Ioun
The Knowing Mistress
Ioun is the goddess of knowledge, skill and prophecy in the Astorian Pantheon. Sages, seers, and tacticians revere her, as do all who live by their knowledge and mental power. While Corellon is the patron of arcane magic, Ioun is the patron of its study. Libraries and wizard academies are built in her name.
Ioun’s church is relatively widespread in civilized lands, but has never held much power or political influence. Most Ioun clerics avoid politics whenever possible, content to instead seek out books, preserve knowledge, and share their love of learning. The church of Ioun usually maintains a temple or shrine in larger towns and cities, often as part of a larger museum, library, or academic institution. Ioun does not spend her time among her followers, as many other deities do. Instead, she prefers to remain in her realm, The Endless Atheneum, an infinite library housing the collection of all known knowledge and prophecy. Only her most devoted clerics have any inkling of the way to reach the Atheneum, and even they have only seen it in their dreams, and vaguely at that.
Ioun speaks through omens, portents, and signs, but these are typically subtle, brief, and easily overlooked. A specific book or scroll may drop from the shelves into a person’s hand at just the right moment. A book may open to precisely the desired page or passage. A candle or other light source appearing in what would otherwise be a dark place is considered one of Ioun’s most common signs. According to the beliefs of Ioun’s church, the goddess sometimes reveals the future to a select few priests and other worthies. She speaks in dreams and waking visions, and sometimes shows images in water or mirrors to warn of impending disasters or coming obstacles. Although Ioun rarely demonstrates her displeasure, she sometimes makes her feelings known in minor ways. A narrow-minded scholar may fall blind for a day or a week. An individual who burns books or otherwise destroys knowledge might catch on fire instead.
When Ioun does reveal herself to her followers, she takes the form of an elderly human woman with long, flowing silver hair and robes and beads reminiscent of those worn by fortune tellers or seers. In the center of her forehead rests a glowing purpleish pink stone -- her all-seeing eye from which her holy symbol takes its shape.
Ioun’s church is relatively widespread in civilized lands, but has never held much power or political influence. Most Ioun clerics avoid politics whenever possible, content to instead seek out books, preserve knowledge, and share their love of learning. The church of Ioun usually maintains a temple or shrine in larger towns and cities, often as part of a larger museum, library, or academic institution. Ioun does not spend her time among her followers, as many other deities do. Instead, she prefers to remain in her realm, The Endless Atheneum, an infinite library housing the collection of all known knowledge and prophecy. Only her most devoted clerics have any inkling of the way to reach the Atheneum, and even they have only seen it in their dreams, and vaguely at that.
Ioun speaks through omens, portents, and signs, but these are typically subtle, brief, and easily overlooked. A specific book or scroll may drop from the shelves into a person’s hand at just the right moment. A book may open to precisely the desired page or passage. A candle or other light source appearing in what would otherwise be a dark place is considered one of Ioun’s most common signs. According to the beliefs of Ioun’s church, the goddess sometimes reveals the future to a select few priests and other worthies. She speaks in dreams and waking visions, and sometimes shows images in water or mirrors to warn of impending disasters or coming obstacles. Although Ioun rarely demonstrates her displeasure, she sometimes makes her feelings known in minor ways. A narrow-minded scholar may fall blind for a day or a week. An individual who burns books or otherwise destroys knowledge might catch on fire instead.
When Ioun does reveal herself to her followers, she takes the form of an elderly human woman with long, flowing silver hair and robes and beads reminiscent of those worn by fortune tellers or seers. In the center of her forehead rests a glowing purpleish pink stone -- her all-seeing eye from which her holy symbol takes its shape.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Tenets of Faith
Ioun's commands are also her teachings:
- Seek the perfection of your mind by bringing reason, perception, and emotion into balance with one another.
- Accumulate, preserve, and distribute knowledge in all forms. Pursue education, build libraries, and seek out lost and ancient lore.
- Be watchful at all times for the followers of Vecna, who seek to control knowledge and keep secrets. Oppose their schemes, unmask their secrets, and blind them with the light of truth and reason.
Title(s)
The Knowing Mistress
Lady Arcanum
The Knowing Mistress
Lady Arcanum
Divine Classification
Deity, knowledge domain
Religions
Alignment
True Neutral
Realm
Church/Cult
Children
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments