Maias (MAI-ass)

He Who Awaits, The Keeper of the Well

"He Who Awaits", Maias is the lord of souls, who shepherds the spirits of deceased mortals to their awaiting afterlives. Once a mortal dies, their soul joins the Procession of Spirits to Maias' seat at the Final Crossroads, which is said to be the very centre of creation, where the entirety of the cosmos was begun.

Divine Domains

Death, fate, healing, soul, truth, vigil

Holy Books & Codes

Maias' holy book is called The Preparations of the Processionals. It is mostly concerned with instructions on safe childbirth, funerary and burial rites, the proper treatment of bodies, and injunctions against undeath and the undead. One rambling, incoherent section written long ago by a blind soothsayer gives instruction to a number of rituals and auguries that may reveal glimpses of a child's fate.

Divine Symbols & Sigils

The most common symbol of Maias is the tree and spring. Priests of Maias commonly wear pendants that show a branching tree with a flowing brook bubbling up from its base, with the flowing rivulets of the brook typically curving to form the frame of the design.
The priesthood of Maias commonly carry tall staffs in imitation of Maias' own staff that he used to stir the waters of the Well of Souls.
Owls are considered sacred to Maias, and many believe that they are his messengers and watchers.

Appearance

Maias is most often depicted as an elderly (though not wizened) man with dark eyes. He wears thick, folded robes of dark blue and grey, and rests a long staff in the crook of his arm. He is occasionally shown sitting cross-legged besides a small pool of water, sometimes stirring the waters with the end of his staff.

Tenets of Faith

Maias is not concerned with the manner or means of a mortal's death. His principle concern is with the state of a mortal's soul, and by his judgement alone is a spirit able to pass on to the Outer Plane that best suits it, determined by the manner it conducted itself in life. His decision is always cool, uncaring and final. The faith of Maias claims that the Well of Souls lies at the heart of his domain, and from within it's depths Maias witnessed every soul that would ever be in the cosmos. With this knowledge, he knows the fate of every mortal from the moment of their birth. But just as the course of a river may change, Maias knows that the freedom of choice will greatly affect a soul's final state. Thus his final judgement is always withheld until the moment that a soul stands before him. Given that his chief concern is with the passing of life into rebirth, Maias detests undeath in all its forms, considering it a perversion of one of the cosmos' most fundamental laws.
The faithful of Maias are typically those who live closely either with new life or immanent death. This typically includes midwives, grave diggers, keepers of cemeteries, or morticians. Pregnant women are also given to wearing symbols of Maias to protect the child and ensure a safe birth. It is also common practice in many cultures to decorate the cribs of expected children and birthing beds with owls to encourage Maias' protection. The sighting of owls as a pregnancy comes close to term is commonly regarded as a sign of a particularly auspicious birth, and priest of Maias will often be called upon to perform an augury into the child's future.
The Maiasian faith view the undead with hatred, considering them an abomination. The clergy of Maias view putting the undead to rest as a holy duty, and their faith outlaws the creation or command of undead creatures.

Holidays

In the parts of the world that experience spring, the first month of the season is marked out in Maias' honour as the deity of the birth of new life. On the ninth day of the month, the Day of Springs is celebrated by Maias' faithful, where they gather at a local river, stream or brook to offer obeisance to their god. In those parts of the world where Maias is a prominent deity, his priests observe the March of the Departed, bearing plaques and tablets with the names of all members of their communities that have passed on that year.

Category. First Order Gods
Edicts. Lay the dead to rest honourably, destroy undead
Anathema. Create or control undead, violate a tomb or grave, desecrate a corpse
Areas of Concern. Birth, death, fate, judgment
Symbol. A tree growing by a spring
Sacred Animal. Owl
Sacred Colour. Blue, grey, white

Realm

The Final Crossroads

Church/Cult

Maiasian Priesthood

Devotee Benefits

Divine Ability. Constitution or Wisdom
Divine Font. Heal
Divine Sanctification. None
Divine Skill. Medicine
Favoured Weapon. Staff
Domains. Death, Fate, Healing, Soul, Vigil
Cleric Spells. 1st; Ill Omen, 3rd; Ghostly Weapon, 4th; Vision of Death