Desna
(a.k.a. The Song of the Spheres)
Appearance
Desna is commonly portrayed as a stunning pale elven woman with flowing straight and black hair and vibrant blue butterfly wings. In the eyes of the catfolk, who were created by Desna herself to defend the world from nightmares, she is depicted as one of their own, although the butterfly wings remain a distinctive feature. In her portrayals, Desna is shown completely nude or wearing a robe made from stars. Legends say that her rare avatars can be recognized by the presence of a cloud of butterflies that always follows them.Personality
Desna provides safe passage through the darkness and journeys without end. She relies on instinct, embracing an untethered existence. Her confidence in herself and her followers frees her from worry. Desna encourages others to embrace life and believes in rewriting fate. She rewards her followers with luck and reveals unseen wonders. Despite hardships, she remains hopeful and believes in making one's own fortune. Desna loves music and live performances and is said to have performed the first song when the creation of the material plane was completed. Her faithful are often performers themselves, spreading her songs across the world. Desna generally communicates with her followers through dreams, sending images, feelings, or even prophecies that stick in the recipient's mind after waking. If there is not enough time for dreams, or they are otherwise unsuitable, she can send swarms of butterflies that fly in a four-pointed star shape. When displeased, she can withhold a restful sleep, make sure the mortal gets sore feet, has a travel accident, or that a messenger animal loses its way. Desna is in a romantic relationship with Shelyn and Sarenrae. As a result, they are often worshipped together, and a cleric of one may also serve the other two, although not as strongly. Desna has important allies such as Gozreth and Iomedae. She strongly opposes deities like Lamashtu and Gorum for the destruction they promote, and she greatly dislikes Asmodeus for his tyranny. Desna had her only child,Kurgess, with her great friend Cayden. He is not a child in the tradition sense, instead he was a mortal man that was “adopted” to goodhood by both Desna and Cayden after his great accomplishments. Both of them raised him as their son after his ascension and still serve as his parental figures.Religion
Worshipers
Desna is the goddess of travel and journeys, and there are few who traverse the roads who wouldn't spare her a prayer or a simple-worded plea for benediction. Scouts, sailors, and those who travel for travel's sake make up a large number of her followers, though her focus on luck also makes her a favorite deity among gamblers, fortune-tellers, halflingsWhile Desna is worshipped by most ancestries, the catfolk show her the utmost loyalty due to her role in their creation. According to their legends, the catfolk trace their origins back to the great cats that Desna crafted to protect the still young Ilnora from threats. In order to enhance their effectiveness in this task, these cats were bestowed with intelligence and forms that allowed them to create and utilize tools.
Clergy
Most centers of worship for Desna are not ornate temples but instead small, unattended shrines. These shrines are most commonly found at crossroads, remote areas of beauty, or the tops of hills where the stars can be viewed unimpeded. Traveling Desnan priests clean and maintain these shrines as they encounter them, leaving their signatures behind as a way of marking their own journey.The few temples dedicated to Desna often double as observatories where astronomers conduct their studies. Even in the temples Desna’s clergy lacks any hierarquy and instead priests are valued by the tales of the journeys they’ve undertaken and the experiences they’ve had rather thanfor any seniority. A typical Desnan service is performed almost entirely in song, with interludes of dance, storytelling, and dream recollection interspersed throughout.
Divine Domains
Dreams, luck, stars and travelers
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Butterflies, cats, stars, and the moon.
Tenets of Faith
Desna wants her followers to take chances, get messy,and live life to its fullest. Those who follow her teachings she rewards with a spot of luck revealing unseen shortcuts, dangers to be circumvented, and undiscovered wonders. Even so, she is no stranger to hardship, understanding that fate can be cruel and love can be lost. This only strengthens her resolve. She believes in good luck, and that people can make their own fortune in life. Desna encourages her followers to chase their bliss, find what impassions them, and explore.
Edicts:
Edicts:
- Aid fellow travelers
- Explore new places
- Express yourself through art and song
- Find what life has to offer
- Cause fear or despair, cast nightmare or use similar magic to corrupt dreams
- Engage in bigoted behavior
Holidays
Ritual of Stardust
The Ritual of Stardust is held on both the summer and winter solstices: the longest and shortest nights of the year, respectively. In other words, the best day for travel and the longest night to view Desna's stars. Followers of the goddess gather at dusk and light enormous bonfires and hold feasts, watching the sparks and embers float out into the darkening sky.After it is fully dark, the celebrants chant and sing songs as they watch the fires burn low. When only embers remain, sand mixed with ground star gemstones (either star rubies, star sapphires, or rose quartz) is thrown on them or into the air downwind. At this point, it is common to make proclamations of love and friendship and of promised journeys to come. The twinkling of the sand is thought to mirror the night sky and demonstrate Desna's witnessing of these pronouncements.
Desna's symbol
Divine Classification
Major deity
Species
Realm
Children
Pronouns
She/her
Gender
Woman
Presentation
Feminine
A desnan priestess
A desnan shrine
