Isara

Summary

An aggressive goddess in Uatkara's pantheon, Isara embodies fertility, passion, and sensuality with no real sense of reservation. She is a larger-than-life figure, worshiped and revered by many in their pursuits of relationships, creative works, and intimacy. Less-well-known but still ever present is her capacity for war, which is often interpreted as righteous self-defense or an act of divine justice upon evil. Thus her domain stretches into a protector goddess role, typically of that of the home one dwells within. Her belligerence is less spoken of in more modern texts, but she is known to be unduly rough and rowdy when visiting her fellow goddesses. Despite this, one of her core tenets remains utter loyalty to the ones it is given to--breaking this covenant is likely to make one die by a falling rock. Even in the middle of a desert.   A contemporary of Poleva's day and age, Isara holds a proud distinction in her muurun nature. One of the few 'foreign' goddesses in Uatkara, her early adoption in the faith's formative years is a mysterious point. Isara was known to worshipers long before they knew of her, and her reveal as a muurun came as quite the shock. Fitting in its own way, for the nebusah and muurun have always been tangled together in one form or another. Hence one of the oldest of idioms in Sa-kemet, "A muurun who sleeps among nebusah", an expression of complete trust.   Isara's worship is often found at home, or within places of luxury and relaxation. There prayers and offerings of incense and snack foods are made for the safety of loved ones, peace within the family, or good fortune in romancing another. Artists are known to fixate before statues of Isara, competing against her with infamous staring contests trying to 'win divine inspiration'. It is said Isara loves artwork and plays the most, and so many statuettes or icons of her cat's paw wrapped in three rings can be found.   Those wishing to earn favor for defense of their homes may adorn their gear or weapons in her icons and favored blue-colored gems. While children are not strictly a part of her domain, she is often associated by proxy to them. In some ways she is often called the 'distant aunt' for children, who call upon her for protection in times of distress. While Isara confronts the dangers they face, it is in fact her 87 spouses--that is, 34 wives and 53 husbands--that do the actual caretaking. Such is her great family to welcome them in and find them new homes to live in, however much of that is true or convenient metaphor.   She is among the few goddesses who can be found outside of Uatkara, principally within in the Sa-kemet Tribes. Her roles in the myriad faiths there tend to follow along the same lines, but she is distinctly more warlike. Often considered the most righteous of their goddesses, Isara is not one to be invoked in vain. Such is the seriousness of this belief that once, a Tribe had nearly gone to war with a mertakan pyramid-city. By invoking Isara's name in righteous retribution, the mertakan held their arms and stingers, instead trying diplomacy. A dire criminal conspiracy was thus uncovered, and much innocent blood was saved that year.