Niomae

Name: Niomae
Titles: The Walker in the Mists, The Oceanborn, The Crushing Wave, The Tri-Natured, The Hurricane
Nature: As her title suggests, Niomae is an Overseer of three aspects, all relating to bodies of water of all kinds; the nurturing and healing of placid water, the fury of the raging sea and the mystery of the hanging mists.
Gender: Female
Time of Power: Early Morning, when the fog rolls in
Portfolio: Bodies of Water (Oceans, Lakes, Rivers, Wells etc), Mysteries (Concealed and Revealed), Ships and Sailing, Healing and Succor, Water's Wrath, Mists and Fog
Favored Alignments: All Neutral
Restricted Alignments: N/A
Allows Druids?: Yes
Allows Spirit Shamans? No
Allows Paladins?: No
Favored Weapon: Spear, Trident
Symbol: A circle containing an ocean at the bottom, mists between and a storm above
Domains: Water, Air, Healing, Dream, and Protection

The life giving waters of the land and saline waters of the sea have always held an allure to the living. Both because they are necessary for the continuation of life but often because of the duality of their existence. One moment the river is a peaceful brook that projects a sense of calm and relaxation, while the next it rages over its banks destroying lives and livelihoods. Similarly, the seas inspire art, provide food in abundance and a source of rain for vegetation upon land, yet in the next breath they can conjure storms of massive devastation and dehydrate and kill the unwary. In the early mornings and late evenings, the waters breathe their lingering breath of mist and fog over the land and seas, concealing countless mysteries and persons in their rolling white tendrils. This trinity of spirit exists not only in the waters of the world, but also within the newly formed Overseer Niomae.

Niomae is the embodiment of her domains, adopting a nurturing and cleansing personality as she cares for the both the waters of the world and the flow of dreams within all creatures, but is also prone to regular bouts of temper that ravage the seas and waters of the land, as well as an aspect of mystery and calm as Her mists cover the lands and seas. Niomae's ire is never raised irrationally; it is cool, calm and calculating. She is fiercely protective of that which she Oversees, and is quick to make an example of any that would dare harm any of those under her protection. Niomae encourages her followers to be as water; adaptive, changing, and an aid in continuing life, but also eroding, constant and mysterious. Niomae discourages her followers from openly engaging in conflict, encouraging the use of proxies, trickery, concealment and other subtle means instead. Open violence is to be a last resort but when used, it must be quick and crushing like a tsunami.

When Niomae appears in physical form she appears as a female of indeterminate age, with pale skin reminiscent of white seafoam. Her lengthy hair actually floats and flows about her person as if she were continually submerged and shifts between bright blue to dark green to represent her mood. Her eyes shine forth as the cool clear grey of a stormy sea or a mountain brook. When appearing on land, Niomae is always surrounded by a large bank of fog, and will often appear in a variety of mortal-looking forms before revealing Herself in Her true one. For this reason, followers of Niomae are always courteous to those they meet within the fogs, and will often offer them aid, for they never know when the Overseer herself may come to test them.

When Niomae's mood becomes sour enough to warrant a weapon, she forms Wavecrest, a trident gathered on her hand of coral body, encrusted pearls and a tip of sea foam. The hopes of those that consider the tip weak are dashed as soon as it is swinged: each movement of Wavecrest affects each and every body of water within miles. Anyone insane enough to face Niomae in the ocean faces storms, tides, whirlpools, abyssal pressure and all other maladies of the seas, but even on dry land come flash floods, sudden storms and rainfalls, or a dreaded tsunami. As dangerous as the environment sounds against Wavecrest, being hit directly by it is even worse, as the seafoam of the tip wears out and collapses even the hardest materials just as the incessant waves corrode rocks. Completing the tri-nature of Niomae, when spun Wavecrest billows a thick fog for miles, concealing the world in an eerie bank of shifting fog. It is said that dread creatures stalk that fog, servants of Niomae composed only of slicing mists and crushing water. Mortals that dare touch Wavecrest when formed without Niomae's permission are assaulted by the pressure of the ocean's floor and usually explode in very messy ways. Those that hold Wavecrest with Niomae's blessings find themselves surprisingly comfortable in the ocean, as they can move and breathe freely, and every natural aquatic denizen seeks to aid them.

Holy Symbols of Niomae are made from a wide variety of materials, usually wood or stone carved (and often painted) with the images of the ocean, the mist and the storm. These symbols are made hollow and filled with water. When materials allow, the Ocean portion of the symbol is often made of a window of glass, allowing the motion of the water within to be clearly seen. When a follower is found to be particularly devout, the images of the three aspects begin to move, the ocean waves lapping, the mist swirling and the storm roiling.

The church of Niomae is, like her nature, split, varying and trifold. In coastal cities and settlements, her clerics preach her word to their followers and collect donations from those sailing who wish to stave off Niomae's fury and offer tribute, as well as healing many injuries and ailments, often for free to those who have little and always for a fee for those who have much to give. In the wild places, her druids revere her in her primal form, as the waters, streams and oceans, and all that these bodies of water give, both good and ill. Some such druids become filled with her fury, becoming Stormlords of the seas; they are especially feared, often organizing raids, storms, creatures of the deep and other dangers against those who provoke the ire of the Oceanborn. Among the lands, her shamen beat their slow, haunting drums in the mists. Their ways are mysterious, even to themselves, as they walk allowing the mists to guide them to many mysteries and peering into pools of water for guidance and wisdom or inducing strange sleep to reveal the mysteries in the mists of dreams. Her shamen never to refer to Her by name, instead speaking of her only as The Walker in The Mists.

However, in 1008 IY, it has become known to all three branches of her church that Niomae wishes her church unified, and that each should teach the other two the aspects. It is said that three prophets from each aspect will lead this unification but it is not known when they will come. Still, some of her followers have begun to learn the ways of all three aspects and branches of the church and Herself, seeking to please the goddess and, perhaps, dreaming that they themselves may be one of the prophets. This growing section of Her church often refers to Her as the Tri-Natured Overseer or the Tri-Natured One.

The Tri-Natured is commonly worshiped by those living on or near the ocean, sailors, ocean-travelers, fishermen, both seekers of mysteries and concealers of mysteries, healers and Lakoi.