Lurue

Lurue is the goddess of intelligent and talking beasts. She is venerated by many sentient beasts who have inherited or magically acquired the ability to speak human and demihuman languages. While some entire species, such as unicorns, pegasi, and talking owls, venerate her as Queen, many of her worshipers are outcasts from their own kind due to their unique abilities. She teaches that life is there to be lived, and one should live it with zest and flair.

Given to wanderlust, Lurue can be whimsical, but she is infinitely loyal once she takes someone into her trust and never abandons her worshipers in times of need. When faced with no other option but combat, Lurue is a dedicated and intractable foe, but she prefers light banter, clever riddles, new discoveries, and the joyous exploration of life.

Worshipers, Clergy & Temples

Lurue is well-loved by the goodly races throughout northern Faerûn and wherever else she is known. Sightings of any unicorn are considered lucky, and the appearance of the Unicorn Queen is a blessed event. Dour guardians of order and discipline view her as flighty and mischievous, but most sentient creatures admire her free spirit and unrestrained, rollicking joy.

Priests of Lurue spend their days providing aid and comfort to the needy, lending support to dreamers so that they can achieve their aspirations, and rescuing all who need aid from whatever assails them. Few stick to a single duty for any length of time (though they are very good about seeing a single particular task through to the end), and most are periodically struck with wanderlust. Many of Lurue's clergy are adventurers who travel about Faerûn seeking wrongs to right and finding a good balance of merriment, new experiences, and self-improvement in such a profession. Many clerics and druids multiclass as rangers.

Lurue has many beasts in her clergy as well. Most unicorns could be considered lay priests of Silverymoon, as might quite a few pegasi. Lurue grants any unicorn who worships her to cast one beneficial priestly spell of any sphere or level per day.

Vestments

When priestesses dedicate themselves to Lurue, their irises change color to a deep shade of blue or purple. Priestesses of Lurue garb themselves in simple white robes of cotton, linen, or silk woven with threads of pure silver, often in form of Lurue's symbol. Most wear their hair long and free, dyed silver or bleached white. (Some say this is not artifice, but another manifestation of their holy calling.)

When adventuring, Lurue's clergy garb themselves in relatively light armor, typically gleaming silver chain mail (or elven chain mail, for those so lucky) and a shield polished mirror-bright, and wield a lance and a long sword when expecting combat. The Lady Knights of the Silver Moon, as they are often called, rival Silverymoon's fabled defenders in martial skill and argent luster.

Hierarchy

The church of Lurue has no formal hierarchy, nor temples dedicated in her name. Priestesses of Lurue have no formal hierarchy of titles. Junior clergy are known as Sisters of the Moonlit Sky, and senior clergy are known as Sisters of the Silver Moon. Those priestesses lucky enough to have ever ridden a unicorn are forever after known as Ladycorns.

Temples

Lurue is worshiped in sylvan glades and moonlit glens wherever unicorns tread. She has no temples dedicated in her name, choosing instead to be worshiped at sacred natural sites and holy groves. The banks of the Unicorn Run, the river which winds through the southern reaches of the High Forest, are representative of her holy sites. Unicorns are known to cavort and gambol along the Unicorn Run's banks, and they are an example of woodland nature in its purest and most unspoiled incarnation.

Rituals

Clerics and druids of Lurue pray for their spells at midnight, in a sylvan glen or moonlit glade if available.

Lurue's twin holy days are Midsummer's Eve and the Feast of the Moon. The former holiday is celebrated in a night-long festival of revelry, wild antics, and muck hullabaloo. Such events are marked by wild rides through the countryside and sky, numerous theatrical skits, humorous oratories, mock duels, grand songs in which everyone joins in, and romantic declarations. Many unicorns take a mate for life on this night.

The Feast of the Moon is a quiet ceremony marking the onset of winter and serving as a time for remembering those who have passed away. Many great works of art and epic song are unveiled during the Feast of the Moon to quiet applause, particularly in the city of Silverymoon, which celebrates its founding on this day.

Orders

The Knights of the Unicorn began as a romantic, whimsical group of high-born adventurers from Baldur's Gate who roamed across the Sword Coast North seeking excitement and adventure wherever they wandered. After several adventures (mentioned below), senior members founded the Order of the Unicorn, vowing to seek adventure and right any wrongs they discover.

History of the Knights of the Unicorn: Relatively early in their career, the Knights explored the legendary elven castle of El'lahana Raikeil at the heart of the Moonwood. During their explorations, the band confronted and overcame a series of puzzles with aplomb seasoned with a dash of whimsy. As they overcame each riddle, the image of a silver unicorn shadowing their progress slowly solidified. When they reached their goal, the long lost Crown of Joy and Tears, the Knights each in turn placed it on their brows and found themselves cavorting with elves and unicorns along the banks of a silver stream. When all had partaken of the crown's delights, the band returned the crown to its setting and took their leave of the elven castle in search of new adventures.

As the company strode through the gates into the moonlight, the leader of the knights, Javalar Roaringhorn, declared, "May none again find the Crown of Joy and Tears unless they enter with the heart of a child and the laugh of a dryad or wish to regain that which they have lost." Enchanted by the sense of whimsy and romance displayed by the Knights, an avatar of Lurue appeared to the adventurers outside the castle accompanied by the Silver Herd. The Unicorn Queen and her noble retinue took the Knights for the most exhilarating ride of their lives the length and breadth of the Moonwood that night. After their encounter with Silverymoon, the Knights chose their now-legendary name and pledged themselves in the service of Lurue. The Unicorn Queen found favor with their laughter and has gifted them ever since with an unending series of adventures to be had and wrongs to be righted.

Shoftly after the Time of Troubles, the Knights had the opportunity to ferret out a group of bandits that operated along the Sword Coast. When the time came for the final assault on the bandit stronghold, the Knights gathered a small corps of mercenary infantry, including a number of rangers and rogues. After the successful raid, the Knights kept much of the band together (perhaps 50 people), most of whom worshiped or at least revered Lurue. The group operated as a mercenary company for a while doing good deeds, but eventually began to fragment as wanderlust, the desire to pursue individual goals, and the whimsical nature of the original Knights began to reassert itself. During an expedition into Shilmista, Forest of Shadows, the Knights caught sight of Lurue's avatar once again and gave chase. The Unicorn Queen led them on a merry ride for one enchanted eve until she vanisehd by racing up a shaft of moonlight. The winded Knights vowed to "chase the Unicorn until they could see the moonlight in her eyes."

Immediately thereafter, the senior knights reorganized the group into a loose collection of affiliated adventuring bands known as the Order of the Unicorn. Reaffirming their dedication to Lurue, each company of Knights wanders the realms "chasing the Unicorn." On the way, they right any wrongs they discover and spread the tale of the chase. Each company of Knights is led by one of the original members or their henchmen, and Knights shift from company to company as needed or desired. Companies of Knights have begun to extend the range of the original group and have been seen far across Faerûn.

Dogma

The Unicorn is a symbol of hope, joy, salvation, and protection for the needy, forlorn, and forsaken. Life is to be relished and lived with laughter. Quests are to be taken on a dare and gifts are to be made on a whim. Impossible dreams are to be pursued for the sheer wonder of the possibility of their completion. Everyone, no matter how unique, is to be praised for their strengths and comforted in their weaknesses. Evil melts quickest in the face of a rapier wit and unshackled joy. Search for the unicorn and in the pursuit find happiness.

Appearance, Manifestations

The Unicorn Queen sometimes appears on the horizon as a ghostly silver unicorn leading the Silver Herd (12 unicorn stallions) in a spirited run. If a devout worshiper of Lurue is under attack, the herd bears down on the attackers in a thunderous stampede led by their ghostly queen.

Relationships & History

Lurue is often said to be the daughter of Selûne, and believed to be the daughter of Eachthighern (Lord of Unicorns and Pegasi). She is the elder sister of Yathaghera, the Winged Queen. She serves Mielikki as both friend and steed. She is a close ally with other benign nature deities like Shiallia, Gwaeron Windstrom, Nobanion, and Chauntea, and she is loyal to Silvanus.

Lurue considers Malar a foe, and the consideration is completely mutual. Lurue blames the Beast Lord for assisting the Red Wizards of Thay in their creation of the black unicorns. Malar considers Lurue to be prize game deserving of his hunt.

Related Imagery

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Source: Faiths and Pantheons