Shahmihnae

Shahmihnae


History:
Shahmihnae is one of the Born Gods, born from the union of Laessah, the Goddess of Nature, and Suhrn , the God of Mischief. She possesses a love for music and dancing from her father, but she also possesses a terrible temper from her mother. As with all Born Gods, she embodies a more specific aspect of her parents, mainly element fire from her mother. Agile, graceful, and beautiful, she is also a fierce warrior. She is oft called The Dancing Blade after her terrible and mesmerizing skill with her twin scimitars. When on the battlefield, she appears to be engaged in a complex, graceful, and dreadful dance rather than in a battle. She dazzles and distracts with her beauty while dismembering with her swords. Shahmihnae is a rash, impulsive, and wild goddess and cares little for the affairs of mortals except for when such affairs lead to her entertainment: in the dance hall, in battle, or in the bedroom.

Relationships:
Shahmihnae is the daughter of Laessah and Suhrn. Due to her fiery and wild demeanor she often disagrees with her parents and her temper is sometimes furious. When forest fires rage across the country side, it is said that Laessah and Shahmihnae are involved in a bitter disagreement. Despite their violent fights and Shahmihnae's general disinterest in mortal affairs, Shahmihnae did decide to side with her mother against Ahmorae, Goddess of Darkness, and Phaelep, God of Ambition and Desire, at least enough to provide the Red Crystal, for as the Goddess of Fire, and a bringer of light, she despises darkness. She often fought in battle, but it is said she did not care much who she was fighting. She is great friends with Bahahlmae, Goddess of Strategy, and has had frequent affairs with both Ahlkin, the God of War, and Gahladihn, God of Music, and has even been to Phaelep's bed. She is the mother to Liersona, The Goddess of Languages, and to several Lesser Deities like the Goddess of Dancing, the Goddess of the Hearth, the Goddess of Lust, the God of Passion, and the God of Anger. Her one-night-stands in the mortal realm have resulted in many great heroes, of many races, throughout the ages.

Appearance:
Shahmihnae appears as a bronze skinned, dark haired, beauty of whatever race it pleases her to appear as, although she often appears as a human. She is young, attractive, exotic, and irresistible. She is almost always depicted wearing a flame-colored belly dancing bedlah. Her hair is usually down and loose and she is almost always depicted in motion.

Emissaries:
Shahmihnae is associated with all fire related creatures, but especially with Dragons and dragon-blooded creatures. It is said that she asked her mother for a creature of her own to keep her company where most creatures could not go. Laessah created the Dragons for her wild daughter. Shahmihnae is often accompanied by Mehrohg, her great red Dragon. Mehrohg is Shahmihnae's truest friend, companion, and lover. It is said that Mehrohg is the only true Dragon and that all other Dragons are the descendants of Mehrohg and Shahmihnae. It is because of this that all Dragons can shape-shift between human and Dragon form.

Shahmihnae so dearly loves Mehrohg that she bequeathed to him much of her own magical gift, so that he became something of a Lesser God himself. From her, Mehrohg and all of the Dragons gained the ability to speak all languages. Mehrohg appears as a giant red Dragon or as a handsome young desert dwelling human. He has also spawned many of his own offspring on mortal women and these were the first of the race known as the Dracohnihds.

The Church of Shahmihnae:
Shrines to Shahmihnae can be found wherever dancing is preformed, such as in city squares, dancehalls, and banquet halls. Her images are inscribed on fireplaces, candlesticks, and stoves, as any place containing fire is considered a shrine to Shahmihnae. Her shrines are also found at the bases of volcanoes and caves where lava is visible. All of her temples are windowless buildings lit by torches and a large fire pit in which the fire is never allowed to die.

While Sehrihnehmii, The Goddess of Peace and Love, is associated with romantic love, Shahmihnae is a goddess of lustful passions and one night stands. Her image is a popular motif amongst brothels. Her temples and shrines often harbor sacred prostitutes. These priestesses sacrifice their own bodies for the goddess, allowing her to enter into them and enjoy the pleasures of the mortal realm.

Shahmihnae is also something of a fertility goddess because her one night stands often end in children. There are often many children present in temples to Shahmihnae. They serve as the tenders of Shahmihnae's sacred fire. It is said that the Eternal Flames of all the fire pits in all of Shahmihnae's temples and shrines descend from the first spit of fire that Shahmihnae ever created. No one knows for certain where Shahmihnae's original temple stands, save that it is on Atir and most likely destroyed, but all of the flames from all of the her temples are said to have come from that first source, carried by loyal priestesses crossing from Atir onto Ontearis. Whenever a new temple of Shahmihnae is formed, the priestesses of that temple must receive fire from another of Shahmihnae's temples and carefully transport it to their new location. If they fail and let the fire go out in route, they must destroy the temple and begin again.

Shahmihnae's followers often burn brightly, living full and wild lives, and die young. They are free spirits who despise limitations and conventions. They usually enjoy professions in which the environment and people are constantly changing. They do well as bards and traveling performers. Many are also fighters and barbarians who serve as mercenaries.

Blade of Flame:
As a follower of Shahmihnae, you revel in heat, passion, and battle. You have trained yourself in the artful, dancelike motions of Shahmihnae’s swordsmen, and are deadly when wielding a scimitar. When you fight, it feels as if the Goddess of Fire is fighting beside you.

Bonus: Whenever you score a critical hit with a scimitar, you deal an additional 2 points of fire damage to your target. For every 4 levels you remain devoted to Shahmihnae, you gain an additional 2 points fire damage whenever you score a critical hit with a scimitar.



The Dancing Flame:
The beauty of a flicking tongue of fire can be entrancing and you have learned to mimic fires mesmerizing motion in your dances.



Bonus: You can use daze once per day while dancing as a spell-like abilty, with a caster level equal to your character level. For every 4 levels you remain devoted to Shahmihnae, you may use daze an additional time per day.