Ephara, Goddess of the Polis

As god of the polis, 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 Influence

Ephara’s sphere of influence is the polis. Although worshiped in many places, she is most beloved in Meletis, whose citizens credit her with the city’s founding. Many city walls bear Ephara’s face, fashioned thus in the belief that each of her images watches over the part of the city it looks upon. Ephara is strongly affiliated with the daytime, when cities are awake, alive, and at work. Her followers generally pray at midday, with the sounds of the city forming an appropriate backdrop to their rites, as industry itself is sacred to Ephara. Many aspects of city life and culture fall under Ephara’s influence. Scholarship is closely connected to Ephara, as is art—particularly poetry, sculpture, and architecture. Ephara is also highly concerned with civic wisdom and justice, and many politicians and other leaders seek her guidance in how to rule.

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.

Divine Relationships

Ephara and Heliod have aligning interests, since they both value structure and justice. Ephara works toward establishing judicial systems that enforce the laws and uphold the values that Heliod holds dear. Ephara is also on good terms with Thassa, the god of the sea, because Ephara recognizes the necessity of water for a thriving polis. She also admires Purphoros’s craft, realizing the essential role of the forge and other forms of industry to build a city. Ephara and Nylea are almost polar opposites, and there is no shortage of bad blood between the god of the cities and the god of the hunt. Nylea resents the construction of every building in a place that once held plants and animals, and Ephara has no patience for any wild creature that encroaches on a settlement. Ephara looks at the wilderness and sees only wasted potential, while Nylea looks at cities and sees only destruction. Ephara has a deep-seated hatred for Phenax. While Ephara can appreciate the perspective of most of her peers, she has no such understanding for those who would deliberately try to undermine a thriving social structure. Ephara opposes Phenax and what she sees as his utter disdain for everything she stands for. Her relationship with Karametra is a difficult one from either perspective. Ephara approves of agriculture, a key ingredient for the development of cities, and both gods are concerned with defense of settlements. Even so, Karametra is tied to Setessa and the wild lands, where Ephara is distrusted, and although Karametra and Nylea have their own complicated relationship, Karametra strongly favors Nylea over Ephara.

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. The Ephara’s Favor table provides just a few possibilities. Ephara’s Favor

1 You grew up in a polis like Meletis and never feel safe outside one.

2 You grew up in a home that was next to a wall or a building with Ephara’s face on it, and you felt like she was always looking after you.

3 You were part of a revolution to fight off tyrants and establish freedom in your city.

4 Your family members have all been architects, going back several generations, and all worshiped Ephara.

5 You are a highly skilled poet, scholar, or philosopher, and Ephara took notice of your talent.

6 You are a civil servant or a city leader, taking an active role in the welfare of your home.

Devotion to Ephara

Followers of Ephara support their cities, protecting them while helping them thrive. As a follower of Ephara, consider the ideals on the Ephara’s Ideals table as alternatives to those suggested for your background. Ephara’s Ideals

1 Devotion. My devotion to my god is more important to me than what she stands for. (Any)

2 Justice. Laws keep society functioning, and I must see to it that they are enforced. (Lawful)

3 Community. We are stronger together, and I must improve and support my community. (Lawful or good)

4 Scholarship. I serve my community and my god by learning new information or creating art. (Any)

5 Civic Duty. It is my responsibility to serve my city. (Lawful)

6 Protection. I must keep my city safe from threats both external and internal. (Any)

Earning and Losing Piety

You increase your piety score to Ephara when you expand the god’s influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:

Defending a city from a major threat
Defeating a tyrant who threatens a city’s freedom
Creating a masterwork, such as a building or a poem

Your piety score to Ephara decreases if you diminish Ephara’s influence in the world, contradict her ideals, or let her down through acts such as these:

Betraying one’s trust to commit acts of corruption or tyranny
Destroying a civic institution or sowing chaos within a city
Willfully breaking just laws for personal gain

Ephara’s Devotee Piety 3+ Ephara trait Ephara grants you insight into how people communicate. You can cast comprehend languages with this trait, requiring no material component, a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Ephara’s Votary Piety 10+ Ephara trait You gain advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks while you are within a city. In addition, when you fail an Intelligence check or Intelligence saving throw, you can reroll the die, and you must use the new roll. Once you use this reroll, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Ephara’s Disciple Piety 25+ Ephara trait You can cast Mordenkainen’s private sanctum with this trait, requiring no material components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Champion of the Polis Piety 50+ Ephara trait You can increase your Intelligence or Charisma score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2.