Eurystheus the Boatman
Saint of Sailing, Rivers, Navigation, and Marine Life
Titles: Saint Eurystheus the Boatman, King of Cutlass and Compass, The Trailblazing Sailor, The Marine Protector, The Ferryman
Favored Weapon: Cutlass
Alignment: Water
Elemental Lord: Arlaxod, Emperor of the Torrent
Obedience: Spend an hour studying maps and charts of the surrounding area, and drawing out new maps if you have recently been into unexplored territory. Make sure all your navigating tools are aligned and working properly.
Effect: You gain immunity to maze spells and cannot ever become lost. Gain a +5 on all Profession(Sailor) checks and treat Knowledge(Nature) as a class skill.
Divine Domains
Water, Travel, Liberation, Animal, Chaos
Holy Books & Codes
The Boatman's Bellows
Divine Symbols & Sigils
A copper compass with a stylized rowboat design on it
Tenets of Faith
Protect the creatures of the ocean. Save them from exploitation and overhunting, and slay those who would disrupt the natural order.
No life is greater than one lived free. Chart your path without oppression, ensure others can do the same, and slay those who would seek domination over others.
Be the compass for the lost. Guide those who are lost, and shepherd those in need of travel.
Steady be the hand beneath the mast. Trust in and listen to nature's portents and council, and work alongside your crew - no ship can endure without a crew.
Divine Goals & Aspirations
Guide the lost and those who travel.
Protect marine life and the creatures of the oceans and waterways.
Teach the importance of heeding nature's warnings and portents.
Spread the good word of honest work and communal spirit.
Followers & Priesthood
A simple saint with a simple following, Eurystheus's followers can be found anywhere there is water - from the world's riverways to the deepest and most terrifying oceans. They can often be found as guides and navigators ferrying people up and down rivers and upon all manner of sailing ships, from pirate ships to merchant fleets, and can come from nearly all walks of life - all creatures can and have joined his faith, drawn by the lure of the ocean and the freedom it represents. His followers can range from pirates to river guides to environmental activists, but all are united in their faith - and the compasses with which they all carry - as their Saint has long since been credited with the compass's invention, the faithful of Eurystheus have always carried a similar compass on them to the one he himself was said to have strung together in his young adult years - embossed in copper and strung together with simple magnets - though some take pride in fashioning higher quality compasses, these compasses as a whole are one part religious icon and one part symbol of their faith, and means of identification to other faithful. They tend to dress loosely and in a manner befitting travelers, often with open billowing shirts and free-flowing trousers to allow the salty sea breeze to blow against their skin - often, they are festooned with belts and belly wraps that are adorned with compasses, navigation tools, maps, cutlasses, and other sailing or traveling gear - and while the faithful have no official uniform per se, the ragtag nature of their attire typically makes them quite easy to recognize to other members of the faith. They do not tend to organize into any particular churches or parishes, and instead wander freely, organizable only by perhaps the ship or fleet they serve under. Sometimes, in more inland areas where members of the faithful serve as guides on riverways or in wetland areas, they may form small guilds or groups to monetize and organize their services better, but such is the exception and not the rule. They tend to follow their own hearts, and are not well inclined to gathering outside of the crews they are currently working alongside. Wherever they gather, his followers tend to be well-known and liked - whether individuals or guilds, they tend to make a name for themselves in what they do as activists, guides, navigators or even cartographers - and many lords or kingdoms or cities nearby often develop good relations with them to guide their ships or caravans through rough areas or waters. They can also be a feared force to those who would exploit the ocean and those that dwell within it.Ethics
Nothing is more important to followers of Eurystheus than travel and community - they take pride in traveling and guiding others in need of travel, and hold the notions of freedom and community very close to their hearts. Though they often travel alone, this is not to say they lack team spirit - in fact, they understand better than most that teamwork and community are crucial to success. They are rarely lone wolves and know how to blend in and work alongside others well, whether that be passengers on a boat or on a crew aboard a ship. They are free spirits who dislike being held down by anything for an extended period of time, and as such are often naturally drawn to a life on the water or in transit - working alongside a crew for a few months on a long journey is often just the right combination of freedom and restriction to keep them satisfied. They hold nature in high regard as well as they do freedoms - they are just as likely to despise and take action against those who restrict the freedoms of others as they are against those who exploit or unfairly use the ocean, its creatures, or resources. They often understand that death and predators are natural in the oceans and waters of the world, but despise outside interference in this cycle when it is done in excess or done with obvious villainous desires in mind - so while fishing is fine, overfishing is not, and likewise industrial pollution, standardized overhunting, pollution, and the like are all likely to attract their wrath. They believe that a massive part of the world's beauty is held within its watery depths and on them, and consider themselves protectors of that beauty. They may not be die-hard environmentalists, but most followers of Eurystheus can in one way or another appreciate the beauty of the world, and the power it holds - and learn to respect its warnings and portents, whether that be the guidance of a strong breeze or the rumbling warnings of a coming storm.History
The history of Eurystheus is as simple as his faith - born as a simple working-class citizen of the Gangtao Migrant Fleet, Eurytheus was known to be a simple sailor throughout most of his life, without import or notable accomplishments - a simple boy with simple dreams. It was not until the very edge of his young adult years that he began to achieve greatness - after discovering and buying some magnets from passing merchants in other sections of the great fleet in which he dwelled, he set to work on his greatest creation - a device that would allow one to always know their direction and orientation. Working long, hard hours within his humble quarters aboard the lifeship in his section of the fleet, Eurystheus worked for years on his first creation - driven by the desires of the Captain of his section of the Migrant Fleet, who had long expressed a desire to compensate for his aging body and senses with outside help. So it was that the first compass came into being, born within the depths of Eurystheus's workshop - gifted to the Fleet Admiral Kozamaru, the aged sailor who had long since lost the senses and bodily power that made him so famous in his glory days, he was catapulted into fame as Kozamaru, aged but not senile, recognized the power of Eurystheus's creation and his innovative, bright mind and named him his personal lieutenant. So it was that in short order, his compasses spread throughout the migrant fleet and beyond, carried on the backs of the legendary Admiral Kozamaru and his trusty lieutenant Eursytheus - such was his honor in the eyes of his Admiral that Eurystheus was given a ship of his own, which he commanded beneath Kozamaru faithfully until the old Wolf's death of natural causes decades later. He was last seen taking his ship as he began to reach middle age on his 'last great journey' off into the unknown oceans of the north - to go where none had gone before and prove the incredible value of his compasses - but he was never seen again, and his ultimate fate is a mystery that all his faithful seek to solve - and to recover the belongings of the man himself, so they might be entombed in a shrine in his honor. Not long after his last voyage, however, he was enshrined into sainthood on the backs of those friends he left behind in the migrant fleet, who pleaded on his behalf to Arlaxod, Emperor of the Torrent himself to make the compass-maker a Saint - to which the Elemental Lord happily obliged, moved as he was by Eurystheus's contributions to the sea and marine life.
Divine Classification
Elemental Saint
Alignment
Children
Example Divine Oaths
Oath of the Righteous Vagabond: Never set foot in your village or hometown again unless to combat some great and dire threat. Defend every other community and creature as if they were your own family, and treat them accordingly. Always grant asylum to those in need in your house, dwelling, campsite, or place of rest and be willing to share meal and drink with them.
Oath of the Saintseeker: Stop at nothing to discover the ultimate fate of Eursytheus and his last great expedition. Seek out the clues of his disappearance and unravel the mystery of his final voyage into the unknown. Ensure any artifacts of his you find are put to appropriate use by those capable or enshrined in a suitably impressive shrine.
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