Eyritha is the daughter of Oria, and she bears the strength and fertility of all of the herds that the Pentans rely on for food, save horses. Her children each help guide and protect a specific kind of herd beast, but Eyritha leads them all. She shares mastery over some animals with others, but no herder or butcher would forget to offer up thanks to her for her aid in the calving, the milking and the herding. While she wandered south to follow her love, the South Rage Wind, she has not forgotten the First Herd.
Eyritha is an ancient goddess, and none can recall who her father was. Oria has blessed her as the bringer of Herd Life, the queen of all animals of the earth who provide food for people. She does not rule over horses, for horses were born of the sky, but all other herd beasts kept by the Pentans are in some way of the Earth.
When Yu-Kargzant lived, herding was barely necessary, for all food was so abundant that the animals could graze as they wished, and only needed to be protected from predators. Humans barely kept herds. However, that changed when Yu-Kargzant’s grief overtook him and he tore himself apart.
Eyritha went out to her children, the Herd Women, and asked them: the Sun is gone. What shall you eat? But each stood firm. None would give up the food for their children, that a sister might eat more. Eyritha frowned, and she went to her mother, Oria. She asked Oria whether the Earth could provide food for all of her children and grandchildren.
Oria shook her head sadly. “No,” she said. “Without the Sun, eventually you will starve unless you find help. Find someone who can provide for you.” Eyritha nodded, grimly accepting this knowledge. She gathered her leather cloak about herself and went to seek help.
First, she asked West King Wind: “Will you protect my daughters and feed them?”
West King Wind looked upon the Herd Women and he said: “I protect my family, and I fight for my tribe, but you are not my kin yet. What will you offer me, that I should protect your daughters as if you were?”
Eyritha offered him the gift of milk, but West King Wind did not understand it. He thought it was not enough. Eyritha gathered her daughters and traveled again, seeking Kargzant. The journey was terrible, and wolves dogged their path. When she found Kargzant, she asked him: “Will you protect my daughters and feed them?”
Kargzant looked upon the Herd Women. “I provide my light to grow their food still. It is not my father’s light, but I offer this. But I must protect all of the people. Why should your daughters get special treatment?”
Eyritha offered him the gift of milk and butter, but Kargzant shook his head. His mother had given him the milk of the horses, and he could not offer more to Eyritha than he had given Galana. Eyritha gathered her daughters and traveled again. The journey was terrible, and trolls stole their calves. This time she sought South Rage Wind, who had called to her in love.
Before she could speak, South Rage Wind lifted her up: “I will protect you if you will be my wife! But I must go and destroy a new enemy.”
She did not even get to make an offer. Eyritha kissed South Rage Wind and promised him her love, and nothing more, and he gave her his bulls to protect the Herd Women as they traveled. But this would not feed them. Eyritha and her daughters set out again, and the new enemy, Chaos, came to unmake them. South Rage Wind confronted it, defeating the monsters, but Eyritha and her daughters had to flee.
Thus they found Dostal. Dostal looked upon them and did not wait for Eyritha to make an offer. Instead he said: “I will convince the khan to protect your daughters. But I know what hunger is coming. I will need more than milk and butter to convince them. I must have your daughters’ skin and meat and wool.”
Eyritha frowned. “You ask much of us. You would kill us.”
Dostal nodded. “Death is how men must live now. But if you will name your daughters for me, and name the beasts which are not your daughters, I will convince the others to protect your daughters, to care for them. We will raise them and their daughters, feed them, protect them. And when the time comes, we will honor them as they become part of our flesh. I will make West King Wind name you as close as kin, and Kargzant offer you special protection - but in return, your meat will feed the tribe.”
Eyritha took this offer to her daughters. They were afraid, but Eyritha soothed them with her secret song. The wise among them agreed to the terms. And the names of their children are now known and beloved across all of Pent: Yak, Cattle, Sheep, Goat, Camel. Those of Eyritha’s children who felt too much fear fled south, to the land of Prax. They found a worse deal there, bound to unnatural and inhuman acts. Sometimes their kin are kept by the People, as a mercy, but they are too often made unclean by the riding of the evil Praxians and require special care as a result.
Eyritha traveled to Prax to watch over her wayward children, and to aid South Rage Wind, who fought Chaos there. When the time came, she went into the Earth, and there she gave of her own life, to give South Rage Wind the strength he needed to defeat the Devil. But even so, even with the honors heaped on her, the Praxians still do not understand the true nature of the herd.
The cult of Eyritha are closely tied to the cult of Oria, as the Earth Mother’s bounty is the source of food for the herds. Eyritha’s cult is usually slightly larger, but the two are generally seen as a single unit politically. The Herd Women of Eyritha oversee the care of the lesser herds of Pent - that is, any herd animal that is not a horse, and therefore requires greater care and guidance. They know the secrets of healing animals and birthing calves, as well as the secrets of milk, cheese and meat. While they are of lower status than the horse goddess Galana and often subordinate to Oria, the Eyritha cult is vital to the survival of the Pentan tribes, for they rule over the source of most food. They are, however, essentially nonexistent in the Pure Horse Tribes, who do not raise such animals.
Eyritha’s Rider Aspect is typically depicted as a dark-skinned woman wearing a leather cloak over a wool robe. She has the Beast rune on her forehead, and often is depicted wearing a headdress of horns, usually those of a cow. She is often accompanied by calves of the common herd animals of Pent. Her Mount Aspect is a mottled brown and white horse with a distinctly bovine head and horns, occasionally with a camel-like hump, and an udder.
Eyritha, as a daughter of Oria, inherits some of her power over the Earth, but her connection to its deep secrets is lesser. Her power over Life is nearly as strong, however, and she has a broader command of the Beast Rune than many gods, for she rules over all herd animals.
EARTH: Eyritha’s mastery of the Earth reflects its role as the birthing place of life and the source of life’s power. Her initiates have been known to use the Earth Rune, among other things, to preserve things in the earth, bless herd animals, pull things to the ground, shield against physical or magical attacks, draw strength from the earth, hide within the earth, give their strength to others, or bless or curse grazing grounds. Those strong in the Earth Rune tend to be determined, patient, and manipulative.
LIFE: Eyritha has deep ties to motherhood, food and life through her rule over herd beasts. Initiates have been known to use the Life Rune to, among other things, ease childbirth, bless calves, grant fertility to livestock, heal the wounds of livestock, accelerate the growth of animals, bless milk production, ride horses, make cheese, induce lust, or strengthen those who protect children and mothers. Those strong in the Life Rune tend to be generous, hearty, and gregarious.
BEAST: Eyritha’s use of the Beast Rune covers herd animals, and most of her daughters have subcults that allow an initiate to further specialize their power. They never have power over horses through the Beast Rune. Initiates have been known to use the Beast Rune to, among other things, rear and train livestock, heal livestock wounds or disease, bless milk or meat production, breed strong livestock, command livestock, produce wool or leather, cook meat, make cheese or other dairy products, bless or curse livestock, or get livestock to survive on less food. Those strong in the Beast Rune tend to be protective, insular, and thoughtful.
Eyritha is opposed to the Runes of Death and Chaos.
Eyritha is closely allied to her mother, Oria, and is married to South Rage Wind. These are her closest friends in all things. Eyritha will never break with her mother, and South Rage Wind will do nothing to make Eyritha unhappy. She maintains a distance from others, for as the mistress of lesser herd beasts in Pent, she is always at some remove from power. She is close friends with Dostal, however, for he negotiated the deal that protects her children.
One of the reasons Pentans sometimes distrust Eyritha is that she is the mother of Waha, the God of Praxians and the False Rider. Waha is an enemy god of Pent, not of Chaos or Darkness but cursed for his willingness to ride animals that are not horses. He was jealous of the Pentans and sought to mimic them, but rode his sisters’ children and so cursed his followers with broken souls, perverted and evil riding of beasts that should not be ridden.
Despite this, Eyritha is honored as one of the great enemies of Chaos, who gave her own life essence to South Rage Wind to fight the Devil. She is an avowed enemy of the Chaos Gods, who hate her as the protector of life and food during the Darkness.
Each tribe maintains its own independent cult of Eyritha, save for the Pure Horse Tribes, who rarely have any followers of the goddess at all. While members of the cult are typically women, nothing actually forbids men from joining, although it is often more difficult for them to earn rank or respect within the cult. Worshippers from different tribes may easily worship at each others’ camps, barring any political disputes, and tribes often fight over control of holy sites to Eyritha.
Priests of Eyritha are known as the Herd Women. (It is not impossible for men to become priests, but they must put up with being referred to this way if they do.) Rank generally correlates with age and parenthood, for as a goddess of fertile beasts, having children, whether adopted or otherwise, is seen as a sign of the goddess’ favor. Indeed, while each tribe maintains its own restrictions and requirements to earn rank within the cult, it is universally impossible for someone who is not a parent to rise beyond the lowest rank of priesthood. The high priestess of Eyritha within a tribe is often referred to as the Herd Mother. Most Herd Mothers, at some point in their lives, will make a pilgrimage to the Paps in Prax, to seek the secret teachings of their goddess.
The most holy place to Eyritha is the Paps, a range of hills in Prax where the goddess went into the earth during the Darkness. There, she sent forth her life to strengthen her husband as he fought the Devil. While this place is far south of Pent, it is still seen as the holiest of lands for Eyritha.
Beyond this, the holy places of Eyritha in Pent are those where she protected her daughters and sought shelter. Most of these are fertile grasslands with excellent grazing. The holiest of them, if anyone could identify it accurately, would be the site of Dostal’s bargain with Eyritha. There are several places in Pent that are claimed to be this location, all of them fertile and valuable land, but no one has ever been able to determine which one is the true site.
Initiates of Eyritha must possess one of the Earth, Life or Beast Runes at 1W or higher. Most initiates are women, but men are not forbidden from the cult in Pent. All initiates must swear to protect the herds and increase their number, and to honor all herd beasts killed for the sake of the tribe. Failing to honor a slaughtered beast can lead to curses being laid on the community, as the beast’s spirit reports to Eyritha what happened. Initiates spend much of their time caring for animals, overseeing animal births, milking animals and preparing food.
The most holy day for Eyritha is the Clayday of the Fertility Week of Earth Season, which marks the rebirth of Eyritha from the Paps after the defeat of the Devil. Great celebrations are held on this day, and it is forbidden to slaughter any herd beasts until the following sunrise. These festivals often involve cheese-making competitions as well as many important rituals.
Every Clayday is considered holy to Eyritha, with time set aside for rituals to honor the herd, and the Clayday of every Fertility Week in seasons other than Earth Season are especially holy, with major sacrifices to Eyritha to thank her for the bounty of the herd.
Eyritha is honored with clarified butter, loving it even more than other gods, and with sacrifices of cheese, wool and leather. A portion of every non-horse slaughtered for meat is also set aside for sacrifice to Eyritha, to honor the beast. Eyritha is sometimes honored also by the sacrifice of effigies of livestock, typically made from bone or copper.
Many of the subcults of Eyritha are highly localized, honoring heroic figures of a tribe’s past who served the goddess. Most of these will be found only within a small number of or even a single tribe. Others, however, are more widespread.
The Herd Mothers (BEAST): The most commonly found subcults of Eyritha honor her daughters, who are each patron to a specific kind of herd beast. Pent traditionally recognizes five: Lo-Fa the Yak Mother, Uralda the Cow Mother, Nevala the Sheep Mother, Myafora the Goat Mother, and Tulu the Camel Mother. Other Herd Mothers are known to exist, but fled to Prax rather than accept Dostal’s bargain, though some believe that it would be possible to discover secrets that reveal otherwise and would let them be worshipped in Pent. Each Herd Mother is worshipped as a separate subcult, but each grants power over the animal they are mother of. Initiates may use their Beast Rune to speak to that animal, grant their horse traits of that animal, call on the strengths of that animal in themselves (but not transform into it), or resurrect that animal if killed by a means other than slaughtering for food.
Devotees must have 11W in one of the Earth, Life or Beast Runes, and as normal, must completely give up all powers not derived from Eyritha, with all normal restrictions.
Eyritha Leads Her Daughters (LIFE): Eyritha’s journeys to protect her daughters are legendary. When Eyritha sets out in a time of danger, she may lead the herds with her. Dangers may assail them, but so long as Eyritha is in a state of purity, the herds will not be lessened. She herself may be injured, as may other guards, and she must work to protect the herd from challenges, but if she remains pure, none of the herd will be slain. If Eyritha faces a danger beyond her means, she may end her state of purity and place herself between it and the herd. If she does, she will always survive, will always drive off the danger, and the danger will not take her children, but she will be left greatly wounded in the defense.
Herd Mother (BEAST): Eyritha is an endless font of new life. When the people cald out for milk, when her daughters are nowhere to be seen, Eyritha provides. Eyritha paints herself in the colors of the new mother and ritually enters a state of purity. She gathers stones and enters a cave. Within the cave, Eyritha warms the stones, reshaping them with her touch. Each becomes a calf, as she transfers her life into the stones. After a full week, in which the cave must be protected and guarded, Eyritha emerges from the Dark Place with a herd of calves, of whatever sort of livestock she chooses. Her purity is ended, and she is exhausted and wounded, but the herd is healthy and fertile and will provide excellent milk, meat and anything else.
Womb of the Earth (EARTH): When things were at their worst and South Rage Wind was facing the Devil, he did not have the strength he needed. Eyritha cleansed herself and entered a state of purity, then buried herself in the earth, entering her mother’s dark place. When Eyritha enters the Dark Place while in a state of purity, she may call on the land to transfer her power to another, as she did with her husband. Against Chaos, the person she empowers this way cannot be defeated and will always triumph. Against other foes, she restores the strength to fight and may transfer any wounds to herself or to the land around her, either becoming hurt or making the land barren and dead for a time. When the battle is over, she emerges, reborn, her state of purity ended in the miracle of life.
Eyritha is a merciful goddess, who does not curse those who break their oaths to her…much. Eyritha’s spiritual children leave an invisible hoofprint on the forehead of oathbreakers and apostates. Any follower of Eyritha or South Rage Wind can sensse the presence of this mark, and they always know that the victim is forbidden from receiving aid or help from them in any way. Further, no livestock will ever be friendly towards such a person. The mark can only be removed by atoning with a quest assigned by a Herd Mother.