Cortaris
| CORTARIS | |
|---|---|
Holy Matron of Lothia | |
 "Senex Deam" by Virtus Sextus Pompeius | |
| Affiliation | Lothia |
| Abode | Vastria |
| Adherents | Cortarists |
| Gender | Female |
| Region | Esvanovia |
| Ethnic group | Lothic |
| Personal information | |
| Siblings | Arreas Nestris Questesta Strenia |
Cortaris is a goddess and the supreme deity at the center of the religion Cortarism, endemic to the peoples of Lothia in Esvanovia. According to the Cortarist mythology, she was the Holy Matron of Humanity, creating Man in her image alongside the work of her four sisters: Arreas (the Great Matron of Creation), Nestris (the Dread Matron of Death), Questesta (the Wondrous Matron of Life), and Strenia (the Mysterious Matron of Time). In this tradition, the five sibling goddesses descended from the heavenly plane of Vastria into the universal plane and began creating the cosmos according to their desires. Cortaris then descended upon the world to dwell amongst Men, her holy creation. By legend, she was targeted as an outsider in the ancient Cirazuric era city of Lothos, accosted and killed by the town's small population. As punishment, the town of Lothos was razed to the ground by Nestris, and humanity was cursed with mortality as a result. The survivors of Lothos would leave Cathalina and sail across the Sea of Arrack, carrying the body of Cortaris with them as penance. They eventually came to a barren, low place where they were instructed by a vengeful Nestris to bury the body, whereupon the survivors would then perish at the gravesite. However, after the body of Cortaris was buried, her spirit came alive and caused the barren low valley to become a verdant and splendid land that saved the survivors. In remembrance of her hand in their creation and in her grace in death, the survivors worshipped and built altars and tabernacles in her honor, forming the basis of the Cortarist religion.
Today, Cortaris is the central deity of the monotheistic religion bearing her name and is further considered the national personification of Lothia itself. The country is dotted with prominent monuments, shrines and other vehicles of worship in her honor, and her likeness has been captured in thousands of paintings and sculptures. Over 400 million adherents, mostly in Lothia with a smaller international diaspora worship Cortaris and are considered adherents to Cortarism.