Ephara, God of Cities

As god of the cities, Ephara sees herself as the founder of civilization. She watches over cities, protecting them from outside threats. She is credited with establishing the first code of law, which Meletis has preserved and the other poleis have imitated. Even more important, she helps cities reach their highest potential, becoming centers of scholarship, industry, and art.
Ephara appears as a huge animated statue wearing a stone crown, resembling the capital of a column. When she chooses to walk about her cities at human scale, she often takes on the form of a human woman. In either form, she is always dressed in blue and white, and her expression is usually serious, but not unkind. She often carries a large urn on one shoulder, with the dark, star-studded sky of Nyx pouring from it and dissolving into mist as it hits the ground.
Ephara’s Goals Ephara seeks always to further cities: establishing them, protecting them, and seeing them grow. She supports those who build new cities and those who free others from tyranny. Ephara knows that not all threats to a city come from outside it, and she encourages her followers to watch out for tyranny and injustice from within. She seeks for justice to prevail in civilized lands.
Ephara seeks far more for her cities than mere safety. She drives every city to aspire toward efforts that help its people thrive. Civic responsibility is essential in Ephara's eyes, and having an engaged citizenry is important. The pursuit of knowledge is also a vital task, and she encourages advances in philosophy and science. As the scholars in her cities obtain or derive new knowledge, Ephara's magic scrolls grow ever longer. Finally, art is of critical importance to a thriving city. Ephara particularly supports architecture, the creation of which often drives industry and sculpture, though she doesn't scorn other varieties of artistic expression.
Worshiping Ephara To an extent, Ephara's devout show their faith by going about their lives and contributing to society. Midday services at Ephara's temples often feature a brief prayer, followed by a longer talk from an industrial or civic leader on a topic of general interest. Attendants often bring meals to eat while on a break from their jobs.
Ephara's face is a common sight in cities. Marble buildings, stone walls, and similar surfaces usually feature a sculpture or relief of her visage. People often swear oaths or engage in verbal disputes in front of these images, believing she won't let a falsehood told in front of her go unpunished. Whether she actually intervenes is unclear, but conflicts that play out this way are often resolved peacefully, without a need for the justice system to get involved.
Ephara’s Champions
Alignment: Usually lawful, often neutral
Suggested Classes: Bard, cleric, monk, paladin, wizard
Suggested Cleric Domains: Knowledge, Light
Suggested Backgrounds: Acolyte, athlete, guild artisan, noble, sage, sailor, soldier, urchin
Most champions of Ephara believe cities represent the pinnacle of achievement and do what they can to uphold the law and keep society functioning. Some of the god's most devout followers work as architects, artists, or philosophers, all striving to serve the public good.
Ephara’s Favor
Ephara seeks champions who will defend her cities fiercely, both from external threats and internal corruption. She asks them to protect not only the people, but also the structures that comprise a polis. The circumstances that led you to worship Ephara most likely involved the polis you call home.

Myths of Ephara Ephara’s deeds demonstrate her commitment to the poleis and those who seek their improvement.
Founding of Meletis. The city-state of Meletis was once part of the archon Agnomakhos’s empire. The archon ruled his territory with absolute cruelty. Ephara bestowed her magic on the subjugated populace to enable them to fight back and overthrow Agnomakhos. The newly freed people then established Meletis, as the settlement on that site is known today. The founding of Ephara’s favored city is still celebrated today, both in Meletis and elsewhere among the god’s followers, as the summer holiday of Polidrysion, which gives its name to the fourth month in the Meletian calendar.
Earthquake in Meletis. The temple of Ephara in Meletis is the god’s largest and grandest place of worship on Theros. It is kept in perfect repair, and worn or damaged pieces of the structure are quickly replaced. During an enormous earthquake, many of the structures in Meletis crumbled. Ephara kept her temple standing throughout the mighty quake, making it a place for Meletians to take refuge in the following days during the aftershocks. After the cataclysm, she shared designs from her scrolls of sacred knowledge with the architects of Meletis so they could rebuild the city to be much more resistant to earthquakes.
The Library of Glossion. The small town of Glossion boasts a remarkable library that according to local legend was a gift from Ephara. Other tales suggest that the library was actually founded by an ancient sage named Anatheia, but then a terrible fire destroyed the place, and along with it generations of collected knowledge. Once the people finished rebuilding the structure to start the library over, Ephara is said to have appeared and restored the books and scrolls the library had lost, copying the information from her personal scrolls of sacred knowledge.
Savior of Altrisos. A kraken that escaped its sea lock once threatened the small seaside city of Altrisos. Recently weakened by a triton raid, the city had no defenses left and would be destroyed by an attack. The people prayed to Ephara, and the large image of her face on the city’s wall came to life. The walls of the city grew impossibly high and strong, and the kraken could do no more than dash its head against the impassable barrier. The monster soon returned to the ocean to find an easier meal.
Trial of Aristhenes. A man named Aristhenes committed many murders, targeting members of the government and some of their family members. When he was arrested and put to trial, he claimed that no one could fairly judge him because every qualified judge was personally affected by the case. Ephara herself came to the city to serve as judge for the trial, since no one could accuse her of anything but perfect impartiality, and she found Aristhenes guilty.