Mendosias God of Justice (Men - dos - e - ahs)

Lord Mendosias, the Impartial One, the Voice of Retribution, is the God of Justice. Symbolized by a crane standing with one leg hooked. He represents order, justice, and truth

Overview

Most holds will allow open worship of Mendosias. Most council ships will keep an alter in the keep, be it just for show as a symbol or if they actually worship the god. When someone is found guilty of a crime and is executed, despite any personal deity the individual may worship or the society as a whole, Mendosias will be mentioned in the hearing, last rights, and will be executed in the name of him

In rare cases, when an individual is put to death but found to be innocent after the fact, Mendosias will show mercy. He will find them in the afterlife, apologize for the unjust that has befallen them, and will offer them a personal paradise of their desire to make up for it. His priests speak of his power, that he is able to bypass other gods wishes, other worldly contracts, or fiendish pacts to make this happen

Followers

His alignment is Lawful Neutral. He is a seeker of knowledge and truth. He is ever present in mystery and trials with his followers working as detectives and specialized investigators. Whether it is a murderous bandit, a humble old man, a great king, or lowly beggar. It does not matter if you were good or bad before being accused to Mendosias. What matters is discovering the truth. Followers are expected to uphold a high sense of morality and honor. Vigilantism is not frowned upon if the individual is doing it for the right cause. However, if the individual goes too far in their search for justice or gets some sort of pleasure out of it, then it would be seen as unjust and Mendosias may send them a sign to cease their activity. Many of the high priests, paladins, and clerics will adorn shackles or chains to symbolize that no one is free from justice

Omen

When the Almighty Hammer is absent from the bench, society feels hollow. There will be an apparent yet surprising omen of when this occurs. Most temples of the god serve as courthouses for the holds they are in. When a decision has been made, one of two bells will be rung for a guilty or innocent verdict. When the lord goes absent, the bell will not ring, it will be silent. This phenomenon is referred to as "The Blurring" and it is customary to lower the two bells to the floor of the tower

During The Blurring certain schools of magic behave differently or they might just not work. When performing a spell from the Divination school, the visions you see or the knowledge you gain might be vague, blurry, or outright incorrect. Spells from the enchantment school might have opposite or random effects. The books of abjuration and transmutation also have a history of not working properly during this time. The work of his followers becomes harder; progress slows as the tools of their trade faulter and deceive. They have to be more scrutinous and ever careful with their proceedings, it is a time often accompanied by a growing seed of corruption. Wicked judges, politicians, or other groups of influence will use their resources to expedite cases in their favor or seek harsher punishments

Return

When Mendosias returns and the court is back in session, he announces for everyone to rise by once again ringing the bells of his temples. The bells despite being stationary and no longer suspended will ring out to their respective cities or lands. The gong will be so mighty that the bells themselves will crack no matter what they're made of. While it is possible to mend or repair the bells, it is customary to retire them as a passing of an age. The bells can be heard from miles away and it sounds as if they have a chorus of smaller bells chiming behind the initial ringing

The followers that have taken it upon themselves to wear chains or shackles, binding themselves to their god and the duty he upholds will feel a sense of relief. Their chains along with the burdens they carry feel less heavy, they take this time to be thankful for all of their blessings. They will do this by going about their communities in an attempt to spread positivity, lending their gifts and using their abilities or spells to help the everyday people with smaller tasks that would otherwise go overlooked