Taiia

Taiia is a goddess of the Sun, Creation and Destruction first mentioned in the 3rd Edition sourcebook Deities and Demigods, p.203 - 206. She is an example of a deity who is the focus of a monotheistic religion, which denies the existence of other gods. Taiia is worshipped as the supreme deity, responsible both for the creation of the world and its eventual destruction, and as such has two aspects: Creator and Destroyer.

An altered version of the original Taiia, adapted for use in Ravenloft games and the Pathfinder 1st Edition game system, is presented in the Wartorn Gazetteer Volume II: Conquista in Quoth the Raven Issue 30. Apparently the worship of Taiia is common in several domains of the Wartorn Cluster, a fact that was only discovered after the Cluster's formation in 740 BC.

Alignment

True Neutral

Cleric alignments

Any. (In the original version, alignments determined whether a Cleric could worship the Creator- or the Destroyer-aspect of Taiia; in the altered version, this restriction is lifted.)

Symbol

A solar disc with three eyes

Spell Domains

• Creator aspect: Air, Chaos, Earth, Good, Healing, Knowledge, Law, Luck, Magic, Protection, Travel
• Destroyer aspect: Chaos, Death, Destruction, Evil, Fire, Law, Strength, Trickery, War, Water

Spell Subdomains

• Creator aspect: Arcane, Caves, Cloud, Curse, Defense, Divine, Entropy, Espionage, Exploration, Fate, Fortifications, Friendship, Imagination, Judgment, Legislation, Lightning, Loyalty, Medicine, Memory, Metal, Purity, Redemption, Restoration, Resurrection, Revelry, Rites, Slavery, Solitude, Thought, Trade, Tyranny, Whimsy, Wind
• Destroyer aspect: Ambush, Arson, Ash, Blood, Catastrophe, Competition, Deception, Entropy, Espionage, Fear, Ferocity, Greed, Hatred, Ice, Judgment, Legislation, Slavery, Tyranny, Murder, Oceans, Plague, Psychopomp, Rage, Resolve, Revelry, Riot, Rivers, Smoke, Tactics, Torture, Undead, Whimsy

Favoured Weapon

• Creator aspect: trident
• Destroyer aspect: battleaxe

Mythos

In Conquista, it is believed that Taiia created the world and sponsored the conquering people who came to the land and subjugated the pagans living there. When the people allowed themselves to be led astray by the followers of the false gods and civil war erupted, Taiia leveled a judgment upon Conquista that cast it into the Mists and barred the people - even her own priests - from the blessing of her magic. When Conquista joined the Wartorn Cluster in 740 BC and divine magic returned to the land, her faithful believed that Taiia had forgiven her chosen people.

Worship

Clergy of Taiia can be recognized by their shaved heads and the fact that they wear their holy symbols prominently upon their chests. The faith is somewhat light on dogma, which boils down to "Taiia is supreme and must be adored to gain her favour and avert her wrath". Her motivations are not up for debate; she alone is divine, she alone created everything and one day she will destroy it. The faithful can only hope to be devoured by Taiia after death, so they may become one with her radiant glory; all who do not gain her favour face an eternity in the cold darkness.

In the Demiplane of Dread, the faith of Taiia raises ziggurat-shaped temples to her, and requires human sacrifices twice a year; at the summer and winter solstices, respectively to thank Taiia for summer's bounty and to appease her wrath and let winter end. In Conquista, the sacrifices were supposedly chosen from among volunteers in the past, but now convicted criminals can offer themselves to be sacrificed in order to save their souls.