Empress Izumi Saimei

The Empress earned such title not from her rise to divinity, but for the literal empire she led before the first gods even rose up, the Vaeron Empire. Although a human, historians found proof of her being alive at least two centuries before the first god rose, during the magic-less era known as Dark Sun.The cause of such longevity is unknown; however, the reason she led an empire was because she was able to cast and control magic, a feat only a handful of people were able to reproduce. As such, some people believe that she was able to achieve immortality before godhood.

Many gods are happy to tell their followers their origin stories, how they rose to or achieved godhood. The Empress is no such god. Although god of History, Izumi Saimei keeps her own upbringings, both in life and in godhood, a secret.

The Empress has a particular affinity to knighthood and the moral code of warriors. And, although one of the gods of magic and a spellcaster herself, she was still very capable in physical combat, with known songs written about the challenges she took against people wanting to fight for the throne and a rebellion against her law she was able to stop alone.

This, however, was not the only reason why she became the god of warriors. She led a powerful army, full of people very loyal to her, and commanded, guided and trained by all of her children: Unknown.

The Sovereign of the Blade had 9 children in total, some adopted, some by blood, but all of which became very strong warriors and had high ranks in her army. Although Vaeron as an Empire has now been lost to time, the name Vaeron’s Arms is now used to refer to Saimei’s Archangels. Her Divine Realm is called Vaeron, although it is no longer an empire.

Because of her secretiveness, there are many theories around those unanswered questions. Some of these theories are considered conspiracies and sins by her followers and devouts, and a few may even turn aggressive or issue a challenge if these conspiracies are accused.

“Goddess of Souls”

Izumi Saimei did not have domain over souls when she first rose to godhood. This title was gained only during the Second Era, in a war with the old goddess of death, Alicariata.

Alicariata waged war on Izumi Saimei for the domain over Conjuration magic. This was one of the biggest wars of the Second Era, but eventually, through many battles, hardships and the help of some of her allies, Izumi won, killing Alicariata, taking the role of guiding souls and the domain over souls.

When Gruumsh became the god of necromancy, he one-sidedly took over all of reviving in Theriam, making it so Izumi has no say on what happens to a soul that has reached her. They tried some compromises, but no side was willing to budge, and at the end, they pushed each other a little bit too far in the negotiations. They are now considered enemies, even though they, together with Evalene, are part of the pantheon of death.

Close friends with Camiria and strong ally of Marduk, these three gods helped Belaquir rise to godhood. These four gods form a very strong alliance and are sometimes worshipped as a pantheon called the Senticar.

The Empress’ realm is the blossoming city of Vaeron, a separate plane accessible through a permanent locked door in the Sigil. The Empress lives atop the spiral tower that centers the city, offering council to those in need and guiding souls to their destination.

Izumi Saimei shows approval by temporarily engraving Vaeron’s symbol on her worshipper’s armor or weapon. Her disfavor is shown through the unusual appearance of fog, which only the follower can see. In the worst offenses, this fog may turn into a permanent vision disability.

The church of The Empress is composed of most notably warriors, knights and soldiers who follow a cause, a leader or just a personal code, although some historians, librarians and general knowledge seekers and keepers might also worship her. Her name is invoked by many leaders who want their followers to truly believe in them, although such people might not always have the best intentions.

People who worship The Empress can generally be trusted to follow through with their promises, and rarely if ever use subterfuge to achieve their goals. Although this is by many considered a weakness, most of her worshippers value this strength and believe this to be a way to become closer to her and gain her favor.

Most armies dedicate a few seconds before training for simple prayers, although her followers believe this to be ineffective unless the soldier’s follow their cause with their heart.

Izumi Saimei’s church are normally training grounds for swordsman, knights, warriors and soldiers. Libraries also normally have at least small shrines dedicated to her.

Symbol

As a god, her symbol is that of a sword with the top of its blade being smoky. However, all her followers also recognize the symbol of Vaeron as a holy symbol, a dark green shield with a diagonal sword pointing to top left of the shield and light pink petals and flowers growing around the sword. This symbol is a blessing only to be given by her, and people who use this symbol will suffer if discovered by a follower.

Worshipers and Clergy

Izumi’s church is very eclectic, as her teachings can reach martial and magical inclined alike, and being the goddess of conjuration helps reach more spellcasters, as most of her interest lies in martial arts.

The big bulk of her clergy is composed of Champions and Fighters, with occasional Bards and Clerics. Very few of her Clerics are cloistered, as many of them prefer to fight in the frontlines.

Her clergy usually wears the colors of Vaeron on their clothing or armor, mainly dark green with light pink details.

Although her favored weapon is a Naginata, The Empress encourages her followers to train in a variety of weapons, and pick whatever they like as their weapon of choice.

Temples & Shrines

Izumi Saimei has no known temple entirely dedicated to her and nothing else. Her temples are located alongside training grounds and dojos, either in shrines or entire rooms dedicated to her.

Holy texts

• Path of the Blade
  • The main holy book of The Empress. This book details the history of some of Vaeron’s most notable warriors and their own personal codes of honor, their struggles to uphold it and some of their most notable fights.
• Rise and Makings of a Great Empire
  • A history book of Vaeron, which includes various insights from different historians and leaders about how Vaeron became the great empire on its prime, how it overcame various hardships, its mistakes and what it could have done better.
    

Holidays

The most commonly and widely celebrated holiday that celebrates The Empress is Spirit Blossom on [DATE], a festival that shows respect to the dead and brings the living closer to their loved ones that past. This is celebrated by almost everyone on Theriam, not only Izumi’s followers, since almost everyone has someone they lost they wish to reconnect with.

Organizations

Knights of Senticar

• An order of knights that wanders the land and aim to help people and leave to tyranny and corruption left behind.
  

Favored animals

Gods are often associated with certain animals, either because they possess a quality favored by the god, or because the god's faithful feel a special kinship to them. Izumi Saimei's favored animals include big felines, like lions and tigers, and cranes.