law and follow proper procedures in all official dealings. I will show respect and deference to nobles and government officials. There is no shame in acknowledging someone’s martial prowess over my own if he is truly more skilled than I, and there is no shame in conceding if someone who clearly is more skilled than I if he challenges me. I will not challenge anyone who is clearly less skilled or inferior in skill to myself unless there is a truly just reason.

I will serve my Goddess above all others. The aims and goals of the church outweigh any personal desires or goals, or the desires and goals of my friends or family. The words of priests and clergymen are directly inspired by Vandra, except in the case that Vandra herself speaks to me directly. Frocked clergymen of the Church of Vandra will be given proper respect and deference by myself and all those with whom I travel. I will respect all other faiths. Except for those who worship the gods of evil, everyone is entitled to practice whatever faith they wish. I will show them respect and will only proselytize if they are open and willing to listen. The followers of other gods may be misguided, but even some misguided souls can serve the greater good.