Wisdom

Portia is the goddess of wisdom. Her aim is to seek out knowledge, and new ideas and experiences. Portia has an almost child-like curiosity about the world, and seeks to understand as much about it as possible. Her clerics, on the other hand, see wisdom as something that needs to be guarded and protected.

Portia is most often associated with the Butterfly.

Origin

Portia was the last of the goddesses, and it is said that she was made by the others in order to settle a dispute. The other Gods were arguing who was the most powerful, and as each of them thought it was them. In order to settle the dispute, they agreed to create an independent entity. At the time, there were no creatures, so the gods set about creating different creatures to settle the dispute. Each of the gods set about creating their own creatures, and each of the creatures, when questioned, chose their creators. This only led to more arguments. The gods decided to try again, but how to overcome the bias of the creatures. This time it was decided that each of the gods would offer what they thought was the best part of them in order to create someone impartial.

Each of the gods donated the best part of themselves. Some claimed it was out of generosity for their new brother or sister, but most of the gods were selfish, and gave the best in order to influence their new creation so that they would be considered the greatest.

And so it was, that on the fist day of the year, each of the gods gathered to create the newest of them. As the new Goddess sat up, the gods bombarded her with questions. She sat there, quietly, listening to the gods asking their small minded questions. Days and days passed. When the the gods finally ran out of their petty questions, Portia opened her eyes and looked at them. Each of them waited to see which question would be answered first.

Portia looked at the assembled gods, and asked "Why?"

Her question rang out amongst the gods, and they looked at each other stunned. Portia looked at them again, her eyes filled with stars; "Why?".

The gods looked at each other. Some shrugged, some shuffled their feet. They did not answer. Portia looked at her brothers and sisters, and smiled. "Perhaps I will answer that question first."

Role of the Cleric

The Clerics of wisdom fall into two categories, the Lost Brothers, and the Keepers of Knowledge.

Keepers of Knowledge

The keepers of knowledge love keeping knowledge. They treat their scrolls and tombs with the utmost reverence, and while technically every temple of knowledge functions as a library, they treat anyone wanting to read their tomes with great suspicion. The Keepers will copy tomes for a price if your not a member of the temple, but see it as their duty to copy the manuscripts they value the most and them out to other, less fortunate temples.

Keepers tend to strive to become experts in a single field, often expanding knowledge in that field. However, they are not about sharing that knowledge, simply finding it, or discovering it, writing it down and that being that. They believe that if people want that knowledge enough, they will come and learn about it themselves.

Lost Brothers

The temple of knowledge is aware that unless it leaves it's temples it will be missing out on a large amount of world knowledge. However, many of the keepers have no interest in going outside, let alone going on any journey. The Lost Brothers are the exception. They seek to understand the world, and believe that to do so involves leaving the temple. From the perspective of the Keepers, they are lost. Doomed to wander without the pure knowledge found in books and scrolls. Keepers know that eventually the Lost will come back; most of the keepers were Lost at some point in their lives.

The Lost tend to keep detailed notes on their travels, and it is while travelling that they find their calling to the section of knowledge they wish to become expert in. These notes are taken back to the temples, and add to the sum of knowledge in them. The journal of a Lost Brother is a solemn thing. It is said that even Keepers will leave the temple to retrieve one.

Clerics of Wisdom: Player Character Notes

Clerics of Wisdom primary circle is Knowledge.

The secondary circles for Clerics of Wisdom are Perception and a circle related to the Clerics 'Life's Work'

Life's Work In Game Terms

A Cleric of Wisdom's life's work is the single most important thing for a cleric to learn about. They will normally also take skills in relation to this, and very quickly become the expert in a single area.

It is rare for this knowledge to be connected to a fighting skill