"She's the reason no kender has ever been truly lost. We're just taking the scenic route."
— Common kender saying
| Desna — At a Glance | |
|---|---|
| Titles | The Wandering Star, Song of the Spheres, The Great Dreamer, Lady Luck |
| Alignment | Chaotic Good |
| Areas of Concern | Dreams, luck, stars, travelers |
| Domains | Chaos, Good, Liberation, Luck, Travel |
| Subdomains | Azata, Curse, Exploration, Fate, Freedom, Revolution |
| Favored Weapon | Starknife |
| Holy Symbol | Butterfly |
| Sacred Animal | Butterfly |
| Sacred Colors | Blue, white |
Kender Theology
While other races tell of Desna hanging the stars in careful patterns to guide travelers, the kender version of the story is characteristically different. According to kender oral tradition, Desna hung the stars in random patterns, because the whole point of traveling is not knowing exactly where you're going. The patterns other races claim to see in the night sky are just their imaginations imposing order on what was always meant to be a beautiful mess.
Kender find this deeply comforting. The idea that the goddess of travel deliberately built unpredictability into the universe validates everything they've ever done.
Desna is the second most popular deity among the kender, and the one most likely to be invoked before a journey — which, for kender, means she's invoked roughly every morning. Her association with dreams also resonates deeply. Kender take their dreams seriously, not as prophecy exactly, but as suggestions from a goddess who thinks you should probably go that way today instead.
Worship Among the Kender
Kender don't build temples to Desna. They leave star-marks — small star-shaped trinkets carved from wood, bone, or whatever was handy — at crossroads, trailheads, and the bases of particularly interesting trees. Finding someone else's star-mark is considered both a blessing and an invitation to explore whatever path it's pointing toward.
Kender oracles and dreamers (those with the gift of unusually vivid dreams) are informally called Star-Readers, and they're consulted before major expeditions. Their interpretations tend to be enthusiastically vague: "The stars say you should go south. Or possibly east. Definitely not stay here, though."
The Swallowtail Release — Desna's festival in other cultures — has been adopted by kender, though they use whatever flying insects are available in the Mwangi Jungle. The result is usually more chaotic and considerably louder than the Varisian version.
Who Worships Desna
Explorers, scouts, rangers, and anyone who wakes up in the morning thinking "I wonder what's over there." Kender who've adopted the adventuring life almost universally carry Desna's symbol alongside whatever other trinkets they've accumulated, and many consider her starknife the most elegant weapon ever designed — a throwing weapon that comes back is basically a divine endorsement of kender philosophy.
Edicts
Aid fellow travelers. Explore new places. Express yourself through art and song. Find what life has to offer.
Anathema
Foster despair or terror in the innocent. Engage in bigoted behavior. Crush the dreams or wanderlust of others.