Sune (Forgotten Realms)


 * For the given name see Sune (name)

Sune is the deity of love and beauty in the fictional world of the Forgotten Realms. Ed Greenwood created Sune for his home Dungeons & Dragons game, very loosely inspired by the Greek deity Aphrodite. Her dogma is primarily concerned with love based on outward beauty, with primary importance placed upon loving people who respond to the Sunite's appearance.

Appearance
When Sune appears to the mortals of Faerûn she wears only a diaphanous gown. She is known for her lustrous red hair that drapes down to the ground. She has eyes of shining emeralds and ruby red plump lips. Her symbol is that of a beautiful woman with red hair. Sune is known to enjoy long-term relationships, and many casual flirtations.

Dogma
Sune's dogma maintains that physical beauty or lack thereof is more than simply a function of physical factors; to the Sunite, that which is beautiful is good and ugly things are undoubtedly evil, for they believe that beauty radiates from one's inner being and reflects the core nature of an individual. (This outlook when taken literally will often result in the deception of a Sunite by a fair-seeming evil creature.) Followers of Sune do all they can to protect their beauty. Sunites are also often narcissistic, being commanded to love themselves more than anyone except Sune herself. Apart from these specifics, Sune's dogma revolves around nurturing and encouraging love and passion. (This is not to say that all Sunites are hedonists, this being the domain of Sharess rather than Lady Firehair.)

Orders
The Church of Sune has a small affiliated order of fighters, paladins, and bards who serve to guard temples and holy sites along with the clergy and who sometimes pursue quests or do good works in Sune's name to promote her faith. To become one of the Sisters and Brothers of the Ruby Rose, a candidate stands vigil in a church of Sune all night. If the Lady Firehair appears to the candidate in a vision during the night or somehow shows her favor, the candidate is admitted to the order. Members of this order are given to writing essays and songs of courtly love when not engaged in vital business, and often adopt a beatufiul individual to adore from afar whether that individual would be flattered by such attentions or not.
 * Order of the Ruby Rose/Order of the Reddest Rose

Clerics
Sune's specialty priests are known as Heartwarders. They are known to be very beautiful, and wise.

Relationships
Sune is served by Lliira and Sharess, who she rescued from the influence of Shar during the Godswar. For this, Shar considers Sune her enemy, and Sune now aids Mystra in her struggle against Shar and the Shadow Weave. She is also allied to Selûne (who once served her much as Sharess does now, but has since gone her own way), Milil, and Lathander. She dislikes the Gods of Fury (Talos and his follower deities) as well as Tempus for the destruction they cause to beautiful things. Despite this, she has no true enemies among the gods, as the Gods of Fury dislike all others and Tempus considers her too flighty and therefore irrelevant to be worth the conflict.