Overview
Sune is a deity of passion and the delights of the senses. She is the goddess of beauty in all its forms - not just pleasing sights, but also enchanting sounds, luxurious tastes and scents, and the exquisite pleasures of the flesh, from a lover's caress to the brush of silk on the skin. She is benevolent and sometimes whimsical, alternating between casual flirtations and deep passion, and has been linked romantically to many other deities. Sune enjoys attention and sincere flattery, and avoids anyone who is boorish or horrific.
Description
Sune appears as an unearthly beautiful woman, clad only in a diaphanous silken gown and her impossibly long, sweeping red hair. While she always has red hair, which often appears like flames, the rest of her form changes from time to time. Sometimes her skin is golden and her eyes are almond shaped; at other times she has skin of mahogany and eyes the colour of amber or honey; or reddish skin and prominent cheek bones; or ivory skin with sky blue or forest green eyes.
Holy symbol
Sune's symbol is the face of a beautiful, ivory-skinned maiden with long red hair.
Favored weapon
Sune hardly ever has to raise her hand in anger. She is so beautiful, that all are compelled to look upon her form, and once they have looked upon her, any male being will not be able to lift their hand against her or even think of trying to harm her. It is simply impossible. If she so chooses, the sight of her unclad form will instantly slay any who look upon her. If forced to fight, Sune wields a silken sash as if it were a whip. Her priesthood have selected the whip as their favored weapon.
Realm
World Tree cosmology
In the World Tree cosmology of Realmspace, Sune resides within her realm, known as the Heartfire Quarter, which forms part of the outer planar realm known as Brightwater, which she shares with her fellow deities, Lliira, Sharess, Tymora, and Waukeen. Brightwater is a well-settled realm devoted to joy, good fortune and beauty, and is filled with quaint cottages and elegant manors. Quieter than most places in Brightwater, the Heartfire Quarter is made up of small rooms and hidden courtyards, where incense and candlelight fill the night air. The Quarter is a place of quiet mystery, which draws in those seeking something beyond love or physical pleasure.
Great Wheel cosmology
In the Great Wheel cosmology, Sune resides within her realm, known as Brightwater, which is located on Arvandor (also known as Olympus), the first layer of the Olympian Glades of Arborea. Brightwater is a realm of excitement, where almost any diversion imaginable can be found, and which she shares with Tymora, goddess of good fortune, and Lliira, goddess of joyful dance and festivals. Sune also shares the Fountain of Youth and Beauty, known as Evergold, with other goddesses of glamour, including Aphrodite and Hanali Celanil.
Worship
Sune's worshipers seek out the pleasures in life, not out of mere decadence, but because the experience of pleasure is the touch of the goddess herself. They have a reputation as hedonists, which is true to a degree, but more than that, her priests foster beauty in the world. They do so by creating art, by acting as patrons for promising talents, and by investing in merchants who bring luxuries to far-off places that have never seen satin or tasted a luscious wine. Her priests consider loveliness to be one of their greatest callings, and all are trained in comportment, fashion, and cosmetics. However, they believe that beauty is more than skin deep: it issues from the core of one's being and shows one's true face to the world, whether fair or foul. The followers of Sune are believers in romance, true love winning over all, and following one's heart to one's true destination. Fated matches, impossible loves, and ugly ducklings becoming swans are all in the purview of Sune.
In Spelljammer
Sune is a member of the Faerûnian pantheon and as such is considered native to Realmspace. Priests of Sune are able to travel throughout Realmspace without limitation. However, if they leave Realmspace and enter another crystal sphere, priests of Sune lose access to all mid-to-high level spells, unless there is a deity with the same portfolio within the sphere, who will then grant spells on Sune's behalf, allowing her priests to access all their spells.
Appendix
External Links
- Sune article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
- Sune article at the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from 2nd edition AD&D.