Siamorphe

The Divine Right

File:Siamorphe.png

Symbol: Silver chalice with a golden sun on the side

Home Plane: House of the Triad

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Portfolio: Nobles, rightful rule of nobility, human royalty

Worshipers: Leaders, loremasters, nobles, those with inherited wealth or status

Cleric Alignments: LE, LG, LN

Domains: Knowledge, Protection

Favored Weapon: "Noble Might" [scepter] (light mace)

Siamorphe (sigh-a-morf) is kind and quiet with individuals, but firm and charismatic when dealing with large groups. Her soft voice is tinged with great wisdom, but she brooks no argument when she gives an order. She likes to think of her duty as one of building a sturdy skeleton of continuity in government through a noble infrastructure so that the body politic can grow and develop properly under the leadership of a royal ruler.

The church of Siamorphe is strictly ordered but small, confined primarily to the nobility of Waterdeep and Tethyr. Siamorphe's clerics are expected to serve as advisers and councilors to noble rulers if not of noble birth and as rulers if of noble birth. When confronted with a ruler of noble birth who does not keep himself or herself fit for the task and responsibilities of rule, a cleric of Siamorphe must either seek to rectify that ruler's shortcomings through counseling and education or engineer the ruler's succession by a more fit ruler of noble lineage.

In practice, many Scions of Siamorphe spend their days presiding over various advisory councils, researching genealogies and histories of noble families, coordinating ceremonies of investiture, and determining who is next in line for various titles. Those Scions of Siamorphe who have truly takes Siamorphe's message of responsibility to the common folk to heart spend their days serving the people, providing advice, arbitrating disputes, giving leaderless folk direction, and preaching the rights and responsibilities of the nobility and the duties and rights of commoners.

Clerics of Siamorphe pray for their spells at noon, when the Chalice of Siamorphe (i.e. the sun) is directly overhead. The church of Siamorphe has lost many of its ancient ceremonies and traditions over time, and clerics of the faith are only slowly rediscovering them, often by exploring ancient castles in which mortal descendants or ancient clergy of Siamorphe or her predecessors server various forgotten rulers. Religious services tend to be simple convocations of nobles discussing the social order and current difficulties in governing the masses. Siamorphe's name is invoked at the beginning and end of such services with a short prayer. Siamorphe's clergy have crafted many unique ceremonies for the various noble families of Waterdeep. All the rage among the nobility, the ceremonial baptism of a newborn heir presided over by a Scion of Siamorphe can cost as much as a 10,000 gp. In Waterdeep, Siamorphe has a holy day in Sea Ward and North Ward where the nobles take over Heroes' Walk and Heroes' Garden and the road from Skulls Street and all along the Street of Glances to the Street of the Singing Dolphin and hold a huge festival. Known as the Divine Pageantry, this fashionable revel is always held during the summer, but the date varies according to the will of Siamorphe (and, some critics claim, the year's current social calendar). Waterdeep's nobility dress in archaic costumes and wander the area throwing coins (usually copper or silver) to commoners, addressing each other with their full titles and speaking in a highly stylized, stilted speech that has been abandoned for several centuries. Some clerics multiclass as loremasters.

The current incarnation of Siamorphe in one in a long line of deities, the last of which was male. Siamorphe has no allies among the gods, but opposes the tyranny and corruption of gods such as Bane, Cyric, and Gargauth. This leaves her in a vulnerable position and she must be careful about openly supporting any act against them.

Dogma: Nobles are the rightful rulers of the bulk of humankind provided that they keep fit for the task and responsabilities of rule. Nobles have the moral obligation to rule the people who serve under them even if theri obligations conflict with their personal desires.

The descendants of noble bloodlines inherit their charisma and potential for wisdom from their noble ancestors. Their family fortunes provide them enough leisure time to be properly educated as rulers. The regular inheritance of noble titles by strict inheritance rules reduces the potential for power struggles between rival claimants to leadership. A strong noble class that cares for the commoners of Faerûn and looks out for their best interests is the most stable, fair form of government.