Rada
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Interaction, community, growth and trade are among the things patroned by the divine power of Rada who fathered the seas and those who dwell within. A master of commerce and a lord of travel, Rada's power touches on all shores of the known world. His name is known in many places, for the seas touch upon all corners of Gaea and trade and commerce are part of the life blood that make civilization continue.
Seen by some as a fickle god who favors neither calm seas nor wild ones, Rada instead sees the oceans as an avenue of travel and balance. Therefore, though he claims a sort of kinship with other deities, he keeps mostly to his own, contenting himself instead with the flow and tread of commerce, and the weight of the sea. The sometime exception to this is Dana, with whom he shares a sort of partnership and protectorship. As the great world serpent, it is said that he wards the world from the adverse effects of The Ethereal Sea and properly allows the sea to bathe Gaea and nourish her.
Where others reign in the skies, Rada's power remains eternal and rooted in the mysteries and depths of the ocean and in those who travel it. More primitive cultures see Rada as the Enveloper of the world. The Encircling Serpent which is how many sea folk, monsters and barbarians traditionally view him.
Dogma
Love, respect and fear the power of the seas and those within it. Anything less is inviting disaster for there is no power more ancient, greater and more majestic then that of the seas. It washes away the earth, it covers islands, it grants life to the storm and power to the rains. From The True Source came the seas and from the seas came life.
The power of life and death is in water. Love it, nurture it and protect those who are within it. Use the gifts that the oceans, rivers and lakes bring you with wisdom for Rada can swallow up all that is and bring a great drought upon you in his wrath. Sailors are to pay great heed and homage to these words and it is wise to seek the blessing of a priest of the great leviathan before setting out into his domain.
Clergy and Temples
| Titles | |
| Cleric | Current |
| Druid | Gale |
| Inquisitor | ...coming soon! |
Rada's priesthood primarily concentrates in the major sea and trade ports of the world where they are highly sought after to give blessings over major transactions and to also guide and protect those who travel the water ways, especially those who do so in the name of trade and the spreading of ideas. In lands that follow Rada's more monstrous aspects, members of his clergy dwell in sea caves and live lives as hermits, coming to aid of local villages that rely on fishing or placating what they perceive to be the anger of the world serpent. Other clerics sell their services to captains who are about to put out to sea, either offering blessings or casting certain spells to help assure a safe travel for the ship through the perilous storms upon the oceans of the world. His shrines are run differently in different parts of the world and in different cultures and The Enveloper is known by many different names.
Clerical Vestments
Clerics of Rada often dress simply, though they proudly wear the medallion of faith that represents their calling. No matter how dangerous the dock areas may be, they can typically walk through there unmolested and without fear. The priesthood of The Enveloper is not very organized outside of small cults and sects that share similar doctrines and rituals. Most of his clergy can be found gathered in small shrines and temples devoted to him in sea ports and towns and then in their dock areas. Riverside shrines are not uncommon in fishing villages and along very lengthy and particularly dangerous routes to travel. Priests of The Enveloper often dress as simple men and women, though they proudly wear the medallion of faith that represents their calling. No matter how dangerous the dock areas may be, they can typically walk through there unmolested and without fear.
Some members of his clergy dwell in sea caves and live lives as hermits, coming to aid of local villages that rely on fishing or placating what they perceive to be the anger of the world serpent. Other clerics sell their services to captains who are about to put out to sea, either offering blessings or casting certain spells to help assure a safe travel for the ship through the perilous storms upon the oceans of the world. Saughin and other evil creatures of the sea also follow The Enveloper and they are quick to bring the wrath of the oceans down upon their enemies.
Avatars
The Enveloper takes many forms and delights in the untamed vastness of the creativity of the oceans, but he is traditionally depicted one of several ways. His most known aspect is that of the Encircling Serpent which is how many sea folk, monsters and barbarians traditionally view him. This spiritual titan is of unfathomable size and scope, with coils that wrap about mountain ranges and that delve into the deepest parts of the ocean. The serpent encircles the world completely. As the great world serpent, it is said that he wards the world from the adverse effects of The Ethereal Sea and properly allows the sea to bathe Gaea and nourish her. Dragon kind most recognizes The Enveloper in this aspect and give homage to him in this manner. To humans he is both world serpent and the King of the Deeps. As The King of the Deeps he is a great and mighty king, trident wielding and crowned with storm and a beard composed of the foam of the oceans. His eyes are deep and dark like the greatest depths and his strength and influence as fathomless as the scale of the Sea of Ea. His mansions are at the edge of the Ethereal Sea, within sight of Gaea and within sight of the Beyond and here he and his hosts move about and journey from ocean to ocean to nurture and protect the waters of the world.