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Worship: Nephele, the "Mother of Centaurs" and Goddess of Horses. (Although she is just a minor goddess for most amazons, in Wincliff she is greater than Hera!)

Sacred animal: The Horse

Attire: Cerulean-blue robes, leather pants, fur cape and boots. They also carry parchments, ancient runes and a staff wherever they go.

Bodyguards: Nephele's Sacred Riders

Main Temple: The Great Sanctuary of Nephele, in the Reitersbaum.

Scope: In the eyes of Nephele, horses are the most sacred and magnificent creatures ever created. So it is her priestesses' sacred duty to protect and care for the bond in between horse and rider.

Powers: The Pristesses of Nephele are empirically studied in veterinary, horse whispering and equine physiology, getting to fully understand and tame even the stubbornest stallions.

Priestesses of Nephele

Although Nephele was originally (and still is in most of Arandolia) only a minor goddess in the Amazon Pantheon, the worship of her name is so intense and widespread in Windcliff that she became some kind of unnoficial supreme goddess all over those vast steppes, holding even more praises and prayers amogst the regional population than even Hera, the All-Mother, herself!

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While in every other part of Arandolia there are only small shrines and statues to Nephele (built specially in stables and cavalry barracks), there are truly impressive sanctuaries built entirely in Nephele's name all over Windcliff, where horses roam freely and are just as welcome as any person within the temple grounds. The other amazon deities are often forgotten or set aside in account of that, leaving it quite clear that the Amazons of Windcliff have an entire new branch of the amazon religion going on there.

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Such a thing is considered blasphemy in the eyes of most of the more traditionally religious amazons across the rest of the nation, but it yet isn't anywhere near seen as heresy per say. After all, Nephele is a respected and beloved minor deity by everyone, making it just a matter of different interpretations of her powers by those who dwell within the cold northern steppes of Windcliff.

Therefore, for the Amazons belonging of the Confederation of the United Clans o Windcliff, horses are sacred! Equines are so important and esteemed within their society that they are treated almost like people, which creates a bond in between horse and rider that goes far beyond anything seen anywhere else in the world. That's why the Priestesses of Nephele care so much about protecting those magnificent animals, doing their very best to grant the safety and the well-being of both wild and tamed horses alike.

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Even without any kind of formal academic training in veterinary biology, their empiric knowledge about equine anatomy and physiology remarkably surpasses that of even the best veterinarian doctors. They take care of sick and wounded horses whenever it's needed, passing the rest of their time helping kids to learn how to ride and taming even the stubbornest wild horses.

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There are also gossips about the "love" of those priestesses towards their horses, which many say to go even beyond mere mutual respect, understanding and friendship. The goddess Nephele herself is famous for the stories that gave her the title of "Mother of Centaurs", and it looks like some of her most devoted worshipers already tried to make little centaurs of their own by... well... you can probably figure it out all by yourself, can't you?

* All the pictures shown on this site are for illustration purposes only. Some of them are made by myself, while others are artworks that I found on-line. I will gladly and immediatelly take down any picture on the respective artist's request. The aim here is to display a non-lucrative lore for having fun, so I hope you enjoy yourself with the content!

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