Arya¶
"Life is sacred. Every living thing is right to defend life, unto death when necessary." — first principle of Arya (S423)
Arya is the Goddess of Life and Fertility, the Lifegiver, "Mistress of Life, Birth, Growth and Gardens" (S429), one of the five great gods of the Kalari Pantheon. She "has a Binding with every living thing on Terrun" (S208). Elder sister of Vana and Cordia, maker of the sylvan peoples and of the Caerylas Trees that sustain the Elves, she was the last of the Kalari to keep working after the Dark Sun, and the one whose death is recorded: slain by the Divine, she "shattered her shard rather than lose it", leaving the Blood of Arya in the world (S112). Also called Ayra (S420), Aria and Auria (S328), and among the Elves Arya-Auilien (S053); her followers are Aryan or Aryic.
Principles¶
Her core principles are three (S423):
Quote
Life is sacred. Every living thing is right to defend life, unto death when necessary.
The young have a greater right to life than the old: Consumption and culling of the old is acceptable, after they have had their time to live. (Killing and eating young animals and young plants is taboo).
Life is a cycle. Death is a natural part of that. Corruption and impurity is the ultimate enemy of life, as it robs life of its potential and meaning.
The Verdant Order adds that "interruptions to the natural cycles of life and death are a sacrilege (Undead)" (S423). Her colours are white and green, black and gold; her sigils the Tree, the Flower and the Raven (S423); her older symbols "Flowers, Serpent, Raven, Tree" (S429).
Domains and family¶
The newest reckoning gives her the Domains of Life and Union (S420). She is "elder sister to Vana and Cordia" (S429): Vana the Weaver among the Kalari, Cordia the Mistress of Frost among the Rakkarim. A note on the Elder Gods wonders whether "Arya is the younger sister of Teneb'Urat and Teneb'Vari", with an unnamed "Queen of the Gods" for mother, but marks the thought as speculation (S101).
She is "creator of sylvan creatures such as Treants, Sylphs, Brownies, Sprites, etc." (S429). Her greatest gift to the Elves is the Caerylas Tree, "a gift from Arya" whose blessings are "fertility and rejuvenation"; "the fate of the elves is intertwined with the Caerylas Trees. Without the trees, elven fertility will not be enough to sustain the elvish population" (S053). Each Seed of Caerylas "is capable of growing a new tree and holding vast energies capable of resurrection, restoration and life"; there were three (S053). Pilgrims to a Caerylas shrine pass through arches of "Spring (Birth), Summer (Life) and Winter (Death)" (S328).
Her astral home is the Verdant Gardens, reached through the Brooch of Azsuri, "a gift from Arya herself. Endowed with the power of life and a strong connection to the Verdant Gardens" (S031). She rules other realms too: the Vernal Warrens are "an Aryc domain" into which "Arya cast" a Fallen Ascendant (S031). Her piece of the Mithis Heartstone is the Verdant Ring, "possessed by an ascendant of Arya" in hiding (S182). Lesser relics include the Pewter Leaf of Gafallan, which makes any plant it touches "grow rapidly", and golden Aryan ankhs (S174, S170).
History¶
Arya stood with Kalar through the wars of the gods; "Arya and Kalar were always close" (S031). After his death she "kept one Ascendant as a helper to the races" while "working full time to keep the Earth alive", and "this ascendant has been commanded to work with the Dark Gods and their pantheon" (S132). In the Hellgate War she was one of the Riven triumvirate, with Khardas and Rakkar (S132). In the Fifth Age she is counted among the dead gods still worshipped (S020).
Her end came in the Divine Period. "It is also clear that the Divine displaced Arcantus and killed Arya", and "Arya shattered her shard rather than lose it to the Divine, leaving traces on the material (The Blood of Arya)" (S112). The Blood of Arya is now a source of life magic, "Astral Dust" (S112). Almund "died in a vain attempt to help Arya" (S112).
In the Fourth Age her temple stands among the five in ruined Redallion under the name Aria, and a holy symbol of Auria carries the charge "Seek the Seed" (S328).
Clergy of Arya¶
Arya's clergy is old and widespread. In Thrace, in the Age of Magic, "a civil conflict between the nobility of Thrace and the Clergy of Arya began. The nobility won out and the Raven Order of Arya was eliminated at the end of the War of the Raven (1872)" (S429); the Cerci of that land "especially revere Arya" (S372). Her orders, the Raven, Verdant and Sylvan Orders and the Order of Thorns, "are generally friendly with one another, but have different leaderships and due to their geographical differences, do not have close ties" (S423); they have their own page, the Orders of Arya.
In the Fifth Age there is "a Grand Aryan Temple 'in the north'" (S172), an Aryan church and an "Aryal Conclave" in Brusau (S180, S189), Thorn Clerics and Thorn Knights in her service (S187), and a Matron of Arya at Ablingen "powerful enough to break" a demonic pact (S162). At Kilmarn the Halls of Arya were walled up by "Aryan survivors" who marked the doors with warnings (S163). A Kalari shrine in the Rift keeps the tomb of Cadriel, "Disciple of Life", where any may "pray to receive inspiration from the blessed lady of life and seek protection for the journey ahead" (S008). One former priestess of Arya, Hadelia, now serves an Elder God as the Grey Prophetess (S181).
Raven Keepers¶
The Raven Keepers are Arya's priesthood under the sign of the raven. Inwe wore "the dark regalia of the High Priestess of the Raven Keepers" before she rose to Ascendancy, outranking her mother the shrine-priestess Caolynni (S053). "Paladins of the Raven" died beside Inwe in the Hollantine Hills (S031). The Raven's Beak, "an enchanted Dagger which will only harm enemies of life", is their kind of gift (S056). The Raven Concord, warlocks who each take "a piece of Inwe's soul as their own", are "seen as blasphemers, heretics and abominations by worshippers of the Kalari pantheon" (S078). Inwe planned "an order of Aryic knights" to guard the Dracius Cradle (S040).
Blood Cult of Arya¶
Almund, who "died in a vain attempt to help Arya", "founded the Blood Cult of Arya" (S112). Nothing more is recorded of it; the name sits beside the Blood of Arya, the traces of her shattered shard.
Gap
The sources give the Blood Cult a founder and a name only. Its practices, its relation to the Orders of Arya and its fate are not described.
Ascendants¶
Inwe, daughter of a shrine-priestess, "an ascendant of Arya" who travelled to the Verdant Gardens and sat for the pantheon on the Dias of Algahanni (S031), has her own page as a figure and a short page here. Rhamnousia, "aspect of Reckoning", is patroness of the Order of Thorns (S423). An unnamed Ascendant "is in hiding in the jungles" with the Verdant Ring (S182); another, a Fallen, was cast into the Vernal Warrens (S031). The archwizard Lothos "coordinates long term strategy with several ascendants of Kalar, Arya and Khardas" (S329). See Ascendants.
The Well of Stars¶
The Well of Stars is "a shrine of Arya built over ancient Dwarrow ruins", underground, "accessible only through a river cave". A temple complex of Moros was built over it when "his followers were victorious over the Aryan faction in a great battle for the area. Afterwards, the tunnel was turned into a holy place where high priests of Moros would travel to die. Once inside, they were killed by Aryan guardians." The shrine's statue of Arya has fallen, and the Dwarrow rejuvenation pool beneath still runs (S523, S450).
Earlier accounts¶
The old compendia list her among the Einar of Light with the symbols above and no further history (S372, S384). The spellings Aria and Auria belong to the newest source, a Fourth Age record, and Ayra to the newest reckoning of the gods; this page follows the spelling of the Fifth Age lore.