Izuyaku (The Strength And Serenity)Source Divine Mysteries pg. 147The Strength and Serenity teaches that the most important objective of all mortals is to grow strong, so that they will survive the rigors of existence and live well. To Izuyaku, wellness is a balance between the needs of the body and the needs of the mind; they encourage the devout to regularly exercise their body but also to rest and relax for equal periods. Appropriately, Izuyaku is often depicted as a gentle-faced human with both masculine and feminine features reclining in a hot spring bath, their stocky build having both muscle and fat in equal measure.
Once an individual is strong enough to support themselves, Izuyaku expects them to uplift their community. Especially devout followers regularly travel great distances to share their teachings with settlements further afield, and it is not uncommon to find traveling clerics extolling the dual virtues of strength and serenity. Devotees can also be found serving as combat medics who stride into danger to rescue the wounded, tending to injuries both physical and otherwise; to these followers, there is no greater test of their resolve.
Izuyaku’s worship began in Arcadia’s Land of Northern Lakes. Legend claims that they arrived in the wake of a calamitous shower of meteors, as the great craters created by that event began to bubble up with life-giving waters that quickly restored the land. In truth, Izuyaku was a powerful nature spirit from the Darklands who ascended to divinity after the disturbance roused them from the depths and, finding surface creatures fascinating, took on the mantle of their patron and protector.
Izuyaku Far-traveling worshippers of the Strength and Serenity carried the faith beyond the Land of Northern Lakes, establishing the god as a minor deity within Minkai to the west and, more recently, the Saga Lands of the Inner Sea. Izuyaku’s Minkaian followers have developed a tradition of erecting structures around large hot springs. These buildings function as both inns and temples, and this tradition has begun to be adopted within Arcadia and Avistan as well. Where hot springs don’t naturally form, followers sometimes create communal saunas or artificial baths, preferably using the heat from a geothermal vent in the endeavor.
Category Other GodsEdicts keep communal bodies of water safe and clean, practice good hygiene, strengthen yourself and others physically or emotionally
Anathema intentionally spread a disease, neglect your personal wellness without good cause
Areas of Concern balance, strength, health, and hot springs
Religious Symbol circle of stones surrounding a rippling pool of water
Sacred Animal snow monkey
Sacred Color(s) bright orange, vivid blue
Devotee Benefits
Divine Attribute Constitution or Wisdom
Divine Font healDivine Sanctification can choose holy
Divine Skill MedicineFavored Weapon meteor hammerDomains healing,
might,
repose,
waterAlternate Domains confidence,
family