Iphine, the Allmother

Iphine (Iff-in-ay) is a goddess in the Asurian pantheon, also known as the Allmother. She is said to be the mother of all intelligent life, from the great dragons and giants to the diminutive gnomes and halflings. Each time she gives birth, a male and a female of a new species of mortals are brought into the world. She is known both for her gentle wisdom and caring nature and for her extreme wrath when offended.  

Aspects

Like many Asurian deities, Iphine is worshiped under many titles. Most of these are specificly related to each of her children, such as "Mother of Dragons" and "Mother of Humanity." Each of these aspects embodies the virtues of an ideal mother for that group, be that a stern leader of the household, a doting caretaker, or any number of other characteristics. "Allmother" is the broadest and most inclusive of those titles, and is the most widely used in communities where different intelligent species coexist.   In ancient doctrine, Iphine also has a great many aspects adopted from cultures assimilated into the Asurian Empire. Asurian religion was largely syncretic in the days of the empire, and with the concept of a creator deity existing in almost every culture's beliefs, Iphine became merged with an enormous number of other cultures' creators. Most of these aspects have widely been forgotten, either through being slowly absorbed into the concept of Iphine more generally as a culture became increasingly Asurian in the days of the empire, or ignored after the fall of the Empire as Asurian religion shifted away from syncretism, instead coming to be an ideal to be held to by minority communities across the various lands that once made up that empire.  

Depictions

Depictions of Iphine vary widely. Most often, an artist depicts her as primarily being their own species, while incorporating recognizable aspects of others, such as a human with the pointed ears of an elf and draconic wings sprouting from her shoulders. She is often depicted as an idealized beauty of middle age, with a gentle and wise expression. Unlike many Asurain deities, she is never depicted in the nude, this being considered sacriligeous and borderline incestuous.