Sivanah
Goddess of Illusions
Alternate: Glyph
Sivanah1 (pronounced siv-AHN-ah)2 is the patron goddess of illusion magic, tricksters, and those who keep secrets. She is also known as the "Seventh Veil", a name taken from the clothing she is most often depicted wearing. Her religious symbol is a circle made of six dull-colored veils tied end-to-end.34
Appearance
Sivanah's true form is disguised behind her seven veils, each of which is tied to an ancestry, the first six said to be human, elf, halfling, gnome,356 anadi,7 and naga—although there is some contention among religious scholars over whether her fifth form may be some other creature known for its mastery of illusion, as older tales claim the fifth veil concealed a cyclops.56 Her true form is said to be that of a member of a seventh, unknown ancestry, but she always appears as female. She can appear as any of these ancestries while wearing the appropriate veil.3 Kitsune claim that Sivanah actually has nine veils, and the final one is a fox-woman.6
Dogma
Sivanah's ultimate goals are only known to the goddess. This concealment might be a reason why her faith has not grown more.4
Providence
The goddess communicates with her faithful through mirrors, reflections in water, and sometimes even through their own shadows.3
Realm
The goddess makes her home in the most unlikely of places: the Maelstrom. Sivanah's Realm is extremely difficult to find, appearing in no fixed place, yet can always be recognized by its abundance of mirrored surfaces. Sivanah protects her realm in this way from the native proteans, who bear her much ill will. The exact origin behind this conflict is not known, although there are many speculations, including that Sivanah once stole something from them, or that she once was a keketar, risen demon, or fallen azata.8
Relationships
Sivanah has a rivalry with Zon-Kuthon as she loathes the dark god's corruption of shadows, and sometimes uses her influence to cause darkness to act unexpectedly for Zon-Kuthon's clerics.56 Sivanah also has an incomprehensible interest in Razmir despite most deities denounce him as a false-god, she and her priesthood friendly with his own.9 Her followers, most often veiled witches from Irrisen, are her most commonly utilized emissaries to Razmiran.10 Is speculated that Sivanah may find Razmir's scam of being The Living God endearing or that she is the only one, not even Razmir himself, acknowledges his hidden divinity or potential for it.9
Sivanah and Norgorber have good relationship built on mutual interest over secrets,11 Both also have a shared enemy of Nethys, keep tabs on him less he discloses salient magical secrets to other deities and mortals.12
Church of Sivanah
Sivanah is widely worshiped among the illusionists and especially gnomes of Golarion, who appreciate her devotion to their favorite school of magic by wearing knotted scarves.3136
Given location its believe by the Dark Archive that the Gnomish Fellowship of Guile’s Guise of Jalmeray worship Sivanah but rumors of some members taking money to impersonate specific targets suggest Norgorber's influence in the group.14
The worship of Sivanah is also worshipped by others that wish to hid something about themselves like thieves or for less criminal reasons. she is popular in the countries of Nex, who's illusion is considered on par to the Queen of the Night, Mahathallah, Irrisen, were Veiled witches and mysterious mirrored beings honer her domain over mirrors, and in the cities of Katapesh, imported by gnomes, with veiled kholo priests, and rumored connections with the Pactmasters, while it is strictly prohibited in Nidal, due to a ban by the country's clerics of Zon-Kuthon.3136
Devout illusionists who follow her have been known to be able to mimic divine healing magic by use of the shadow conjuration spell.15
Given Sivanah and her small number of worshipers being hush on the churches inner working make them easy targets for scapegoating and sinister conspiracy theories, assuming the public is aware that they even exist. But most followers are skilled at using disguise if public opinion about them gets too heated.6
Holidays
Worshipers of the goddess celebrate a general holiday called Seven Veils, on either 716 or 2317 Neth, as one of their most sacred of days. What rituals the church of Sivanah performs on this date, however, are unknown to outsiders, for the cult enjoys its secrets. This secrecy has, unsurprisingly, given rise to all manner of sinister rumours, yet when Seven Veils rolls around each year, its eager participants are quick to set aside rumour in preference for the night's fun and games.18 The festivities include comic performances, jokes, illusions,19 and multi-racial masquerade balls.17
References
Paizo published a major article about Sivanah in Inner Sea Faiths.
For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.
- ↑ The Campaign Setting introduced Sivhana as a variant spelling of this goddess' name but also included Sivanah. Paizo has more recently been consistent in spelling the name Sivanah, and this wiki follows that lead.
- ↑ “Appendices” in Campaign Setting, 247. Paizo Inc., 2008 .
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 “Chapter 3: Religion” in Campaign Setting, 172. Paizo Inc., 2008 .
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 “Other Gods” in The Inner Sea World Guide, 230. Paizo Inc., 2011 .
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 “Gods of the Inner Sea” in Gods & Magic, 69. Paizo Inc., 2020 .
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 “Other Gods” in Divine Mysteries, 158. Paizo Inc., 2024 .
- ↑ In Pathfinder First Edition, Sivanah's fifth form was an aranea, a creature that Paizo used under the Open Gaming License. In the Second Edition book Gods & Magic, her fifth form is retroactively an anadi.
- ↑ “The Outer Sphere” in The Great Beyond, A Guide to the Multiverse, 45. Paizo Inc., 2009 .
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 “Razmiran Priest” in Divine Mysteries, 291. Paizo Inc., 2024 .
- ↑ “Sivanah” in Inner Sea Faiths, 87. Paizo Inc., 2016 .
- ↑ “Norgorber” in Divine Mysteries, 85. Paizo Inc., 2024 .
- ↑ “Nethys” in Divine Mysteries, 80. Paizo Inc., 2024 .
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 “Faith: Religions of Katapesh” in Legacy of Fire Player's Guide, 25. Paizo Inc., 2009 .
- ↑ “Mirrors and Imposters” in Dark Archive, 118. Paizo Inc., 2022 .
- ↑ “Other Gods” in Gods and Magic, 47. Paizo Inc., 2008 .
- ↑ “Sivanah” in Inner Sea Faiths, 85–86. Paizo Inc., 2016 This source cites 7 Neth, while The Inner Sea World Guide and Campaign Setting cite 23 Neth. .
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 “Holidays and Festivals” in The Inner Sea World Guide, 248. Paizo Inc., 2011 .
- ↑ Seven Veils Celebration. Paizo blog, 2011 .
- ↑ “Sivanah” in Inner Sea Faiths, 85–86. Paizo Inc., 2016 This source cites 7 Neth, while The Inner Sea World Guide and Campaign Setting cite 23 Neth. .
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