Iddona

Titles: The First Mother, Lady of the Warm Earth, Keeper of the Cradle, The Ever-Kindled Flame

Symbol: A rounded earthen bowl cradling a living flame

She is the soil and the shelter. She is the milk and the bread. She is the steady fire that warms in the cold of night. - Lady Umelian, 0078-2A

The Sacred Embers

All clergy are taught these principles. Mothers, midwives, and hearthkeepers often take personal vows to uphold at least two.

1. Guard the Seed

• All new life is worthy of protection
• Pregnancy and childbirth are holy events
• Harm to children is among the gravest sins

Temples of Iddona are sanctuaries for the vulnerable.

2. The Hearth is the Heart

• A home is sacred ground
• Shared meals strengthen spirit and body
• The fire must never be neglected

The hearth flame is a central symbol of continuity and safety.

3. Growth Requires Patience

• Crops, children, and communities take time
• Impatience with the young is a spiritual failing
• Guidance must be firm but gentle

Iddona teaches endurance in caregiving.

4. The Mother’s Strength

• Nurturing does not exclude ferocity
• Protection of family justifies righteous defense
• Compassion and resilience must coexist

Iddona’s followers are often underestimated until threatened.

Moral Tendencies

Most followers lean:

• Neutral Good among rural communities
• Lawful Good among established settlements
• Occasionally True Neutral in agrarian regions where survival shapes morality

Iddona’s faith rarely seeks conquest. It seeks stability.

Sacred Rituals

The Kindling

• A small flame taken from the temple hearth to light a newly married couple’s home
• Symbolizes continuity of protection

The Cradle Vigil

• Clergy remain awake during a difficult birth, praying softly until mother and child are safe

The First Harvest

• A portion of the season’s yield is offered before any is sold or consumed

Taboos

• Abandoning one’s children without dire cause
• Withholding food in times of abundance
• Profaning a home’s hearth
• Exploiting mothers or caregivers
• Destroying fertile land out of greed

The most unforgivable sin is deliberate harm to the defenseless.

Clergy Structure

• Emberchild
• Hearthkeeper
• Harvest Mother or Harvest Father
• Mother / Father of the Ever-Flame

Leadership is often communal rather than hierarchical.

Symbolism

Iddona’s imagery is earthy and life-affirming.

Common symbols include:

• A bowl of grain crowned with flame
• A mother encircling a child
• A sheaf of wheat bound with red thread
• A clay oven glowing with embers

Flame represents warmth and protection. Grain represents sustenance. Clay represents humble strength.

Her divine realm is imagined as endless rolling fields beneath a golden sky, where hearthfires glow warmly in every distant home.

Clerics / Paladins of Iddona as Adventurers

A follower of Iddona is steady and practical.

• They cook for others instinctively
• They check that companions have eaten
• They carry blankets and spare supplies
• They value stability over reckless adventure

In an adventuring party, a cleric or paladin of Iddona might:

• Insist on proper rest and nourishment
• Protect the weakest member first
• Seek to rebuild villages after destruction
• Show particular care toward children encountered in danger

“First Mother,

Keep the flame alive,

Let our fields be fruitful,

And our children strong.”