Yarma

Quasi-deity, Psychopomp and patron of Guards and Soldiers (LN) (M)

Yarma has the power to grant spells to his followers, although (technically, according to the Pathfinder rules) he is a Mythic Character, rather than a true deity. He is a patron of remembrance, guards and warriors, and his priests teach that that combats should be honourable and remembered. Most importantly, remember those who have fallen in the conflict and the effect it has on their families and communities. Fight when you have to, defend your people and property, but don't take pleasure from killing or maiming your opponents, nor desecrating the bodies of your enemies. Take surrender, when it is offered honestly. His priests are, generally, drawn from those followers who multi-class a few divine levels with their previous class.

However, make sure that you read the Powers section at the bottom of the page, if you ever consider Yarma as a deity for a Priestly Character.

Yarma is born into one of the tribes living among the lakes and their Islands. He was an inquisitive boy, apprentice to the tribe's hunters, and soon grew powerful within their number. One day as he was traveling the lakes, he found a small island that he had not explored before and decided to explore it. To his surprise he found a beautiful rock, with deep red and blue veins, at the centre of the island, and he determined to sit on it while he contemplated the serenity of the day and the abundance of wildlife. While he didn’t know it at the time, the rock was an old Spirit Rock, immensely powerful but diminished by time and a lack of worshippers.

From that day Yarma changed - he travelled, but always came back to his island and eventually made it his home. He grew powerful and gradually bought all the peoples of the lakes under his dominion. A great tower arose on his island, the spirit rock became his throne and, as he became even more powerful, and his eyes turned towards the neighbouring nations. Eventually, the tribes and races banded together to repel Yarma with his armies and new-found powers. The Tribes sent their spearmen, the Dwarves sent axe-men, while the Elves sent archers, even the Gnomes came - with their contraptions and cross bows. But Yarma and the Spirit Stone were too powerful – and then the dragons came. Yarma had his spirit stone throne carried to the top of his highest tower, and seated on it called down a rain of fire and rocks from the skies. As the throne rose slowly into the sky, Yarma started the final incantation, and a great ball of flame appeared in the sky. Small at first, it grew larger, and the armies of both sides scattered. Yarma, possessed by the Rock Spirit, laughed manically.

At the last moment, as the power of the Rock Spirit was reduced by the calling, Yarma came to his senses - and fought against the Rock Spirit/ pitting his will against the rock's wantonness, Yarma finally prevailed and tried to stop the cataclysm - but it was too much for his human body to endure, and it cost him his mortal life.

However, that wasn’t the end of Yarma. With the power of the ancient immortal in his soul, Yarma couldn’t die but he could make recompense for the harm he had, unwittingly, done. First he collected the dead, and laid them to rest properly, a task that took years, even for a minor divinity. Now he is seen as a the local psychopomp caring for the souls of the dead and departed - although his military prowess is also recognised and he is seen as a patron of Guards and Soldiers, wherever they might be.

Arth and Yarma are often seen as related deities - and many people in Porters Bar will say a single prayer to both deities at the same time.

His symbol is a spearhead.

Yarma doesn't have much a formal church, as such. There is a temple in Porters Bar, that deals with funerals for the population, but just a few shrines outside that city. Most of his prayers to Yarma are made at shrines dedicated to The Cult of The Small Gods, that are scattered around the Hann Sea.

The vast majority of Priests are warriors, who have a single level of a divine class (often Adept) who are capable of leading a brief prayer just before conflict. However, there are higher level priests to serve his few shrines, while there are also a few adventuring priests, who dedicate their lives to protective duties. Yarma's Priests also have access to two new spells: Summon Psycopomp (L1) & Hero's Grave (L3) - both of which can be found here. These are not bonus, or domain spells, but must be learned in the same way as any other spell.

Shrines are rarely more than a monument, probably a statue of a man armed with shield and spear, dedicated to those who have died in battle.

Yarma is a quasi-deity a Pathfinder mythic character who can grant access to two domains, and can only grant spells up to Fifth Level, drawn from the Adept Spell list – any slots for higher level spells may be filled with lower level spells. Nor does Yarma allow adepts to take a Familiar at Level 2 - Instead, he grants them access to his domains.

You are a protector, who believes in the rule of law and the benefits of an ordered and safe society.

• Touch of Law (Sp): You can touch a willing creature as a standard action, infusing it with the power of divine order and allowing it to treat all attack rolls, skill checks, ability checks, and saving throws for 1 round as if the natural d20 roll resulted in an 11. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
• Staff of Order (Su): At 8th level, you can give a weapon touched the axiomatic special weapon quality for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your cleric level. You can use this ability once per day at 8th level, and an additional time per day for every four levels beyond 8th.
• Domain Spells: 1st—protection from chaos, 2nd—align weapon (law only), 3rd—magic circle against chaos, 4th—order’s wrath, 5th—dispel chaos.

You see death not as something to be feared, but as a final rest and reward for a life well spent. The taint of undeath is a mockery of what you hold dear.

• Gentle Rest (Sp): Your touch can fill a creature with lethargy, causing a living creature to become staggered for 1 round as a melee touch attack. If you touch a staggered living creature, that creature falls asleep for 1 round instead. Undead creatures touched are staggered for a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
• Speak With Dead (Su): At 8th level, as a standard action, you can ask one question of a dead creature as if using speak with dead. The dead creature you are questioning does not gain a Will saving throw if your alignments are different. You can use this ability for a number of times per day equal to your cleric level.
• Domain Spells: 1st—deathwatch, 2nd—gentle repose, 3rd—speak with dead, 4th—rest eternal, 5th—slay living, 6th—geas/quest, 7th—destruction, 8th—waves of exhaustion, 9th—wail of the banshee.

Priests of Yarma may choose their spells from the following list:

• 0th Level: create water, detect magic, ghost sound, guidance, light, mending, purify food and drink, read magic, stabilize, touch of fatigue, vigor.
• 1st Level: bless, burning hands, cause fear, command, comprehend languages, cure light wounds, detect chaos, detect evil, detect good, detect law, endure elements, face of the devourer, obscuring mist, preserve, protection from chaos, protection from evil, protection from good, protection from law, scarify, shield the banner, sleep, Summon Psychopomp.
• 2nd Level: aid, animal trance, bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, cat’s grace, cure moderate wounds, darkness, delay poison, enemy’s heart, inner focus, invisibility, mirror image, resist energy, rumbling fury, scorching ray, see invisibility, tremor blast, web.
• 3rd Level: animate dead, bestow curse, blood rage, contagion, continual flame, cure serious wounds, daylight, deeper darkness, Heroes Grave, lightning bolt, neutralize poison, remove curse, remove disease, tongues.
• 4th Level: cure critical wounds, minor creation, polymorph, restoration, stoneskin, wall of fire.
• 5th Level: baleful polymorph, break enchantment, commune, heal, major creation, raise dead, true seeing, wall of stone.