GARLEN

Typical Appearance: Garlen usually manifests as a voluptuous woman, her arms spread wide in acceptance and invitation. On occasion, Garlen appears as a kindly, comfortable-looking man.

Common Elements: Homes, children, kaers, enclosed spaces, water

Powers: Garlen can heal the wounded, comfort the frightened, and travel instantly to any home.

Questors: Some call Garlen’s questors the weaklings of the world, claiming that they seek the refuge of the hearth and embrace healing because they fear conflict. Nothing could be further from the truth. Watching over someone you love, daring to love them as they lie dying—these require a quiet strength that runs deeper than the strength required to slay any beast.

Most, though not all, of the questors of Garlen are women. Some believe that Garlen attracts women because she so often appears as one. Others speculate that the act of carrying unborn children within their bodies gives women a greater understanding and appreciation for life, and greater compassion for other living beings. Though Garlen’s questors can be stern, they are unfailingly generous and understanding. Those who mistake their compassion for weakness, however, discover that Garlen’s questors will not hesitate to act against those who would harm them or any they shelter. A famous story tells of five questors of Garlen who were visiting a village near Skypoint when Theran slave drivers raided the village. Garlen’s questors cut down the Therans to the last man, staining their white robes with the blood of the attackers.

Commentary: During the Scourge, all the kaers and citadels called on Garlen for protection, and she remains one of the most widely revered Passions in Barsaive. People of all races call her the mother who cares for all, and Garlen considers all of Barsiave’s Name-givers her children. Garlen and her questors offer healing to the sick and injured, and comfort to the dying. In a world filled with violence and danger, Garlen watches over those who shun adventuring for the comfort and safety of home, particularly families and children.

JASPREE

Typical Appearance: Jaspree usually manifests as a male or female creature, half animal and half any Name-giver race.

Common Elements: Trees, farms, forests, seeds

Powers: Jaspree encourages growth in plants, animals and Name-givers; animates plants; speaks with animals; and travels through dirt as if swimming through water.

Questors: Many of Jaspree’s questors live in solitude, taking care of small patches of forest. They protect the woodlands from those who would destroy them, for they value the lives of plants far above those of animals or Name-givers. All woodsmen take care not to anger these solitary folk, who will readily kill to protect the growing things they care for.

Other, more social questors belong to farming communities and protect the lives of animals and Name-givers as well as the lives of plants. Though they will harm intruders who try to burn the crops of a village or town, they understand that communities of Name-givers need to sow fields in order to eat, and accept that some forests must die in the process. These questors see life as an endless cycle of death and rebirth, and accept both as having equal worth. Jaspree’s questors often embark on journeys and adventures to learn more about the plant life of the world, to plant trees and flowers in barren lands, and to protect endangered lands rich in plant life.

Commentary: Countless Name-givers have invoked Jaspree’s name during the past hundred years as people across Barsaive have revived farmlands and forests devastated during the Scourge. Moved by his deep love of all growing things, Jaspree has answered the call of his followers. He wanders under the deep shadows cast by towering trees and stops to smell the smallest wildflowers that line Barsaive’s well-traveled roads. Thanks to his aid, the world has grown green and rich with life in the years since the end of the Scourge.

LOCHOST

Typical Appearance: Lochost usually manifests as a male or female child of any race, whose body and features constantly change.

Common Elements: Strong wind, uprooted trees, open gates

Powers: Lochost inspires rebellion, comforts the imprisoned, unlocks doors and prisons, and can fly through the air by transforming into wind.

Questors: Lochost’s questors wear no one type of garment, because their calling requires them to blend in with many different groups. Many serve as political agitators within the kingdom of Throal and other communities throughout Barsaive. However, they are currently working to eradicate the Theran slave trade and the smaller slaving enterprises that have sprung up in Barsaive to support it. The Therans hunt down and kill Lochost’s questors wherever they find them, hoping that such drastic actions will discourage people from following that Passion. For most people, such brutality only strengthens anti-Theran sentiment.

As long as Lochost lives, his questors will risk their lives to foment rebellion in the world’s slave camps and mining operations. Disturbed by his inspiring example, the Mad Passion Dis hunts Lochost relentlessly, and few doubt Dis’ desire to be the first Passion to claim the life of another.

Commentary: Lochost is the patron Passion of slaves, rebels, and scholars. The truly educated mind seeks the inspiration to break free from the beliefs of the past and make new discoveries, and so merits the protection of Lochost as surely as any freedom fighter.

The slow spread of Theran slavery across Barsaive has stretched Lochost’s attention thinner and thinner, and he depends upon increasing numbers of questors to do his work. At the sight of the slavery she desires, the Mad Passion Dis often confronts Lochost, and she currently wields greater power than he. The two last fought at a slave camp near the citadel of Tirthon, killing every slave and slaver in their savage combat. Wishing to avoid a repeat of the massacre, Lochost spends a great deal of time distracting Dis as his questors work to free the enslaved.

MYNBRUJE

Typical Appearance: Mynbruje usually appears as an old man or woman of any race.

Common Elements: Balanced scales, executioner’s axe, stars, a comfortable place to rest

Powers: Mynbruje can read minds, ease the suffering of others, perceive obscure clues, and travel through the thoughts of Name-givers, leaping from the mind of one to any other within fifty miles.

Questors: The questors of Mynbruje wear simple garments, sometimes peasant garb, to show that they care little for status or prestige. They see truth and justice as the heart of life, and view all else as minor distractions. By asking how a man accused of a crime sees himself and how society sees him, the questors of Mynbruje seek to restore balance to such matters. If a criminal does not realize he has done something wrong, they try to make him understand the criminality of his actions. If society faults someone for something he did not do, they work to clear his name among his fellows.

Mynbruje’s questors often act as official judges in citadels, towns, and villages. Some travel the land, adjudicating disputes they encounter during their journey. The word of a questor of Mynbruje is considered unimpeachable, and most people will accept his judgment even though he is a stranger. Such questors often travel with Adepts and magicians, who protect them from thieves seeking to evade judgment.

Commentary: Mynbruje stands by the unjustly accused, those the law has passed over, and those misunderstood by their society. He is a busy Passion, for though the Name-givers occupy a special place in the universe, mere mortals are often blind to truth and understanding.