Overview
Athena is the goddess of noble combat, architecture, sculpture, spinning, weaving, horses, oxen, olives, prudence, and wise counsel. As a warrior goddess she is the protectress of cities, but she is no less skilled in the arts of peace, inventing the potter’s wheel, teaching men to tame horses, and helping them build the great ship Argos. Athena is a chaste warrior who resists any attempts on her honor with force. Those who merely look upon Athena without her clothes are punished with blindness.
Athena pursues war in the defence of things she believes are worth protecting, such as cities, towns and cultivated fields. She is the antithesis of her half-brother Ares, and opposes his destructive rampages whenever she can.
Description
Athena appears as a statuesque woman of extreme grace and beauty, with fetching grey eyes. She wears a helmet and armour over her white gown, and is often seen with an owl perched on her shoulder or bearing her father’s shield, the Aegis.
Holy symbol
Athena's symbol is an owl.
Favored weapon
Athena wields a spear that never misses its mark. Her priesthood have selected the shortspear as their favored weapon.
Possessions
Athena possesses several special items, including a helmet that creates a 10 foot (3 meter) diameter antimagic shell around her through which she can cast spells, and a spear that never misses its mark when she thrusts with it. As Zeus's favourite daughter, Athena is often allowed to bear her father's shield, the Aegis. However, in her hands, the likeness of the first medusa can petrify any opponent who looks upon it.
Realm
Great Wheel cosmology
In the Great Wheel cosmology, Athena resides within the planar realm of Olympus, which is located on Arvandor (also known as Olympus), the first layer of the Olympian Glades of Arborea. She resides within a mighty fortress which is located directly opposite that of her half-brother, Ares, the god of war. Whereas his fortress is dark and bloodstained, the palace of Athena is bright, shining and made of enduring iron. The halls are filled with philosophers and generals, either seeking knowledge or the wisdom of the ancient warriors that have come before them.
Olympian cosmology
In the Olympian cosmology, Athena resides within the outer planar realm of Olympus, a great mountain which stands at the center of the world. This mighty peak rises so high above the world, that its heights form a distinct planar realm. It serves as home to the majority of the Olympian deities, not including Hades, and each maintains a personal domain in the realm.
Worship
Like Athena herself, her priests must remain chaste. They must also dedicate themselves to learning the arts of combat and the crafts of peace, and be ready to opposes the worshipers of Ares wherever they may encounter them. The priests of Athena spend their time to defending civilized lands from outside threats. They are always active in civic life, serving as judges, advisors, planners and teachers. Her church is also a great patron of the arts, sponsoring both public works as well as individual sculptors, painters and architects. Temples of Athena tend to be fortified but are always stely and aesthetically pleasing to look at.
Omens from Athena are usually delivered by owls.
In Spelljammer
Athena is worshipped in Greatspace and as such is considered a native deity. The inhabitants of Greatspace revere the gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon, especially Zeus. The church of Athena came to prominence on the planet Hecht some 600 years before the time of Shurius Shambrath. At that time, the inhabitants of Hecht were savage and warred with each other constantly. The priests of Athena became a moderating influence as they strove to civilize the inhabitants of that planet, advocating alliances and bonds between tribes.
At first, their ways were scorned, but the followers of Athena were strong and able. They easily resisted the chaotic attacks made against them, and as the years passed Athena's ways were more widely accepted. It is believed that the Gray Sword pirate group is composed of the descendants of those inhabitants of Hecht who refused to accept the teachings of Athena and fled their home world as it became more and more peaceful.