Oriana

Oriana, Grand Archivist and Goddess of Knowledge, is one of the major deities in the world of Sprin'Torel. Her teachings state that the highest calling is the search for knowledge and meaning, and she commands her followers to strive to advance society through reason, education, and experimentation.

But knowledge is not confined to dusty shelves, and as such, Oriana is also considered a goddess of exploration and struggle. She acknowledges that while perfection may be unobtainable, improving your mind and advancing society means constantly striving to be better, to carefully consider your past mistakes and to put into practice what you have learned. She expects her followers to act independently, to hear all sides before using their own reason and judgement to come to a conclusion.

Worshipers
Sages, students, tacticians, teachers, scientists, inventors, journalists, investigators, and librarians revere her, as do all who live by knowledge and who seek truth. Those who have recently undergone traumatic experiences also sometimes pray to her, asking her guidance to work through the memories and move past their pain, so they can grow from the experience and face the world again.

With the nature of Oriana's church so focused on advancement, her congregation tends to worship through service. Her servants tend to the sacred libraries, read to others, teach, or otherwise use their expertise to exalt their goddess. As such, her temples tend to be libraries or universities or museums; even small bookstores or schools tend to have a small shrine set up for her, as well as a room put aside for quiet reading and contemplation.

Clerics
Oriana's clerics are often found with their head buried in a book or mumbling their way to the answer to some question that's on their mind. Regardless of their area of interest, or whether they're researchers, archivists, teachers, or explorers, the one thing that all of these clerics have in common is their willingness and desire to learn. Though many adventurers undervalue these clerics, they're often an invaluable source of knowledge and insight. Because of this, they tend to be a little cautious around those who come to them for help, never knowing if it's for one time aid or out of a genuine desire for friendship and information.

Orders

 * The Curators
 * The Curators are a strict order of archivists and librarians that compile rare books and artifacts from all corners of the world, working to maintain both their safety and accessibility. There are suborders to this collective: those who maintain the archives and those who go into the world and “rescue” the texts and artifacts. They are often criticized as taking advantage of colonialism and of taking cultural artifacts away from their homes, but the Curators maintain these items are safer within their archives, where all who wish to access them are able.


 * The Horizon Seekers
 * The Horizon Seekers are a loose collection of explorers and thrill-seekers who joined together by the search for new experiences, new knowledge, and detailing every part of the unknown cosmos. These adventurers throw themselves into danger with a reckless abandon, only ever growing cautious when it comes to bringing that knowledge back to civilization to the point where many consider hiding that information away for the world's safety.


 * The Unbound
 * The Unbound believe that no knowledge should be forbidden, and even the most dangerous knowledge deserves to be brought to light. They tend towards an “ends justify the means” approach when trying out new ideas, which leads many to consider them power hungry and even villainous. At their core, the Unbound believe keeping knowledge from those who want it is even more dangerous than keeping it locked away in the shadows, and that leaving useful ideas untested can only do harm.

Rites
Oriana’s rites are many and varied, and there are countless books written on the best rituals to request Oriana’s aid in clearing one’s head, focusing the mind, or requesting a guiding hand towards the truth. Below is one such prayer.

"Goddess of Knowledge, you whose golden eyes see every truth, light my path. You are the wisdom of the ages. You take in the measure of all things, seeing things as they are, not as we would have them be. Nothing evades your sight. Guide me as I walk through this world, as I experience every facet, for good and for ill. Let me be not blind to the lessons life holds for me, nor too stubborn or afraid to learn from them. Banish prejudice and bias from my heart, tear the veil from my eyes. Let clear-eyed reason take root in me. Bright Oriana, hold the torch for me as I head into the dark."