Irori

Master of Masters

Irori is the god of enlightenment, self-perfection, knowledge, healing, and inner strength. His followers claim that he was once a mortal who achieved absolute physical and mental perfection and thus attained divinity of his own volition.

Appearance

Depictions of the Master of Masters in art are quite rare because his followers believe that his true form cannot be adequately described by mortal hands. When he is depicted, he is generally shown as a physically flawless human male with a shaved head, except for a long, single braid, simple robes, and wearing sandals. He is generally shown sitting or in meditative stances.

History

Stories told in the Azvadeva Pujila recount Irori's quest for enlightenment and ultimate ascension to divinity.

Relations

Irori respects that other deities are different spiritual beings and that what is correct for him may not be so for them. He, therefore, tries to avoid interfering with other divine beings, unless they threaten his work or his people.  He has a particularly good relationship with Abadar, and has an ongoing feud with Asmodeus, because of the Lord of Hell's penchant for corrupting or destroying the things that others have built. A minor rivalry exists between his faith and those of Cayden Cailean, Iomedae, and Norgorber, as he considers their rise to deity status through the Test of the Starstone as cheating. Despite this tension with Iomedae, followers of her faith allow paladins of Irori to train in their halls. Cayden Cailean, however, finds Irori "stuffy". Erastil respects Irori but has his usual philosophical niggles about Irori's "selfishness". Irori also sometimes comes into conflict with Nethys, whose chaotic aspects the Master of Masters finds unharmonious. Urgathoa, goddess of hedonism and excess, finds Irori's strict moderation annoying.

Realm

Irori makes his home on the plane of Axis, in a realm called the Serene Circle.

Providence

Irori shows his displeasure by sudden and mysterious cramps, fatigue, or hindrances in the form of sickness or insanity.

Servants

Irori holds enlightenment and the quests for knowledge and self-perfection of both body and mind above all. As such, sentient creatures are more associated with his faith than any animals or beasts. His divine servitor race, the pavbaghas, look like enormous white tigers, but are actually the reincarnated souls of his enlightened followers.

Unique servants

• Chem Chem: This favored servant of Irori is an intelligent, celestial white tiger.
• The Old Man: Appearing as an elderly human male of uncertain ethnicity, and a dexterity and strength far beyond a mortal of his build and age, the Old Man is Irori's herald.
• Sixth Rebirth: This favored servant of Irori is a dour stone giant monk.

Church of Irori

Worshipers

Irori is worshiped by all who seek enlightenment and self-improvement. Most folk are somewhat put off by the Master of Masters' strict adherents, even though the religion is quickly growing on the central continents. Irori is respected and worshipped by dwarves alongside their own pantheon.
Some green dragons worship Irori and suffer derision for so doing by other green dragons who call such worship the Cult of the Man God.

Clergy

Irori's priesthood consists primarily of clerics and monks. Priests are responsible for mentoring others as they try to attain self-perfection either by guiding followers or through rigorous testing and trials. Each must follow his or her own slightly different path to enlightenment, but there is little infighting among Irori's followers. Priests have no formal raiment, but prefer to dress plainly with a single long rope of braided hair they wear around their neck. Upon death, masters of the faith are said to join Irori to serve him for all eternity, while those who have not yet achieved perfection are reincarnated to begin the process anew.

Temples and shrines

Temples are usually elaborate complexes filled with rooms for prayer, sleep, and exercise where the faithful train both day and night to achieve perfection and cleanse their ki, or life-force. They are not generally open to the public, and petitioners are asked to wait quietly outside and not disturb those who are meditating within.

Holy texts

The followers and adherents of Irori's ways hold all knowledge as sacred, specifically that which can help to improve oneself and lead one closer to enlightenment.
Unbinding the Fetters: This is a lengthy tome describing meditation, physical exercises, dietary regimes and other methods to help mortals transcend their limitations. It is a difficult book, full of aphorisms, metaphors, and riddles designed to challenge the reader's preconceptions.

Holidays

Rituals require very specific preparation, both in mediation and diet, and each path to enlightenment may require different holidays and holy experiences. Dates are extremely important to Irori's faithful. Each follower of his teaching must decide for herself what dates are significant, as Irori's faith is an individualistic one. Of particular importance are the days that relate to a given temple or monastery, or that impact a given monk's path toward enlightenment.

Divine Classification

Lesser Deity

Religions

• Hellknights

Alignment

Lawful Neutral

Current Location

Axis

Species

Human

Honorary & Occupational Titles

• Master of Masters
• Iro-Shu and the Enlightened One
• the Perfect Human
• the Perfect Man

Current Residence

Serene Circle, Axis

Eyes

Jade

Hair

Black

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Diamond

Height

5'9''

Weight

160lbs

Holy Symbol

Pathfinder Statistics

Divine Domains

• Healing
• Knowledge
• Law
• Rune
• Strength

Favored Weapon: Unarmed Strike

D&D 5e Statistics

Suggested Domains

• Knowledge Domain