Pharika, God of Affliction

Goddess Pharika (a.k.a. God of Affliction)

In the affliction, hidden truths are revealed. Through the balance of suffering and remedy, we unlock the mysteries of existence.

— Follower of Pharika

Pharika, the enigmatic deity of affliction and medicine, possesses a dual nature that embodies both the healer and the harbinger of suffering. Taking the form of a green-skinned human woman with a serpentine lower body, she wields a kylix that can produce potent medicines or deadly toxins. Her hands are thickly scaled and a pair of bronze-scaled vipers seamlessly emerge from her chest. She is never without her kylix, a drinking cup within which she can produce virtually any medicine or toxin. When her aims require subtlety, Pharika often takes the form of a serpent or a medusa, or sometimes an aged human. Her calculating gaze and cunning demeanor hide a deep understanding of the intricacies of life and death.
Pharika’s Influence Pharika represents the duality of life and death distilled into a single draught that can serve as tonic or toxin, depending on the dosage. She is most associated with affliction, whether that phenomenon takes the form of a disease, a venom, a drug, or the passage of years. Her cures are reliable but come at a cost. In some cases, that cost is pain as the medicine courses through the imbiber’s body. In other cases, she demands years of life, either from the patient’s lifetime or the researcher’s labor.
In her oversight of life and death, Pharika acts as a patron of alchemists. Pharmacists offer prayers to her while crafting potions, as do the ill or infirm before imbibing a supposed remedy. Likewise, a body’s slow transformation is sacred to her, whether it be the inevitable effects of aging or the petrification of her medusa children’s victims.

Follower of Pharika

Pharika's influence extends to medicine, alchemy, and the inevitability of aging. In the early days of Theros, she scattered secrets across the world, leaving clues for mortals to discover. Alchemists and pharmacists revere her as they craft their potions, while the ill and infirm offer prayers before seeking remedies. Slow transformations, whether caused by aging or mystical processes, are sacred to Pharika.

Champions of Pharika

Champions Alignment: Usually neutral, often evil
Suggested Classes: Cleric, Druid, Ranger, Rogue, Warlock, Wizard
Suggested Cleric Domains: Death, Knowledge, Life
Suggested Backgrounds: Criminal, Guild Artisan, Hermit, Outlander, Sage

Her champions, often drawn to the mysteries of life and death, seek to uncover the world's greatest secrets through the lenses of science, alchemy, and magic. They revere snakes and other venomous creatures as symbols of the dual nature of Pharika's influence.

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Kylix: Representing the vessel of healing or poison.
Serpent: Symbolizing the intertwined nature of life and death.
Elixir Vial: A small vial containing a mysterious substance.

Tenets of Faith

Duality of Existence: Embrace the inherent duality of life and death, recognizing that every remedy may carry a cost, and every affliction may bear hidden knowledge.

Seek Knowledge in Suffering: Explore the mysteries of medicine and affliction as pathways to greater understanding. Pharika's followers value the pursuit of hidden truths through both innovation and suffering.

Balance of Life and Death: Act as stewards of the delicate balance between life and death, understanding that each is a facet of the eternal cycle. Uphold the sacred nature of transformation, be it through aging or alchemical processes.

Holidays

Affliction's Insight: A day of contemplation and experimentation, where followers seek divine inspiration in unraveling the mysteries of affliction.

Transformational Equinox: Celebrating the balance between life and death during the changing seasons.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Pharika maintains a unique position, interacting with gods associated with life, death, and secrets. While her dual nature aligns with the mysteries of Kruphix, the God of Horizons, she shares an affinity for transformation with Nylea, God of the Hunt. Pharika's calculated approach contrasts with the impulsive nature of Mogis, God of Slaughter, and her pursuit of knowledge through affliction diverges from Klothys, God of Destiny 's domain. Heliod, God of the Sun, with his focus on order and purity, may find Pharika's methods unsettling, yet they coexist within the intricate tapestry of Theros's divine dynamics.

Divine Classification

God

Religions

• Church of Pharika
• Theocratic Round Table

Pronouns

She/her

Presentation

Feminine