Manari

The Shepherd

Manari is the liaison between the gods and mortals, the keeper of the boundaries between life and death. He is the caretaker of mortal life, watching over them as they grow and age. His direct domain over the Mortal Plane earns him the tribute of farmers, midwives, and clergymen alike, along with other communal professions. He is the deliverer of life, couriering life breathe from Phaedra to bring to the beings shaped by Falensha; and when appropriate he is the guide that ushers Uzuli to the souls of those whose time has come.

Divine Domains

Good, Protection, Community, Repose

Divine Symbols & Sigils

A raven perched on a cane.
Ravens are considered a good omen, considering that many ancient texts involving Manari depict him as the bird; having scooped the life water his mother had gifted in his beak and soaring across the sky to deliver it to the mortals below. In some cultures, rain is considered sacred, symbolic of the life water spilled during his travels.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Contribution by Elizabeth Schrier

One of the most famous myths involving Manari is that of ‘The birth of Xandria’. The ancient tale was translated countless centuries ago and is still retold today. It depicts Manari, standing next to a mother’s bed, a woman named Makii, as she cries out in the thralls of labor, joined by his sister Falensha as he watches over Makii, unnoticed by her or her midwife. Falensha has come to warn him that Phaedra’s gift had been depleted, there would not be enough to breathe the life into this newly formed child.
This was early in the time of mortals, and Manari and Falensha had never been faced with such a tragedy. Phaedra’s gift had never run out or needed to be replenished. Nine months of Falensha’s tireless sculpting would be wasted and Manari would be left to protect the mother whose husband was away at war and was due to perish in the coming months; with no heir to inherit his name Makii would be striped of title and claim.
With a few quick words amongst themselves, Manari allowed himself to be known to the woman, and Falensha to her husband, leagues away. They took counsel with the two, explaining that without aid, their child would not survive the labors of birth. But there was hope! The life water Manari had gifted each of them with when they were formed, despite depleting over their few decades of life, could be enough, if combined, to save the child. The parents would perish, but the child would survive and grow strong enough that entire continents would tremble in his presence.
There was little to no hesitation for either of them and in an instant Falensha drew the life force from the father, leaving him to Uzuli as she delivered his sacrifice to the child and her brother sat with the dying woman; protecting her from the pain of childbirth as he slowly used the still present bond to syphon her life into her son. She died, quietly and well before her time, her son’s name sounding with the exhale of her final breath. The name that would be known throughout this world, bringing reverence and awe to all who spoke it: “Xandria.”

Alignment

Neutral Good

Divine Classification

Archangel

Realm

Mortal Plane

Church/Cult

Duotheism

Ruled Locations

• Mortal Plane

© Dylan Eugene Wheeler 2018
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