patrons and shrines
Patrons and Shrines
Though Ivras is not dominated by any one faith or theology, lore surrounding magic is mostly consistent across the continent. Magic is thought to be the manifestation of three unseen and powerful forces that shape the world. Destiny, Fortune, and Grace are the Patrons, entities responsible for the mysteries of the world such as magic, chance, corruption, salvation and disaster.
The patrons are figures of folklore; though they are not at the center of an organized religion, the superstitious sometimes make offerings to them at Shrines, hoping to gain their favor.
The Three Patrons
Destiny
Destiny controls glory, doom, and fate. Destiny's power is invoked by those who wish to change their story, leave their mark on history, or avoid a terrible end. In stories, Destiny is often petty and capricious, known for playing favorites and acting on whims.
Click here to visit Destiny's shrine
Grace
Grace rewards sacrifice, offering blessings, benefits and boons. Grace is thought to appear in times of mercy, second chances, and unlikely gifts. Grace is characterized as a wise and benevolent figure who brings gifts to the selfless and the suffering.
Click here to visit Grace's shrine
Fortune
Fortune offers power, wealth, and prosperity, at a terrible cost. Fortune is thought to be the source of the corruption that always finds those seeking immediate rewards. They are characterized as a jolly trickster whose gifts come with a bloody price.
Click here to visit Fortune's shrine
Using a Shrine
Shrines offer in-game rewards to characters who visit them and complete shrine quests. Shrine quests are art/writing prompts that are randomly generated when a character visits a shrine; when the prompt is completed, you get fabulous rewards!! See the 'Rewards' tab on this page for available prizes.
shrine quest instructions
- Read the shrine bulletin for the patron you'd like your character to visit, and select your desired reward. Shrine links are available above, on the Anathema homepage, and in the Page Index.
- Once you're ready for a quest, head to Anathema's discord server and go to the #rolling channel. In the pinned messages there, you will find a form! Fill it out and drop it in the channel to roll your dice and get assigned a randomly generated quest prompt.
- Using the numbers the bot rolls, staff will reply to you with your specific quest prompt. At this point, you can choose to accept or reject the prompt. You can roll once per character every seven days; rejecting a prompt will still use your weekly roll for that character.
- Complete your quest by creating a work of art, literature (or a mix thereof) worth at least 5 Gold.
- Upload the art or literature submission to your character's Anathema gallery, and put your quest prompt and shrine reward in the caption in place of your gold count. Quest prompts do not earn gold on top of quest rewards.
- Post a link to the quest on the respective patron's shrine bulletin. Staff will review it and give you your rewards, which you can then add to your character's Log!
Shrines are also used to activate special offering items from the shop: Pact of Fortune, Rite of Grace, and Hymn of Destiny.
The Patrons in Ivratian Culture
The Patrons have their roots in the earliest days of Ivras's earliest encounters with magic. As Order scholars struggled to study the mysterious force (and in turn report their findings to laymen) the gaps in their understanding were filled by the public imagination. Research could not explain where magic came from or why it chose some but not others; the "choices" magic made were attributed to luck, fate, or karma. Over time those forces solidified into the folkloric characters of Fortune, Destiny, and Grace.
While the Patrons are not the "gods" of any religion, some believe them to be more than just stories; in certain corners of Ivras they are considered the true source of magic. Many Ivratian traditions and holidays have become entangled with the figures of the Patrons; it is common practice to leave the Patrons offerings or attribute unusual events to them. Notably, the annual spring Feast of Flowering is a time where the winter's final food stores and other valuables are burned in sacrifice to the Patrons, so that they may bless Ivras with a prosperous new year.