Hurir (who-REAR) the Horse (or Mare) is a force of good and nobility in the world. Within the Sianaen Pantheon, she is in constant struggle against her counterpart, Urskil the Serpent.

Hurir is primarily associated with Good, Nobility, and Travel.

History

Originally aboriginal animal spirits, as the Sianaen civilization developed, so did their theology, allowing their spirit totems to ascend into the upper echelon of the Greater Pantheon. These deities are worshiped primarily by Sianaens, whether at home or abroad. Devotion to these deities failed to interest other lands and Sianae never developed what could be termed an empire.

Relationships

Like all of the deities of the Greater Pantheon, the Horse has opposition in the cycle in the form of Urskil, the Serpent. Where Hurir represents goodness and nobility, the Serpent is a force of evil upon the earth.

In Sianae, the Horse is seen as a noble beast and an omen of good journeying.

Appearances and Emissaries

Like most other Sianaen deities, the Horse takes on three different forms:

• A huge, white variation of her namesake creature
• A beautiful, white-maned woman with deep brown eyes
• A creature with the head of a horse and the body of a muscular, warrior woman

Worship of Hurir

Followers of Hurir believe that order is of far less concern than doing what is right. They believe in nobility of action, not necessarily nobility of birth or of blood. They do the best they can in all endeavors.

Worshipers and Clergy

Both men and women may serve the Mare as clerics.

Priests of Hurir often mark themselves with elaborate horse tattoos that run from the face and down the neck onto the torso. They also wear flowing white robes, lined in brown. All clergy also wear the symbol of the running horse as a pendant.

Hurir welcomes the worship of any who would strive for nobility and good or who travel the world often.

Temples and Shrines

Worship of the Sianaen Pantheon has not traveled far outside of that country. However, worship is tied directly into the ascension cycle of the ruling houses. When the Horse is in power, temples tend to reap the benefits in gold and followers. When it is in decline, the temples suffer accordingly.

Each temple to the Horse tends to be open to the air—either roofless or without walls—and elaborate floor mosaics depicting the goddess in all of her forms. There is an altar for leaving offerings for interventions on the part of the clerics or to solicit good fortune in travel.

Holy Texts

The few ceremonies that are used in the temples to the Mare are inscribed upon the sacred Scrolls of Taupin. These are kept in the temple at Siannis.

Holidays

The first day of a journey is held to be sacred to the followers of Hurir, as is the first day of the year (the beginning of the world’s journey around the sun).

Obediences

Certain devoted followers of the Mare follow daily rituals that bestow Hurir’s special blessings upon them. Out in the open air, perform the Rite of Taupin, a hair-whipping dervish of a dance and grants freedom of movement. Gain a +4 sacred bonus to CMD, Climb, Swim, and Acrobatics.

Sacrifice

Many followers of Hurir leave goods and gear for travelers at shrines and waystations for fellow travelers as sacrifice.