Temple of the Dawn

Creed of the Ishtarian Paladins of Dawn

Be it a small insect crawling along the ground beneath our feet, or a majestic dragon soaring above us in the skies, all are blessed with the greatest of Ishtar's gifts.

The gift of life itself.

Those who heed the words of our Goddess, know well the value of life. It is a powerful, yet fragile gift. When a life comes to an end, such a life will never be again. As Her devoted followers, it is our duty to protect it. All life deserves a chance to exist, to experience all the joy and wonder of existance, before it inevitably must come to an end.

However, not all share our devotion to life. There are many who take great pleasure in destroying life, for their own selfish ends. Or far worse, there are those who corrupt and distort Her gift, into something unnatural and horrible. For these individuals, neither reason nor conscience will disuade them from their abuse of life.

They are why we exist. They are why we serve the Mother of all life with blades in hand. Though we are sworn to protect life, there are times we must ourselves bring a lift to its end. It is a difficult choice to make, and not one to make frivolously. But it is a choice we must be prepared to make. To refuse such a choice, would condemn many lives to an early, unjust end. All to protect a life that holds no other as sacred.

So be wary, those who needlessly destroy life. For we shall not hold your life sacred either, when we come for you...

Recruitment

Due to Baron's close proximity to the temple, and the country's rich military history, a majority of the temple's residents tend to be from that nation. However, priests and paladins from the temple often make trips to other lands and nations. They try to keep an eye out for any who share their faith and desire to protect life. This activity is met with mixed reaction in certain areas, particularly those where another deity is worshipped primarily.

One area of particular interest to the temple is the lands of Riva. They are saddened at the Rivan Ishtarian's teachings, justifying horrible acts against innocent life. Fortunately, they are not alone in this belief. This view is shared by the Dragoons of Cain Citadel, a training facility in Baron devoted to the Dragon Goddess, Ryuugami. Due to their mutual interest in the nation, the two often work together when planning trips to Riva.

Ishtorna

Over the centuries, the number of individuals making trips to the temple has steadily increased. When the temple itself could no longer support the vast number of visitors, the temple priests and paladins began to construct additional buildings outside the temple. However, as time went on and more buildings were added, they soon realized they had a growing, bustling town forming on their doorstep. Deciding such a town should have a name, the temple priests and paladins eventually settled on the name Ishtorna. The town name is a merger of Ishtar's name, and the name of the Paladin who founded the temple.

More information on the town itself can be found here

Scabbard of the Dawn

An ancient scabbard, bearing elaborate imagery of sunlight and blades. The primary image is that of a longsword, embedded into a hill top with rays of a rising sun shining from behind. It was forged by Jevon Copperbeard, a renouned blacksmith of the Karaz Azghak Dwarves. The scabbard is said to be one of his finest creations, incorporating traditional dwarven design with the religious imagery of the Ishtarian church. The scabbard was given to Torna Swiftblade as a gift, for coming to the aid of Jevon's clan and countrymen.

Temple lore claims the Goddess spoke to Torna in a dream, offering her own gift. She was moved by Torna's selflessness in saving Jevon and his people, and touched by the dwarf's gift designed with her imagery. When Torna woke the next day, he found the scabbard now possessed a holy power of its own. Any weapon brought into contact with the scabbard, became blessed with a portion of that holy power. For years to come, as part of their rite of passage, paladins and priests would bless their favored weapons with the scabbard. In this way, one could say their Goddess is always with them.

In recent times, there has been growing concern over the scabbard. It is no longer as public as it was in the past, sealed off deep within the temple walls. There is also concerned about the power of the holy relic, some observing that recently blessed weapons are not as strong as weapons blessed in the past. Many harbor some concern, but few seem willing to call the actions of their brethren into question.