Lliira, the Joybringer

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Domains: Chaos, Charm, Family, Good, Joy, Liberation, Lust, Radiance, Revelry, Sloth, Travel

Favored Weapon: Starknife

Lliira is a beloved goddess, a deity of contentment, release, joy, happiness, dance, and freedom. As the patron of festivals, she is honored at any celebration, and dance is the primary way to worship her. The Mistress of Revels is said to abhor violence, and any fighting or drawing of weapons (except in ceremony) at a celebration will cause her to withhold her favor. Lliira attracts to her worship dancers of all sorts and fun-loving hedonists. She also receives offerings from lay worshippers and casual worshippers seeking her blessing for a particular party, revel, festival, or other gathering. Lliirans (priests and lay worshipers of Lliira) have a well-deserved reputation as festival animals, and more than one adventuring company has found an empty till when it left the Lliiran priest in charge.

Lliira’s followers aren’t frivolous, however. To them, divine joy is a very real gift to the world of mortals, and one much needed. To that end, they fight those who would bring misery to others. Their faithful participate in covert and open operations alike against tyrannical factions, and they are sworn enemies of slavers. They are fierce against their foes, and joyous revelers when their work is done.

Dogma: Exult in life, and find joy in all things. Out of grief and despair, wrest joy, and join in the dance. Celebrate and honor deaths and the dead — the best mourning is laughing remembrance. My true servants seek joy always through working to bestow it on others. Hide no true feelings, but dance them out if it is not prudent to speak them aloud. Gather into celebrations the lost, the lonely, the exiled and outlaw, the shunned, and even your foes; festivals are for all. Let folk follow their own desires, and respect their choices. Where they are not free to revel in joy, free them. Learn what lightens people’s hearts, and in this doing come to know yourself and how best to serve Lliira and all intelligent beings.

For Deific Obedience

Obedience: Dance, sing or otherwise revel in the presence of others, that you may bring a smile to their faces, because second to freedom, joy is the greatest gift you can offer someone. If you are imprisoned, you can instead sing any song of hope or resistance in unison with one or more fellow prisoners. You gain a +2 sacred bonus on all saving throws against charm and compulsion effects, and a +2 sacred bonus on all rolls made to dispel or remove such effects from others.

Boons
1: Voice of the Liberator (Sp) liberating command 3/day, blessing of liberty 2/day, or aura of the unremarkable 1/day
2: Touch of Freedom (Su) As a standard action, you can touch an ally to grant it the benefits of the freedom of movement spell until the beginning of your next turn. While under this effect, the target gains a +10-foot enhancement bonus to her base speed when taking the withdraw action and can, as an immediate action when she fails a saving throw against a charm or compulsion effect, reroll that saving throw. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom bonus (if any).
3: Compelling Dance (Sp) You can cast irresistible dance once per day. If you cast this spell-like ability on a willing creature, the target is affected normally by the spell but also gains a +4 sacred bonus on Dexterity checks, Dexterity-based skill checks, and Reflex saves for 24 hours after the effect’s initial duration ends.

For Followers of Lliira

Archetypes: Hidden Priest (Cleric), Holy Liberator (Paladin), Urban Ranger (Ranger)

Specialty Priest: Joydancer (Bard/Cleric)

Divine Fighting Technique: Lliira’s Shooting Star

Feats: Guided Star Combat

Magic Items

Wondrous Items: Pendant of Joy

Weapons: Shooting Starknife

Prestige Classes: Divine Champion, Divine Disciple, Divine Seeker, Rose Warden

Unique Spell Rules

Cleric/Warpriest
Blessing of Liberty can be prepared as a 2nd-level spell
Freedom can be prepared as a 9th-level spell
Good Hope can be prepared as a 3rd-level spell

Inquisitor/Holy Liberator
Blessing of Liberty can be prepared as a 2nd-level spell
Good Hope can be prepared as a 3rd-level spell

Ranger
Freedom of Movement can be prepared as a 3rd-level spell
Good Hope can be prepared as a 3rd-level spell
Remove Fear can be prepared as a 1st-level spell

Clergy and Temples

Both specialty priests and clerics of Llira were called Joybringers until 1365 DR, when the members of the clergy themselves began to be confused by this practice. Now specialty priests of Lliira are known as Joydancers to distinguish their functions from the other clergy of the church, and all members of the clergy may be addressed as joybringers. Joybringers tend to be folk of whimsy, light spirits, and constant joking. They imitate and lampoon others all the time, try to make folk around them laugh, and spend money like water to bring happiness to others by bestowing gifts and throwing feasts. A typical Lliiran act is to offer a tavernkeeper an exorbitant sum of coin in return for throwing open the tavern for an evening to allow free food and drink for all. Escorts are then hired by the joybringers to act as peacekeepers (“friendly bouncers”).

Joybringers have no organized hierarchy or chain of command and no set holidays or festivals short of seeing any occasion as the cause for a festival. Any widely held festival day is a cause for a celebration. The visit of an adventuring priest to an established temple is cause for celebration. A sunny day is also cause for celebration, as is a cloudy one, or a cloudy one with a nice sunset, etc. The accepted guidance and leadership of the Grand Rapturemother over the entire church is a matter of obeying generalized policy decrees and accepting temple funds from her seemingly limitless coffers.

Joybringers use few titles, addressing each other as “Brother” and “Sister,” and referring to themselves as “the True,” novices and laity as “the Tested,” and nonbelievers as “the Unseeing.” Temples are led by a Master of the Revels (even if female), and she or he is assisted by a High Prior, a Lorespeaker, a Seneschal, and a Quartermaster. The goddess herself is the only Mistress of the Revels, and by her decree such formerly popular titles as Revelmistress have been outlawed.

Temples of Lliira can be of any style, but are usually built around a huge meeting facility/party room/ball room, from which open out smaller conference rooms, bars, chat rooms, and nap rooms (for those who have overindulged in drink). Upper floors usually house the clergy members, who live in comfortable apartments. Lliiran temples are opulent, by any standard, featuring crystal chandeliers, parquet or mosaic stone floors, velvet draperies, artful gilt mirrors, and well-stocked, solid oak bars.