Devotion is more than just belief.
It is a distinction I make with my religious characters, the witches in particular. Take Stephanie and Faye; they are witches in every sense of practice. They put in the work, they learn their craft, they take their place in the circle as required. But Larina is not so simple. While she is a witch by trade and practice like Steph and Faye, you will find her more often in the role of a Wiccan priestess. For Larina, it is not simply an activity but the lens through which she views the world. She is as devout as any cleric or paladin I have played (and I have played a lot of clerics and paladins).
Étaín Moonshadow takes that even further. Her commitment to the Threefold Goddess is absolute. The Maiden, Mother and Crone represent mystery and unity in equal measure, and Étaín’s whole existence revolves around that. It is in her scholarship and her discipline, in her strength and even her blind spots. To Étaín there is no grater mystery, and no better way to live, than this.
Consider also Kyra Bellamy in Jackson. As a preacher’s kid, faith was something done to her, explained and enforced, at times like a cage. Yet what Kyra has is not her father’s faith. She believes with all of herself, only to also believe that God and Jesus have more to offer her than her father can put into words. In time, she demonstrates as much, putting down roots as a minister with a congregation and a calling of her own. Her faith is even stronger than that of her father's, which is saying something.
This is what I mean by devotion in a game. It is not a matter of alignment or some box to be ticked on a character sheet. A character gives herself to it, and it demands a price in return.
They are devoted to what they believe is true. It colors everything they see and everything they do. And it can produce surprises. Kyra is a Jackson girl, and she knows her cross can protect her from various monsters. What she doesn't understand is why Larina's triple moon pendant works the same way.
So sometimes the greatest act of magic in Jackson is saying "I believe."
Iriandor and West Haven NPC
Day 28, Friday, Emotion and Loving & Giving.
Aurelian "Auri" Starling. A seraph-born child of an angel and a witch, moving between Iriandor and West Haven with a devotion so gentle it looks like kindness until someone threatens the people under their protection.
Jackson Soundtrack
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