**Pantheon:** Solare Deities **Alignment:** Neutral Good **Titles:** The Gentle Reaper, The Moonlight Guardian, She Who Guides, The Child in the Night **Symbol:** A crescent moon within a double circle, points facing left **Domains:** Grave, Life, Arcana, Death, Trickery --- ### Lore & Role Aria is the younger half-sister of Lunious, born of an ancient union between a forgotten god and goddess. While Lunious commands the celestial sphere and divine order, Aria embodies the compassion and mystery of the afterlife. She is the tender hand that guides the righteous dead to their final rest and comforts mortals with her presence in their last moments. Unlike her counterpart Hagsurium, who tends to the wicked and drags evil souls to their torment, Aria’s role is merciful. She eases pain, protects children, watches over mothers in labor, and blesses female empowerment and achievement. In many rural villages and cities alike, Aria is among the most worshipped deities, particularly on nights when her silver moon namesake glows full in the sky. She often manifests among mortals in the form of a child—commonly a red-haired girl or other young form depending on the race she visits. These avatars offer warnings, guidance, comfort, or sometimes deliver judgment to those who would harm children. She is beloved by midwives, mourners, travelers, and those who work the night. --- ### Tenets of Faith 1. **Do not fear death; embrace it as part of life’s journey.** 2. **Destroy all undead, for they defy the sacred cycle.** 3. **Protect children and guide them to reach their full potential.** 4. **Oppose the cults and agents of Hagsurium at every turn.** --- ### Divine Goals & Aspirations - To remove fear from the idea of death. - To act as a guide for good souls through their final journey. - To protect children and mothers during the vulnerable times of night and birth. - To be ever-present, walking among mortals, lighting the path for the lost and sorrowful. --- ### Artifacts of Aria **The Moonstone Staff** – A celestial weapon carved from a fragment of Aria’s moon. Emits beams of healing light and forms protective lunar shields. Its shaft is etched with star-maps and glows with silvery warmth. **The Silver Veil** – A divine mantle woven from moonlight, allowing its wearer to phase between realms. While wearing it, one may walk between the mortal plane and spiritual worlds, unseen by the undead. **The Tears of Serenity** – Crystalline drops formed from Aria’s sorrow for mortal suffering. These divine dewdrops cure emotional trauma, cleanse corruption, and heal grievous wounds when consumed or applied. --- ### Blessing of Aria (Player Feat) When a player devotes themselves to Aria, they may receive this divine blessing: **Stat Bonuses:** - +3 Charisma - +2 Insight - +2 Arcana **Cleric-Only Spellcasting Blessing:** Clerics who receive the Blessing of Aria gain the following spells as bonus spells prepared at all times: - _Cure Wounds_ - _Toll the Dead_ - _Spare the Dying_ - _Aura of Life_ (1/day) --- ### Worship & Ritual Worshippers pray to Aria during childbirth, death rites, and full moons. Her holy days are observed monthly under Aria’s full moon. Shrines are often small, set into doorways to protect homes at night, or placed near graveyards with carvings of crescent moons. Children often leave silver pebbles under their pillows in hopes that Aria visits their dreams to ward away nightmares or bring messages from lost loved ones. Clerics and paladins of Aria are commonly known as **Moon Shepherds**, guiding spirits and defending the sanctity of death. They serve as both warriors against necromancers and caretakers of the grieving. --- ### Known Conflicts - **Hagsurium:** The dark god of cursed souls and undeath, Hagsurium is Aria’s eternal enemy. - **Undead & Necromancers:** Anything that disrupts the passage of the soul draws Aria’s fury. --- ### Common Sayings - "Even the moonlight knows your name." - "Do not fear the dark, for She walks with you." - "Every dream is a step toward her light." - "A child’s cry does not go unheard by Aria." --- Aria stands as one of Solare’s most accessible and beloved gods, her presence both comforting and fierce, an eternal protector of the innocent and a beacon through the shadows of the end.