Iroh the Dragon
Saint of Love, Beauty, Art, and Passion
Titles: The Dragon, Master of the White Lotus, Lord of Lake and Sky, The Tripillar Sage, The Sage of Seoghar, The Father of the Five Constants, The Grand Dao
Favored Weapon: Temple Sword
Alignment: Fire
Elemental Lord: Nisrithan, Queen of the Inferno
Obedience: Spend an hour brewing a pot of tea and sharing it with another creature, even if it is a stranger, while making small conversation. Attach a small sheet of psalms to the teapot as you brew and pour it, and say a prayer to The Lord of Lake and Sky for the blessings given this day.
Effect: You gain the use of the Unchained Monk power 'Building-Up Koan' a number of times per day equal to 1/2 your HD, without needing expending any ki to use it. You may use this Ki Power on other creatures within 30ft, not just yourself. You only need to pass a DC 5 check to use the aid another action, give double bonuses for doing so, and count as a well-stocked library for the purposes of others consulting you for making knowledge checks.
Divine Domains
Fire, Glory, Charm(Captivation and Love Subdomains ONLY), Nobility, Liberation(Self-Realization Subdomain ONLY)
Holy Books & Codes
The Tealeaf Psalms
Divine Symbols & Sigils
An intricate white-lotus flower inside a circle
Tenets of Faith
Live a life greater than any other to inspire greatness. Embrace passion in your life and live louder and larger than those around you, that others may look upon you and stare in awe and wonder.
Love and Happiness over Protection and Power. Both are fleeting - seek them above all else, and you shall end up with nothing. Use them, attain them, but do not obssess over them.
Embrace ambition and foster greatness. To strive beyond one's station is proof you are alive. Pass on your wisdom to those who require it and help the lost find their path again.
Foster Beauty, Promote Love, and Enjoy Life. Follow your passions and life will reward you - let out the light and beauty inside you so that it may change the world.
Embrace the wisdom of many. Life is defined by variety. Do not draw all your wisdom and strength from one place, lest you become rigid and stale.
Divine Goals & Aspirations
To teach others how to achieve happiness and satisfaction in their lives.
To foster a better world by imbuing wisdom unto the masses.
To help others find love, happiness, and satisfaction.
Followers & Priesthood
Though the followers of Iroh are more often than not rooted in or adjacent to the culture of the Seogharan people who dwell in the Kingdom of Seoghar, in the long period of time since Iroh's rise to sainthood his faith has spread throughout much of Zheng-Kitar and beyond - though it remains something of an unknown in the far-west and southern areas of Zheng-Kitar. In the Kingdom of Seoghar from which his faith originates, his followers and priesthood permeate society - it is has permeated the culture of the Seogharan people so completely that his faith is often synonymous with the proper means by which to live and govern a country, such that his priests are often advisors to nobles and even the Jade Emperor himself. Elsewhere, however, his priests and followers can come from almost any walks of life and hold any positions within society, though in more western societies where more traditional feudal structures exist such as the Kingdom of Osneia, his faith can be somewhat of a strange one that does not take root well within the higher eschelons of noble society there, though exceptions exist. More commonly, followers of Iroh come from the lower and middle classes - his followers that hail from the higher classes from more western nations are those that were often disgraced for one reason or another and thus seeking for meaning, or are those who possess unusually decent character or were in some way tutored in the ways of the faith by another. Followers of Iroh place little emphasis on dress code - their only commonality between styles of dress is 'beauty' and 'elegance'...whether that be a beautiful but simple outfit or a simple loincloth. So, while they often are all but unrecognizable based on style of dress alone, they identify themselves with a badge displaying a white lotus flower somewhere visible on their person, such that others will simple think it a fashion accessory while the faithful will recognize them as fellow members of the Irohan creed and allies worth speaking to. This habit, which traces its roots back to a time when the faith of The Dragon was outlawed and punishable by death in many countries, is also their greatest strength and the reason for the faith's rapid spread in recent years - because of the faithful's strong beliefs in teaching and dispensing wisdom to those in need, the faith is almost universally spread by word of mouth alone as they act as wise guides and mentors for others in need of such advice, and then offer up small tokens of information about the Irohan faith when recipients of such generosity and wisdom wish to thank them. This exceedingly simple and natural means of spreading the faith makes the followers of The Dragon an exceptionally simple but hardy one, who have a strong but hidden presence in many places and who can spread their creed into even the most airtight of places such as the Danzou Theocracy, where most religions are outlawed - since they can hide their worship within the songs they sing, the poetry they write, and in the simple advice they give, it makes them incredibly hard to stamp out or discover in the first place.Ethics
The ethics of those who follow the Irohan faith are simple and kind - they are best described as "Kind and Wise Humanitarians" who often take on the role of mentor or teacher-like figures to others. Though they are the followers of a Saint of The Element of Fire and of Nisrithan, Queen of the Inferno, the followers of Iroh are a bunch that channel their riotous, passionate energy into different forms - they believing in enjoying all the things life has to offer and channeling those passions into outlets that lead, inspire, and help others and are frequently found running or enjoying tea, poetry, art of all kinds, and beauty in whatever form it might take. They believe that by imbuing their lives with passion and enjoying all the things both big and small that exist in the world, they better themselves and others and live a more fulfilling life. They also believe in rejecting the notions of protection and security, and believe quite fervently in the belief that, above all, love and happiness are the wisest choices one can make to pursue in their life - that there is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity so long as truly enjoys what such things bring them. To this end, they preach that there are few things more respected that one can do than simply 'living large' - they believe that as the chosen few, it is their duty to live lives as large as possible to inspire others to both follow in their footsteps, and to dream and aspire all on their own. By living their lives with passion and by living greater and larger than any other, they see themselves as performing a critical duty in inspiring that same passion in others and igniting the flames of ambition and passion in others who see them live and yearn to do as they do, be as they are, and be as wise and caring as those they see and look on at in awe. In this vein, they are those who believe in 'dreaming big and living happily' - to the followers of Iroh, ambition is key to life, and to achieve the lofty goals and ambitions they often have they hold a deep-seated belief in drawing wisdom and experience from many sources; To only draw knowledge and wisdom from one source is a path they believe will lead only to a stale, rigid life and that to be truly wise and go far in life one must be open to learning no matter the source...to seek and get wisdom from other places no matter the source. To this end, they also believe in helping foster the same greatness and ambition they believe in into the hearts and minds of those they encounter on their travels; by serving as kind and wise mentors for those who they think need their wisdom and help, they not only help others strive to live with passion, ambition, and wisdom but also better themselves in the process. By teaching and helping others, they think that they can often solve their own problems and issues in the meantime and better themselves in the process of bettering others.History
The history of Iroh is perhaps the simplest and shortest of any Elemental Saint - as an honored brother to an ancient Jade Emperor, he was in his time a legendary Philosopher and thinker better known as Kazusada Dao, the philosopher who invented and coined the Five Constants that now serve as the moral and ethical guidelines that all Seogharan people abide by and are raised to listen to all their lives. During his life, he was renowned the world over as a dispenser of kind and genuine wisdom and gave advice to countless thousands, from the Jade Emperor to foreign monarchs who came from far-off lands to recieve his wisdom and advice on whatever problems they had at the time. When he died, it is said the entire world entered a period of mourning not seen nor heard since ancient history when The Spirit Kings left the world behind after saving it from the destruction at the hands of the yema - as he had touched the lives of millions with his kind-hearted, warming advice and created a code of ethics an entire people would strive to embody for thousands of years, he was gladly welcomed into the halls of the Saints by Nisrithan, Queen of the Inferno, who placed the honorable Dragon in charge of the court of the dead and made him the judge of all souls who pass through the Tenfold Gates into the afterlife - a kind and genuine man who would forevermore serve as the face the dead would see as a welcome to their eternal reward or punishment. So potent and powerful were his teachings that his foremost student, the young Bomujeo known as Nakshatra, would go on to live a life nearly as impressive as his teacher - becoming the first and one of the incredibly few Bomujeo to attain the title of "Buddha", Nakshatra achieved such spiritual perfection during his lifetime that upon his death, the legendary Buddha Nakshatra, famed by his people and those the world over as "The Heaven Splitter" for his advancements in philosophy, spiritual and monastic teachings, and much more, was made the guardian of The Tenfold Gates by the The Spirit Kings, placed as a divine guardian alongside his master Iroh as the guard of the Tenfold Gates that guard entrance to the halls of the afterlife.
In The Darkest Times, Hope Is Something You Give Yourself. That Is The Meaning Of Inner Strength.
Good times become good memories, but bad times make good lessons.
Divine Classification
Elemental Saint
Alignment
Children
Example Divine Oaths
Oath of the Great Leader: Be a patron of art and artists of all kinds - foster the arts and beauty wherever it can be found. Embrace passion as the path to enjoyment in life and never hold yourself so far above those you rule that you become unreachable - always make yourself available to them in whatever ways you can, whether as a teacher, tutor, helper, sage, or simple giver of advice.
Oath of the Marshall: Ensure every wrongdoing is punished under rule of law or trial only, as appropriate. Start every job you finish and fulfill all your promises or contracts. Never disobey or allow harm to come to a figure of authority or civilized law.
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