— — — — — — — — — — — Enthaeia, the goddess of health and wellness. — — — — — — — — — — — 『 Description 』 Enthaeia is known as the goddess of health and wellness, a divine deity who rules over all aspects of health of living beings in Terre’alda. Known to be a deeply comforting and maternal presence, she is the ultimate refuge for townspeople seeking recovery from illness, grief, or the darkness in their lives. 『 Physical Description 』 In artistic depictions and descriptions, she has the features of a young, mortal woman with thick, voluminous, auburn-colored curly hair, a warm tan, steel blue eyes, and the upper half of a human. She has the anthropomorphic features of a brown cow, such as smooth, cow horns that curve inwards to form the shape of a crown, soft, velvety cow ears, and a long, graceful tail with a fluffy dark brown tuft of fur at the end, and the lower half of a cow. — — — — — — — — — — — Objects of Worship. — — — — — — — — — — — 『 Comun 』 A sacred necklace with an inward horns pendant (that looks like an inverted crescent) made out of ancient, dark wood. There are two types of Comun necklaces, one engraved with gold, and one that isn't. The Comun can be used by townspeople who may use it for purposes such as worshipping Enthaeia or other deities, whereas the Comun engraved with gold, is referred to as Monilerum. It is bound to people with the High Priest rank because it is tied directly to the goddess Enthaeia and her powers. 『 Berula 』 A bundle of fresh herbs used for medicinal purposes tightly tied together to be held while the high priest reads sacred texts from the Cartum de Bine. 『 Cartum de Bine 』 A compilation of ancient manuscripts containing sacred texts such as prayers, moral laws, parables, poems and passages fitted into a large, heavy book. The cover is made from the hide of a cow. Each page within the book has its own designated treatment for illnesses based on the passage written upon it, and can be taken as metaphors or literally. — — — — — — — — — — — The Temple of Enthaeia. — — — — — — — — — — — 『 Description 』 The Temple of Enthaeia is a stone temple, and is the main and only temple that worships Enthaeia, located in Gessam. Under a treaty made between the kingdom of An’airien and a high priest generations ago, the Temple of Enthaeia is a place of absolute asylum. If a wounded person, a broken-hearted and abused peasant, or even a fugitive crosses the doors of the temple, the city guards and visitors themselves are forbidden from drawing weapons or spilling blood inside. To commit violence inside the walls of the temple is to invite a kingdom-wide outbreak of unwavering sickness that could last for eons. 『 The Well 』 Located in the crypts beneath the Temple of Enthaeia, the water drawn from this bottomless well is blessed by Enthaeia herself. It is the only pure and life-giving source of water in the entire kingdom of An’airen. High priests have the ability to draw water from the well, bless it, and provide it to the townsfolk who are suffering. Priests, who are unable to ignite the golden light, rely on the natural properties of the water to sanitize materials, wash open wounds, and physically brew medicinal tonics and teas. 『 Hierarchy. 』 The hierarchy is incredibly small and tight-knit within the Temple of Enthaeia. AT THE APEX: Goddess Enthaeia. SECOND TIER: High Priest and Rector. THIRD TIER: Priests. FOURTH TIER: Friars and Temple Caretakers. BOTTOM TIER: Townspeople. 『 Relationship with the High Priest 』 It is said that centuries ago, when Enthaeia walked the earth in her human form, she fell in love with a mortal man named Aurelio. As a wedding token, she gave him a necklace that would soon be known as the Monilerum, to let him know that whenever he prayed to her out of worship, grief, or for blessings, his prayers would be answered. To honor his wife and give her a home on Earth, Aurelio began single-handedly laying each stone to build a sanctuary in Gessam. But unfortunately, the physical toll on him was too great, and Aurelio died building the temple, leaving it half-finished. But before his death, he had chosen a successor, his younger brother, named Kallegor to finish the construction of the sanctuary. But before he continued constructing the sanctuary, Enthaeia required him to confess his entire life, deepest flaws, and his true intentions in total darkness, in the half-finished sanctuary for a full night. After she had deemed him worthy, she granted him the title of ‘High Priest’ and allowed him to carry on his older brother Aurelio’s legacy and his dream. When the sanctuary was finished, it was given the name ‘Temple of Enthaeia’. After her husband’s death, Enthaeia swore to never leave the site. Since then, she refused to ever let another mortal man replace her husband’s flesh. Therefore, every future high priest must remain strictly celibate, as they are her spiritual partners who are acting as a living monument to her late husband’s role.
As centuries went on, the Berula and the Cartum de Bine were created, and the divine energy of Enthaeia could be channeled through these objects of worship by the high priest only. Lower-ranking priests may use the Cartum de Bine, but as instructions to brew potions and heal the sick through physical means. Because she grants the high priest access to her divine energy through the objects of worship, she holds them to incredibly strict moral standards. If a high priest uses the Monilerum out of greed, selfishness, or personal malice, it is a direct insult to Enthaeia’s sensitive and empathetic nature, and she will instantly inflict a permanent curse or illness upon the high priest that aligns with their misconduct. When the current high priest must step down from his role for personal purposes, retirement, or because he is nearing death, he must choose a successor based on factors such as: age, emotional discipline, intellectual brilliance, a capacity for deep empathy, and a total willingness to completely surrender their own earthly desires to become her eternal spiritual partner. Afterwards, the chosen successor must spend a full night alone inside of the locked, pitch-black temple in front of the statue of Enthaeia. Then, they must confess their entire life, their deepest flaws, and their true intentions directly to the statue as they kneel before it. If they are worthy enough to carry the responsibility of handling the grief and despair of those in Gessam and An’airen, the Monilerum will ignite with a blinding golden yellow light for the first time, permanently locking their frequency to her heart. If they fail her silent judgment, the wood remains completely dark, and they are cast out from the sanctuary. 『 Monilerum 』 The Monilerum is the only Comun of its kind. Bound only to the high priest, it serves as a signifier that the high priest’s prayers are granted. As the high priest clutches the Monilerum while praying to Enthaeia, it beams with a golden yellow light to signify that Enthaeia has heard the high priest's prayers for recovery and has granted the person physical, mental or emotional wellness. This effect can only work if the prayer is made by a high priest, and if the prayer is deemed 'good'. Additionally, the high priest has the ability to pair the Monilerum along with other objects of worship for healing properties. In order for a high priest to heal a mentally, physically or emotionally wounded person, they require all three elements to perform it properly: speech, the Monilerum, and any of the other objects of worship such as the Berula, and Cartum de Bine. The Monilerum will be wrapped around the high priest’s hand, and may place their hand upon the affected area, or ask the receiver which part of them aches or feels heavy the most, then place his hand upon that area. Then, the high priest shall recite a sacred text, either from memory or from the book, then, the Monilerum will glow as the sacred text is recited. The process itself is very time-consuming, depending on the severity of their pain. The usual range is from thirty minutes, to several weeks. It is very important that the high priest and the receiver must practice immense focus during the healing ritual, otherwise it wouldn’t work. The high priest must not exclude speech, as it is fundamental in performing healing rituals, and absolutely, must never exclude the Monilerum, as the divine energy of Enthaeia will be channeled from the other objects of worship, to the Monilerum, and to the person being healed. 『 Daily Offerings. 』 Every morning, the local dairy farmers of Gessam bring a generous amount of milk to the altar located inside the Temple. Townspeople may offer other items, such as grains, nuts, or flowers to pay homage to Enthaeia’s half-human, and half-cow form. Additionally, she has a kingdom-wide and week-long festival dedicated to her called the 'Enthaeiana', which celebrates wellness and health by giving her offerings at the 'Temple of Enthaeia'. — — — — — — — — — — — Misc. — — — — — — — — — — — ➛ She answers to both selfless prayers and selfish prayers, but the selfish prayers come at a cost. If a high priest were to use the Monilerum with the intention of harming an innocent person, as the goddess of health and wellness, they would receive a permanent curse or illness equivalent to the severity of their 'bad' prayer. This doesn't apply to prayers made with the intention of harming someone if the prayer was caused by grief, pain or sadness. Rather, she may deem it as a 'good' prayer and inflict harm upon whoever is the target of the prayer. ➛ She cannot bring someone back from the dead, because by then, she would be interfering with another deity. Note: ➛ I took inspiration from Greek Mythology, Zoroastrianism, and Catholicism. ➛ Since Enthaeia only has one main temple in Gessam, it means that each deity has their own temple but in only one city. ➛ I asked for help from my friend who's a veteran DM.
