Erin, Goddess of Passion

The Goddess of Passion is deeply confused and somewhat bitter about her current standing among the mortals of Sedena. In recent years she has retreated from the world, sulking. Occasionally she walks among the Folk, singing songs and trying to understand the new times.

It is Erin's deep Empathy with all living beings that causes her troubles. She, and her servants, can feel the fear and misunderstanding in others hearts. Rather than confronting it and dispelling it with the truth, she acts as they expect her too. This has caused her to act in a rather wanton fashion on several occasions, stories of which have spread and grown completely out of proportion.

Allies

Zandragal, the Dragon God of War, is an unfailing support for Erin. His gruff good humor and infinite laughter sooth her shattered nerves, and her compassion balances his darker rages. The Priests of Zandragal defend the servants of Erin with out reservation, or even consideration for the limits of mortal power.

Milearas of the Cycle of Life is often willing to help Erin when depression grips her. Erin's servants can always find shelter in the Cycle's temples, and in return offer up music and song to the Ladies of the Cycle.

Cults

Many cults that call upon Erin as a patron are dedicated to the principle of 'pleasure before everything'. They are hedonists, sexual deviants, or the jaded rich, people who are afraid to engage in activity that is truly evil but who want to touch the forbidden. The behavior of these cults is unfortunately associated with that of Erin herself, further ruining her already tattered reputation.

Enemies

Both Sember and Besa take an active interest in Erin's predicament. There is some evidence that both have directed their servants to spread more rumors about the Goddess, accusing her of supporting shocking acts. Besa in particular works to corrupt her priests, fearing their native ability to detect and control the dark lusts that are his domain.

In turn, Erin hates Besa with a passion that almost borders on madness. The Servants of Erin are commanded to turn their powers to the destruction of any such that they find, regardless of the personal cost.

Manjor, who feels that the joining of the Folk in marriage is his private domain, often comes into unfriendly contention with Erin. For her part, she ignores the Lord of Compassion whenever possible.

Servants

Her priests and a few truly dedicated clerics serve Erin.

Priests

The men and women who serve Erin are a passionate and driven group of people, who believe that they should live their lives 'close to the pulse'. They act on their emotions, following the 'will of the Goddess'. This reliance on passion often makes people think that they are either insane or simple minded. In fact, most of them are completely consistent in their actions, given their unique frame of reference.

The only thing that is forbidden to one of Erin's 'children' is a violation of marriage vows. Erin, after all, is the Goddess of Marriage, and she frowns upon anyone who breaks the oaths they made to their spouse(s). The Goddess does not specify what those oaths should be, but she will always regard them as binding.

Required Skills

Priests of Erin are required to know Play Harp, Play Flute, Play Drum, and Sing as Vocational skills. Most also have Composition and one or more Acting skills.

Servant of Skill

The Servants of Erin gain the following abilities as their Servant of Erin skill grows:

  1. MA Bonus (+1), Potency, Gift of Music
  2. MA Bonus (+1), Prayer for Enlightenment, Gift of Peace
  3. MA Bonus (+1), Prayer for Presence, Gift of Passion
  4. MA Bonus (+1), Gift of Hate, Gift of Laughter
  5. MA Bonus (+1), Gift of Lust, Gift of Rage
  6. MA Bonus (+1), Potency, Gift of Horror
  7. MA Bonus (+1), Potency, Gift of Hope
  8. MA Bonus (+1), Legendary Music, Gift of Despair
  9. Legendary Music, Prayer for Enlightenment, Gift of Love
  10. Legendary Music, Gift of Madness, Gift of Forgiveness

Special Maneuvers

The Servants of Erin are the masters of music, madness, passion, and emotion. Their special powers give them unparalleled mastery in these areas, as described below.

Legendary Music - Each time a Priest of Erin gets the Legendary Music skill, she gains a Vocational skill called Legendary <skill> at level 1. She may select which skill she has as a Legendary skill. This Legendary skill is the same as the Craftsman special skill, Legendary skill.

Gift of <Thing> - The Goddess gifts her Priests with incredible powers over emotion and music. Each Gift gives the priest the ability to:

  1. Sense a thing or emotion within 20 yards x his Potency on a successful Perception roll.
  2. Gain a bonus to resist supernatural attempts to inflict a thing on the Priest equal to his Potency.
  3. Project an emotion or gift to one or more people. Every target within the character's sight beyond the first costs one point of Potency. The target may resist by succeeding in a contested check, the target's Mental Endurance vs. the Priest's Mental Affinity.
  4. Gain a bonus to all skill rolls associated with the emotion or thing equal to 2x his Potency. For example, a Priest with a Potency of 12 and the Gift of Hope would have a +24% bonus to any skill roll that tried to inspire Hope in himself or others. The bonuses from the various Gifts are not cumulative.
  5. For one point of Potency, a Priest of Erin may give either her bonus or her protection to a single target that she can touch. This protection or bonus lasts until the target needs to use it, then vanishes immediately after the need is met.