| Other Names | The Swan Maiden, The Princess of Peace, The Mistress of Martyrs |
| Area Of Control | Peace, Serenity, Life, Healing, the Future |
| Ethos | War is the folly of mankind. Blood spilled corrupts the world and wounds us all. But no wound is beyond help. Heal your foe even as you heal your friend for every man is your brother and every woman is your sister. Let no wound go untended. In this way do you heal the world.. |
| Pantheon | Kytohan |
| Worshipers | Healers, Diplomats and many others |
| Appearance | A woman (of varying race) dressed in white robes and surrounded by a glowing aura. |
| Symbol | A swan. An upside down white cross. |
Vazul is known by many names: the Swan Maiden, the Princess of Peace and the Mistress of Martyrs. She is a proponent of peace and serenity in all things. She strives to end all war and conflict. She is a healer with great spells to undo any wound. Finally, she is a seer able to peer into the misty future and divine what will be.
Vazul is usually depicted as a beautiful human woman with long flowing blonde hair, but her race will vary based on geographic location. In Magrakor, for instance, she is depicted as a magrakian woman. No matter the race, she is always dressed in white robes and surrounded by a faint glowing aura. Clouds are interwoven in her hair and stars shine in her eyes.
Her temples and worship are wide spread throughout Aggradar. Temples and shrines devoted to her can be found in the Iron States, Magrakor, the Aukarian Republic, Eshtar, Vaul and Sarid. Until recently, there were even a few of her shrines in the Sybren Imperium, but the Blood War has purged that land of her faithful. There are no Vazullan temples or shrines in the Chaddamar Theocracy. Indeed the worship of Vazul is outlawed in Chaddmar.
Vazullan temples are all very similar in design. They are usually built of stone and marble with many columns about the perimeter. Within, the structure is built about a central pool of water. Usually water will continually flow into the pool as a symbol of the renewal of life. The relaxing sound of the flowing water is accompanied by the soft melodious sounds of stringed instruments which play constantly. This beautiful, ethereal music causes all who hear it to relax and be at peace. Anyone hearing this music is unable to do harm to another. Their weapons will feel heavy in their hands and they will be unable to be angry or frustrated or feel any other negative emotion. This effect disappears once the person leaves the temple and can no longer hear the music.
Vazul is only served by priestess, though men may serve in other capacities. Only the priestesses are granted spells. Vazul priestesses follow a strict code of non-violence. They will never harm another living being, no matter what the circumstances. Priestesses carry no weapons and wear no armor. They rely on their spells only for defense and will never cast a spell as an attack.
Vazullan priestesses are steadfastly neutral in any conflict and will never take sides, no matter the cause. They will heal the wounded on both sides of a battle with no concern as to what they fight for. For them, battle itself is the enemy.
The priestesses of Vazul are the most skilled healers. They supplement their magic with herbs, potions, elixirs and poultices. They are very skilled herbalists and can do quite a bit of healing with just roots and bandages.
These passive traits have sometimes made the Vazullan priestesses targets to be preyed upon and bullied. This is especially true of priests of Baltrad, who will often attack priests of Vazul. Despite their neutrality, they may still find themselves the target of brutality by ruffians. They have powerful defensive magic, but they often rely on allies to defend them.
Many cultures find the Vazullan priestesses quite useful to have around and consider it bad luck to harm one. Many will go so far as to defend a vazullan priestess. . The Tomarin see them as useful and consider it a shameful act to harm one. They will leap to their defense. To do less is seen as dishonorable. The Eshtari consider it taboo to harm a Vazullan and will likewise defend them. The Magrakians consider it good luck to have a Vazullan priestess around and have several shrines to Vazul in their nation. Even the Aukarians are tolerant of Vazul and allow Vazullan shrines in their land. Although, in the Republic, the priestesses are socially and politically kept at arms length.
Showing the symbol of Vazul upon the battlefield is an indication of peace or truce. Although there are cultures that do not recognize Vazul (Sybren, Chaddamar) and do not allow her shrines in their land, every nation recognizes the meaning of her symbol. The sign of Vazul means peace. To show it is to request a truce or ask for mercy. To attack someone openly bearing the symbol of Vazul in such a way is a heinous crime against the gods and many cultures would find such an act very offensive. The Tomarin, in particular, will not tolerate the violation of this tradition.
Priestesses of Vazul wear white from head to toe and veils to conceal their faces. They are required to take the Oath of Vazul. This oath proclaims that the priestess will be celibate, that she will not take a husband, that she denounces all ties to family and country, that she will not consume the flesh of an animal, that she will not corrupt her body with pipe or fermented drink, that she will never do harm to another and that she will heal all wounds to the best of her ability.
That last part is probably the most significant. Vazul's highest law is that her priestesses will heal any wound. They cannot turn away a wounded man, no matter who he is or how he was wounded. They must always heal any wound to the best of their ability.
The violation of any part of her oath is a serious offense. Any minor transgression (such as the consumption of meat or ale) would require atonement for one full year during which time her magic would run thin. A major offense against Vazul, such as the murder of a living creature, would result in her being cast out of the Church forever. Her magic would vanish and Vazul would "turn away" from her daughter forever.
Vazullan priestesses have powerful defensive magic which does not harm. They can freeze a man rigid with a wave of their hand. The most powerful of them can cause weapons to shatter with a word. They can become ghostly and transparent and weapons will pass through them. They use the latter a great deal when tending to the wounded on the battle field.
This page last updated Monday, October 08, 2007. Copyright 1990-2008 David M. Roomes.