Pharasma
No record of history, and not even other gods, can recall a
time before Pharasma. Her throne lies within a vast, gothic
cathedral located on the Spire.. From here, she looks both forward and backward in
time, observing the births, lives, and deaths of every soul, as
she serves as the final arbiter of a soul’s destination after death.
Psychopomp servants of Pharasma guide and safeguard newly
dead souls along the River of Souls to her realm, where she
judges each soul and ensures it is sent to the proper plane
for its afterlife, according to its alignment and mortal
deeds. Although she can see all possible fates and knows
the fate of each individual, free will and choice can alter
a soul’s final destination, and she places great weight
on the individual’s actions and personal choices.
Therefore, Pharasma withholds her final judgment
until a soul stands before her. Her prophecies are
cryptic, and their full meanings are rarely revealed
until the foretold events occur.
Once Pharasma has judged a soul, it can no longer be
returned from the dead by mortal magics such as raise dead or
resurrect. While it may be within Pharasma’s power
to do so, she has never withheld a soul from its
proper destination—not even from the realms of
gods she may despise. She embraces her role with
a dispassionate dignity that often makes her seem
aloof or uncaring, but in truth she simply understands
the necessity of impartiality to sustain the cycle of life
and balance throughout the planes. Almost all other
deities show Pharasma great deference, for she is the
only one they trust to unfailingly distribute souls to
their proper planes.
Pharasma abhors the creation of undead and magic
that traps souls, preventing them from arriving in her
realm for judgment and disrupting the balance of the
cycle of souls. She commands her followers to destroy all
such abominations and to release any bound souls.
While her faithful most often wear black clothing trimmed in purple
silver during rituals, they are also fond of wearing brilliant shades of
silver, blue, and purple throughout their daily lives and during sacred rites
celebrating birth and life. Midwives and physicians carry silver religious
symbols of Pharasma on long chains when they go to bless newborn
children or say prayers over the dying. Scholars and oracles embroider
Pharasma’s spiral or an hourglass to represent their belief in fate, prophecy,
or observation of time. Those devout to Pharasma are generally circumspect
when it comes to taking sides in politics or conflicts. Priests of Pharasma can
frequently be found blessing, healing, and tending to the dead on rival sides
of disputes, battles, and even wars with equal efficiency.
Places of worship dedicated to Pharasma range from the simplistic to
the ostentatious. Mausoleums and crypts usually contain at least a token
idol or shrine dedicated to Pharasma. Shrines to her can be as simple as a
carved stone on a river island or within a graveyard. However, Pharasma’s
temples are towering, gothic cathedrals decorated with stained glass and
carved statuary. These temples typically have universities, hospitals, and
immense libraries attached above ground, and vast, deep catacombs intricately
decorated with the bones of the deceased below. Wealthy patrons and scholars
pay membership fees to access knowledge and wisdom within her temples.
Since being interred within the catacombs of Pharasma is deemed a blessing,
they also contribute sizable donations to secure prominent locations for their
bodies’ later interment in the crypts, often as an attempt to gain favor during
Pharasma’s judgment of their soul in the afterlife. It is not uncommon for entire
libraries or estates to be donated to the church of Pharasma from the deathbeds
of the rich and powerful concerned with how their mortal deeds will reflect
upon their immortal soul.
DIVINE INTERCESSION
Those who would prevent a soul from reaching the afterlife draw Pharasma’s ire, but those who merely dabble in pursuits like lengthening their life or resurrection are usually ignored, as eventually death comes for all. Minor Boon: You see a momentary, prophetic glimpse of your fate. Once, you gain a +2 status bonus to a single check; you can apply this bonus after you determine the result, and it can potentially change the degree of success. Moderate Boon: You gain a greater mastery over the energies of life and death. Your Strikes deal 1 positive damage to undead. Your spells that deal positive damage to undead gain a +1 status bonus to damage per spell level, and your spells that heal the living gain a +1 status bonus to the Hit Points restored per spell level. Major Boon: Pharasma keeps you alive to fulfill your fate. The GM secretly chooses a fate Pharasma knows you must fulfill. Until you fulfill this fate, any time you would die, a grave but nonfatal misfortune instead befalls you. You take at least a full day to recuperate and you potentially face permanent consequences, but you don’t die. If you would have died even once without this boon, once your fate is complete, you let out a final sigh and then die peacefully. Minor Curse: Horrifying or enticing visions of your final judgment distract you from the task at hand. You take a –2 status penalty to initiative rolls. Moderate Curse: Fate turns against you and reveals dire portents. Divinations such as augury cast by you or that involve you always suggest woe. Once per day after you attempt a check, the GM can make the result of the roll a natural 1. Major Curse: Pharasma wills the end of your life and your lineage. You become unable to have children (or otherwise procreate by any means, including create spawn abilities) and are permanently doomed 2.
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