Samaria

Title Light of the Sword Lady of Valor
Portfolio Honor Justice Rulership Valor
Alignment Lawful Good
Worshipers Paladins, knights, warriors
Worshiper Alignment LG,LN,NG
Domains Glory, Good, Law, Sun, War
Subdomains Archon, Day, Heroism, Honor, Light, Tactics
Symbol Sword and sun
Allows creation or rising of undead: No
Favored Weapon Longsword
Favored Animal(s) Lion

Samaria is the Goddess of honor, justice, rulership, and valor

Obedience

Hold your primary weapon in front of you and hang a holy symbol of Samaria from it. Kneel while focusing on the holy symbol, pray for guidance and protection from her and swear to follow her teachings. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on Diplomacy and Knowledge (nobility) checks.

Dogma

Samaria used to be a Human woman that lived in Aleris about 700 years ago.she was a hero and a saint before her ascension having done many great deeds for man kind and saved them from many a tyranical threat.her personal life is unknown only her deeds that lead to her ascension.

She is a righteous knight, fearless in fighting for her beliefs, and a missionary and crusader on behalf of the benign sovereignty of good and merciful justice for evil. She would rather convince evildoers to lay down their arms
in honorable surrender than cut them down, but she will wield her mighty sword against those who persist in serving evil. She loathes incorrigible evil, fiendspawn, traitors, and those who abuse good in the name
of"greater" good. Samaria's avatar appears as a fierce Alerian swordswoman, resplendent in gleaming battle armor with heraldic markings, and brandishing a longsword and shield. When she is roused to battle, her white cloak turns red and her white-and-gold armor turns the silvergray of adamantine. The light from her shield blinds all evil, the force of her aura causing the corrupt to weaken

She shows her approval of mortals by making mundane objects take on swordlike forms, bathing her chosen warriors in mysterious white or golden lights, and exerting a compass-like pull on longswords to guide her servants. Common folk pushed to defend themselves may happen upon an old, rusty blade that still has the strength of a new weapon and grows shinier the more it is used in the name of justice and honor. Samaria shows her displeasure by flickering lights, shattering weapons, and turning metal dull. In the rare cases where one of her paladins embraces evil, it is said that the traitor's cloak shifts to black and his shining metal armor and sword turn to dull lead.

As the major deity who was most recently mortal herself, Samaria has a strong empathic sense of human frailties and the costs of oppression. She ensures that her temples are havens for the weak and the overlooked, and many who initially come to her for refuge go on to become great warriors. Samaria is both fiercely martial and adamantly feminine, and commands the respect of any deity who deals with her. She expects her mortal servants to exercise courtesy and receive the same in their dealings with one another.

Samaria's holy symbol is "the sword of valor," a longsword surrounded by a burst of light, whether sunlight, fire, or some other energy. She is associated with lions, horses, eagles, griffons, and hippogriffs.

The Church

While members of some other virtuous faiths take a "live and let live" approach to dealing with the rest of the world, Samaria's followers strongly desire justice for everyone, honorable behavior from each individual, and
righteous leaders making good decisions for the welfare of all. A typical follower of Samaria is a right-minded, hardworking person, helpful toward others and ready to accept help when it is offered. Though a Samarite looks to church heroes to reshape the world into a better form through sword and spell, she also understands that fixing the world can be done through everyday activities like feeding one's family and friends, making one's
environment cleaner and safer for oneself and others, and ensuring that the local market is a welcoming and fair place.

The church is organized into circles of 10 to 50 priests or knights of similar ability, attitude, and rank, led by a Sword Knight. The high priest or priestess is called the First Sword Knight of Samaria; her circle is the first
circle, comprised of i4 Second Sword Knights, each of whom leads a second circle, and so on. There is much competition to join circles led by a famous Sword Knights, and it is a mark of honor to be selected for such a knight's
circle. The Sword Knight ranks correspond to military ranks in standard armies (general, colonel, captain, and so on). Temple music is composed to inspire courage and invigorate tired flesh, with upbeat marching tempos,
repeated choruses, and simple harmonies.

It is traditional for a young priest of Samaria to receive a gift of a sword when she leaves the temple to enact the goddess's will; in some cases, this is a weapon once used by a senior priest or other hero of the church. Some
blades have passed through many hands, as Samaria believes it is wasteful to bury a perfectly good weapon with the dead; the only time a fallen hero is buried with his weapon is if it was broken or if there is unusual magic tying it to him, and even in these cases the weapons have been known to turn up in moments of great need, as if plucked from the tombs by the goddess herself It is common for the faithful to bury a small token sword (often just an inch long and usually made of copper, tin, brass, or bronze) with their dead, believing the sword will fight battles on behalf of the good soul so that person can remain at rest. In poorer communities, the dead are buried with paper or wood

stamped or branded with a sword symbol. So great is the church's fixation on swords that even wedding rings for those married in the church are usually engraved with a sword as a sign of devotion and fidelity. Just as swords are generally kept in the hands of the living, it is rare for worshipers to be buried in armor. Most faithful who are wealthy enough to own armor usually bequeath it to close relatives or their favorite temples so that it may find use in the goddess's name even after they are gone.

Samarites' preference for law and order results in strong church support for marriage, and equally strong disapproval of adultery, abuse, and other activities that threaten healthy relationships. Even if it goes against
local tradition, the church teaches that spouses retain their individual rights and are not property, and temples provide shelter if necessary to individuals seeking divorce. Likewise, it insists that children must be treated with love and respect, though this does not preclude an appropriate level of discipline. The church's focus on self-discipline and honor in action and appearance lead most of the faithful to consider poorly behaved children or a family
that appears unkempt or unruly a great embarrassment, both to themselves and to their community.

Of all the good churches on Erin, Samaria's is the most aggressive in seeking out and fighting evil. Her priests prefer to be out questing rather than doing mundane tasks in a city. Older and infirm priests who cannot handle the rigors of battle work in courtrooms and as advisors to nobles and city leaders, or else train the next generation of crusaders. Layfolk and talented acolytes staff most in-city positions, and see to the auxiliary needs of
the church, helping run temple-owned farms, smithies, and shops.

While the church as a whole may have to make hard choices about how to dedicate resources, it is not monolithic: individual worshipers are still encouraged to protect their own communities and fight injustice wherever they find it.

Temples and Shrines

Samaria's temples are whitewashed buildings that double as courts and living space for holy knights. Each has at least one fortified tower or wing that is easily defensible even if the rest of the structure is razed. Arched entrances, pillared courtyards, statues of knights, high stained-glass windows, and large fountains are common decorations. While priests and knights set aside an hour per day for prayer, the church usually only holds
public worship once a week for an hour or two depending on local interest.The devout often create a shrine of stones on the site of any great battle fought in the name of Samaria sometimes capping it with a broken sword thrust into the top of the pile. Flat stones carved with the goddess's symbol, sculptures of inverted swords, or simple crosses representing sword hilts mark the graves of the faith, as well as locations of miracles or sites important to saints of the church.

Taboos

If you see an opportunity to right a wrong and fail to take it, you have sinned against Samaria and must perform a penance that fixes the original situation. If that’s not possible, you must find three others like it and make those right instead. You must stand for justice, and the only exception is if you are playing a longer game that will have far greater benefits when it comes to fruition. Should you fail in this, you may lose traits and class abilities related to your faith until you complete your penance

A Priest's role

All of Samaria's priests are clerics or paladins, although she has many rangers, inquisitors, and cavaliers serving the church in important roles, as well as a wide variety of lay worshipers. An ideal day for a Samarite priest varies. For those within military organizations or entrenched in battle, ritual takes a back seat to doing whatever is necessary to further the cause of justice and light, and for a priest to stand on ceremony at the cost of the church's goals would be highly shameful. As such, priests in war zones tend to act much like chaplains or military commanders rather than city priests.

If there is no sign of active villainy, priests travel, perhaps in ways that help local officials (such as transporting a criminal from a remote town to a city's jail). City priests keep their ears to the ground for news of local crime, always ready to attack a thieves' guild's headquarters, uncover an evil cult, or slay some monster fresh from the depths. To perform their duties, most priests have ranks in Diplomacy, Heal, and Knowledge (history and nobility).

It's common for a seasoned priest to mentor an acolyte as ifhe were a squire, though the priest never endangers the acolyte unless the church grants permission for such activity.

Priests must act honorably, show courage in battle, uphold righteous laws, bring evildoers to justice, and generally conduct themselves like great knights. Even the most battle-weary stand proud and tall in the presence of common folk and impressionable youths. Priests have a reputation for trustworthiness that serves them well in political affairs, and while few choose to retire to political offices such as judge or magistrate, having a Samarite priest as a witness in a trial is highly advantageous. To a Samarite,the quest for justice and need to work hard for the betterment of all is never complete.

Holy Text

The one book common to all churches is The Acts of Samaria, usually just called The Acts by the faithful. The book is a recounting of 11 miracles performed by Samaria while she was still a mortal as demonstrations
Individual churches usually keep a ledger of names of local heroes and saints, important battles that took place nearby, and inspirational tales that reinforce the ideals of the faith. Given the relative newness of Samaria's faith, there are no myths associated with her, at least none commonly accepted as fact by the entire church; the truth of the Acts takes the place of myths of the faith.

Relation With Other Gods

Samaria is on good terms with Avasir, Gavet , Alaister, Eyvra, Callie, and Kamus holding common interests with each of them. Of these, she particularly appreciates Avasir for civilization's formalized systems of justice, Eyvra for her righteous fervor, and Kamus for his military expertise. She does not deal with fiends of any status, has little to do with evil deities, and enlists the aid of the Empyreal Lords when appropriate, though she defers to Eyvra if the elder goddess needs them first. Samaria is very fond of Alcestis, whom she calls her sister, and is always ready to support the Everbloom when it is time to act. To all other deities she is indifferent, hoping to inspire them to great deeds but not setting her plans aside to do so.

Samaria's faithful are eager to aid members of other good faiths in any organized attempts to stamp out evil or mediate conflicts, and while most attempt not to be overbearing about it, they are certainly willing to try to sway prospective converts to the path of the Inheritor. Privately, many find followers of Eyvra and Kamus most rewarding to work with; Eyvra's faith includes a healthy contingent of holy crusaders, and the practical military expertise of Kamus's followers comes in handy in a fight.

Samaria's Paladin Code

The paladins of samaria are just and strong, crusaders who live for the joy of righteous battle. Their mission is to right the wrongs and eliminate evil at its root. They serve as examples to others, and their code demands they protect the weak and innocent by eliminating the sources of oppression rather than merely the symptoms. They may Back down or withdraw from a fight if they are overmatched, but if their lives will buy time for others to escape , they must give them. Their tenets include the following affirmations.

  • I will learn the weight of my sword. Without my heart to guide it, It is worthless my strength is not in my sword, but in my heart. If i lose my sword , i have lost a tool. If i betray my heart, i have died.
  • I will have faith in Samaria. I will channel her strength through my body. I will shine her in her legion, and i will not tarnish her glory through base actions.
  • I am the first into battle, and the last to leave it.
  • I will not be taken prisoner by my free will. I will not surrender those under my command.
  • I will never abandon a companion, though i will honor sacrifice freely given.
  • I will guard the honor of my fellows, both in thought and deed, and i will always have faith in them.
  • When in doubt, i may force my enemies to surrender, but i am responsible for their lives.
  • I will never refuse a challenge from a equal. I will give honor to worthy enemies , and contempt to the rest.
  • I will suffer death before dishonor.
  • I will be temperate in my actions and moderate in my behavior. I will Strive to emulate samaria's Perfection.

The following content has been adopted from the god, Iomedae, created by Paizo. Due to the game's individual setting, races, names and locations may be altered or removed entirely. Please recognize that these gods are not canon to the world of Golarion, so any comments, complaints, or concerns can be directed to the game's admin staff for further inquiry and answers. Thank you in advance.

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