Albonne

Life, nature, Striving

Albonne is the goddess of life and nature, but unlike her caldavian counterpart, she is a merciless goddess: Nature, which is her force, is merciless so must she be. Where Rodin, the Father is a force of order and balance, she is a force of chaos, and her chaos is what brings forth life in a constant battle for survival.   Balance from Albonne's perspective arises as an inherent part of nature, when the predators have culled the flock of the prey so much that they now starve, or when prey animals have procreated so viciously that they now attract the predators. It has been noted that Albonne, much like Kaaeya, the Norn Worldmother wants her believers to strive and find their place in the world, but unlike Kaaeya she does not mind being prayed to, and is known to even grant favors to her priests. After all if one has earned her benevolence by acts that please her, then he shall very well use that benevolence to further his goals.   Although everything living and growing is seen as Albonne's responsibility, gardening is not considered the goddess's domain, but rather part of agriculture, which is the domain of Rodin the Father. Albonne's domain is the domain of untamed nature, and her temples are often overgrown and located in natural places.  

Family

Family, as an important building block for life to develop to its full extent and strength, is the responsibility of Albonne. Albonne demands from her believers to raise their children to self-sufficience, help it it to become independent and gives it the courage to face the challenges of life. Albonne condemns all forms of parenting that restrict or jeopardize a child's growth or development, for example by burdening them with unnecessary trauma. However, Albonne recognizes that trauma is part of life, and parents have to teach their children handle it.  

Self Sufficience

Because the goddess sees cooperation as a powerful tool for survival, she does not object to mercy and teamwork, but hospitality rather falls into the purview of Rodin. This is why way fewer priests of Albonne pursue the path of a healer than the Albonapriests of Caldaven do, and rather worship Albonne as a force of nature.  

Fertility, Sexuality:

Not so interested in the carnal aspect of fertility, as this is the domain of Lode the Mistress, Albonne is nevertheless naturally invested in ensuring that all life procreates and endures, which is why all priests of Albonne are also trained midwives.   Since Albonne sees sexuality as a natural part of life, it is of course always an subject to approach their priests with, especially in case of... problems. Unlike the more pretentious Lode Priests however, Albonne priests have a more factual and down-to-earth approach to the matter. Much like the Albona priests in Caldaven, they are known and a bit infamous for how callously (but always factually correct) they answer the inquiries of the faithful. But even Lode priests are sometimes shocked at how matter-of-factly Albonne priests deal with the subject, and seem to have no qualms about bringing anything up. It's almost as if they don't realize why something might embarrass a believer, but if it does, it is his problem right? If he wants the problem fixed he better get is shit together and face the truth.   As a rule of thumb, couples who have problems conceiving or people who have certain medical problems turn to Albonne. In most other matters, both men and women prefer the advice of Lode... she is way more discreet.  

Protector of the Night

Where Rodin guards the hours of the day with the light of his radiant golden shield, Albonne guards the hours of darkness with hers silver one. Once attacked severely by a particularly demon of the Counterrealm, Albonne's shield is shattered and her strength, once equal to Rodin's, has waned, such that today Albonne has to set down the shield once per month at new moon, which is when Truenight happens and the Plaguebeast roam. Priests of Albonne see that, despite being weakened, Albonne fights on and attribute this to her iron will to survive and defend her loved ones, which is an attribute they strive to achieve for themselves.  

the Fae

Unlike Rodin or even Albona, the caldavian form of Albonne, Albonne does not appear in mortal form, at least not on Ardu. Instead her faithful believe that she is the Fae that encompasses everything and flows through everything. While Ormyn still holds domain over magic, which is done by forming the Fae into new forms, it is Albonne who IS the Fae.   Those who believe in her have no problem with Ormyn's domain being the one of those who wield the Fae with magic, just as much as they have no problem with Rodin who is the patron of all agriculture and thus those who harvest Albonne's physical form.

The Tree of Life

The tree of Life is the ancient symbol for the Mother and in widespread use in Aquira, and considered even more important than the Broken Shield, which only plays a minor role in the Faith of Albonne.    

The Broken Moon

The Broken Shield is another old symbol of the Mother. It represents the broken moon which represents her status as protector of the night. The broken moon is her shattered shield which she, weakened now, has to rest once per month at Truenight.     It is depicted in necklaces or on belts of her priests as a crescent moon followed by a trail of fragments, and can also be found on the Caldavian crest, to honor her part in the foundation of Amn, next to a wolf which represents Sonra, The She-Warrior. It is also in common use in the specific type of roundshields the Clerics of the Mother use.    

No Statues and depictions in mortal form

Unlike any other variant of the faith in the Mother, there are no statues of Albonne or depictions of her as a mortal person to be found. There are some paintings and murals where artists imagined her face as part of the landscape, but since Albonne does not choose a mortal form, it makes little sense to envision her in one in any kind of art. In this way, Albonne very much resembles the Worldmother Kaaeya that is worshipped by the Norn.