Danaa'd

Danaa’d, the Arbiter of the Immaculate Complaint, is the Immaculate Dragon of water. She is frequently depicted as a dark-haired woman in a breasplate, carrying either a sword or trident. In her warrior aspect, she is sometimes presented with a long, curling tongue, claws, and black skin; this figure is called Daana’d Vengeant. In her aspect as an arbiter and judge, she is often depicted blindfolded and strangling a serpent, which is said to represent ignorance and prejudice. This Danaa’d Obscure aspect is often seen at shrines which serve judges and government officials. Daana’d’s life story is mostly contained in two epics: the Younger Epic of Daana’d, which chronicles her origin and adventures as a wandering figure of justice, and the Epic of Daana’d Descendant, which tells the story of her role in the Anathema War and her trials to seal away the souls of the devil-kings beneath the sea.
In strict aniconism, Daana’d is often symbolized by the lotus flower.

Early Life of Daana’d

Daana’d is known to hail from a mystical kingdom called Sua, described in the Texts as a temperate land of pearl. The physical location of Sua is disputed by scholars. A majority believe it to be near the island of Soham in the Pendant Isles, at the far western reaches of the Blessed Isle. Others claim it to be even further, in the islands of the Southwest near the Caul, citing that Daana’d is said to have “sailed across the waters” to find the Isle.
Three parallel narratives of Daana’d’s birth exist in various texts. In the first, Daana’d is said to have risen from the sea fully-formed as a baby, and was carried to shore on the tides by a huge purple lotus flower. In the second, Daana’d is said to have been born from a mighty pearl, coveted by the king of Sua, which hatched like an egg when she was ready to be made. Lastly, Daana’d is sometimes said to have been born to a sworn virgin sailor woman, who conceived the child after receiving a vision of the Water Dragon beneath the sea.
Despite the fuzzy circumstances surrounding Daana’d’s origin, the Texts are largely in agreement about her childhood. It is said that by the time she was five years old, Daana’d could speak as eruditely as a grown woman, and did not need to drink, drawing instead on her own glory. Fish and crustaceans would offer themselves to her so that she would not grow hungry. She was famed among her people for her intelligence, martial skill, and judgement.

The Trials of Daana’d

Upon coming of age, Daana’d rejected her childhood name, shaved her beard, and set out into the world as a wandering magistrate seeking justice and righteousness. The many adventures she got up to are compiled in part in the Younger Epic of Daana’d. These tales emphasize Daana’d’s skill at arms, but more importantly, her wits and cleverness. In the Younger Epic, Daana’d wins through ingenuity and deception as often as through martial conquest.
Eventually, Daana’d became so famed that the devil-kings of the Realm Before came to test her virtue. The Texts recount that she endured five tests, one each for the Forsaken, the Blasphemous, the Unclean, the Wretched, and the Deceivers. However, only two stories are recognized as canonical by the Immaculate Order, with the other three considered apocryphal.
The Test of the Crowning Sun was the test of the Blasphemous, which Daana’d overcame with ease. The second test, the test of the Wretched, involved Daana’d battling with the cruel Anathema warlord Moon-Cursed Gushan. This story remains an extremely popular folktale. Formal Immaculate recitations emphasize Daana’d’s moral superiority – Daana’d is self-sufficient and uses secrets to protect the innocent from harm, where Gushan is cruel and unable to speak the truth to his allies in his time of need. The popular retelling involves a lot more duels.

The Schooling of Samwat

Daana’d’s antithesis is the Unmanly Babbler, a fool who relies on others to fix their problems when the real solution lies within. In many of the Daana’d stories, the boy Samwat is understood to represent this antithesis. A coward, a fool, and a devoted follower of Daana’d, the character of Samwat seems to exist in the Daana’d stories largely to ruin things, make poor decisions, and be educated by Daana’d on his failings.
Dozens of parables, collectively the “Schooling of Samwat”, detail his failings and how Daana’d corrected them, often with clear morals for the reader. Many of these fables are apocryphal, but a handful are canonical within the Order. Scholars believe that if Daana’d’s homeland of Sua were ever to be found, the true canon of the Schooling of Samwat could be uncovered.

The Epic of Daana’d Descendant

More famous than any other Daana’d story, the Epic of Daana’d Descendant is the defining epic of Daana’d and the one which most shapes her legacy and image. Beginning shortly after the Five Days of Mela and the Immolation of Hesiesh, the twelve parts of the Descendant tell the story of Daana’d’s quest to imprison the souls of the Anathema deep beneath the sea.
Throughout the epic, Daana’d reflects on her duty and her struggle coming to accept that she, like Hesiesh, must sacrifice herself for the good of humanity. Other chapters chronicle her Journey to the West-like travels in the mythical kingdoms beneath the sea, before finally assembling the required pieces of the Jade Prison and making the ultimate sacrifice to seal the souls of the devil-kings that they will never rise again.
The Descendant is a transcription of the oral tradition of the epic on the Silk-and-Pearl Peninsula, and thus exists in many forms, each reflecting a different oral history. In some renditions, Daana’d remains beneath the sea as a statue guardian of the prison, and will return to herald the rebirth of Creation when she is needed most. In others, Daana’d escapes from the Underworld and reaches unity with the Water Dragon.

Daana’d’s Purviews and Mystery Cults

Daana’d is the dragon of water, and thus naturally associated with sailors, fisherfolk, boatmakers, beachcombers, and others who make their living by water. Extending from her position as patron of sailors, Daana’d is also the protector of all travelers, especially travelers-by-night.
Daana’d is also known as the Remover of Obstacles, a sacred figure who can be invoked in times of hardship for devotion and strength. In times of injustice, Daana’d is invoked as the Arbiter and defender. Lastly, Daana’d is also the dragon of transitions, who guards the shore, represents transgender individuals, and oversees the change of things from one state to the next.
Daana’d rivals Sextes Jylis as the most widely-worshipped of the dragons, with peasant cults dedicated to her located in almost all villages and towns. As a righteous and beloved hero, remover of obstacles, and defender of the weak, she is especially worshipped in hard times. Peasants often believe that invoking Daana’d can bring rain in times of drought and liberation in times of bondage.
Mystery cults of Daana’d are widespread, often emphasizing her trickster nature. These cults often find secret wisdom in the Schooling of Samwat and the Younger and Descending epics. Criminals often revere Daana’d as well, due to her trickster nature. Many members of the criminal element have a tattoo of Daana’d or aquatic imagery in her honor.
Common syncretizations of Daana’d include: Daana’d Wayfarer, syncretized with gods of travel or the maiden Mercury of the House of Journeys; Daana’d of a Thousand Faces, syncretized with gods of night, the moon, trickster spirits, and criminal gods; and the Ashen Lady, who watches over the long, dark sail across the seas of the dead.

Emulation of Daana’d

Immaculates are encouraged to emulate Daana’d by bending without breaking, by being clever and quick, by being devoted and righteous, and by being self-sustaining and persistent. Daana’d encourages an Immaculate to face new challenges and adapt to overcome them.
Water Aspects are encouraged to emulate Daana’d by retaining their focus. Water has no shape, but instead takes on the shape of its vessel; it has no boundaries, but flows around obstacles. Often, Water Aspects can find themselves adrift, pulled in many shapes by their flows. Daana’d reminds them to focus on what is important, and to define their own shapes.