Bahahlmae

Bahahlmae


History:
Bahahlmae is a Born Goddess born of a union between Ephistian, the God of Knowledge, and Ihmoreia, the Goddess of Luck. Neither of her parents had a particular care for family or children. Ihmoreia is too fickle and free spirited to be constrained by any relationship or location for long and so quickly abandoned Ephistian and young Bahahlmae shortly after the Goddess was born, off to seek the next great thrill. This left Bahahlmae to be raised by a fairly unaffectionate and preoccupied father and his lovely courtesan, Tehmehri, Goddess of Beauty. Bahahlmae quickly found that she was not suited to a the graceful and refined life of a courtesan and abandoned Tehmehri and her half-siblings exercises in art to spend her time in her father’s study. She found that she was much more interested in her father’s pursuits, especially when it came to organization and creative problem solving. Much to the ire of her siblings, she was practically impossible to beat at any sort of game that required strategy, though luck hardly seemed to favor her at all. Ironically, though, she did have her step-mother to thank for one thing, she introduced Bahahlmae to her future husband, Tehmehri’s own brother, Ahlkin, God of War.

Relationships:
Bahahlmae has a very close relationship with her father, Ephistian (at least as close as any being can have.) Her relationship with her mother is however, complex and uneasy. Bahahlmae resents Ihmoreia for many reason starting with the fact that her mother was never there for her. Things only got worse when Bahahlmae fell in love with Ahlkin and married him. Ihmoreia decided to show up to the wedding and found her daughter’s new husband very attractive. The two had a short lived affair that produced a daughter, Niirae, the Goddess of Victory. As if this were not enough of an insult, Ihmoreia, in the same fashion as before, abandoned her daughter to be raised by its father, Ahlkin, which in turn meant Bahahlmae was forced to raise the child as well. At first, Bahahlmae wanted nothing to do with the child, but she came to love her as if she were her own. In turn, Niirae came to see Bahahlmae as her mother and Ihmoreia as more of a grandmother and it was only through Niirae’s influence that Bahahlmae and Ihmoreia came to even the slightest understanding.

Besides the one little incident, Bahahlmae gets along well with her husband. War is nothing but a game, and Bahahlmae knows how to play it and she wins Niirae’s laurels every time, at least every time Ihmoreia doesn’t get in her way. As far as other Gods and Goddesses are concerned, Bahahlmae takes her father’s approach and ignores them for the most part, unless they challenge her skills. She is more than willing to share her insight with anyone who is willing to listen and learn and seldom takes sides.

Appearance and Emissaries:
Bahahlmae is often depicted as an auburn haired Cohsahnahn Elf with wings that fade from gold at the shoulders to red at the tips. She is usually depicted wearing leather armor. Often images show her alongside her husband or stepdaughter on the battlefield, playing chess, or sitting with her father in his study.



Bahahlmae is associated with wolves because though these creatures are fierce, they rely more on strategy and cunning to bring down their prey than on sheer might.

The Church of Bahahlmae:
Many of the Temples to Bahahlmae serve as military academies where young soldiers are trained in the “art” of war (Bahahlmae takes great pleasure in calling what she does and art, just to annoy her stepmother and half-siblings, who would certainly consider anything as violent and undignified as war to be an art.) Students at Bahahlmae’s Temples tend to end up as commanders and generals, because there is no finer education in military strategy available. Grunt soldiers do not come to Bahahlmae’s sacred halls, and if they do they soon find themselves being shipped off to Ahlkin’s Temple as he is less picky about his fighters. Shrines to Bahahlmae can be found in barracks and war tents, but also in competitive gaming halls and tournament arenas.



Followers of Bahahlmae tend to be Fighters, Clerics, and Rangers

Religious Traits:




Defensive Strategist:
Your Goddess has taught you that the best strategy is to always be prepared for the unknown and to never be caught flat-footed.

Bonus: You are not flat-footed when you are an unaware combatant. This includes a surprise round that you don’t get to act in, and before you get to act at the start of a battle. For every 4 levels you remain devoted to Bahahlmae, you gain a +2 trait bonus to Initiative rolls.



Well Informed General:
You know that behind every well planned battle strategy is a mountain of books, maps, and statistics. Proper planning always begins with copious amounts of study.

Bonus: You gain a +1 bonus to Knowledge (History) and Knowledge (Geography) checks. For every 4 levels you remain devoted to Bahahlmae, you gain an additional a +1 bonus to Knowledge (History) and Knowledge (Geography) checks.