Calistria
Savor the three stings of passion, guile, and vengeance. No food you ever taste and no thing you ever build will satisfy you as much as my gifts. —The Book of Joy
The Savored Sting, the Lady in the Room, the Unquenchable Fire
As symbolized by the three daggers of her religious symbol, Calistria has three aspects: lust, revenge, and trickery. Silver-tongued and charming, she is a master of weaving insults into compliments and laying intricate groundwork for retribution at its finest. She is a goddess of vengeance, but it would be a mistake to assume that means she pursues justice. Calistria is fickle, shifting her loyalties and interests as her whims take her—though she never forgets a slight, and any who think she has forgiven will surely find it is only a matter of time before they are targeted by a long-term plot of revenge to lay them thoroughly low.
Calistria is the most widely worshiped elven goddess on Golarion—an ancient deity with a long memory for old slights, at once mysterious, alluring, temperamental, and passionate. Although most of her worshipers are elves, she is popular with other races as well, for at some point almost everyone has felt the fire of lust, engaged in trickery, or been driven to revenge. She is not so much a spiritual guide for the elven people as a cornerstone for their culture, never pushing them to act but always ready to assist when the time comes for action. Among elves, she embodies characteristics endemic to elven culture and identity, such as free-spirited pursuit of one’s own path, and further embodies a truth lost on shorter-lived peoples: the flexibility and capriciousness of Calistria provides a model for maintaining perspective and composure over a centuries-long lifespan. The Savored Sting is a sultry manifestation of everything in elves that is fascinating to other races, attracting men and women alike with her raw sexual magnetism. Her beauty is typically characterized as sensual, desirable, and arousing, or described in more vulgar terms. Gazing on Calistria’s clothed body, viewers wonder what she looks like naked; her nude form drives their curiosity to even more intimate places. Although she considers herself female, Calistria has been known to take on a male form that is attractive enough to make any mortal flushed and weak in the knees.
She is mischievous, perplexing, devious, and silver-tongued, disarming her most powerful rivals with pretty words that, upon careful reflection, reveal themselves as humiliating insults. She “surrenders” by convincing enemies to hand over their weapons, leads suitors on for decades with hints of outrageous rewards, and outwits the most brilliant mortals as an afterthought. Though her sense of humor is rich and sharp, she considers silly jokes and crude pranks beneath one who can convey an hour’s speech in one small gesture and a lifetime of emotion with a careful look. Lies are her meat and drink, half-truths are her favorite wine, and double entendres are a luscious dessert.
Calistria enjoys a quick resolution to petty affronts, but she is patient, unforgiving, and merciless when more seriously offended, willing to punish the offender with exacting artistry beyond the ken of mortals. Calistria does not forgive, she does not forget, and any evidence to the contrary is part of her plan to sting a foe in the most painful way possible after he believes the threat of vengeance is long past. She is a goddess of vengeance, not justice, and feels no compulsion to stop at taking an eye for an eye; if she pushes beyond a response others might deem appropriate, it should serve as a lesson to those who get in her way.
Though gracious and personable to those who haven’t drawn her ire, Calistria is fickle, changing loyalties as suits her needs and whims. Her changeability is not malicious; rather, she is uninterested in relationships becoming too strong or too emotional, believing such bonds to be foolish. Most of her partners and allies accept the affection she grants them and then move on, but those who persist in the chase after she has tired of being the prey find her claws sharp and certain. She sees love only as a weakness, a needless by-product of physical pleasures.
As the goddess’s whims are ever-shifting, her worshippers are also often somewhat transient. Even among elves, worship of Calistria is usually intermittent or secondary to faith in another deity. Prayers to Calistria arise from individuals who find themselves driven by lust, engaged in trickery, or driven to revenge, and the people offering those prayers may have no commitment to the faith beyond the prayer offered in that moment. As followers’ lives lead them in different directions, they move on to other deities, just as the goddess herself moves from one lover to the next to suit her shifting interests. This personal freedom is a value held dear by the goddess and her followers alike, and perhaps one of the most central values to elven society as a whole. Some of Calistria’s most devoted followers work to promote this tenet, quietly working to undermine tyrannical governments, exacting revenge upon slavers and freeing their captives, or simply demonstrating the benefits of a freedom-driven lifestyle.
Some mortals, unable to emulate or understand her shifting interests and allegiances, accuse Calistria of being evil, but in truth, she is simply amoral, eschewing right, wrong, and justice because she knows that the universe is not a fair place. If others choose to follow her path, so be it; if some are hurt by such a decision, she stands as a reminder that every creature has the right—and the responsibility—to avenge their injuries.
Calistria is usually depicted as a beautiful elven woman wearing a figure-hugging black dress accented with gold, often with a black or golden silk drape falling from her arms or drawn seductively across her face. Her eyes are dark and mysterious, but sometimes flash gold with passion or anger. She is commonly shown with giant wasps, her favorite creature—for unlike bees, wasps can sting again and again without dying. In her male form she usually wears a masculine version of her normal shape, with black leggings and a loose golden jerkin and cape, eyes smoldering with barely contained passion. Depending on the views of the surrounding society, Calistria’s worshipers are also not afraid of depicting her in more scandalous attire or situations, and sexually explicit art featuring the goddess is common.
Organized worship of Calistria is most common among elves, as befits an elven deity. Though rumor would suggest all her temples are brothels, these gathering spaces are often more akin to intellectual salons—albeit more encouraging and supportive of sexual interaction between attendees than most equivalent secular institutions. Others function more akin to a thieves’ guild, providing a place to sow and reap rumors, plot acts of questionable legality, and perhaps also engage in lust-driven interactions—all activities suitable to take place behind closed doors.
Clerics of the goddess endeavor to hold the three aspects of their goddess in balance, as a lifetime in service to any one can easily become monotonous, and Calistria abhors her followers becoming overly consumed by a single pursuit. Champions are sometimes more focused, such as those who dedicate themselves to fighting slavery, but even these are careful to avoid becoming so wrapped up in their work that they lose sight of the other aspects of life that make it worth living.
Special rituals, conducted as needed, include invocations of the goddess’s blessing when a worshipper begins pursuit of a desired lover, divinations to determine her approval or disapproval of set courses of revenge, initiation rites for those who wish to devote themselves to the faith, and birth and death ceremonies. But Calistria’s faith places little stock in marriage; between the goddess’s own shifting interests and the mercurial nature of relationships between long-lived elves, marriage is much less of an institution as it is among other peoples.
Calistria’s worshipers are open to dealing with members of most other faiths, provided it suits their needs or desires at the moment. Most of them evaluate people as individuals rather than members of groups or followers of creeds. While they are implacably vengeful if roused, Calistrians rarely judge a person on the basis of social standing, ethnicity, or personal history. Their attitudes toward members of faiths they consider prudish range from amused to contemptuous, and some take a certain impish pleasure in seducing those with such beliefs. Every person presents an opportunity for rewarding exchanges of money, information, or caresses, so Calistrians are generally amiable until they are wronged. They tend to be found in cities, where it’s easiest to indulge their hedonism and find willing partners, and have little interest in associating with those who would get in the way of their revels. Followers of Cayden Cailean tend to get along well with Calistria’s faithful, and Shelynites focused on the beauty of eroticism often find common interests with Calistrians, who are ever attentive to the eroticism of beauty.
Menotherian: Appearing alternately as a perfect elf or a bear-sized wasp, Calistria’s herald maintains an ardent curiosity about mortal elves. The Menotherian is a creature of spirit but has a physical body, and sometimes seeks attractive elves (using her elven form) to satisfy her carnal desires; this overwhelming experience is a sign of great favor among the devout. Bereft of morals, she seduces, tricks, or murders any creature necessary to complete whatever mission Calistria sends her upon.
Threv: This frog-like, shape-changing sorcerer has gray skin and strangely expressive eyes. Obsessed with vengeance, he is often the agent of Calistria’s ire in the mortal world when she isn’t angered enough to send her herald. He works cheaply for mortals seeking revenge, although those that lie to him to get a discount find themselves the target of his ire.
Tordurbar: Though most chaos beasts alternate between horrible forms, this strange being usually appears as a large fleshy mass, with heads, mouths, eyes, hands, hair, and various organs sprouting randomly and being reabsorbed in short order; in battle, it takes on more dangerous forms. Though it accepts payments for services in coin or magic, it prefers sexual favors, whether the summoner is male or female. It does not speak (except to coo and moan), preferring telepathic communication.
Velvet Wing: A tan elven seductress with slightly ragged insect wings, this beautiful vendenopterix is often mistaken for a succubus. Her kisses and other intimate acts drain Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma (her choice), and she is adept at mimicking a specific person’s voice and mannerisms.
Calistria is the most widely worshiped elven goddess on Golarion—an ancient deity with a long memory for old slights, at once mysterious, alluring, temperamental, and passionate. Although most of her worshipers are elves, she is popular with other races as well, for at some point almost everyone has felt the fire of lust, engaged in trickery, or been driven to revenge. She is not so much a spiritual guide for the elven people as a cornerstone for their culture, never pushing them to act but always ready to assist when the time comes for action. Among elves, she embodies characteristics endemic to elven culture and identity, such as free-spirited pursuit of one’s own path, and further embodies a truth lost on shorter-lived peoples: the flexibility and capriciousness of Calistria provides a model for maintaining perspective and composure over a centuries-long lifespan. The Savored Sting is a sultry manifestation of everything in elves that is fascinating to other races, attracting men and women alike with her raw sexual magnetism. Her beauty is typically characterized as sensual, desirable, and arousing, or described in more vulgar terms. Gazing on Calistria’s clothed body, viewers wonder what she looks like naked; her nude form drives their curiosity to even more intimate places. Although she considers herself female, Calistria has been known to take on a male form that is attractive enough to make any mortal flushed and weak in the knees.
She is mischievous, perplexing, devious, and silver-tongued, disarming her most powerful rivals with pretty words that, upon careful reflection, reveal themselves as humiliating insults. She “surrenders” by convincing enemies to hand over their weapons, leads suitors on for decades with hints of outrageous rewards, and outwits the most brilliant mortals as an afterthought. Though her sense of humor is rich and sharp, she considers silly jokes and crude pranks beneath one who can convey an hour’s speech in one small gesture and a lifetime of emotion with a careful look. Lies are her meat and drink, half-truths are her favorite wine, and double entendres are a luscious dessert.
Calistria enjoys a quick resolution to petty affronts, but she is patient, unforgiving, and merciless when more seriously offended, willing to punish the offender with exacting artistry beyond the ken of mortals. Calistria does not forgive, she does not forget, and any evidence to the contrary is part of her plan to sting a foe in the most painful way possible after he believes the threat of vengeance is long past. She is a goddess of vengeance, not justice, and feels no compulsion to stop at taking an eye for an eye; if she pushes beyond a response others might deem appropriate, it should serve as a lesson to those who get in her way.
Though gracious and personable to those who haven’t drawn her ire, Calistria is fickle, changing loyalties as suits her needs and whims. Her changeability is not malicious; rather, she is uninterested in relationships becoming too strong or too emotional, believing such bonds to be foolish. Most of her partners and allies accept the affection she grants them and then move on, but those who persist in the chase after she has tired of being the prey find her claws sharp and certain. She sees love only as a weakness, a needless by-product of physical pleasures.
As the goddess’s whims are ever-shifting, her worshippers are also often somewhat transient. Even among elves, worship of Calistria is usually intermittent or secondary to faith in another deity. Prayers to Calistria arise from individuals who find themselves driven by lust, engaged in trickery, or driven to revenge, and the people offering those prayers may have no commitment to the faith beyond the prayer offered in that moment. As followers’ lives lead them in different directions, they move on to other deities, just as the goddess herself moves from one lover to the next to suit her shifting interests. This personal freedom is a value held dear by the goddess and her followers alike, and perhaps one of the most central values to elven society as a whole. Some of Calistria’s most devoted followers work to promote this tenet, quietly working to undermine tyrannical governments, exacting revenge upon slavers and freeing their captives, or simply demonstrating the benefits of a freedom-driven lifestyle.
Some mortals, unable to emulate or understand her shifting interests and allegiances, accuse Calistria of being evil, but in truth, she is simply amoral, eschewing right, wrong, and justice because she knows that the universe is not a fair place. If others choose to follow her path, so be it; if some are hurt by such a decision, she stands as a reminder that every creature has the right—and the responsibility—to avenge their injuries.
Calistria is usually depicted as a beautiful elven woman wearing a figure-hugging black dress accented with gold, often with a black or golden silk drape falling from her arms or drawn seductively across her face. Her eyes are dark and mysterious, but sometimes flash gold with passion or anger. She is commonly shown with giant wasps, her favorite creature—for unlike bees, wasps can sting again and again without dying. In her male form she usually wears a masculine version of her normal shape, with black leggings and a loose golden jerkin and cape, eyes smoldering with barely contained passion. Depending on the views of the surrounding society, Calistria’s worshipers are also not afraid of depicting her in more scandalous attire or situations, and sexually explicit art featuring the goddess is common.
Organized worship of Calistria is most common among elves, as befits an elven deity. Though rumor would suggest all her temples are brothels, these gathering spaces are often more akin to intellectual salons—albeit more encouraging and supportive of sexual interaction between attendees than most equivalent secular institutions. Others function more akin to a thieves’ guild, providing a place to sow and reap rumors, plot acts of questionable legality, and perhaps also engage in lust-driven interactions—all activities suitable to take place behind closed doors.
Clerics of the goddess endeavor to hold the three aspects of their goddess in balance, as a lifetime in service to any one can easily become monotonous, and Calistria abhors her followers becoming overly consumed by a single pursuit. Champions are sometimes more focused, such as those who dedicate themselves to fighting slavery, but even these are careful to avoid becoming so wrapped up in their work that they lose sight of the other aspects of life that make it worth living.
Special rituals, conducted as needed, include invocations of the goddess’s blessing when a worshipper begins pursuit of a desired lover, divinations to determine her approval or disapproval of set courses of revenge, initiation rites for those who wish to devote themselves to the faith, and birth and death ceremonies. But Calistria’s faith places little stock in marriage; between the goddess’s own shifting interests and the mercurial nature of relationships between long-lived elves, marriage is much less of an institution as it is among other peoples.
Relations with Other Religions
Calistria’s interactions with other gods are complex and strewn with contradictions. Some stories even suggest that she was the force behind the creation or destruction of certain deities. Each temple has its own idea about which stories are true and which are false, and these differences only escalate the conflicts between factions. All agree that the other gods treat her very carefully and respectfully, as they fear her reprisal for an unintended slight. In general, Calistria and Shelyn get along well, as erotic love leads to sex and common lust can turn into love, though Calistria believes Shelyn’s insistence on love is a weakness. Calistria finds Urgathoa distasteful but respects her lust for life. She is intrigued by Norgorber and willing to work with him, though he is never quite sure if he is somehow being manipulated. She respects Desna, but thinks she’s a little too hung up on her failures and setbacks. Calistria and Cayden Cailean are on very friendly terms, and just how friendly is the subject of much speculation.Calistria’s worshipers are open to dealing with members of most other faiths, provided it suits their needs or desires at the moment. Most of them evaluate people as individuals rather than members of groups or followers of creeds. While they are implacably vengeful if roused, Calistrians rarely judge a person on the basis of social standing, ethnicity, or personal history. Their attitudes toward members of faiths they consider prudish range from amused to contemptuous, and some take a certain impish pleasure in seducing those with such beliefs. Every person presents an opportunity for rewarding exchanges of money, information, or caresses, so Calistrians are generally amiable until they are wronged. They tend to be found in cities, where it’s easiest to indulge their hedonism and find willing partners, and have little interest in associating with those who would get in the way of their revels. Followers of Cayden Cailean tend to get along well with Calistria’s faithful, and Shelynites focused on the beauty of eroticism often find common interests with Calistrians, who are ever attentive to the eroticism of beauty.
Planar Allies
In addition to her servitor race, the vendenopterixes, Calistria often sends the following entities to further her causes.Menotherian: Appearing alternately as a perfect elf or a bear-sized wasp, Calistria’s herald maintains an ardent curiosity about mortal elves. The Menotherian is a creature of spirit but has a physical body, and sometimes seeks attractive elves (using her elven form) to satisfy her carnal desires; this overwhelming experience is a sign of great favor among the devout. Bereft of morals, she seduces, tricks, or murders any creature necessary to complete whatever mission Calistria sends her upon.
Threv: This frog-like, shape-changing sorcerer has gray skin and strangely expressive eyes. Obsessed with vengeance, he is often the agent of Calistria’s ire in the mortal world when she isn’t angered enough to send her herald. He works cheaply for mortals seeking revenge, although those that lie to him to get a discount find themselves the target of his ire.
Tordurbar: Though most chaos beasts alternate between horrible forms, this strange being usually appears as a large fleshy mass, with heads, mouths, eyes, hands, hair, and various organs sprouting randomly and being reabsorbed in short order; in battle, it takes on more dangerous forms. Though it accepts payments for services in coin or magic, it prefers sexual favors, whether the summoner is male or female. It does not speak (except to coo and moan), preferring telepathic communication.
Velvet Wing: A tan elven seductress with slightly ragged insect wings, this beautiful vendenopterix is often mistaken for a succubus. Her kisses and other intimate acts drain Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma (her choice), and she is adept at mimicking a specific person’s voice and mannerisms.
Holy Books & Codes
Although Calistria’s followers recommend several works of theater and literature as shining examples of how to execute the perfect seduction or revenge, the only text they hold as sacred is The Book of Joy. Some versions of this guide to passion include illustrations of sexual positions, instructions on reading and manipulating others’ emotions, or collected anecdotes on satisfying revenge schemes to address various offenses; the sections included in each temple’s unique copy of the text say much about the temple’s leadership. Conservative cities sometimes make it illegal to possess a copy, but mischievous Calistrians print portions of the book as one-page “penny bibles” showing the most erotic portions of the manuscript in the hope of eliciting curiosity in the readers.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Calistria’s holy symbol is three daggers pointing outward from a circle (representing her three aspects many of her clergy carry daggers in her honor. Her titles include the Savored Sting, the Lady in the Room, and the Unquenchable Fire, as well as many vulgar epithets bestowed by those outside the faith.
Wasps are iconic to Calistria, as widely recognized as a symbol of the faith as her formal religious symbol. Like the goddess, a wasp inflicts extreme pain in retribution for an offense, far beyond what it seems a simple insect ought to be capable of. Further cementing the similarity is the fact that the wasp seems to take a perverse pleasure in its attacks, pursuing offenders and stinging repeatedly. Many followers of Calistria carry yellow-and-black tokens on their person as a form of homage. Priests are known to cultivate giant wasp allies and pets, and many Calistrian gathering places harbor swarms of wasps under the eaves or in similarly sheltered spots. These swarms tend to ignore worshippers but descend in force upon any interlopers, defending such locations with even greater spite than expected from a typical wasp.
Wasps are iconic to Calistria, as widely recognized as a symbol of the faith as her formal religious symbol. Like the goddess, a wasp inflicts extreme pain in retribution for an offense, far beyond what it seems a simple insect ought to be capable of. Further cementing the similarity is the fact that the wasp seems to take a perverse pleasure in its attacks, pursuing offenders and stinging repeatedly. Many followers of Calistria carry yellow-and-black tokens on their person as a form of homage. Priests are known to cultivate giant wasp allies and pets, and many Calistrian gathering places harbor swarms of wasps under the eaves or in similarly sheltered spots. These swarms tend to ignore worshippers but descend in force upon any interlopers, defending such locations with even greater spite than expected from a typical wasp.
Tenets of Faith
Calistria welcomes the worship of any mortal who lusts, deceives, or seeks revenge; she hears the prayers of the good, evil, unjustly accused, selfish, moral, criminal, and love-struck alike. Regardless of methods or motives, if a mortal’s actions touch her concerns, she takes an interest in the outcome and may aid in achieving it. Her worshipers are thus diverse, but mostly transitional, only seeking her attention when they need her. As she in turn only engages with others when her interest is piqued, this satisfies her, and she does not ask for more.
Holidays
Calistria’s church as a whole has no set holidays, although each temple has established its own holidays to commemorate the avenging of old slights or great conquests and epic acts of trickery.
Relationships
Symbol
Edicts
pursue your personal freedom, seek hedonistic thrills, take revenge
Anathema
become too consumed by love or a need for revenge, let a slight go unanswered
Areas of Concern
lust, revenge, and trickery
Centers of Worship
Absalom, Galt, Kyonin, Nex, The River Kingdoms, The Shackles, Taldor, Varisia
Allies
Cayden Cailean, Desna, Norgorber, Shelyn
Enemies
Rovagug
Temples
brothels, churches, hideouts, mansions, taverns
Worshippers
elves, hedonists, performers, scorned lovers, thieves
Sacred Animal
wasp
Sacred Colors
black and yellow
Favored Weapon
whip
Domains
pain, passion, secrecy, trickery
Divine Ability
Dexterity or Charisma
Divine Font
harm or heal
Divine Skill
Deception
Divine Classification
Deity
Religions
Church/Cult
Spouses
Cayden Cailean
(intermittent lover)
Siblings
Children
Ruled Locations
Aphorisms
To punctuate their vengeful desires, Calistria’s worshipers circulate several bitter sayings and deadly sentiments.I stab thee with my heart: When carefully planned vengeance comes to fruition, the satisfaction of it is as exhilarating as any intimate act. The faithful whisper this saying as their daggers strike home, leave it in notes when explaining their targets’ downfalls, and crow it during particularly juicy acts of revenge. Oddly, in the rare cases where members of the church pursue genuine love, couples use this expression to indicate the intensity of their feelings for one another.
Love the food, not the chef: Seeking an object of desire or revenge can be sweet, but Calistria loathes the thought of becoming too consumed by love, a need for revenge, or any other single endeavor. This saying warns followers of the risk of letting a need for revenge overtake the rest of their lives, and it reminds them to keep a degree of emotional distance from the target of their physical desires. There is more to life than revenge, and there are many joys one can experience even while seeking retribution.
See to your own wounds first: When one is wronged, the urge to retaliate immediately is strong, but this directive encourages followers to ensure their own needs are met before pursuing vengeance. Those needs may be literal wounds, emotional turmoil, or carnal desires, and ignoring them is akin to leaving a wound to fester. Of course, the saying also leaves little room for doubt about the steps to be taken after.
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