Church of Beshaba
Beshaba, the goddess of bad luck, misfortune, accidents, and random mischief, is a spiteful, petty, and malicious goddess. While feared by most, she is almost always invited and welcomed formally to ceremonies and special occasions such as coronations, weddings, sporting contests and tournaments, and namings of children. To abstain from such invitations is likely to cause offense and draw her ire, a bestowment of terrible misfortune upon those involved being the consequence.
Lady Doom’s ethos is straight-forward. Bad things happen to all people - the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak, the righteous and unrighteous, the young and the old. Only by appeasing the goddess may a soul be spared the worst of misfortunes. But while homage can lessen the degree and frequency of bad luck, one is never entirely spared lest a soul be improperly filled with boastful hubris amidst Beshaba’s whims.
Ceremonies and Holy Days
The proper and standard means of appeasing Beshaba is through sacrifice, specifically an offering of something deemed valuable to the petitioner that is held in flames until it is at the very least partially consumed. The name of the goddess must be called out and prayers of praise and supplication made while down upon one’s knees. It is also said that the Maid of Misrule looks with more favor upon those who also permit their fingers to be burned while making the offering.
Beshaba's clergy are obligated to make their offering daily, specifically setting fire to brandy, wine, or spirits and dipping a black antler tine into the mixture. Prayers and uttering the Lady's name accompany the rite as well, similar to the expectations of the laity. The ordained must also perform a second prayer under the night sky which bears a more personal touch, a petition for particular guidance which the goddess often answers through nighttime visions.
In regards to holy days, much of the calendar is ignored by Beshabans save for Midsummer and Shieldmeet. Both are celebrated with wild and wanton revelry as well as exuberant indulgence in food, drink, and other pleasures to honor the goddess’s capricious nature and to celebrate having endured a year of misfortune.