Sharana
Sharana is the goddess of water, rain, river, streams, lakes, beauty, change, and artistry. She is known for being beautiful and a great artist, but also capricious and often ambivalent towards those who do not pay proper homage to her. She can also be moody at times. She made the nixes. She is revered by all races above ground. Her festival is the Rain Festival. The month Sharandith is named after her.
Her Temples
The temples of Sharana are known for medium and dark gray stone building materials. They are also known for their high-pitched roofs, and for having two spires or turrets flanking the entrance. They often feature intricate stone carvings on the outer and inner walls of the temples. Temple to Sharana are noteworthy for the fact that they do no feature an altar.
Temple of Sharana
Temple of Sharana
Temple of Sharana
Temple of Sharana
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Worship
Worship of Sharana is prevalent among nixes, cyclops/giants, merfolk, sirens, and farmers. Worship of her is prevalent in Goetrock, central/northern Croulia, Gattenwood, and island areas. Sharana's priest/priestess are known for wearing rainbow-colored robes, coats, shawls, or sashes as part of their ceremonial clothing.​
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Temples/Monasteries to Sharana typically feature some turrets or a room within the temple that does not have any glass in the windows, allowing them to be open to the elements. These rooms have geometric layouts where the priests/priestesses will stand or move around for their rain calling rituals. These are called prayer rooms with dance circles. They will also another larger dance circle in their main room where they perform larger ceremonies. These larger prayer rooms do not necessarily have to have open windows/walls.​
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​Temples/Monasteries to Sharana will also have a water wheel or, more commonly, a rock carving room to demonstrate the might and power of the goddess. They may also have other rooms dedicated to artistry. These rock carving and artistry rooms demonstrate the goddess's strength and creativity.
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At home, devotees will worship Sharana by saying prayers of thanks or putting out rainbow-colored clothes when it is raining. They will also do dances or stand in geometric designs to call upon rain. They will also ask for blessing before starting a big artistic endeavor or give thanks after finishing one.
Sacred
Sharana holds certain practices and attributes as sacred to her, and devotees of Sharana, therefore, hold these things sacred as well.
1. Beauty: Sharana values things of beauty and symmetry, such as flowers, landscapes, great architectural structures, art, craftsmanship, etc. Those that seek beauty, whether to preserve, improve, or create beauty receive her divine favor.
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2. Artistry: Sharana values those that are artists, who create beautiful art. She is not fond of ugly or untalented art, but provide special blessings to gifted individuals who produce what she considers to be beautiful art. As a result, certain gifted artists may find that they have good luck or divine protection against dangerous people.
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3. Respect for the Goddess: Respect for her impartiality and capriciousness in administering rain is important to the goddess. Those that grow angry or ungrateful at her administration or lack thereof, will receive more about what they complain about as an ironic punishment for their anger/lack of gratitude.
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4. Striving for Excellence: Sharana values striving for excellence and taking pride in one's work in whatever occupation or endeavor they strive in. Those who do not cut corners, or attempt to cover up a poor job, but instead perform do a complete and well-done job will be blessed in their work as Sharana helps them achieve the excellence for which they strive.​
Blasphemy
Sharana holds certain practices as blasphemous to her, and devotees of Sharana, therefore, hold these things as blasphemous as well.
1. Destroying Art: As Sharana is the goddess and patron of the arts, Sharana is protective of the physical creations that come from these works, especially those that cannot be reproduced. While she does care to much for works that are ugly, poorly produced, or purposefully offensive/perverse, those works that are beautiful or have particular emotional weight are priceless in her eyes. Those that destroy these kinds of works will have something of their destroyed of equal weight. This may happen in mortality or could also be a body part of theirs or memory of theirs when traveling to the land of the dead.
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2. Destroying the Environment: Sharana prizes the beauty found in nature, in addition to her appreciation of artistry. Particularly beautiful, awe-inspiring, and unique parts of nature are considered anathema to her to destroy. Those that destroy these beautiful and unique landmarks will suffer her wrath through having an important memory of theirs removed or destroyed at some point and will have their path flooded on their way to the land of the dead. She also in general does not like pointless destruction or vandalism of the land. While she understands harvesting and cultivating the land to live and prosper, destruction for destruction's or boredom's sake is blasphemous to her. Those who do so will have to wade through water on their way to the land of the dead, with the water depth depending on how egregious the destruction.
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3. Covering up Poor Work: The goddess prizes excellence in both work and art. When someone does a poor job at work and seeks to cover it up, for whatever reason, is committing blasphemy against the goddess. Those that do so will fall in a pit of mud on their way to the land of the dead. The more they do so, the more pits they will fall into.​
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4. Being Deceitful in Work Contracts: The goddess prizes excellence in both work and art. Those who write up service contracts with the intent to defraud through inferior materials or craftsmanship are committing blasphemy against the goddess. Such an act is even greater blasphemy that covering up poor work after the fact. Those that do so will be plagued with mirages of both sight and sound that will get them lost on their way to the land of the dead.
Rituals
Sharana has five major sacred rituals: The Sprinkles, the Riverwalk, Marriage, Rain Dance, and Rain Abatement Dance.
1. The Sprinkling: This ceremony is performed shortly after an infant is born. The parent(s)/guardian(s) holds the infant in his/her/their arms in the center of one of the rain dance circles. Between two to eight priests/priestesses/apprentices will dance around the symbols and geometric designs in a circle acting as a chorus. A priest or priestess will stand in the center with the couple holding a ceremonial basin and brush. The priest/priestess will dip the brush in the holy water and then spin the brush over the infant, to simulate rain. The priest/priestess will sing a song, blessing the child so rain will fall in abundance upon them, but not overabundance. The song will also thank the goddess for the gift of rain and water that sustains all life. The chorus will echo certain words of the priest/priestess as they dance.
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2. Riverwalk: This ceremony is performed when a child becomes an adult. This ceremony is also performed when someone goes through major life changes and wants to symbolize that change through the ceremony. For example, in addition to a coming-of-age ceremony, some people also take part in the ceremony when they graduation school or finish an apprenticeship; when they get engaged/married; when they have a child; when they get divorced or cut someone important out of their life; when someone changes professions/retires; or other such major life changes. While it is only required for devotees for the coming-of-age for a child, devotees might also perform it at other points of their life to symbolize that change.
The Riverwalk Ceremony consists of the priest/priestess acting as a officiator walking at the head, leading the participant and two to four other priests/priestesses/apprentices, acting as a chorus. They will be followed by any friends or family invited. They group will walk from the temple/monastery to a river or stream. The officiator, participant, and chorus will walk into the water. The chorus will hold the participant as they float on top of the water. The participant will be oriented, so their head faces the downstream and feet face the upstream. The officiator will stand at feet of the participant, and reference the new phase in their life, asking the participant if they wish to move forward. The participant will answer in the affirmative. The chorus will then sing an echo of the new phase of life, followed by the participant's desire to move forward. The leading priest/priestess will then sing, asking the goddess on their behalf for their life to be able to flow forward just like the rivers and streams. The chorus will sing in affirmation, letting the participant go.
Once the participant is let go, the chorus will sing a song. If the stream/river is too slow, the priest/priestess will apply water magic to make it go faster. If the river/stream is too fast that it could be dangerous for the participant, the clergy will apply water magic to either slow down of redirect the flow. Once the song is finished, or the participant is no longer able to hear the song, the participant will swim to the shore. The witnesses will then meet them at the shore and give them towel(s)/clothes.
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3. Marriage: The couple will be ushered into a dance circle by a high attendant or apprentice. The couple will stand at the center, with priests/priestesses/apprentices on the outer runes or geometric designs to act as the dancers/chorus. A priest/priestess acting as an officiator will stand in front of the couple. Any family or friends will stand outside the dance circle. The chorus will start to dance as the officiator starts the ceremony. The officiator will welcome the couple and ask them to state their intention. The couple will tell the officiator that they would like to be married. The officiator will tell them that marriage is a serious commitment, which requires fidelity, willing to work to support the other and any children that the couple should/already have, and the abatement of anger to respond to the other with love and forgiveness. The officiator will then ask them again, that in light of this understanding, if they still wish to be married. The couple responds in the affirmative. The officiator then will lead the couple in a serious of movements, which the couple performs while repeating the officiators repetitious of the marital vows. When they finish repeating the vows, the officiator then pronounces them man and wife. The man then spins the woman, and dips her down in a kiss. The dancers spin around and bend their bodies back, holding the stance. The officiator then announces the couple to the family and friends.
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4. Rain Dance: The Rain Dance primary involves a priest/priestess singing a song, requesting for rain from the goddess, while a series other priests/priestesses/apprentices act as a chorus performing a dance around the priest/priestess or behind them if they are doing it for an audience. The circle can be of varying sizes, depending on how much rain the clergy would like to summon. For larger rain dancing ceremonies, or for times were there is excessive drought, the priests/priestesses/apprentices/high attendants may form a human tower for the officiating priest/priestess to sing from. In such events, the dancers will dance around the tower.
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5. Rain Abatement Dance: The Rain Abatement Dance is similar to the rain dance, with the song being about slowing or hindering the rain. The dance also involves the chorus slowly dancing closer and closer to the ground, until at the end, where they lie or prostrate themselves on the ground entirely. The Rain Abatement Dance is only used for seasons of excessive rain to the point that there is flooding or crops cannot grow entirely. It is not to be used when rain is brought at the wrong timing for crop planting/growing or to make a certain day or event not rainy. The Rain Abatement Dance is considered to be a plea for the goddess for mercy, and not as a way to control the weather per the clergy or local people's personal preferences.
Rain Festival
The Rain Festival is dedicated to the goddess Sharana. It starts Manday, the 9th of the month Sharandith, which occurs around our version of April 20 or 21. It lasts three days (like every festival). Traditionally, farmers will have finished planting their fields prior to the festival, though this is also dependent on the region.
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The Rain Festival is meant to call rain on the newly planted crops to help them grow and flourish. Every day of the festival, each third hour of the day from sunrise to sunset (6 am to 6 pm), the priests and priestesses will perform a ceremonial song-prayer-dance, ushering in more clouds using water magic. On the final day of the festival, for the sunset prayer (6 pm), the priests and priestesses will construct a human tower, and call for rain using prayer and water magic, while attendents dance around the tower. Following the prayer, a great rain will begin.
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During the festival, ordinary people will wear bright colors, and some will even paint their hands or faces. The colorful clothing is to symbolize the rainbows that appear after rain (priests and priestesses of Sharana typically wear multi-colored robes for similar reasons). Governments and nobility will typically hang rainbow-colored banners for these festivals.
Festivities involving making similar human towers are done by children or youth. Traditionally, once the rain of the festival starts, people will go home and say a household prayer to thank the goddess for the rain. If someone is in a house other than their home, traditionally they will take part in that household's prayer, and remain there until the rain subsides, even if it takes more than one day.
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Clergy
Because their ceremonies require a large number of clergy to perform, temples to Sharana are typically fairly large to contain sufficient clergy and the necessary supporting staff. They require a minimum of ten priests/priestesses but typically have between fifteen to twenty-five priests/priestesses. Sharana's temples/monasteries are therefore, only as frequent as the ability of the local populace to support such a large facility. Both men and woman can be priests/priestesses, but only women can become high/arch priestesses. Priests/priestesses may marry, but only to those who are temple/monastery clergy/staff.
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There are five levels of priests/priestesses: pledge, apprentice, priest/priestess, high priestess, and archpriestess. Each temple will have a high priest/priestess in charge of it. Temples with more than twenty priests/priestesses will have at least two, and an additional high priestess for thirty, four for forty, and so on. Temples with at least three high priestesses or have some sort of regional jurisdiction will have an archpriestess as well. Pledges are typically children between the ages of 8 to 17. Once they complete a minimum of five of years training, they are eligible to become apprentices, provided they are at least fourteen and meet the requirements. Apprentices must complete a five-year apprenticeship. In certain circumstances, an apprentice may forego a pledgehood, but such a circumstance must be approved by three arch-priestesses.​
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For grounds laborers and attendants, there are nine levels: hireling, sworn laborer, sacred laborer, apprentice attendant, attendant, high attendant, pages, guardians, and high guardians. Hirelings can only work the grounds outside of the temple, while sworn and sacred laborers can perform physical duties inside the temple, and act as artisans for stonework artisanry or other artisanry hosted by the temple. Others can use the artisanry rooms inside the temple, but only at the priest/priestesses/sacred laborer/high attendant/high guardian's discretion and must have a sworn/sacred laborer, attendant, or guardian supervising. Attendants work inside the temple performing duties like cleaning, laundry, carrying sacred vessels, etc. Attendants can also perform duties as dancers if they have passed the tests determining that they have the dances memorized. Pages become guardians after a seven-year apprenticeship.
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Pledges, sworn laborers, pages, and attendants receive a quarter portion of water nature magic (a full portion being the normal amount of magic a nix would have at full capacity). Apprentices, sworn laborers, high attendants, and guardians receive a half portion of magic. Priests/priestesses and high guardians receive a full portion of magic. High priestesses receive a double portion of magic, and archpriestesses receive a triple portion of magic. This is in addition to whatever amount of magic they would have otherwise. A priest or guardian may also train to be both a priest and guardian. In such cases, they would receive a one and a half portion for being both priest and guardian, or a double portion for being both priest and high guardian.
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In addition to the portion of magic, priests/priestesses, high priestesses, and archpriestesses gain the ability to with thirst or incontinence. Thirst causes the cursed to constantly feel thirsty and quickly pass any fluids they drink, typically through frequent urination. With the curse of incontinence, this is done not just through urination, but also through diarrhea and/or vomiting. This curse can last up to a week depending on the dictates of the curse. High priests/priestesses and archpriests/priestesses can also curse someone's "blood to boil." This does not actually cause someone's blood to physically boil per se, but it does heat a person's blood, causing fever, dizziness, possible vomiting, and/or other symptoms. This curse can last up to three days and will sometimes even kill the cursed. Priests/priestesses, high priests/priestesses, archpriests/priestesses, guardians, and high guardians also gain the ability to turn into water or partially liquify their body. This ability allows them to seep into places or dodge attacks, the same way a nix is able to. They also gain the ability to walk on water and swim at the speed of how fast they can run.
Stone Carving Room/Artisan Rooms
Inside temples/monasteries to Sharana, there are water wheels connected to stone carving rooms. Laborers and often community members will use these rooms and the water power supplied by the waterwheel to carve stone and etch intricate patterns and designs into the stone. The temple/monastery can charge non-clergy for use of the room at a reasonable rate to keep up facility costs. The fee cannot be more than the standard rate of leasing for a similar workshop in the area.​​
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Temples/monasteries will, in addition to the stone carving room, sometimes have rooms dedicated to other artisanry. This depends on what the local temple/monastery is able to support. These rooms are run in similar ways to the stone carving rooms.
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Clergy/laborers/attendants/guardians can also sell their own stone-carving or artisanry for a profit, as long as they also pay the temple/monastery the same fee along with a twenty-percentage of the profit donated to the temple. As a result, the clergy of Sharana can be individually wealthy. Because of this, the government will tax works of the Sharana clergy the same as they would tax other artisans and craftsman. If the clergy does not sell the work for personal profit but donates it either to the temple or to the poor as an act of charity, they do not have to pay the room usage fee, and the temple takes care of the taxes. If they are using the rooms for projects for their own use, they also do not have to pay the room usage fee or the tax.​