Lohrianna
Goddess of Love, Fertility, and Good Fortune
Intermediate Goddess

Epithets: Graingiver, the Great Herder, Mistress of Love Eternal, Broker of Fortunes, Mother to the Motherless  
Alignment: Chaotic good
Symbols: Bundle of grain, herder’s crook
Colors: Green, brown, yellow, and white
Stone: Tiger eye
Primary followers: Farmers, breeders, married couples, lovers, those desiring children, and those seeking good fortune
Special mark: Clerical vestments that change color with the seasons

     If the True Gods of Minarra could claim to have among their ranks a playful yet sensuous flirt, a hardy woman of the land, a devoted mother, and a generous gambler-at-heart all in one, Lohrianna would be it. This rustic, earthy goddess has been for time without memory the dearest friend of the farmer, the lover, and the family.

     As for her true form—well, let’s put it this way. While undeniably beautiful, the avatars of Serenyi and Alviani gleam with an unseen aura of something noble and majestic and unattainable. Not so with Lohrianna; with her voluptuous tanned figure, inviting eyes of tiger-eye brown, and mane of thick auburn hair, this goddess knows full well what message her body is sending, and is ever hopeful that mortals will pick up on it.

     There are some that claim that this openly sexual facet hardly befits a goddess of the House of Light, but the charge is based on a profound misunderstanding of Lohrianna’s true nature. Yes, she gives her blessing the natural drives of mortal kind, but only as a means to an end—that end being a happy and lasting marriage and healthy, beloved children. The Mistress of Love Eternal has no more tolerance for profligacy or infidelity than any other Power of the House, and her compassion for the spinster, the bachelor, and the spouse that death leaves behind is boundless.

     The Graingiver’s timely arrival from Beyond is well documented in the Third Book of the Astarith. As the New Races of Minarra began to breed and expand, it became painfully clear that Sephri, the Creator Goddess, despised these dreary creations of the upstart gods who came after her. To express her annoyance, Sephri decimated the animals and plants of land and sea, so that these willful spirits could never be numerous enough to ravage her world as the Old Races—the Giants—had once done.

     Enter Lohrianna. The Graingiver scoured the surface of a Minarra suddenly far less bountiful, and found what she was looking for: wheat and corn, horses and cattle, and all the other forms of life that could be domesticated and cultivated for the benefit of the New Races. Her avatars then went forth into the world, growing the first crops and gathering the first herds, and teaching mortal kind to follow her example. Realizing herself outwitted and unwilling to destroy even more of her creation out of spite, Sephri relented with ill grace.

     Sensing the Creator's foul mood and wishing to stave off an eternal enmity between them, the Graingiver made the elder goddess a startling offer. As a gesture of goodwill, Lohrianna would found a sacred order of warriors among the New Races. These warriors would be trained to understand and respect the ways of Sephri’s creation, and would defend the wilds of the world against those who would wantonly savage it. Intrigued despite herself, Sephri agreed, and soon after the first of Minarra’s rangers began to wander the world. Though their loyalty today is usually given to Rifkis the Peacekeeper, the rangers of Minarra still receive their knowledge of nature, both harnessed and unfettered, from the servants of Lohrianna and Sephri.

     But of all Lohrianna’s attributes, her ability to grant good fortune is the most elusive for mortals to understand. True to her chaotic nature, Lohrianna can be rather cavalier with this gift—rewarding years of patient labor one moment, or letting an incorrigible gambler hit the mother of all jackpots the next. It seems that Lohrianna’s true interest is in how mortal hearts and minds deal with good fortune, not in dithering about whether they deserve it or not.

Avatars: Over the centuries, Lohrianna has assumed the form of just about any domesticated animal one can imagine. The beast is always an ideal female specimen of its type, save for a single feature that clearly reveals her true nature—a horn of tiger-eye, for example, or a patch of fur of the same color of her clerics’ vestments at that time of year. It is through her animal forms that Lohrianna sends her blessings to the farmer and the herdsman. The True Goddess also enjoys appearing as a very attractive female of the New Races.

     By and large, Lohrianna’s visitations have little rhyme or reason. She may drop by some rustic rural inn just for a hearty meal and pleasant conversation, or join in an honest game of chance in some seaside tavern, or even volunteer a few hours or days to a farmer in need of a little help at harvest time. The goddess usually won’t reveal herself until she is ready to depart; she finds the stunned expressions of her mortal audience to be truly priceless.

Mortal Servants: As befitting its patron, the Order of the Graingiver is a largely rural institution. Its members are renowned for their skills in all things agricultural, whether breeding animals or raising crops. Priests of the Order think nothing of rolling up their sleeves alongside the yeoman in the fields, and are always prepared to treat sickly animals or render aid to failing crops. Creating new strains of produce and new breeds of livestock are the life's work of many in the Order.

     Other aspects of the goddess make her influence truly universal. As the Mistress of Love Eternal, Lohrianna is revered by all who desire a lasting marriage and a family to nurture, in a relationship free of imposed economic, social, or ancestral demands. This fact is not lost upon the wealthy and powerful, for Lohrianna’s penchant for cursing arranged marriages—especially political ones—with infertility is very well known. As for her welcome parcels of good fortune, think of it this way…even if you know that the goddess is more than a tad unpredictable with this sort of gift, a little prayer can’t hurt.

     In keeping with Lohrianna’s love of family, her Order is largely self-perpetuating. It is common for sons and daughters to willingly assume the mantle of divine service from their parents, as they had done from their parents before them. Indeed, in many locales, this chain of filial succession has remained unbroken for centuries. No other Order—with the possible exception of Vetch the Crimelord’s—is blessed by this sort of family loyalty.

     The Order also sees to it that children bereft of any family are given at least a chance for a happy and secure upbringing. The shelters and orphanages run by the Order are models of compassion, cleanliness, and caring, rarely matched by even the most enlightened lay institutions. Realizing the value of this work, the other Orders of the House continually donate whatever resources they can spare.

     Formal worship is held but five times a year. One occasion is, of course, on New Year’s Eve, while the rest are held on the solstices and equinoxes that mark the passage of the seasons. At these latter times, there occurs a wondrous transformation: as the sun reaches its zenith, the vestments of the faithful change color to match the new season—brilliant white in winter, vibrant green in spring, sky blue in summer, and golden brown in autumn. All serviceable vestments undergo this change, even those in storage.

     The holy symbols of the Order are all the same, regardless of rank: a simple oval pendant of burnished bronze, inlaid with a herder’s crook of tiger-eye. Graces are set apart only by their small scythes of fine steel, and Serenities by their crooks of silver-bound hardwood. Though the fabric of the Order’s vestments may vary, all are of sturdy cloth, suitable for heavy manual labor.

Philosophy/Tenets of Faith: The most cherished trait among the servants of Lohrianna is the ability to nurture. The herds in the pasture, the crops in the field, and the very earth that sustains them require as much loving care as the mate in one's bed and the babe in the crib.