Lady Luck stands outside of the pantheon, in a way. She is, the priestesses say, most emphatically not one of Saromata's Aspects. She isn't the Vision Crone. Her meddling has frustrated nearly all of the Aspects and all of the Lords at one time or another. A few whisper that she's the "checks and balances" to the system, the force that keeps the goddess and the Lords in their places.

Neither Saromata, Tariyel, nor the Dark Queen care to face down this interloper. While Luck can meddle in their plans, just as often it can aid them. For her part, Fortuna seems utterly uninterested in dealing with her fellow dieties.

Fortuna is capricious and not at all benevolent. Her symbol, a spoked wheel, is sometimes shown with people tied to it. With a spin, she can raise the poor to greatness and cast the great into misery. There's no courting her favor or appeasing her displeasure - she doesn't apparently feel either. If she has motives, they seem past understanding to most women.

In art, Fortuna is rarely depicted. Her wheel is usually shown instead. If someone is so bold as to paint her, it is often as a tall and stately, dark-haired woman standing next to the wheel, one hand ready to give it a spin. Such illustrations are not given faces - the head is a blank oval with hair. What used to be a superstition (that painting a representation of her would draw Fortuna's attention, for good or for ill) has evolved into an artistic tradition.

The Clergy

Fortuna has few regular clergy, although her worshippers are many. Her priestesses and priests trust as much to Luck as they may, and few people are willing to live such an uncertain life. Alone among the dieties of Saromatia, the clergy of Fortuna are nearly equally divided by sex.

Her priestesses rival the clergy of the Air Lord in the scope of their wanderings. When their luck runs out in a given location, they simply pack their meager bags and go on. Often barefoot and threadbare, they bring a message of uncertainty in life wherever they go. They encourage people to live for today, for who knows what fortunes tomorrow might bring?

There is no structure to this faith. Any member of the clergy can ordain new members, and the rites for doing so vary with the whim of the priestess. They do little but bring their message wherever they go. Many folk press them to take gifts or sacrifices in exchange for praying for them to the cleric's goddess. Most priestesses accept this bit of good luck, and most are honest enough to explain to the hopeful soul that Fortuna is not known to be an exceptionally good listener. But who knows - today might be your lucky day.

Shrines and Temples

There is one temple to Fortuna is all of Saromatia: The Lucky Seven, a dicing hall in Joyeuse. A happily drunken priest declared it the High Temple and himself the High Priest one merry evening. No one has ever disputed the claim. Although that original High Priest has long since wandered away, another cleric of Fortuna usually seems to drift into the Lucky Seven within a week of one leaving. Each takes the title of "High Priestess" or "High Priest," regardless of actual experience or ability.

One well-known shrine to Fortuna lies in Vezias, the City of Scholars. A fountain within the Old University has been consecrated through repeated use - students leave small offerings there around examination times.

In a small but very real sense, anywhere that people routinely call on Luck to aid them is a shrine to Fortuna. This includes a fair number of business establishments, courtrooms and other halls where justice is handed down, and even gallows, where the condemned pray for some last, lucky miracle to save them.

A Hymn

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