Cult of Saint Alicia

[Ebiris]

Alicia Reynes
Queen of the Battlefield, The Righteous Avenger
Neophyte Quasipower
Symbol: Black queen chess piece viewed from above
Home Plane: Sylica
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Magic, battle, justice, perseverence
Worshippers: Warriors, guards, spellswords, adventurers
Cleric Alignments: LG, NG, CG
Domains: War, Magic, Good
Favoured Weapon: Hell Striker (Falchion)

Alicia Reynes is the patron of those who selflessly fight for the safety and happiness of others. She encourages those who venerate her name to endlessly strive to improve themselves, both in terms of their skills and the impact they have on the world. A wandering duellist constantly seeking perfection but spurning those perceived as weaker would receive no comfort from Alicia - in her ethos the purpose of might is to shield the weak, and power for its own sake is meaningless.

Like Mystra, Alicia sponsors the growth of magic, viewing it as a vital facet of the world, and also like Mystra she cautions against relying too much upon it. Not just in terms of broadening one's skills to handle all situations, but also to avoid using it as a crutch for mundane things that could be accomplished with the expenditure of a little more effort and ambition.

While Alicia does preach the virtues of honour and chivalry, and considers mercy to a defeated foe to be among the noblest of acts, she also places a particularly high value on tactics, which places her closer to Red Knight than to Tyr in terms of what she expects of her followers in battle. As she encourages her followers to broaden the scope of their knowledge, she likewise teaches them to seek every advantage that can be sought prior to battle. To her there is no shame in using subterfuge and distraction to ensure victory against a superior opponent.

As a particularly young power, Alicia does not have much in the way of formal worshippers. Those she does have tend to more martially than magically inclined, such as militiamen and kind-hearted mercenaries, people inspired by the deeds of her life more than anything else. However, word continues to spread of her ascension, and it is certain that with as many people who's lives she changed for the better over the years, her following will expand and grow more well rounded as the tenets of her faith are codified.

At present there are no recognised holy days devoted to Alicia.

History/Relationships

Alicia is a young and energetic deity, having only recently ascended after an eventful mortal life of both heroism and tragedy. The prime material she originates from was until very recently sealed away from the rest of reality in the aftermath of a cataclysmic war between the Gods and an ascendant self proclaimed 'God-King', becoming a living saint of Mystra as her world became more open to the planes, a title she is still sometimes known by despite her attempts to style herself in the manner of a queen since coming to rule over Sylica.

Having lived in a world where the Gods were nearly silent has coloured Alicia's beliefs about the role of a deity, and while she keeps a close eye on her faithful she tries to avoid giving them overt displays of her strength, believing that her followers will flourish more by relying on their own will and intuition. This does not keep her from providing clandestine aid to encourage their growth, but she views such as most successful when no one is aware she intervened at all.

Not surprisingly, Alicia's foremost ally among the Gods is Mystra, although she has been trying to develop her own independent standing among the Gods without relying on Mystra's power or reputation. Empress Sulia, another young goddess, has taken on a role as something of a mentor to Alicia, and the two have become firm friends. Sharess has shown some interest in Alicia, who's consort and co-ruler of Sylica was once a divine servant of the Lady of Cats, but there is little in terms of formal ties. Rather than Gods, she counts her strongest allies among the Court of Stars and Celestial Hebdomad. Special mention of course goes to Seira Aryn, a mortal friend of Alicia's who ascended at the same time. The two continue working closely together, frequently combining their forces and visiting one anothers' realms.

While Alicia opposes all evil, she does have several notable foes. First and foremost is Shar, whom Alicia maintains an almost legendary emnity with, having gone so far as to slay Malice, a servant deity of Shar's possessing similar power as Alicia. The origins of this particular emnity are not common knowledge, although it is known that in her mortal life Alicia did battle with Shar's most powerful servants on the world of her birth. While Hell in general is almost constantly in opposition to Alicia, she frequently becomes involved in Perdition's politics as various archdevils try to maneuver her to hinder their rivals. Among demons, Malcanthet the Queen of Succubi is her most notable enemy, although their hostility tends to play out on a lower key and Alicia has not yet openly responded to her provocations.

Dogma

Always strive to improve yourself. As powerful as you become, never forget there is always someone better to learn from or overcome. Share your strength with others, teach those who would learn and protect those who cannot. Seek to understand your enemies, for knowledge illuminates the way not only to victory, but may help turn foes into friends. Punish the guilty, but consider the potential for improvement in all beings. As you fight to preserve civilisation, engage yourself with it to always be reminded of why you fight.

Clergy and Temples

Sects following Alicia are typically led by a single charismatic individual who has come to believe in her teachings. While no clerics in the traditional sense exist as yet, these individuals tend to fulfill the more prosaic aspects of the role by preaching to all who care to listen and providing support and encouragement to the faithful. Generally they preach in the open in busy places such as marketplaces where they have the best chance of getting the message out. Services and rituals, such as they are for a faith only just discovering itself, are often performed in the homes of adherents, usually the most prosperous member of the congregation who can afford the most room to host a gathering.

The followers of Alicia favour utilitarian and rugged attire, as if ready to leap into action or go on a journey at any moment. Darker colours are favoured for clothing, but there is no commonly accepted standard of dress or clerical vestment.

[Anastasia]

Not as much to say here since yours is a lot shorter than Seira's.

Cleric Alignments: LG, NG, CG

In most cases a power is supposed to only have clerics within one alignment step of their own alignment. That said, there are exceptions and the entire setup of Sylica is reasonable enough to permit the exception here. (I forget if I've directly addressed this before.)

While Alicia does preach the virtues of honour and chivalry, and considers mercy to a defeated foe to be among the noblest of acts, she also places a particularly high value on tactics, which places her closer to Red Knight than to Tyr in terms of what she expects of her followers in battle. As she encourages her followers to broaden the scope of their knowledge, she likewise teaches them to seek every advantage that can be sought prior to battle. To her there is no shame in using subterfuge and distraction to ensure victory against a superior opponent.

While not outright said, I'd imagine her faith would place a premium on taking prisoners versus killing whenever possible. The last two sentences indicate Alicia could pick up the Planning domain later in her divine career; it sounds exactly up her alley as she pursues tactics.  The Red Knight could make an ally or friend, if you wanted to pursue that path.

Among demons, Malcanthet the Queen of Succubi is her most notable enemy, although their hostility tends to play out on a lower key and Alicia has not yet openly responded to her provocations.

While she hasn't taken open revenge(yet), you could include Pale Night there. Managing to thwart Androlynne surely put you on the Pale Mother's shit list. Graz'zt may not be pleased with you if he got wind of your role in defeating Gurlan, since Athux went rogue on him after. This hasn't been confirmed yet, nor has Graz'zt made any formal move against you. You could also add Torm, though Torm's an enemy to most of Creation since his fall from grace.

[Ebiris]

To the first point, Alicia really dislikes active neutrality and views it as moral cowardice, so she wouldn't be keen on sponsoring neutral clerics. Planning would make a good domain if she gets to take additional ones as she rises in stature. In terms of allies/enemies I've confined myself to those who've been involved with her post-ascension, since the writeup is meant to be written more from an observer's point of view.

[Anastasia]

Makes sense on that last point. Okay then.