San Lauren

San Lauren is one of the Great Saints of the Bastonian Pantheon, elevated to godhood by the Almighty Herself to be an example to her chosen people, the Bastonians. Known by epithets such as The Hunter, Saint of the Wild, and Patron of Rangers, there's no surprise that they are the patron of Hunters, Rangers, and other Rugged Survivalists.

San Laurens' symbol is a Stag Rampant, and a common figure in heraldry and embellishment of leather armours and the like. Deer in general and stags in particular are seen as sacred to them.

History

San Lauren was the first saint to be elevated by the Almighty after the foundation of Bastonia and the original elevation of San Heather and San Lukas. Their legend speaks of his origins as a disinherited aristocrat, who left Bastonia entirely and founded for himself a small community in the Lordless Lands, in territory that is now part of the Frontier Counties. Lauren preached a compassionate understanding of nature and the Almighty, and organized a defense of their village, now the city of Laurenburg, against forces of Orcs that had been rallied by the Enemy, during which they was slain.

For their efforts, they was elevated to Sainthood and immediately ascended to Heaven, serving the Almighty as the Sacred Hunter, one of their many epithets. Since then, they have become known in particular for their patronage of wild lands and all who inhabit them, man or beast.

Relationships

Due to their status as the first "meritous" Saint, many of the Great Saints hold Lauren in high regard, though they are often aloof and removed from the politics of Heaven. They are known to be fond, in particular, of San Hera, due to their largely overlapping portfolio in the case of rural Bastonia. There are legends which by some interpretations imply an unacted-upon or distant romance between the pair of them.

As the pantheon's only truly neutral diety, San Lauren maintains reasonable terms with the entire Pantheon, though when pressed they will admit to having plans to slay anyone at any time, including San Meteo and San Verus. They not fond of servants of the Enemy and the actions of the Enemy's chosen often run contrary to Lauren's own goals.

Appearance

San Sylvester has the appearance of a young human, with wild hair and feline eyes, usually cloaked and garbed appropriately for the weather.

Realm

Like many of the saints, while San Sylvester is welcome in Heaven and frequently present there, the very nature of the universe is such that their true realm, the Unending Wild, is part of the Bardo. Though rarely travelled and even more rarely visited, they do maintain a great lodge within the Unending Wild where certain among their followers or other gods among his friends may visit.

Providence

When San Lauren's path takes them through or near Ahren, bountiful harvests of both agriculture and forage follow. They are known in particular for the Hunter's Chance - that fleeing first sight or lucky shot that helps to fell game when bellies are empty and hope is scarce. Some devout followers of San Lauren are transported in their dreams to the forests of the Unending Wild and gain cryptic clues or fleeting glimpses of their patron.

Servants

Nature and all of its creatures are said to be under San Lauren's command, though they favour deer and especially stags, who exemplify the nobility of wildness and the best principals of quarry simultaneously. Within the Bardo they are served by a variety of nature spirits and animal lords, chief of which are the Cervine Protectors.

Unique Servants

The Black Stag of Isilay

The black stag is a large and ancient [Cervitaur] male, impressive in size and rack, whos flanks are feathered with the black feathering typical of many species of corvids. The Black Stag serves as San Lauren's herald and his sudden and unlooked for experience can be seen as either a blessing or a curse depending on context - his will as unpredictable as his master.

The Bastonian Church

The bastonian church is unified in the worship of The Almighty, which is observed by not just her direct followers, but even by those patronized by the other Saints of the Pantheon. The church teaches the performance of good works and the cultivation of compassion as the roadmap to ultimate salvation and an afterlife spent in Heaven.

Devotees of San Lauren are known as the Laurentians.

Worshippers

All Bastonians worship the Almighty, and some further dedicate themselves to the saintly wizard, San Sylvester. Their clergy make up its own order within the Bastonian Church, the Laurentians, who have a ranking structure similar to the hierarchy of the church at large.

Among theirs followers in particular are adventurers, hunters, farmers, ranchers, foragers, "wild folk", and rural people in general. There is a military order known as the Order of San Lauren which is made up of specialist rangers concerned as much with war as with serving, protecting, and conserving the wild and rural areas of Bastonia.

Clergy

As what the Bastonian Church calls a religious order, the Laurentians are unique in that they do not have a standarized form of dress. Priest with a pastoral duty of care will wear the same robes as befits their ranking among the main church of the Almighty; other Laurentian clerics dress practically for the duties they perform as rangers or guides.

Temples & Shrines

Like much the rest of Bastonian architecture, temples and shrines to the Almighty are often masterworks of masonry or stonework, which in wealthy communities are often further embellished with stained glass and frescos, depicting a popular saint in the region or scenes from the sacred texts. Such structures are usually subdivided internally, with an area for public ceremony and worship (which is frequent) and an area for the sole use of the clergy and those who serve the clergy in liturgical preparation, and temple complexes almost always include an outbuilding or suite of rooms known as the rectory, where the priests serving a particular temple have residence.

Many shrines to San Lauren are little more than roadside alcoves or wayposts, unattended throughout the year apart from adherents who petition San Lauren for protection in their travels or luck in their hunts.

Holy Texts

In addition to the holy texts used in the worship of the Almighty, members of the Laurentian order follow a document called the Code of San Laurence. This small book is written in a patern of blank verse meant to be easily rememberable, and even in a small handbook format would only be, at its outmost, a hundred pages. In many cases clerics and servants of San Lauren have memorized the writings and do not carry physical copies.

Church History

The church and the state are intimately connected within Bastonia, with the state relying on the church for its legitimacy and the church relying on the state's realpolitikal power to stay in rule. The Almighty's church is considered coterminous with those of all other saints and is the only legally-permitted form of open worship within the Kingdom.

Holidays

San Lauren's feast day is marked on the summer solstice. In communities where it is marked it is often celebrated by feasting and sport. They are commonly invoked during festivals that celebrate the end of harvest seasons.

Favoured Animals

Deer, especially stags, are considered blessed and Sacret to them.