Besmara

Besmara

(Deity)

Titles

The Pirate Queen

Adjective

Besmaran

Alignment

Chaotic neutral

Portfolio

Piracy
Space monsters
Strife

Worshipers

Pirates, Absalom Station, Akiton, Apostae, the Diaspora, the Veskarium

Favored Weapon

Breaching gun

Symbol

Skull and crossbones

Images of Besmara

Source: Galactic Magic, pg(s). 101

This article might have further canon details available on PathfinderWiki.

Besmara began as a minor nautical deity of piracy on the lost planet of Golarion, but some of her priests believe that she expanded her portfolio during the Gap in a daring raid on another deity. She sails the stars and planes on her ship, the Starwraith, which many believe is the same as the constellation of the same name.

Dogma

Besmara now claims the portfolios not only of piracy, but also of general strife, and of monsters that can be found in space. She is fickle, greedy, and hale and is indifferent to notions of good or evil; her sole interests lie in plunder and the exhilaration of conquest. Nevertheless, she adheres to her own code of honor, expressing disapproval towards indiscriminate violence that yields no profit. She also is loyal to her crew and allies as long as they remain loyal to her and serve her interests. As the Pirate Queen, she exhalts in trickery, battle, and plunder, and believes that anything she desires is rightfully hers to take.

History

Besmara is said to have gained her current status following a raid on another god during the Gap, but due to the uncertainty of any event during that time period, this event cannot be confirmed.

Church of Besmara

The church of Besmara does not have any formal organization or structure, as its faithful are found mostly among pirates and others who operate outside the law as they travel through space. Her priests and lay faithful worship her as they wish, generally preferring to show their devotion through acts of piracy rather than prayer. They might toss a prayer her way to protect themselves from her wrath, or toss a share of their plunder out of the airlock as tribute to her. Those who serve Besmara most loyally believe that they might be chosen to be part of her immortal crew on the Starwraith.

Worshipers

The highest numbers of her worshipers can be found on Absalom Station, Akiton, Apostae, the Diaspora, and the Veskarium, primarily among mercenaries, pirates, war profiteers, smugglers and other general criminals. She is particularly popular amongst the Free Captains, some of whom carry small, valuable items with them and believe it would bring very bad luck upon them should they ever lose them.

Temples of Besmara

Even though Besmara's faith is one that avoids structure and organization, it does have a few known temples, most of which are hidden in remote asteroids or tucked away in spaceports and cities. Some pirate starships have altars to the goddess on their bridges, so that they can beseach her aid while in battle. Two of the most widely-known temples include one in the Broken Rock, a derelict spaceshift floating in the Diaspora, and the Gloaming Wrack, a starship graveyard in the Vast's Hydra Nebula.