Aratis
The Lawkeeper, who holds the village's oaths, records, and quarrels in her steady hands.
Devotees The Judge — Judges of Aratis and true disciples
Invocations Censure, Hound of Aratis, The Hammer and the Book
Domains Civilization/society/settlements, Laws/rules/traditions, Chronicles/record-keeping/writing, Judgement/arbitration/wisdom, Cooperation/organization/peace
Also called the Lawkeeper, patron of civilization and records, patron of laws and wisdom
Swear at her shrine and the words bind you. Aratis the Lawkeeper sits in judgment over civilization and records, oaths and witnesses — one of the four main gods of Stonetop, and the name that closes every binding promise. Her disciples say she has stood watch since people first stacked stone upon stone and called it home.
Worship
Aratis keeps a shrine in Stonetop's pavilion of the gods. Smaller shrines stand at waysides along the Makers' Roads and at meeting places of The Hillfolk. Some communities are home to a Judge of Aratis, who settles disputes, keeps records, and stands guard against agents of chaos. True disciples pledge themselves to her principles — truth and forthrightness, hospitality freely given, the punishment of thieves and oathbreakers — and may be expected to keep strict rules of diet, dress, and deference to authority.
Oaths and chaos
An oath sworn before Aratis's shrine, in full view of witnesses and with a proper offering, binds the speaker. Forsworn oaths invite the Oathbreaker's curse: 3 Ruin, disadvantage on the Die of Fate, and the option to spend Ruin to twist a 10+ into a 6-. The Judge's moves — Censure, Hound of Aratis, The Hammer and the Book — name and punish things "tainted by chaos," with The Things Below and their thralls foremost among them.
Hooks
Aratis is the lawful counterweight to the wild and the weird. Her presence raises the stakes on promises, contracts, and judgements — and the Tower Eternal, the black-iron vault her three hermits are said to guard, is a hook waiting to be pulled.