Sune

Sune, also known as Lady Firehair, was the deity of beauty, with governance also over love. Her dogma primarily concerned love based on outward beauty, with primary importance placed upon loving people who responded to the Sunite's appearance. Her symbol was that of a beautiful woman with red hair.

Some sages speculated that Sune was in fact the same goddess as Athena of the Olympian pantheon.

Description
When Sune appeared to the mortals of Faerûn she wore only a near-transparent gown. She was known for her lustrous red hair that draped down to the ground, her eyes of shining emeralds and ruby red plump lips.

Worshipers
Sune's highest priest was known as the Heartwarder, usually being the most handsome/beautiful clergy member both inside and out. They were expected to keep their appearance as flattering as possible and shower others with sweet words at least five times a month.

Sune's clerics sought to bring beauty to the world in many forms, all of which were pleasing to the senses. They created great works of art, became patrons for promising actors, and imported exotic luxuries like satin and fine wines. Her followers also enjoyed looking beautiful, and hearing tales of romance. The stories ranged from star-crossed love, true love overcoming all else, to following one's heart.

Her temples usually held social salons and displayed mirrors for use by lay parishioners. Some of them even had public baths for the local populace. Her shrines often stood on the corner of busy city streets. They would have a small ornate overhanging roof with a mirror underneath. They were used to check one's appearance while honoring Sune with prayer. Some shrines even held perfume and cosmetic items for those who could not afford such luxuries themselves.

Orders

 * Sisters and Brothers of the Ruby Rose : A knightly order affiliated with the Church of Sune, made up of bards, fighters, and paladins. Their primary mission was to guard Sunite temples and holy sites, and occasionally accompany clerics doing good works or questing for something important to the Lady of Love. Initiation into the order was done by standing vigil in a temple of Sune for an entire night. If the goddess showed her favor by granting a vision or some other boon, the candidate was accepted into the order.

Notable Sunites

 * Adon of Sune
 * Histra of the Edificant Library
 * Taegan Nightwind
 * Joelle Emmeline

History
Sune's history is mostly told in myth regarding her various romances and flirtations with other gods. There exist tales of her relationships with practically every god except Talos, Umberlee, Malar, Auril, Tempus and Talona, whom Sune abhorred for their acts of destruction. Despite this, there is no known origin given for the goddess, with the earliest conjecture of her divinity during the Golden Age of Netheril ( - ) and her first mention of an established clergy during that realm's Shadowed Age ( - ).

During the Time of Troubles, Sune rescued Sharess from death at the hands of Shar and restored the corrupted deity to her original state before Shar's influence affected her.

During the Spellplague, Sune's plane of Brightwater was destroyed, but Selûne invited Sune and her exarchs to join her in the Gates of the Moon. During this period of transition, it was revealed that many lesser powers of love in the Realms, most notably Hanali Celanil, were all aspects of Sune. Sune, along with Tyr and Lathander was one of the triumvirate of deities who declared that Cyric should be imprisoned for the apparent death of Mystra.

Relationships
Sune was served by Lliira and also by Sharess. For saving Sharess from her, Shar considered Sune her enemy, resulting in Sune giving her aid to Mystra in her struggle against Shar and the Shadow Weave. She was also allied to Milil and Lathander, as well as Selûne, who once served her much as Sharess does now, but has since gone her own way. Sune was also known to enjoy long-term relationships, and many casual flirtations.

The Lady Firehair disliked the Gods of Fury, as well as Tempus for the destruction they caused to beautiful things. Despite this, she had no true enemies among the gods, as the Gods of Fury dislike all others and Tempus considered her too flighty and therefore irrelevant to be worth the conflict.

Outside of the Realms, Sune was considered a "backwater power with delusions of grandeur" by her deific peers, such as Freya, Aphrodite and Hanali Celanil, but otherwise they got on well together - Sune of course, believing that she was the most beautiful of all of them.

Dogma
"Beauty is more than skin deep. It issues from the core of one's being and reveals one's true face to the world, fair or foul. Believe in romance, as true love will win over all.  Follow your heart to your true destination.  Love none more than yourself except Sune, and lose yourself in love of the Lady Firehair.  Perform a loving act each day, and seek to awaken love in others.  Respond to love at least once in a day.  Encourage beauty wherever you find it.  Acquire beautiful items of all sorts, and encourage, sponsor, and protect those who create them.  Keep your own body as comely as possible and as attractively displayed as situations warrant.  Let hairstyle and clothing best suit your personal appearance, striving to stir and delight others who look upon you.  Moreover, hide not away, but always seek to present yourself to those around you in a pleasing variety of garbs and activities so as to move them with love and desire. Love those who respond to your appearance, and let warm friendship and admiration flower where love cannot or dares not. "

Connections
Sune