Shana, Goddess of Healing and Lakes

The history of the Khesum is a history replete with violence and despair, though even in their darkest times one of their most respected deities was one of peace and compassion. "The Lady of Lakes" is that Goddess. She has been worshiped since their earliest oral history's, in a distant land, where they were kept and worked to death as slaves, the Khesum found peace, calm, and hope in prayer to Shana.

History

You can win even when you lose. Because even in losing, you might succeed in making your point. In saying that you refuse the way they want it.
-Excerpt from The Book of Sufferings.

The myths and literature of her Cult are the best sources for Shanas past, as well as the potential past of the Khesum as a whole. Within these teachings, Shana is a woman thrown into a lake and drowned by the Khesums enslavers many thousands of years ago. She is described as a being worshipped before this as a priestess or demi-goddess by a small sect of secretive followers. "The masters jealously guarded worship, keeping it for themselves and giving the Khesum nothing to hope for but work and lashes". When this group was discovered, many members were tortured for information on the location of other sects, before all were thrown in the lake along with Shana. However, others would follow them in, walking into the water hand in hand to their rebellious deaths. This was immediately put to an end, and execution through drowning was no longer used by the masters, but for the rest of the Khesums time as slaves, they would leave offerings and prayers at the lake edge, transforming it from a sign of oppression and death to one of quiet rebellion. "Shana took the waters from Dannan, and against her quiet determination his strikes did nothing".
Over time, these offerings were what allowed Shana to ascend to her position as a lake goddess of peace and healing, as depending on the size of her sect, she may have already been an ascendant before death. Those who drowned along with her that day would become her first water nymphs; minor water deities that, according to modern day Khesum, inhabit every lake, river, and body of water.
When ---------- finally showed the Khesum their strength and brought them to open rebellion, Shana threw her aid behind the other new Deities looking to stop the masters draining the earth of its life force. Various Khesum warlords and warbands, including Garus, did what they could to divert the masters attention from this goal, but it was not enough. "The masters realized they could not take the powers of the land for themselves, and so decreed that the earth should be bound with chains and kept for them. 'Go, gatekeepers of Nargisaan.' Said dread emperor sulvarak. 'Send out against the land sixty diseases to curse her with great curses, and weaken the land. Once this is done, bind her with sixty chains about her body. Chain the eyes of the land, Chain the arms of the land, Chain the feet of the land, Chain the heart of the land, Chain the head (of the land,)(...)to every part of her until she is bound to us.'"
The earth did not submit easily however, and fought back, causing the Khesum to flee the continent of the masters as the earth tore itself and the land apart even as it was subdued. Eventually the Khesum landed on the continent of Tural, bringing the worship of Shana and the other surviving new gods with them.

Personality

Shana is a pacifist Goddess who avoids conflict or violence, even if threatened. Although shy, quiet, and enigmatic, "The Quite One" has a strength of will and character that has yet to be broken. She protects lakes and rivers either personally or via her nymphs, fellow sentient but less powerful water spirits who are bound to the body of water and its people that gave them life.
Strangely, such protection is also freely granted by the followers of Garus, who will hunt those who befoul her lakes or harm her cultists.

Appearance

Shana is seen as a nude, glossy blue skinned Khesumii woman, with deep turquoise pools for eyes and ankle length, sweeping hair of dark blue that flows and cascades around her body like shimmering waterfalls. She is often depicted in water up to her chest and her hair merging with the water itself, much like her nymphs.

Worship

Divine Domains

Life, Nature, Healing

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Shana's sacred symbol is a blue lotus. The flower is found mainly in the south of Tural and the eastern islands where it is cultivated for its pain relieving qualities. When smoked or ground into a powder and mixed with oils, it can be used for various ailments such as toothache, pain in childbirth, fever, breast pain, skin diseases, rheumatism, diabetes, and colds.
The lotus is also smoked in larger quantities by matriarchs of Shana's cult on holy days, where the flower has a more psychedelic effect, causing visual and auditory hallucinations during which the matriarchs say their soul is freed from her body for a time to drift over Shana's lake.

Tenets of Faith

Peace

Peace can only come from within and cannot be taught or imposed. Seek stillness of mind through meditation and exercise, and through this find true peace.

Nurture

Strive always to aid, to foster new hope and ideas. Care for growing things and foster new growths in the character of others to help them flourish.

Redemption

Conflict does not have to be the answer to every problem. If faced with an opponent, first attempt to redeem them and offer mercy. Sometimes, the merest show of compassion is enough to melt the hardest hearts and save the lives of thousands of children who will fight and die in their ancestors wars.

Shana

Divine Classification

Goddess

Honorary Titles

Lady of Lakes
The Quiet One
Mother of Waters
The Weeping Goddess

Favoured Plant

Blue Lotuses

Symbol

Blue lotus on calm water

Sacred Animal

Dove

Sacred Colour

White, Blue