Matari of the Rains

Matari, goddess of the desert rains, is revered as both a bringer of mercy and a herald of wrath. Legends tell that she was once a wanderer who crossed the Khard barefoot, veiled against the sandstorms, but sustained only by insects. When the last of her companions perished beneath the unyielding sun, she lifted her hands to the heavens and cried for water—not for herself, but for the parched land. The sky, unmoved for centuries, answered. A storm broke, quenching the sands, and from that moment Matari was no longer mortal. The desert had chosen her as its voice.

Matari commands the rains that fall rarely but decisively, shaping life and death across the shifting dunes. She can summon tempests that blind armies or gentle showers that coax blossoms from the dust. Her followers say she walks barefoot so she may feel the earth’s thirst, and that her veiled face hides the glow of stormlight in her eyes. She is invoked by caravans for safe passage, by farmers at the edge of the desert for fertile rains, and by warriors who call upon her tempests to scatter their foes. Yet Matari gives sparingly—teaching that in the desert, even divine mercy comes with patience.