Qalaya
From Mizahar Lore
| "Through the gifts of Qalaya, we can step outside ourselves for a moment and see ourselves for what we really are." - Bethany Edgetower |
 Qalaya | |
| Race | Goddess |
|---|---|
| Title | The Inscriptrix |
| Domain | Memory, Writing |
| Divine rank | 3 |
Qalaya is the goddess of memory and writing. She is the patron of storytellers, historians, and others who seek to preserve the past. To follow Qalaya is to believe that the key to understanding the world in which one lives now, as well as the world that will unfold in the future, is knowing and embracing the past.
Contents |
Appearance
Qalaya generally appears as an attractive woman whose age is very difficult to determine. She is soft-spoken, and rarely smiles. Descriptions of her are often inconsistent and conflicting, perhaps because her appearance depends on the memories of each individual.
Personality
Qalaya truly believes that knowledge is power, and that the key to the present and the future is the past. It was she who first gave writing to Mizahar, believing that without it, people would be unable to truly learn and grow. The Valterrian was a blow that she took more personally than most deities, because it destroyed so many records and interrupted so many oral histories. Perhaps because of this, she has grown more hesitant to push her influence on mortals, to the point of being almost a recluse among the pantheon. She welcomes those who seek her, but she rarely appears to any who have not worshiped her for an extended period of time; additionally, it is difficult to ascertain how often this occurs, because those she marks are generally sworn to some level of secrecy about the matter.
Cults
Worship of Qalaya is not uncommon, particularly in portions of eastern Mizahar such as Zeltiva and Abura. However, due to the goddess's secretive nature, the degree to which any of her temples or groups of worshipers are actually in contact with the Qalaya is hard to determine.
Gnosis
Qalaya will give Gnosis marks to those who truly seek her. She is defensive of those she considers her "sincere" followers, and many of her gnosis marks offer some measure of personal protection; as she protects her followers, they in turn preserve the stories and memories of the past. Higher-level gnosis marks may be highly individual, drawn from a follower's own memories, or allowing a follower a certain level of power over memory or the past.