Freya

Freya, or Freyal, is an interloper deity worshiped by the peoples of Nittergard and a Vanir member of the Asgardian pantheon.

Description

Freya was a goddess of sensual love, fiery passion, magic, human fertility, and she looked after women in labor. In her humanoid form, she appeared to be a beautiful, voluptuous elven woman of 6 feet (1.8 meters).

Freya owned the Necklace of the Brisings, also called Brisingamen, a masterfully crafted piece of precious jewelry made for her by the Ysgardian dwarves. The necklace glowed when a lie was uttered in its vicinity. The goddess rode a chariot pulled by two lions into battle. She brandished an enchanted +3 frostbrand longsword. A majestic cloak of falcon feathers allowed Freya to shapeshift into her falcon form. In her avatar form, she could manifest a flaming +4 dagger that could incinerate targets with a mere cut. The dagger's effect could not be removed unless a dispel magic spell was used.

Along with other deities of love and beauty, Hanali Celanil, Aphrodite, and Sune, Freya had access to the divine charisma-enhancing pool of enchanted waters – Evergold.

In the late 14th century DR, Freya's avatar wielded a powerful +5 dancing spell storing longsword.

Personality

As a goddess of love, Freya is a patron of romantic arts, and poetry is the deity's favorite. She spills tears of gold in sorrow and sadness every time her husband Odur leaves Freya on his many voyages.

Freya never hesitates to use the magical waters of Evergold to maintain her beauty. Some consider that to be vain; however, Freya cares not for others' opinions and is free to choose her own path. The goddess's fierce intelligence complements her passionate nature. All these qualities make Freya quite desirable by mortals and divine beings alike, gaining her numerous male allies among various pantheons and not just the Norse.

Divine Realm

Freya's realm – the grand hall of Sessrumnir in Vanaheim, receives half of the souls slain in battle, as well as all women who fall in combat. The Alfheim region itself is a majestic sunlit land of love and joy populated by petitioners of Frey and Freya, mostly elves. Along with her twin brother, Freya lives in the realm of Asgard to promote peace between Aesir and Vanir. Freya's own realm – Vanaheim, where Sessrumnir stands near the center of Folkvang is home to most of the goddess's petitioners and a few einheriar warrior-spirits. Twice per year, fertility festivals consume her hall, one celebrating the planting of crops and another – harvest. Sessrumnir is a spacious hall of glowing white beechwood with hanging rafters and a silver roof. The hall's pillars are trees that grow up through Sessrumnir's ceiling. Half of the trees are living, signifying the fact that Freya spends only half of a year in Sessrumnir. The hall is filled with walnut tables. The hall of Sessrumnir is a gift from the Aesir and is completely impregnable unless the goddess herself opens the doors. Freya also shares in Evergold, the Fountain of Youth, with other goddesses of beauty like Hanali Celanil and Sune.

Worshippers

The goddess granted her followers clerical abilities and divine spells. Freya's clergy honored their deity by practicing arts of war and arcane magics in equal share. Many of her priests were also sorcerers or wizards.

Temples and shrines dedicated to Freya were often richly decorated with gold – the deity's gift to the planes. The buildings that housed her temples and shrines always had their main entrances facing the setting sun, signifying Odur's return to Freya at every sunset. Temples usually held a secure display of expensive jewelry – offerings to Freya. To celebrate the deity of battle, temples often contained armories, training grounds, as well as libraries of arcane lore and laboratories.

All visitors of the temples were eagerly and warmly greeted by priests and attending worshipers. Visitors were expected to provide an offering of jewelry or show truthful reverence and passion. Other types of offerings accepted by the temples included arcane lore, magic items, and songs.

Most of Freya's proxies were female. Lhana Tomsdallihr was one of the goddess's favorites in the 14th century DR.

Freya's traveling clergy bore the same name as her magic – seithr, female traveling fortune tellers. The seithr had the ability to shapeshift into horses and gained a bad reputation for committing "acts against the law for human beings."

Dogma

Freya's worshipers were organized into highly enthusiastic cults that operated in exuberance and revered passions. The faith welcomed diversity, both racial and cultural, and aimed to promote beauty in magic and find magic in beauty. Those who sought to join one of Freya's cults had to demonstrate passion and ardor for the elements of the goddess' portfolio, and their physical appearance or physical beauty mattered not.

Rituals

The inhabitants of Alfheim, who worshiped Freya and her twin brother, celebrated Freya's Fest, an autumn festival that celebrated the rebirth of land and fertility. The celebration consisted of a feast with wild revelries and dances that lasted through the night.

Relationships

Freya's twin brother was named Frey, and her father – Njord. According to some myths, she taught Aesir the Vanir witchcraft. Freya's husband was Odur.

Freya

Intermediate deity

Basic Information

Titles

Goddess of Love and Fertility
Lady of Fire

Pantheons

Asgardian

Attributes

Alignment

Chaotic Neutral

Symbol

Falcon

Realm

Heroic Domains of Ysgard/Ysgard/Asgard/Sessrumnir

Portfolio

Fertility, Love, Magic, Vanity

Favored Weapon

Longsword

Following

Worshippers

Bards
Sorcerers
Wizards
Lovers
Husbands and wives
Elves
Gnomes
Half-elves

Alignments

LG, NG, CG

Domains

Air (-)
Charm (Captivation, Love)
Good (-)
Magic (Arcane, Divine, Rites)