Naderi

From PathfinderWiki
Naderi (or Nadiri)
(Deity)

Titles
The Lost Maiden
Realm
Alignment
Areas of Concern
Drowning
Romantic Tragedy
Suicide
Worshipers
Hopeless lovers
Edicts
Comfort and encourage lovers, help the suffering escape their circumstances in life or in death
Anathema
Dismiss or mock grief, separate lovers, torture someone
Cleric Alignments (1E)
Domains (1E)
Charm, Nobility, Repose, Water
Subdomains (1E)
Love, Lust, Martyr, Souls
Cleric Alignments (2E)
Domains (2E)
Death, passion, sorrow, water
Favored Weapon
Symbol
Ornate golden dagger
Sacred Animal
Sacred Colors
Blue, red
Source: Inner Sea Faiths, pg(s). 76 (1E)
Gods & Magic, pg(s). 130–131 (2E)

The goddess Naderi (sometimes Nadiri)1 was a divine assistant to Shelyn and was tasked with overseeing forbidden relationships among couples. She ascended to divinity when a young couple under her gaze decided to kill themselves instead of fighting the circumstances that forbade their love. Shocked by her apotheosis and afraid of how Shelyn would react, Naderi fled her mistress and finally became the goddess of suicides, particularly romantic tragedies. Shelyn has tried to fix this strange divide between the two of them, but has been unsuccessful due to unusual circumstances.23

Appearance

Naderi appears as a pretty woman with dark hair and large eyes, soaked to the bone and carrying a tiny dagger.23

Relations

Naderi is strangely growing closer to the goddess of undeath, Urgathoa, due to Naderi's belief that love lasts beyond death, a position that Urgathoa can support.4 She is also being courted by the god of accidental and pointless death, Zyphus, who hopes to turn Naderi to evil by convincing her that chance can rob one of a lover at any time.5 Shelyn had unsuccessfully tried to reconcile with Naderi numerous times in the past three centuries, but feels the young goddess slipping beyond her grasp. Shelyn considers the loss of her servant one of the great sorrows of her life. A number of tragic operas have been based on, or have been written directly about the relationship between the two goddesses.631

Servants

The divine servants of Naderi are ghostly apparitions that always appear in pairs or groups.3

Church of Naderi

As she is worshiped primarily by the young who feel trapped or lost, Naderi has little to no formal church or priesthood. Long-time devotees are generally those who have been scarred physically and emotionally by numerous attempts at suicide. They wear clothing with long sleeves and high necklines to hide their scars and bruises in public, but display these marks proudly when with others of their faith.7 Naderi occasionally grants spells to inquisitors who seek to punish those who keep lovers apart (or prevent their suicides). Her few temples are usually in hidden places where young lovers meet, including abandoned buildings, moonlit glades, or lonely, scenic hilltops. Other sacred sites include any place where someone can find an easy, relatively painless death, such as oceanside cliffs, high bridges, or even a river with a particularly strong current. The graves of those who killed themselves for love are always considered holy to the followers of Naderi.3 Wealthy followers of the goddess sometimes wear a magical item known as a hero's release pendant, which assists the wearer to more easily find (and deal out) death.8

Holy Texts

Naderi's holy texts glorify love and romantic tragedy. Among the most well-known of theses is the epic poem The Lay of Arden and Lysena, which tells the story of the two young lovers whose deadly plunge sparked Naderi's ascension.9 The series of plays called The Seven Pangs of Longing are a cycle of linked tragedies by Rithallen, a Nirmathi playwright inspired by his own romance with the Molthuni noblewoman known only as the Lily of Canorate.9

References

Paizo published major articles about Naderi in Inner Sea Faiths.

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