Shaspia

Shaspia is a mysterious water goddess associated with seas, rivers, coasts and swamps. Many consider Shaspia a deity to feared; haunting waterways and causing shipwrecks. Others, most notably halflings, worship Shaspia as a benefactor and protector.
Sailors make frequent offerings to Shaspia; praying for safe passage and that the monstrous denizens of the deep with leave them alone. Many sea captains follow the ancient practice of burying criminals and mutineers alive in the sand or mud, as both punishment for their wrongdoings and to satisfy Shaspia's destructive appetite. Halflings habitually drop offerings of food and drink into the river as an offering before each meal.
Halflings call Shaspia 'Narkora'. Elsewhere, Shaspia is sometimes referred to as the 'Moon Sister' or 'Mud Princess'.

Divine Domains

Shaspia's primary domains are Animal, Darkness, Travel and Water. Her subdomains are Decay, Feather, Night and Oceans.

Holy Books & Codes

Shaspia has no holy book, though she features in the Taneion as a dubious ally of Tane in his hunt for the manaspring, and later later reprises her role in the Jate Palla when she provides tentative aid to Raskinot in his search for Obuu.
Halflings worship Narkora via a collection of 18 traditional songs called the Moon Opera. Each song tells of a different legendary confrontation with the goddess, a trial undertaken, and a truth or virtue understood as a result.

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Those that fear Shaspia share tales of her manifesting from the mud along riverbanks, in the form of a slender, silt-covered maid, with mossy skin and hair like mangrove roots. The sightings are believed to warn of coming catastrophe, such as floods or the poisoning of the river. Halflings describe her as modest, or even shy - a divine beauty who prefers to blend into the sea and sand.
Shaspia is strongly associated with the moon, on account of its influence on the changing tides. Her iconography, both halfling and elsewhere, pairs the moon with reeds, mangroves, and her sacred animal, the frog. Her favoured weapon is the trident, which also appears frequently in her symbolism.
Shaspia's mystic card is The Moon, and her holy number is 18.

Tenets of Faith

Shaspia is viewed by most as a harsh, even bitter goddess, but one that is not ultimately evil. Like the turbulent waters of her domain, she cannot be tamed and dealing with her warrants caution and respect. Her worshippers celebrate the virtues or modesty, restraint, careful reflection, and an understanding that achievement carries a hefty price. Nothing is free; so if something seems easy, look for its hidden cost.
The halfling interpretation is similar, albeit with an added belief that Narkora favours their race above all the others. They too must show show respect and modesty, but just as they the goddess' beauty where others do not, she recognises their greatness where perhaps they overlooked by the likes of humans and elves.

Holidays

On the 30th of Eladil, halflings celebrate the spring equinox in a festival called Shaspring. Effigies of Narkora called Narkoritas are made by children, decorated with snowdrops and daffodils and placed along river banks.

Divine Goals & Aspirations

Shaspia is said to regret her involvement in helping Tane and Nemeon find the manaspring, and found the Eidelian Empire. She believes the civilisations that followed have been hotbeds for evil and ignorance.
Shaspia would prefer Esharra to return to its original wild state as it was at the dawn of the Elder Age, though it is not believed she would be complicit in bringing down civilisation.

Divine Classification

God

Alignment

True Neutral