Onward and Upward

Faithful of Valani

Everything must grow; physically, spiritually, and emotionally. This week we take a look at the empyreal lord dedicated to teaching man to expand their horizons. From the heavens we find Valani, the Empyreal Lord of change, growth, and primal forces. I will present to you this day three possible sects of this chaotic deity.

As always, let us imagine we are sitting at our theoretical gaming table. Our imaginary GM sets out the rules for the game that we will play. In this game, we are to make a follower of Valani. The character does not need to be a divine caster, just a devotee of Fireshaker. What character do you make?

For more information on Valani

Valani’s Pathfinder Wiki Page

Valani’s Archives of Nethys Page

The Storm Eyes

Across The Shackles and the Sodden Lands, many Valani worshipers have come together to live in awe and contemplation of the Eye of Abendego. Although their goddess doesn’t take credit for the constant hurricane, her followers see it as one of the greatest primal forces in the world and thus within her purview. The Storm Eyes meet on beaches and even head out on boats to the edges of the storm to feel its great – albeit destructive – power. Some members of the sect even have a contest to see who can make it farthest into The Eye and come out alive.

The members of the sect come travel many different paths in life, their only connection being a healthy respect for the Eye of Abendego. From the nature loving druid, to the book-bound elementalist, to a sailor who’s survived a wreck due to the storm, anyone can join the group of storm watchers. There is no central leadership and gatherings can occur at any time, but the sect is not a secret and when someone wishes to sign on it’s easy enough to find other members to welcome them.

The People’s Tree

Many people see the fledgling democracy of Andoran as one of the most chaotic forms of government in the region. The members of The People’s Tree do not disagree. But in that chaos they have seen the growth of their nation and the expansion of the rights of their people. For many Valani only represents living things that grow and change, but for the dedicated members of this gathering they understand growth can also be intellectual and political.

Whereas most worshipers of Valani shun formal groups, with other sects being loose knit and decentralized, The People’s Tree is actually a formal gathering of the powerful azata’s worshipers. The sect only exists within the confines of the Andoran capital of Almas. All members of the sect are in some way politically motivated but have a vast array of ideas for what democracy means. Meetings often turn into vigorous debates which can go on all day and night.

The Changing Breed

Many of the shapechangers that follow the Empyreal Lord are druids whose abilities come from their magical nature. But some folks gain their shape-changing abilities from the blood of their ancestors. Skinwalkers can find life very difficult, especially if their blood is tainted by that of a typically evil werecreature. In Ustalav where lycanthropes seem to be more common, The Changing Breed is a loose confederation of Skinwalkers of all kinds who look to help others of their dubious blood find their way in the world.

The unifying attribute of all members of this sect is that they are all skinwalkers. Other than their genetics most members of the sect have very little in common. You don’t join the group, they show up when a new skinwalker is either being persecuted or causing trouble. In the former case, they do their best to bring some stability to their brother’s life. In the latter, they give the offender a chance to amend his ways, or else they take action so that the troublemaker doesn’t reflect poorly on their kind.

This being’s followers erupt to life and bring something new to the table every time. Who is your disciple of Valani? Why have they chosen to dedicate themselves to The Fireshaker? Where does their devotion to this Empyreal Lord come from? Let me know in the comments.

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