Spring Goddess

Biodata

Background

The Spring Goddess is one of the deities known in Hartland City, alongside the God of War and the Nature God. Her followers maintain a formal temple, unlike the Nature God's clergy, who worship at stone circles or beneath oak trees. 7 16

Her temple is associated with wealthy and noble patrons. Its priests wear silk robes and travel by carriage, while many of its priests and knights are of noble birth; this reputation leads commoners and City Guard members to regard it as a “Temple of Nobles.” 9 16 18 31

The temple has the authority to summon and investigate citizens. It called Gret Nordmark in for questioning after a Roman Knight accused him of colluding with a Necromancer and injuring him. The temple's High Priest ultimately sentenced the Roman Knight to at least a year of asceticism for his false accusation. 31 33 34

Depiction

The Spring Goddess is represented outside her temple by a white stone statue of a graceful woman standing in a spring and holding a bottle with both hands. Clear water continuously pours from the bottle into a surrounding stone pool, where commoners worship and collect water. 32

• The statue emphasizes the Goddess's association with springs and water. 32
• Her clergy use pale or light blue robes, often decorated with white daffodils or narcissus flowers. 10 15 32
• The temple's greeting is: “May the Spring Goddess bless you.” 32

Divine Influence & Religious Arts

Healing Divine Arts

Priests of the Spring Goddess are recognized as healers and can cast Healing Spells. Priest Noah Donald was specifically interested in observing Gret's Healing Spell, while a Spring Goddess priest attempted to heal a child suffering from laryngeal obstruction. 10 16

• Healing Spells can visibly close wounds with white light. 1
• Healing alone may be dangerous when a patient requires an external airway, as closing the opening from Gret's cricothyrotomy could have suffocated the child. 10
• The temple's healing services are perceived as more accessible to nobles than to ordinary soldiers and commoners. 16 31

Water Manipulation

A Spring Goddess priest identifies water control as part of the Goddess's Divine Arts. Gret asks such a priest whether he can draw fluid away from a child's swollen throat to relieve a potentially fatal airway obstruction. 12

• A similar high-level offensive Divine Art can drain all water from a person's body at once. 12
• The priest questioned by Gret cannot perform sufficiently precise, localized water removal due to his low rank. 12

Offensive Divine Arts

The Spring Goddess's clergy can wield combat-oriented Divine Arts in addition to healing. During the battle against a Gargoyle, the third-level priest Noah Donald fires a powerful white beam that burns and incapacitates the creature long enough for the Roman Knight to strike it down. 19

• Donald's technique is described as an offensive divine technique. 19
• The attack leaves a large blackened area and rising white smoke on the Gargoyle's body. 19

Temple of the Spring Goddess

The Spring Goddess's temple stands behind Hartland City's Lord's Mansion. Although smaller than the Temple of the God of War and the Church of the Lord of Radiance, it is described as refined and serene, with vines covering its outer walls in early summer. 32

• A fountain-like shrine outside the entrance provides a continuous supply of water for worshippers. 32
• The temple is guarded and staffed by organized ranks of priests and knights. 31 32
• Its High Priest is a Level 7 Priest, marked by a silver crown, a light blue silk robe, and two silver-threaded narcissus flowers on his belt. 32
• The High Priest declares that “the clear eyes of the Spring Goddess can see through everything” and will not allow the innocent to be wronged. 34

Relationships

• Noah Donald — Third-level priest and servant of the Spring Goddess; demonstrates both healing knowledge and a powerful offensive Divine Art against the Gargoyle. 15 19
• Spring Goddess High Priest — Level 7 head of the Hartland City temple; presides over Gret Nordmark's case and punishes the Roman Knight for false accusations. 32 34
• Roman Knight Lehman — Knight connected to the temple who challenges Gret's claimed Divine Revelation and later accuses him before the temple. 15 31 33
• Gret Nordmark — Initially dismisses the Spring Goddess as a weak deity when choosing which god to claim as the source of his Divine Revelation; he is later summoned to her temple for interrogation. 7 31