Tempus

Tempus, Goddess of Storms and the Sea

Appearance- Often portrayed as a Mermaid or Siren the true form of Tempus is the rolling storm over the high seas. Her quarrels with Kalikasan, God of Nature, are seen by the common folk as the reason for terrible weather and natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanoes. The eye of Tempus refers to not only the eye of a hurricane but any sighting of the glowing red eyes in storm clouds. Some victims of lightning strikes claim to have seen Tempus in the flash of lightning, mocking them for their misfortune!

Tenants and Servants- Tridents are the single most important item to a cleric or follower of Tempus. The Trident represents the three aspects of nature; renewal (left spike), creation (right spike) and destruction (center spike). Clerics are taught that equal respect are to be paid to renewal and creation but that destruction and all it's forms are necessary for the other two aspects to matter. Often over zealous clerics take this to mean they should set out to cleanse the world and offer mass destruction but they fail to understand that the destruction Tempus requires must be natural and random.

Attitude and Interaction- Moody and distant from the other deities of Zemla (except for Kalikasan) it is rare for even the highest clerics to ever see even an avatar of Tempus. Legends and stories regarding Tempus walking on Zemla are usually tales of travelers lost at sea or in the desert crying out for the gods to save them. The stories usually end with Tempus explaining to the lost traveler that their survival is up to them. If they anger Tempus in any way she makes their journey even more difficult with extreme weather or as in the story of Neblthem who tried to seduce the Goddess, she retaliated to his advances by calling down fiery hail that not only obliterated the ambitious man but also the three villages within thirty miles.

Temples and Shrines- Temples dedicated to Tempus can be simple sea side shanty that is more shrine than temple or elaborate spiraling cathedrals with huge metal spires. The layout of the largest temples is often very random and chaotic, taking members and servants weeks to learn.