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Patalir

The Chrysalis
Deity

Patalir, also known as the Frozen God or the Chrysalis, is a major god in Hazeron of frost, sadness, pain, penance, and endurance. She is known to be a highly enigmatic god with unclear motives, though the services she provides through her Frozen Priesthood have become indispensable to communities across the world, giving her great power despite her questionable nature. Her symbol is an eye with a triangular iris.

Description

Appearance

Patalir is a fairly unique god in that her physical avatar exists in one place, always, in the northern peaks of Fusalis. Many of her priests go on pilgrimages to see her. She is encased in a thick crystal of never-melting ice, so only a shadow of her frail body is visible. Her followers refer to this as the Chrysalis.

It is said that before she ascended to godhood, she was small, frail, and pale-faced with an almost bluish hue to her skin. She wore modest, plain robes and had long, frayed grey hair. Her eyes were the most astonishing aspect of her rather muted appearance, shining a bright blue.

Personality

Patalir's personality is famously hard to pin down. There are many theories to her true nature, but testimonies from those with personal experience with the goddess tend to cast doubt over these. Some portray her as a benevolent spirit, kindly lifting the burdens of others, while more often she is viewed as a strangely masochistic entity that absorbs pain for her own pleasure. Certain priests that have left the Frozen Priesthood testify that she has a bizarrely sadistic side to her.

Beliefs and Systems

Patalir is a neutral god. She seems to be solely focused on taking on the pain of others in order to ease their suffering, and beyond that is rather enigmatic. Many assume that she is doing something with all this pain, or is working towards some goal, but apparently not even her most devoted priests understand her true intentions.

Pacts

Patalir offers great power to those who assist her as Frozen Priests, people who collect the pain of others to eventually turn over to the goddess. Frozen Priests receive a number of special abilities granted to them by Patalir in order to achieve these goals. It is recommended that those seeking to enter a pact with Patalir to exhibit great mental and physical fortitude, as the act of taking on the pain of others can be quite traumatic.

The use of Patalir's power tends to harden the souls of the individuals that use it, eventually making them cold and distant. The constant taking and giving erodes their personalities slightly with each transaction.

Devotees

People from all persuasions turn to her in times of sadness or pain, that she might help ease their burden. However, worshiping Patalir exclusively is very rare, and usually leads to induction into her priesthood.

Patalir's exclusive group of priests is known as the Frozen Priesthood, a widespread collection of worshipers granted special powers by the goddess. These priests are capable of relieving the burdens of others by taking them into themselves, and later offering them to Patalir. It is very common for any decently sized town to have at least one Frozen Priest for the people to share their pain with.

Prayers to Patalir are often answered by the arrival of a Frozen Priest, leading many to revere the goddess for her ability to listen and react, something that is not quite as common among other gods. However, direct communication with Patalir is extremely uncommon, and those that have had the honor claim the experience to be alien, but comforting.

Commandments

  • Accept the burden of those in pain.
  • Offer your sadness, hurt, and regret to the Chrysalis.
  • Weather the storm.

Legends

The Cold Old Man

The Cold Old Man is a common nursery rhyme sung by children while playing a sort of hopping game in the rhythm of the rhyme, which reads as follows:

Cold Old Man, once young and fine
A Priest took him when he was nine
They taught him rites, he met her gaze
And off he went to teach her ways

He took their pain, he gave advice
His heart grew stiff and cold as ice
But that's no way to live a life
Without a tear, upon the knife!

The goal of the game is to follow the hopping pattern of the person in front of you, but one step behind.

Testimony of a Frozen Priest

Most people view Patalir as kind, others believe she takes some masochistic pleasure from receiving the pain of others...but these are mere speculations of mortal whimsy. I have been to the Cave of Eternity, I have communed in front of Patalir herself...I believe that what she is, and what she wants, is far beyond our capability to understand. - Giltrim Wickwillow, former Frozen Priest