Lydia

The Mother of Truth, the Pure Song

Lydia
Lydia, the Mother of Truth, as depicted in Dragon #92 (1984).
General information
Portfolio:	Music, Knowledge, Daylight
Home:	Elysium
Alignment:	Neutral good
Gender:	Female
Class:	20th level magic-user, 20th level illusionist, sings as a 20th level bard
Superior:	Lendor
Rules items
Domains:	Good, Knowledge, Sun, Travel

Lydia (LIH-dee-ah) is the Suel goddess of Music, Knowledge, and Daylight. Her holy symbol is a spray of colors from an open hand.

Description

Lydia is depicted as a dynamic, white-haired woman with clear blue eyes. She wears a white gown trimmed in silver and gold. She is constantly surrounded by a sphere of force.

Realm

Lydia's realm is in Elysium, associated with the town Release From Care.

Relationships

Lydia interacts with many other deities, exchanging songs and information. She opposes Pholtus, feeling that others must see the light of truth without being blinded by it. Her philosophy pleases Trithereon, who similarly presses for the freedom of the individual. She is also allied with Ye'Cind.

Dogma

Lydia promotes the progress of knowledge in each individual for the sake of their self-improvement. She teaches that music is a key to learning, and that light permits the ignorant to see the truth.

Worshipers

Lydia is favored by musicians, bards, sages, and by women seeking fame. She supports womens' education and her church helps women who want to travel.

In the Scarlet Brotherhood, many followers of Lydia are lawful neutral bards who use stories and songs to promote ideals of Suloise racial supremacy and resentment, though a few are good-aligned and more closely follow their goddess's true ideals.

Clergy

Lydia's clerics are female 80% of the time. They are constantly driven to learn and discover, and many travel in the company of clerics of Fharlanghn. Their white vestments are trimmed in silver and gold. They use education to uplift women from lesser stations in life. This tends to make her church unpopular with patriarchies.

The records kept by Lydia's church are open to all, for Lydia hates secrets.

Temples

A large wooden temple of Lydia can be found in the city of Leukish north of the business district, greeting those who enter the city from the lake. Apart from that, Lydia has five notable churches in the Flanaess: in Lo Reltama, in Niole Dra, in Gryrax, in Nellix, and in Pitchfield.

Rituals

When praying, priests of Lydia are required to give their patron updates on the things they have learned. Lydia's teachings are presented in song form to aid memory, and her church often converts historical texts to ballads.

Bibliography

• Brown, Anne. Player's Guide. Renton, WA: TSR, 1998.

• Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online: [1]

• Findley, Nigel, Dan Salas, Stephen Inniss, and Robert J. Kuntz. Fate of Istus. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.

• Gygax, Gary. World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.

• Gygax, Gary, and Frank Mentzer. The Temple of Elemental Evil. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1985.

• Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K. Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.

• Lakofka, Lenard. "Gods of the Suel Pantheon." Dragon #92. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1984.

• Perkins, Christopher. Warriors of Heaven. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1999.

• Reynolds, Sean K. The Scarlet Brotherhood. Renton, WA: TSR, 1999.

• Sargent, Carl. From the Ashes. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.