Dahlia

Goddess of Grief and Secrets

"My father's rest in his banishment shall not be disturbed be it by god nor Risen. Until the day arrives when he may walk amongst us once again, no one will cross this threshold." - Dahlia, on guarding the gateway to the Realm of the Dead

Dahlia's birth was the result of the adulterous union between Sturn and Elanaah that led to the dissolution of the Council of the Gods. A twin to Panen, the God of Fortune, she was born blind and with the lower extremities of a serpent. Despite his wrath and accusations towards Sturn for his actions, Artur never threatened the child. She spent all of one moment with her mother before she was taken by her father and entrusted to Mortair for safekeeping during the child. Mortair, having been both created and ascended to godhood by Sturn's hand, promised to protect the child with her very life. In the wake of the trial and Sturn's banishment from Nora, she became like a mother to Dahlia as she took her back to the deserts of Nioyaathep.
The dissolution of the Council of the Gods led to an order from Artur to leave the Risen to their own devices and travel with him, but Mortair stayed behind with the young child to ensure proper care and education during her foundational years. Dahlia aged rapidly as all of the gods did, developing a mature body and intellect well beyond her time in just a handful of years. Mortair brought her to each city within Nioyaathep to both introduce the populace to their new god and spread her version of the events surrounding Dahlia's birth and Sturn's disappearance. Dahlia left her blessings at each temple the pair visited and the Dahlen quickly grew to love her as much as they loved Sturn himself.
Dahlia spent what little free time she had in her developing years learning all she could about her parents from Mortair. She regularly expressed sorrow at the loss of any traditional relationship she might have been able to have with them, as well as pity for them both with the tragedy surrounding their affair. The goddess affirmed, however, that she harbored no ill will against Artur and the others who sided against her father. She told Mortair that she could not rightly compare her grief to theirs as she was not in their position.
After ten years, when Dahlia was deemed mature by the standards of the gods, Mortair planned to leave the Risen on Nora and join the rest of the gods, but Dahlia refused to go with her. Instead, the blind goddess decided to stay in Nioyaathep and seek out the gateway to the Realm of the Dead. She vowed to honor the final commandment of the Council of the Gods and leave the Risen to their own devices provided they leave her and the realm of her father alone. Dahlia assumed the role of guardian for the gateway to the Realm of the Dead and has remained as such since, hidden beneath the desert for centuries as she watches for any transgressions.
The Dahlen people have continued to pray to her fervently, believing that her close presence beneath the sands provides them with regular blessings and access to divine power, unlike the rest of Nora. The High Priestesses that now rule Nioyaathep are said to be closer to Dahlia than Sturn and embody her will above the sands. With their rule unchallenged for over a millennia, the citizens of the desert nation are in agreeance that they hold Dahlia's blessings and Sturn's approval. Her presence has been challenged by Ehlen and Humans alike as they continued to assail the nation for centuries after the dissolution of the Council of the Gods.

Guardian of the Gateway

Although Dahlia is believed to possess the power of Divine Creation like many of the gods, there are no known instances of her demonstrating this ability. Instead, her domain was expressed through her blessings left at each temple she visited during her time traveling with Mortair. Her blessings would provide each temple with auras of tranquility and protection, soothing the griefs as well as dispelling inclinations towards violence of any visitors. She also showed signs of the influence of both parents, possessing both Sturn's mastery of serpents as well as Elanaah's control over plants, just not to the same degree either.
Worshippers of Dahlia have associated the goddess with the domains of grief and secrets. Her existence embodies both, with the matter of her conception being one of the greatest secrets held between gods and her life now being one of grief as she is barred from the company of her father as well as the love of her mother. It is believed that her tears are the source of all water in the desert aside from Lake Menes, everflowing up to the surface from her residence beneath the sands.
As for the domain of secrets, her very conception was a secret matter up until the point of her birth. The location of the Gateway where Dahlia stands guard now is a secret among the High Priestesses of Nioyaathep as well as the true nature of her character and powers. There are those who believe that all souls pay tribute to her before passing through to the Realm of the Dead and that she knows the secrets of all dead Risen.

Icons of Dahlia

Dahlia bears the appearance of a Dahlen woman from the waist up while bearing the body of a serpent from the waist down. Her skin is light for a Dahlen, a pale lavender in color, while the scales that adorn her reptilian features and spread up her ribs are in a pattern of black and violet. She has long silver hair akin to her father's that hangs down below her waistline and eyes that give off the telltale cloudy white color of blindness. Dahlia is often depicted in ceremonial dress catered to her form, with a sheer white top and an abundance of gold accents and jewelry.
Emblems representing Dahlia's worship are similar to her father's being the head of a cobra with mouth agape, however instead of bejeweled eyes they will instead be covered with a blindfold. These sigils are often made out of precious silver or platinum and displayed proudly by her followers. Her altars can be found next to those of Sturn and Mortair throughout all of Nioyaathep and in the rare places they are located elsewhere.

Followers of the Blind

Ever since the daughters of Sturmenoth Menes reunited Nioyaathep, the High Priestesses have ruled over the nation in a matriarchy. Part of their influence is tied to Dahlia's believed existence as the last deity remaining on Nora and the closest one to their people and history. The High Priestesses go through an initiation ritual of blinding themselves in an effort to be more like the goddess herself. Most Dahlen women, if not all, will pay great patronage to Dahlia throughout their lives.
Throughout the rest of the world, however, many grieving individuals have turned to her with the associated domain of grief. Those who have experienced the loss of their loved ones such as grieving mothers and widows will pray to her in hopes of assuaging their grief. Orphanages and funeral houses in particular will often have small altars dedicated to her worship.