Wee Jas

Intermediate God (Lawful Neutral)
(The Witch Goddess, The Ruby Sorceress, The Ruby Lady, The Stern Lady, Death's Guardian)

With major temples in Rel Astra, Greyhawk, Dyvers, and Monmurg (Sea Princes), and chapels in many other major cities, there are surprisingly few clerics of Wee Jas. Shrines and temples are generally not tolerated in smaller communities, though this is not true in Sesla Ludan. There, the clerics appear to aid the community and run the hospitals, and they are seen as Guardians of the Dead. Worshippers in Sesla Ludan lands are increasing quickly, and many hundreds of arcane casters have converted from worship of Boccob to the Ruby Lady.

Wee Jas always appears as a highly attractive human female; other than that, details of her appearance vary wildly. It has been suggested that she could appear as another humanoid race if she wanted to, and that her appearance varies by what her followers in the area would consider most attractive. Wee Jas normally wears her holy symbol as a piece of jewelry.

Wee Jas is a daughter of Lendor. She and her sibling Norebo have been romantically linked. She bears great enmity toward Phyton, for his dominion over beauty. She jealously dislikes Myhriss for her claim of dominion over love and beauty. Among the other Suel gods, she is closest to Phaulkon and Bralm. She is close to all lawful deities, for she favors Law above all things, and will work with deities such as Heironeous and Hextor as the need arises. Demons and other chaotic beings generally despise her for this reason, which makes her on-again, off-again romance with Norebo that much more unusual. She can summon lawful undead or dragons to do her will.

Wee Jas thinks of herself as a steward of the dead. Though she is a relatively benign death goddess, she has no problem with undead being created – as long as they are not reanimated against their will, and their remains are procured in a lawful manner. Wee Jas is unconcerned with questions of morality; if it can be done within the confines of the law, she will allow it. Jasidan priests teach that magic is the key to all things. Jasidan are expected to show respect towards their predecessors and the departed.

• The Abominable Devastation: This is a short text considered heretical by most of the Jasidin church. It suggests that Wee Jas deliberately removed the defenses of the Suel Imperium, leaving them vulnerable to the Rain of Colorless Fire in punishment for their sins against magic.
  
  
• The White book: This tome, over a hundred pages long, explains in a detailed manner the funerary customs of the Suel. Its rites and prayers, which differ according to a corpse’s former status in life, can be used to prevent a spirit from rising as one of the undead.
  
  

Portfolio:
Death, magic, vanity

Domains:
Death, Domination, Law, Magic, Mind, Pride

Cleric Training:
Wee Jas trains her clerics in academic fashion, offering classroom instruction punctuated by increasingly diffi cult examinations. Her academies are not unlike boarding schools, where small infractions of grooming and uniform regulations are punished with a system of demerits.

Priests of Wee Jas, known as Karuth, wear layered full-length hooded robes of alternating gray and black. Customarily, their hoods are left hanging in the back to reveal their jewelry-adorned heads. They wear jewelry with skull and gem motifs on their arms and necks as well, and carry staves. Their favored weapon is the dagger, but they will use many weapons of the sort favored by mages.

Quests:
The followers of Wee Jas are fascinated with magic, especially magic that breaks the boundary between death and life. Rebuilding a plundered tomb, resurrecting an ancient sage, and braving Limbo to ask questions of a long-dead wizard are the sorts of quests the Ruby Goddess sponsors.

Prayers:
More so than most deities, Wee Jas venerates a series of deceased “honored ancestors.” Worshipers rarely speak of the will of Wee Jas, instead attributing commandments to ancestors such as “Yag the Many-Eyed Traveler says.” or “Grant me the calm of Queen Ochtho XIV.”

Temples:
Temples of Wee Jas are built like wizards’ towers. They are decorated with beautiful art, and each contains an extensive library. Some have permanent magical fires on the tops. The insides of her temples are covered with funerary trappings, and many have shrines and catacombs where powerful spellcasters are buried—sometimes with a spellbook, staff, or magic regalia. The Wee Jas clergy casts spells on behalf of anyone not obviously opposed to Wee Jas’s alignment or agenda, but they often demand service or information in addition to a donation to their church.

Rites:
Funerals are obviously important rites to Wee Jas followers. In addition, many followers have monthly Rites of Accumulated Lore, where clergy or lay leaders read aloud from musty tomes about magic, ancient history, or other esoteric topics.

Services to Wee Jas include the reverent flattery of her icons, offering of finery and gems, and magically produced fires. Most temples have extensive magical and law libraries, and all endeavor to preserve what few fragments still remain of the ancient Suel laws. Urban Arcana indicates that sororities and fraternities dedicated to her include large marble altars, used for initiating pledges, known as suitors, and possibly for blood sacrifices of animals.

• Nights of a waxing moon: On those nights when Celene or Luna are waxing, Jasidin light magical bonfires, create illusions, and offer praise and sacrifice to their goddess.
  
  
• Goddess’ Blush: On the 4th of Darkday, Jasidin gather at a temple to burn a piece of jewelry as a sacrifice to the Taker.
  
  
• Ruby Convocation: A holiday mainly for clergy and laity of high status, the Ruby Convocation is held every ten years. On this festival, modeled after an extravagant ball, contacts are made and reinforced, stories are told, and knowledge is exchanged. At the end, the guests drink wine out of a goblet with a ruby sitting in it; this is known as the Ruby Toast, and is given in thanks to the Ruby Sorceress. After the drink, the ruby is cast into a fire.
  
  

Herald and Allies:
An 18th-level Githzerai Sorcerer is a common herald for Wee Jas. Allies are Formian Taskmasters, Formian Myrmarchs, and Horned Devils.

Relics:
Ruby Blade, Scrolls of Uncertain Provenance

Favored Weapon:
Dagger