Church of Iomedae

It is traditional for a young priest of the Inheritor to receive a gift of a sword when she leaves the temple to enact the goddess’s will; in some cases, this is a weapon once used by a senior priest or other hero of the church. Some blades have passed through many hands, as Iomedae believes it is wasteful to bury a perfectly good weapon with the dead; the only time a fallen hero is buried with his weapon is if it was broken or if there is unusual magic tying it to him, and even in these cases the weapons have been known to turn up in moments of great need, as if plucked from the tombs by the goddess herself. It is common for the faithful to bury a small token sword (often just an inch long and usually made of copper, tin, brass, or bronze) with their dead, believing the sword will fight battles on behalf of the good soul so that person can remain at rest. In poorer communities, the dead are buried with paper or wood stamped or branded with a sword symbol. So great is the church’s fixation on swords that even wedding rings for those married in the church are usually engraved with a sword as a sign of devotion and fidelity.
 
Just as swords are generally kept in the hands of the living, it is rare for worshipers to be buried in armor. Most faithful who are wealthy enough to own armor usually bequeath it to close relatives or their favorite temples so that it may find use in the goddess’s name even after they are gone.
 
Iomedaeans’ preference for law and order results in strong church support for marriage, and equally strong disapproval of adultery, abuse, and other activities that threaten healthy relationships. Even if it goes against local tradition, the church teaches that spouses retain their individual rights and are not property, and temples provide shelter if necessary to individuals seeking divorce. Likewise, it insists that children must be treated with love and respect, though this does not preclude an appropriate level of discipline. The church’s focus on self-discipline and honor in action and appearance lead most of the faithful to consider poorly behaved children or a family that appears unkempt or unruly a great embarrassment, both to themselves and to their community.
 
Of all the good churches on Golarion, Iomedae’s is the most aggressive in seeking out and fighting evil. Her priests prefer to be out questing rather than doing mundane tasks in a city. Older and infirm priests who cannot handle the rigors of battle work in courtrooms and as advisors to nobles and city leaders, or else train the next generation of crusaders. Layfolk and talented acolytes staff most in-city positions, and see to the auxiliary needs of the church, helping run temple-owned farms, smithies, and shops.
 
The church currently devotes a great deal of its focus to the Mendevian Crusades against the horror of the Worldwound, seeing it as the greatest threat to Golarion as a whole, though it also encourages those members who seek to guard innocents against the orcs of Belkzen, the undead surrounding Gallowspire, and other threats. While the church as a whole may have to make hard choices about how to dedicate resources, it is not monolithic: individual worshipers are still encouraged to protect their own communities and fight injustice wherever they find it.
 
Iomedae informally enforces Aroden’s teachings as well as her own, in deference both to her patron and to his followers who have been absorbed by her church, although she is more forward-looking in her goals and doesn’t let herself be constrained by the events of history. Her church’s sensitivity toward the legacy of Aroden is largely responsible for people accepting her as his heir and allowing her followers to take over his properties and holy artifacts.

Temples and Shrines

Iomedae’s temples are whitewashed buildings that double as courts and living space for holy knights. Each has at least one fortified tower or wing that is easily defensible even if the rest of the structure is razed. Arched entrances, pillared courtyards, statues of knights, high stained-glass windows, and large fountains are common decorations. Iomedae’s followers also use converted churches of Aroden, slowly replacing the dead god’s ornamentation with that of her faith so as to not disturb the sensibilities of the dwindling population of Aroden worshipers. While priests and knights set aside an hour per day for prayer, the church usually only holds public worship once a week for an hour or two depending on local interest.
 
The devout often create a shrine of stones on the site of any great battle fought in the name of Iomedae, sometimes capping it with a broken sword thrust into the top of the pile. Flat stones carved with the goddess’s symbol, sculptures of inverted swords, or simple crosses representing sword hilts mark the graves of the faith, as well as locations of miracles or sites important to saints of the church.

Worship

To follow Iomedae is to tolerate neither chaos nor evil, and to vow to stamp them out wherever they arise. Her faithful travel the world to find uprisings of evil, and are willing and able to serve and to lead; they have forthright attitudes and have no patience for lying, fraud, or deceit. They believe in discipline tempered with love and respect, and still prefer the word over the sword, though they recognize that situations exist where the sword is the only answer.

A Priest’s Role

An ideal day for an Iomedaean priest varies. For those within military organizations or entrenched in battle, ritual takes a back seat to doing whatever is necessary to further the cause of justice and light, and for a priest to stand on ceremony at the cost of the church’s goals would be highly shameful. As such, priests in war zones tend to act much like chaplains or military commanders rather than city priests. If there is no sign of active villainy, priests travel, perhaps in ways that help local officials (such as transporting a criminal from a remote town to a city’s jail). City priests keep their ears to the ground for news of local crime, always ready to attack a thieves’ guild’s headquarters, uncover an evil cult, or slay some monster fresh from the depths. 
 
Priests must act honorably, show courage in battle, uphold righteous laws, bring evildoers to justice, and generally conduct themselves like great knights. Even the most battle-weary stand proud and tall in the presence of common folk and impressionable youths. Priests have a reputation for trustworthiness that serves them well in political affairs, and while few choose to retire to political offices such as judge or magistrate, having an Iomedaean priest as a witness in a trial is highly advantageous. To an Iomedaean, the quest for justice and the need to work hard for the betterment of all is never complete.
 

Iomedae’s Paladin Code
The paladins of Iomedae are just and strong, crusaders who live for the joy of righteous battle. Their mission is to right wrongs and eliminate evil at its root. They serve as examples to others, and their code demands they protect the weak and innocent by eliminating sources of oppression, rather than merely the symptoms. They may back down or withdraw from a fight if they are overmatched, but if their lives will buy time for others to escape, they must give them. Their tenets include the following affirmations.

I will learn the weight of my sword. Without my heart to guide it, it is worthless—my strength is not in my sword, but in my heart. If I lose my sword, I have lost a tool. If I betray my heart, I have died.
I will have faith in the Inheritor. I will channel her strength through my body. I will shine in her legion, and I will not tarnish her glory through base actions.
I am the first into battle, and the last to leave it.
I will not be taken prisoner by my free will. I will not surrender those under my command.
I will never abandon a companion, though I will honor sacrifice freely given.
I will guard the honor of my fellows, both in thought and deed, and I will have faith in them.
When in doubt, I may force my enemies to surrender, but I am responsible for their lives.
I will never refuse a challenge from an equal. I will give honor to worthy enemies, and contempt to the rest.
I will suffer death before dishonor.
I will be temperate in my actions and moderate in my behavior. I will strive to emulate Iomedae’s perfection.
 
Clothing
Formal raiment is a white cassock with gold or yellow trim and matching mitre, but this rarely sees use outside of the church. In practice, most Iomedaean warriors are recognized by their shining armor and prominent displays of the goddess’s symbol. Banners with her symbol are also popular, almost always in white and gold. Most ceremonies involve the use of a sword, and even the naming of a child requires touching the hilt of a sword, so it’s rare to find a priest without one. These weapons are always suitable for combat, though some become extensively decorated after decades of use; to the faithful, a sword that isn’t serviceable as a weapon is useless.