Irori

Irori

(Deity)

Titles

Master of Masters;
Iro-Shu and the Enlightened One (in Tian Xia);
the Perfect Human (in Vudra);
the Perfect Man

Adjective

Iroran

Realm

Serene Circle, Axis

Alignment

Lawful neutral

Areas of Concern

History
Knowledge
Self-perfection

Worshipers

Monks, Vudrani, green dragons, dwarves, mystics, ascetics, hermits, historians, martial artists, scholars

Edicts

Be humble, help others perfect themselves; hone your body, mind, and spirit to a more perfect state, practice discipline

Anathema

Become addicted to a substance, destroy an important historical text, repeatedly fail to maintain self-control

Follower Alignments (1E)

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Domains (1E)

Healing, Knowledge, Law, Rune, Strength

Subdomains (1E)

Competition, Education, Inevitable, Language, Memory, Restoration, Resolve, Thought

Follower Alignments (2E)

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Domains (2E)

Knowledge, might, perfection, truth
Alternate: Change, vigil

Favored Weapon

Open hand, representing unarmed combat (unarmed strike); fist

Symbol

Open blue palm;
Master's Rebus

Sacred Animal

Snail

Sacred Colors

Blue, white

Images of Irori

Source: Inner Sea Gods, pg(s). 84–91 (1E)
Gods & Magic, pg(s). 30–31 (2E)

Ⅰ

Ⅱ

Irori (pronounced ih-ROHR-ee or ai luo li) is the god of enlightenment, self-perfection, knowledge, healing, and inner strength. His followers claim that he was once a mortal who achieved absolute physical and mental perfection and thus attained divinity of his own volition. He is one of the core gods of, if not the most powerful deity of, the Vudran pantheon but is also worshiped widely in Tian Xia and has a growing following in the Inner Sea region as well.

History

Stories told in the Azvadeva Pujila recount Irori's quest for enlightenment and ultimate ascension to divinity.

Relationships

Irori respects that other deities are different spiritual beings and that what is correct for him may not be so for them. He, therefore, tries to avoid interfering with other divine beings, unless they threaten his work or his people. He has a particularly good relationship with Abadar, and has an ongoing feud with Asmodeus, because of the Lord of Hell's penchant for corrupting or destroying the things that others have built. Due to his importance in a just, stable society, Shizuru is friendly with Irori. A minor rivalry exists between his faith and those of Cayden Cailean, Iomedae, and Norgorber, as he considers their rise to deity status through the Test of the Starstone as cheating. Despite this tension with Iomedae, followers of her faith allow paladins of Irori to train in their Tempering Hall in Absalom. Cayden Cailean, however, finds Irori "stuffy".

Erastil respects Irori but has his usual philosophical niggles about Irori's "selfishness". Irori also sometimes comes into conflict with Nethys, whose chaotic aspects the Master of Masters finds unharmonious; Magrim usually serves as an intermediary between them in case of friction. Urgathoa, goddess of hedonism and excess, finds Irori's strict moderation annoying. For the same reason, Hei Feng disrespects Irori and expects his followers to treat Irori's in the same way. Chaldira Zuzaristan views him as a close friend, but he considers her 'help' irritating.

Irori's mortal nephew, Gruhastha, followed his path to be a god in his own right as well. He now serves as his uncle's advisor, but disagrees with him on some finer points: Irori views obstacles as individual challenges, but Gruhastha considers them something that must be addressed for the greater good of society as a whole.

Appearance

A depiction of Irori.

Depictions of the Master of Masters in art are quite rare because his followers believe that his true form cannot be adequately described by mortal hands. When he is depicted, he is generally shown as a physically flawless Vudrani male with a shaved head, except for a long, single braid, wearing sandals and simple robes. He is generally shown sitting or in meditative stances.

Realm

Irori makes his home on the plane of Axis, in a realm called the Serene Circle.

Providence

Irori shows his displeasure by sudden and mysterious cramps, fatigue, or hindrances in the form of sickness or insanity.

Servants

Irori holds enlightenment and the quests for knowledge and self-perfection of both body and mind above all. As such, sentient creatures are more associated with his faith than any animals or beasts. His divine servitor race, the pavbaghas, look like enormous white tigers, but are actually the reincarnated souls of his enlightened followers.

Unique servants

Cheu Chem

This favored servant of Irori is an intelligent, celestial white tiger.

The Old Man

Appearing as an elderly human male of uncertain ethnicity, and a dexterity and strength far beyond a mortal of his build and age, the Old Man is Irori's herald.

Sixth Rebirth

This favored servant of Irori is a dour stone giant monk.

Church of Irori

Worshipers

Irori is worshiped by all who seek enlightenment and self-improvement, and his faith's reach spans much of Golarion. He has many temples in his homeland of Vudra and on the Isle of Jalmeray.

In Tian Xia

Beyond Vudra's holdings, Irori is most widely worshiped across the continent of Tian Xia, where is also known as Iro-Shu. His teachings were introduced into mainland Tian Xia by Vudran missionaries in 2187 AR from Sumadhadra, and the many trade connections between the lands quickly spread his religious texts across its nations. In Tian Xia, his largest centres of worship are in Linvarre (formerly the Taldan colony of Amanandar), the trade city of Goka, Hongal, Lingshen, Minkai, Quain, throughout the Wall of Heaven mountains, and Xa Hoi. While many of Irori's Tian followers are monks, across the continent he is also revered by scholars and sages for his wisdom.

Tians often include aspects of Irori's faith in their lifestyles regardless of their devotion, such as his teachings of pacifism, vegetarianism, lifelong learning, meditation, and prayer. Combatants and scholars alike also practice Irori's methods of focus and discipline. People who do focus their faith on Irori often become monks and wandering aesthetics after studying for years at an Iroran monastery.

In the Inner Sea Region

In the Inner Sea region he is worshiped at the monastery at Tar Kuata in Osirion, and widely across Absalom, Katapesh, Nex, Osirion, the Mana Wastes, and Qadira, and among Tians and Vudrani throughout the Inner Sea region.

Most Avistani folk are somewhat put off by the Master of Masters' strict adherents, even though the religion is quickly growing in the Inner Sea region. Irori is respected and worshipped by dwarves alongside their own pantheon. The Monks of the White Feather in Qadira are suspected of being a splinter group of the Church of Irori but do themselves deny this association.

Some green dragons worship Irori and suffer derision for so doing by other green dragons, who call such worship the Cult of the Man God.

Clergy

See also: Champion of Irori

Irori's priesthood consists primarily of clerics and monks. Priests are responsible for mentoring others as they try to attain self-perfection either by guiding followers or through rigorous testing and trials. Each must follow his or her own slightly different path to enlightenment, but there is little infighting among Irori's followers.

Priests have no formal raiment, but prefer to dress plainly with a single long rope of braided hair they wear around their neck. Beings who lack hair or cannot remove it, such as feathered tengu, instead maintain simple styles lacking any adornment. Many wear malas, which are prayer beads made of seeds, wood, or stone, though not all do so openly. Malas are strung into bracelets of 18 beads representing mantras or necklaces of 108 beads for each of the sorrows and worries of life.

Upon death, masters of the faith are said to join Irori to serve him for all eternity, while those who have not yet achieved perfection are reincarnated to begin the process anew. Those who betray his faith or monastic orders are not punished as criminals but engaged in restorative justice methods designed to reduce the harm done and rehabilitate the offender. Only in the worst cases is an offender exiled from an order, and even then with the hope that their lives in the world teach them humility and inspire them to return.

Temples and shrines

Temples to Irori are usually elaborate complexes filled with rooms for prayer, sleep, and exercise where the faithful train both day and night to achieve perfection and cleanse their qi, or life-force.

Absalom

In the Foreign Quarter of Absalom stands a gladiatorial arena called the Irorium with an attached temple, the latter of which is watched over by Ysia Iron-Palm, high priestess of Irori.

Katapesh

Katapesh is a centre for worship of Irori and the Hall of Irori is found in the Dawn Gate quarter of the city of Katapesh.

Qadira

The Church of Irori is one of the three primary faiths of Qadira. The Temple-Monastery of Irori lies in the centre of Katheer and there are many monasteries in other parts of Qadira including the Open Palm of Sheehad, located in the foothills of the Zho Mountains.

Religious texts

The followers and adherents of Irori's ways hold all knowledge as sacred, specifically that which can help to improve oneself and lead one closer to enlightenment.

Unbinding the Fetters

This is a lengthy tome describing meditation, physical exercises, dietary regimes and other methods to help mortals transcend their limitations. It is a difficult book, full of aphorisms, metaphors, and riddles designed to challenge the reader's preconceptions.

Holidays

Rituals require very specific preparation, both in mediation and diet, and each path to enlightenment may require different holidays and holy experiences. Dates are extremely important to Irori's faithful. Each follower of his teaching must decide for herself what dates are significant, as Irori's faith is an individualistic one. Of particular importance are the days that relate to a given temple or monastery, or that impact a given monk's path toward enlightenment.

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. Irori's favored animals include snails, white tigers, mantises, and octopuses.

Organizations

The Sacred Order of Archivists is a secret society of scholars headquartered in the Chelaxian city of Kintargo that protects and preserves the written word from the revisionist historians in the government and the Hellknight Order of the Rack.

The Hellknight Order of the Godclaw worship the lawful aspects of Irori, without considering his other values, but are in no way associated with his other followers.

References

Paizo published a major article about Irori in Tide of Honor.

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.