Teala, The Inspirer, Speaker of Prophesies is the goddess of oracles, the arts, and the patron goddess of the home. She is the inspiration for all those who create works of art, be they literary, visual, or performing arts. She is also the protector of homes the source of good fortune in home life. Certain of her priestesses are also known for their prophetic powers and several great oracles are operated by her priests. Teala is particularly revered by humans, but also by dwarves and elves.
Teala is closely associated with two other deities who are sometimes referred to as her daughters. They are the goddesses Paeim, and Werron. Paeim is a patron goddess of artists, and is sometimes portrayed as bringing both inspiration and madness. Werron is the patron goddess of prophets. These two deities are rarely worshipped in isolation from Teala and they do not have separate priesthoods. Instead the priesthood of Teala is divided into three separate orders, one group known as the Teala Eth are concerned with the home aspect, the others are the Teala Paeim and the Teala Werron, who involve themselves in their respective spheres. Paeim is particularly revered by both elves and eldarin.
The Teala Eth is a very widespread order throughout Erithnoi. They rival the priests of Klay in popularity. Teala is revered in most homes and each has a small shrine or niche where figures of the goddess are kept and offerings of food are made to her each day. Most towns and cities have temples or larger shrines to Teala, often in combination with Klay, Lir, and Atur.
Much like the priests of Klay, the priests of Teala also maintain a number of retreats, known as sanctuaries, to which persons may retire who do not desire to live in the outside world. Here they may work, study, and worship the goddess in a quiet secluded atmosphere.
The priests of the order of Paeim are known for their patronage of the arts. They build theaters, in which plays of a religious nature are performed, patronize famous artists, commission sculptures and paintings, and generally encourage all the arts. Many rich and powerful persons give the priesthood donations with which to carry on this work. Their temples are known for the beautiful sculptures, frescoes, and decorative carvings which adorn them.
These priests are still considered members of the priesthood of Teala and may perform all the rituals of worship, however they do wear a distinctive garb and are less common than the Teala Eth. Many of them are themselves talented artists.
The priests of the order of Werron are usually to be found at a few sites where the goddess' oracles are located. These locations are temples or temple complexes to which believers make pilgrimages in order to hear the words of the goddess. The priests perform rituals involving rhythmic chanting, drums, and wild dancing. They enter into an ecstatic trance state during which the goddess sends visions and may even speak through the mouth of the priest.
Priests of Teala are often lawful good, but may be of any good alignment. Copyright © 2022 Tod G. Harter. All rights reserved. No unauthorized distribution without the express written permission of the copyright holder. This document was prepared using Hairball version 0.5.1 on 2022-02-26 License