Pola (pole-uh)
God of Civilization
Pola is the deity of cities, giving her name to the polis itself. She is depicted as a human woman dressed in a white peplos and wearing a golden wreath upon her head. In her right hand she is often depicted holding the sun, and her symbol is that of the sun wrapped in her golden wreath. She is a member of the Theonínta.
Though not a deity of war, Pola is often considered chief among the Theonínta having rallied the disparate deities together to resist Fytanke Calamêtes and begin the Age of Gods. When mortals began to proliferate on the material plane, Pola gave them light by way of the sun so they might perceive the world around them, and when their numbers grew large enough she sent them visions of great cities they would come to call the polis in her honor.
Pola is arguably one of the stricter of the deities revered in Koss. She has little patience for those that would disrupt order, and is happiest when people follow rules and hold each other to high standards. These rules and standards are subjective and based on those held by the community, so long as there is some underlying order and consistency among them.
Married to Kallipilos, Pola incorporates her husband's love of architecture and craftsmanship into the cities she would guide the mortals to create, though she believes that he is at times impractical and admonishes his carefree nature when it comes to proper procedures.
Cults of Pola can be found in every polis as well as in smaller, independent villages ruled over by a governing body. Judges and lawyers engage in a series of prayers to her at the beginning of each trial, and all assemblies of the Ecclesia start by giving a sacrifice of crops to her. Her temples always have their roofs open to let the sun in, though the more affluent temples typically have a cleric able to keep out the elements. In addition, the temples typically have a glass orb at the center with a light source within to symbolize the sun.
During the Great Wildfire, Pola was called upon to impart her blessings upon those who would defend civilization from destruction. Much like the deities before them, the mortals rallied around Pola’s order ideals and through her guidance the poleis of Koss came together as one to drive back the invaders. Upon the Kossic victory, craftspeople everywhere were inundated with commissions for statues of her. In the present day it is poor etiquette among those of political or social status not to have one such statue in the center of one’s courtyard.
Pola is often called upon to solve formal disputes between the deities of Koss, but is often frustrated by their constant scheming and attempts to get around her judgments. She is a proud mother to Kaiotim, with whom she shares the domain of justice.
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