Myne
[Female, Evil]
Myne, the goddess of acquisition, consumption, and unrepentant greed is worshipped by those who seek to gather as much for themselves in their mortal lives as possible. She supports all forms of avarice within her worshippers and seeks to impart in them the wisdom of the deal so that they can acquire resources, be it food, money, goods, equipment, slaves, or anything else they desire. After all, the gains of her worshippers become the gains of Myne. She appears most often as an overweight halfling with oily skin, black beady eyes, and stubby digits that wiggle passively when speaking of acts of commerce and feeding. She dresses only in the most expensive and well made finery and is never seen in the same garb twice. Every garment she wears, however, features a myriad of vibrant and what some would consider gaudy colors, favoring golds and silvers. Similarly, she is clad in large amounts of exquisitely crafted jewelry: necklaces, rings, earings, belly chains, anklets, and bracelets, made of rare and precious metals ranging from silver to adamantine.
Myne’s purpose is to appeal to the mortal races baser instincts and encourage them to indulge in the pleasures of acquisition and selfishness. While she does not necessarily view harming others to experience these pleasures as a benefit of revelling in excess, she encourages her worshippers to use any means they deem necessary to satiate themselves. She also teaches that maintaining mutually beneficial business relationships is critical to one’s continued longevity, so much of her following exercises a certain amount of restraint when seeking to fulfill their desires.
Portfolio: Consumption, Greed, and Gluttony
Cleric Training:
Training for a Cleric of Myne starts in the marketplace. They are first tested in their understanding of bargaining and appraisal to see if they have potential to master her principles. A typical test involves acquiring premium ingredients at half price to be used in a feast for a more experienced cleric. The goods are then prepared in expert fashion and served to the priest responsible for testing them.
If their performance is satisfactory, their real training begins. This involves teaching them the quickest ways to acquire resources. This could be food, materials, goods, or services. Everything has a price and a value, the former and the latter almost always dissimilar. All that remains is to learn how to recognize the difference. As they continue their training, prospective clerics are also instructed in how to channel divine energies towards this purpose. Having the backing of a deity in one’s personal enterprise is a great boon and acolytes are highly encouraged to use Myne’s power as much as possible to further their own gain.
Despite Myne’s obsession with the hoarding of wealth in all its forms, her Clerics are taught to never indulge in waste. That is, not to enjoy their gains to such a point that they take for granted the abundance they have procured for themselves and use it frivolously. Every resource gained and expended must be carefully accounted for, then eventually used to its maximum benefit.
Quests:
The Bazaar Bacchanalia
Unlike many other religious quests, the Bazaar Bacchanalia is only potentially fraught with peril. Held only once every ten years, this “quest” is hosted by the avatar of Myne herself. The location of the Bacchanal is chosen by the three highest ranking members of the church and it is always held in a location of great and free commerce. The theme of each event is generally decided by the primary exports of the local inhabitants. If an abundant farming country is chosen, then the theme will be the Harvest. If it is a city where gambling and banking are a large part of the economy, then the event will be built around the celebration of money.
All clergy are required to attend, while it is heavily suggested that other followers also participate. All members of the church are required to submit a hefty entrance fee of 10 Gold Pieces each, and this money is donated to the ruling body of the chosen location to compensate for the subsequent damage to the land’s economy (and also to not harbor a grudge in the future). Then, for a period of a week, the followers of Myne trade by day and feast by night. Prizes are awarded by the church during these nightly celebrations for the most impressive deal made that day. On the final night of reverie, a great reward of unfathomable value is bestowed upon the individual responsible for the most profitable sale or purchase made through the week. This deed is usually so extravagant that the single exchange performed by the individual potentially bankrupted 1 or more local institutions in the process.
There are a few rules to this event for a participant to be eligible to receive a prize.
- All buying and selling must be done alone. Teams are not allowed. Servants, Slaves, and Services purchased to assist in the transportation and storing of goods are treated as resources for purposes of this rule.
- All monetary profit made during this time must be converted into a resource or resources that can be transported back home with the participant by the closing of the final business day.
- All trades must be made with a signed agreement between both parties, stating that they both fully understand the terms of the deal (whether they actually do or not).
The Bazaar Bacchanalia is often so well attended by practiced merchants, swindlers, and trade barons that the near constant tide of buying, selling, and celebration almost always have a lasting impact on the local economy. Past events have even extended so far as to plunge entire countries into economic turmoil from the sudden loss or overabundance of critical resources.
Prayers:
Myne’s Contract
Contracts are strictly for suckers
Use them in every deal
Myne’s Manifesto
Wealth belongs to us all
Those who live in poverty
Choose to do so from fear or ignorance
Do not ignore a promising exchange
Do not fear the bettering of your position
Temples:
Black Market
The Black Market exists because of Myne. A variety of Black Markets exist throughout the world, but among the worshippers of the Goddess of Greed, the Black Market is a term for a particular underground place of worship and exchange revered as the church where one can find anything.
Located deep within Southeastern Solmeria, this trade bazaar is run by a high-priest of Myne, an elected official who changes positions once every 3 years. This change of authority is not done to ensure the security of the market or its inhabitants, but rather to allow another member of the church to raise their status by acquiring large amounts of wealth. The presiding cleric, referred to as the Black Broker, receives a 1% cut of every monetary trade that takes place in the market, and is allowed to control the flow of trade and currency to ensure that monetary transactions take place in healthy amounts.
Shrines to Myne are located every mile or so within the vast hewn stone labyrinth, and it is said that one could get lost within the massive trading network for weeks without a decent guide. Everything is traded in the Black Market and no type of item is considered off limits. For as many dark deeds occur here involving slave trades, prostitution, assault, and murder, just as much good is accomplished through transactions involving the return of loved ones, the reacquisition of lost relics, atonement, and the purchase of freedom otherwise unattainable in other lands.
It is perhaps for this reason that the Black Market is allowed continued existence among the other gods and religions of the world, because in its own strange economic climate, it is a market of truly neutral exchange.
Rites: The rituals of mine are always performed with a small offering of food or wealth. The greater the resource offered, the higher the level of magic the caster will gain access to. Rites are typically conducted with the drawing of a small circle in chalk, lead, pigment, or ink on a mat, cloth, or parchment. Many of these circles are filled with the scribblings of what an outsider would recognize as a bill of sale. These are in fact a simple list of items to be offered in the future to ensure Myne’s enthusiasm for future assistance.
The Rites can be performed by followers and clerics alike and are most commonly completed as gestures and prayers to attract prosperity, sharp wit in trade, and the continued desire to consume.
It is also customary for two worshippers of mine to perform a simple trade ritual together before sitting down to bargain, as a sign of respect for each other’s prowess, and to Myne herself for presiding over the deal.
Burial Rites: Burial rites are always handled by the deceased, ahead of time. Due to the selfish nature of nearly all followers of Myne, and their own personal opinion of themselves, these events tend to be lavish affairs. Generous banquets are often made available to attendees, along with gifts of gold, silver, and ivory. While this would be considered generous to most, the true purpose of these amenities is to extoll the success of the one being buried. It is also considered extremely rude to not accept a gift from the dead or to not enjoy the meal they have provided for the waste it encourages. Such an act also indirectly states that the acquisitions and wealth of the dead were so meager as to necessitate them being left with more than they wished to take.
After the initial celebration, the deceased is buried with their most prized possessions and a cornucopia of their favorite foods, to be enjoyed on the trip to their final resting place. The coffins of a follower of Myne are always expected to be of the highest quality and elaborately gilded so as to be clearly valuable, but not ostentatious.
Tithe: The process of tithing to the Church of Myne is a laborious and complex affair involving haggling, negotiation, bribery, and sometimes even blackmail. Using methods to negotiate one’s monthly tithe is not only expected, but encouraged. All followers of Myne, clergy or worshipper, are always expected to make the best possible trade for themselves at every opportunity. A tithe to Myne can range anywhere from 1 copper to thousands of gold depending on the terms of the “gift”. The most important aspect of the monthly tithe is that whatever deal is reached between the church representative and the follower must be honored in full in the time frame allotted. Extensions on these tithes are granted but twice a year, and to ask for more is to risk excommunication.
Benefits: Clerics of Myne gain divine powers to assist them in their bargaining and feasting. As they grow in power, they become less susceptible to food-based ailments, eventually becoming immune to Poisons and Toxins entirely. They may also become particularly adept at discovering the value of merchandise they encounter, being able to recognize the unique qualities of even magical implements. Myne is not a benevolent god, and so her children are granted power over others of an evil nature. Clerics may also gain the power to manipulate the bounty that surrounds them, using it to hinder enemies and benefit themselves both nutritionally. Some even grow powerful enough to hold within them a reserve of plenty, never needing to provide sustenance to their bodies again.
All followers gain the benefit of joining a network of merchants, traders, and farmers. Very few members of the church ever go hungry or are left wanting for resources for themselves. The true gain in this case is that this is not done through charity. Worshippers are taught to be self-sufficient in their acquisitions and are provided the tools necessary to do well in the economy of life. Travellers who praise Myne are always greeted with a warm meal and soft bed upon their first visit to a new church. After that, however, they have to pay.
Herald and Allies:
Gourtus [Herald]
Gourtus, the Herald of Myne, resembles a large humanoid made of thick, nutritious vegetable matter. His torso is that of a large pumpkin, and his limbs resemble thin, wiry, dark green stems barbed with wicked thorns. He has no head to speak of, but his chest opens with a variety of different carved faces when speaking. The face changes based on the tone of his message. If he is angry, it becomes horrific and intimidating. If he is happy, it is round and soft with a warm inner glow emitting from inside the body. As he moves through natural terrain, his presence causes the earth to flourish with the rapid growth of all manner of vegetables, fruit, and plantlife.
He does not wield any weapons, but both his leg and arm stems are impossibly sharp and resilient, capable of tearing through solid steel. His vegetable torso is hollowed within, and in fact contains a comfortable, lavish sitting room as an extra dimensional space. From here, Gourtus can acquire almost any object he desires from a small closet located within the room by lifting the lid placed on top of his torso and reaching inside. The exception to his sudden acquisitions are only the most powerful of artifacts, items with a will strong enough to resist the call of a deity.
Gourtus always appears in response to followers of Myne suffering from an undeserved famine. He always leaves worshippers with a plentiful harvest and resources to begin anew. While Gourtus is capable of combat, he avoids it in all cases, finding it easier to simply bargain enemies away. History does recount a particularly disturbing event where Myne’s herald eliminated a band of starving barbarian raiders by overfeeding them. They were forced to eat every single crumb of the bounty placed before them, and before long the now morbidly obese warriors ate themselves to death, a grotesque and horrific sight by anyone’s estimation. Since this disturbing event, many have learned to leave the prosperity of Myne for her followers.
The city of Systra has a great many followers of Myne, despite her sinister nature. The city thrives on high end trade, and their incredible access to magical items and exquisite craftsmanship is due in no small part to one of her temples that resides within the western quarter of the city. Through this place of worship, many fantastic wares are brought in and out of the city at bargain prices, and a good portion of the profits are donated to the city in exchange for looking the other way on some of their less than moral dealings. Due to the wealth Myne’s presence grants the local government, Systra itself stands as a silent partner to the church of Myne.
Short Sale [Ally]
A small trade consortium made up of an industrious group of gnomes, halflings, and dwarves known as the Short Sale makes an annual killing off of selling and repurchasing resources at lower prices. They create a deficit in their respective local markets by buying up all of these resources when they are cheap and plentiful, then raising the price when there is little to be found. As each member of the group presides over their own barony within a ring of kingdoms located within East Oblian, the consortium as a whole has been controlling the prices of trade goods in the entire country for several centuries. They are so wealthy, in fact, that their combined finances are said to be capable of buying the services of a god for a day. Unbeknownst to most, Myne has used them for just this purpose on one occasion in the past to gain access to a secret of the god Soot which the deity had previously refused to sell.
Relationships with other Gods: Rycyt, the god of trade and currency, stands as an ally to Myne. Some would even call them friends, if not for their constant arguing and attempts to cheat one another. These actions seem to be more of a complex game that only the two can play with each other, however, they always reach some kind of mutually satisfactory agreement and part ways on at least neutral terms.
Myne has declared herself as the undying enemy of Gyv, the goddess of Charity and Kindness, for all time. The two both believe in the acquisition of abundance, but for entirely different reasons. Myne is inherently selfish and seeks only to benefit herself, while Gyv is only concerned with the wellfare of others and the spreading of resources. More than a few ceremonies of gluttony have been disrupted by well-intentioned followers of Gyv “misunderstanding” the ritual’s purpose over the years.
Factions:
Myne’s churches can be found in almost every city that promotes free trade, and quite a few even dominate these cultures with a church on every corner.
One such denomination is referred to as the Franchise and has over two dozen churches located in East and Lower Oblian alone. The majority of them are owned by the Short Sale and help to facilitate their work. The Franchise of Myne seeks to aggressively expand into the west and dominate the landscape with a religious trade network, the likes the world has never seen. Each church of the Franchise features a uniform, customized placard on the front of every building, featuring a pleasantly drawn representation of Myne herself making an inviting gesture to onlookers. The churches themselves even have a uniform look, with a specific color scheme designed to invoke feelings of both avarice and hunger in the subconscious minds of onlookers. Not surprisingly, they have little problem recruiting new followers. These churches also contain built-in taverns with a reputation for serving adequate and filling food to any with the coin to pay.
Relics:
The Myne Table
This small oak table is sturdy and well made, but shows signs of use. When a dish of any kind is placed on the surface, it is filled with a delicious meal suitable to the type of container used. When the food within is consumed, the imbiber finds their energy replenished and their wounds healed. Should they consume another meal immediately after, however, they find themselves overcome with a sense of gluttony and seek to consume the food of others. Throughout the years, this item has caused more harm than good, alienating friends and comrades alike with the unique sense of greed that overtakes the consumer. This is not due to any compulsion brought on by The Myne Table, but from the enjoyment of its benefits being difficult to let go.
The Blind Abacus
This counting tool is made of a well polished wood and its counting stones are made of a strange, unknown variant of green and white streaked marble. While not a particularly powerful relic of Myne, when used in the right circumstances among the exceptionally wealthy, it can have just as devastating impact on a country as a giant meteor falling from the heavens.
All but the owner of the Abacus want to believe the words of the user when they speak of trade. Sliding the counting stones while speaking enhances the power of the compulsion to almost dominant levels of control over the desires of the listener. The one seeming limitation to this item is that no wielder of The Blind Abacus has yet been able to convince a prospective victim to cause physical harm to themselves or others in exchange for wealth. Aside from this, well-worded phrases from a wielder of Myne’s favorite toy have set in motion events that have bankrupted entire kingdoms and set countries to war against one another. Unsurprisingly, the owner of this item always seems to make out of such tragedies with a hefty profit, and no one the wiser.