Yhena

Yhena, known as the Goddess of thieves, is the Deity that guides and protects thieves as well as other minor criminals that often work during the cover of night and darkness. Her protection is only for those that commit relatively minor offenses however. Those that commit far more severe crimes like murder, torture, or similarly horrible acts will lose her favour quickly.     Beliefs and purpose   Unlike most Gods within Ehldaron’s pantheon Yhena is uninterested in teaching a philosophy that tells mortals how they should live their lives. She simply considers herself the protector of thieves and petty criminals, not as a grand Goddess that has an entire philosophy about how the world works. The only code that She has is that “One should commit their crime causing as little hurt and pain as possible”. A thief should be swift, silent, and unnoticed. They should avoid fights at all costs, and they certainly shouldn’t take joy in acts like killing. Some might consider this a very basic form of morality. However, others claim that a thief that has to fight their way out is simply a bad thief, unworthy of Yhena’s protection. Additionally, one might of course argue that stealing is a form of causing pain, albeit indirectly. Some within the underworld argue that Yhena is also the overseer of the concept of “honour amongst thieves”, meaning that criminals who rat out other criminals or work against them would be punished by Yhena. However, it is unclear how exactly The Goddess of Thieves feels about this.   Yhena is a relatively minor Goddess who is more famous for the legend that surrounds her rather than her actual godhood. It is said that Yhena was born as a normal woman to a very poor family who grew up to become the greatest thief that ever walked Ehldaron. She was a prodigy, and there wasn’t a manor, castle, or bank that she couldn’t rob. Eventually she set her sights on the vaults of the Gods, and these too she was able to plunder successfully. Yhena became the richest mortal the realm had ever seen, and in one of the vaults she found the greatest treasure of all. An ancient and incredibly powerful artefact that allowed her to ascend to godhood. After her ascension, it is said that Ehldaron’s pantheon had mixed feelings about her. Some Gods were impressed with Her, while others loathed Her. Either way, She was a Goddess, and she would look out for others of her kind. Many in history have attempted to follow in Yhena’s steps, hoping to find the vaults of the Gods filled with riches and powerful artefacts. So far however, none have succeeded.   It is believed that Yhena ascended to godhood during the First God War. She was very absent from the conflict itself, and never choose a side, nor was she involved in the fighting. She also did not have her own region or faction, so no battles were fought in her name. Many think she simply continued doing what she did before being ascended to godhood, meaning she roamed Ehldaron and took advantage of the chaos for her heists and thefts.     Followers   As Yhena is the Deity of thieves and petty criminals, those of course constitute the majority of her following. As there never was, and still is, no official practice of the Goddess of thieves, She lacks any kind of formal prayer or other religious exercises . Therefore those that worship Her simply ask their Goddess for guidance or good luck, often in the form of a small made-up prayer. Some of them also carry the Goddess’ symbol with them as a good luck charm.   The worshipping of Yhena is not entirely forbidden in most nations, as She is not considered to be an entirely evil Goddess, although it is certainly not enabled. Temples of Yhena don’t exist, nor is She portrayed in any but the greatest of general temples. Openly coming out that you worship the Goddess of Thieves can easily attract the attention of the authorities, although that in and of itself is not enough to get arrested by them.   On very rare occasions Yhena may end up sharing her divine powers with exceptional thieves and criminals that have impressed her somehow. As one would expect of a Cleric of the Goddess of Thieves, these criminals have no shame in using their divine powers for their own ends.