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First off, as the eternal optimist, you should never EVER think about giving up hope,
When Despair raises its ugly head, PUNCH IT IN THE THROAT.
When others have given up hope, inject it directly into their hearts like an adrenaline shot. Scream "Get confident, stupid!" into their very souls. Dare them to dream and to believe in those dreams.
Ustalav specific? That is a nation where the night has been taken over by fear and horrors lurking just at the edge of the typical Ustalavians little enclosed world. The night is a thing of terror to them.
To a Desnan, that is some straight up b~!+#!*$.
A Desnan rolls their sleeves up and takes the night back. If something is lurking in it and using it for its own evil ends, kick its ass.
The night should be a time and place of wonders. A Desnan doesn't just believe that the night should be this, they will make it so.
The night doesn't belong to monsters that go bump in it. It belongs to wanderers and dreamers. Bump back.
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Ooh! Yay! My favorite Pathfinder goddess ^_^
Pretty much everything Martiln and Mikaze have said already holds true for any cleric or worshiper of Desna, whether or not they're traveling in Ustalav. There is at least one thing I'd like to add though, particularly given the nature of the Carrion Crown adventure path (I've looked through a few of the installments, though I will refrain from saying anything about them so as not to spoil anything for you ^_-). In Ustalav, horror is basically part of life. There's a lot of superstition and fear regarding the country's past, and when you look at it, it's pretty clear why. However, I did find one thing in Faiths of Purity that's definitely worth mentioning, and I believe it will definitely apply to what you'll probably encounter in this campaign (provided you don't do what my normal gaming crew does and screw over the plot for a few hours of amazing and glorious chaos and hilarity ^_^).
The line reads, "You do not seek out pain or horror specifically, but you are able to place such things in their proper context without being forever scarred." Basically, you roll with whatever punches life throws your way and work through the situations to reach a good end. And, when all's said and done, you're able to deal with what happened and not let the consequences ruin your life. Even as an eternal optimist, you know there's still some pain in life, but you deal with it the best you can and keep moving towards the hope and joy you're seeking. And in most of these scenarios (assuming things unfold this way), remember this: if nothing else, you guys made it out alive and hopefully in one piece. There's some joy to be found in that. ^_^
If you don't have Faiths of Purity already, at least grab the PDF version. It's influenced a lot of my characters (most if not all of whom worship Desna), and I personally enjoy it as a resource. ^_- The old Gods and Magic supplement still provides some good insight, and the second Rise of the Runelords adventure path installment featured Desna. Both of those could be worth a look as well. Good luck!! ^_-
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The line reads, "You do not seek out pain or horror specifically, but you are able to place such things in their proper context without being forever scarred." Basically, you roll with whatever punches life throws your way and work through the situations to reach a good end. And, when all's said and done, you're able to deal with what happened and not let the consequences ruin your life.
Desna stared into the abyss.
The abyss blinked first.
True story. (and canon!)
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One other thing that may be useful, though this isn't realy common knowledge amongst Desnans: She was an alien. A weird giant bug alien that now wears the form of a people with whom she's fallen in love.
While the exact details of this may not make it to the common lay worshipper, a healthy lack of fear of the alien and unusual probably does. Now if something alien and weird starts some @#$%, there's gonna be some @#$%. That's how Desna herself rolls. But if the bizarre and unfamiliar extends a hand/claw/tentacle/pseudopod in non-hostile greeting, the Desnan doesn't recoil. They reach out with their own.
Mikaze, never stop writing on the Paizo forums. Never stop.
"You might say I'm a dreamer; but I'm not the only one.
I hope some day you'll join us, and Golarion will live as one."
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To a Cleric of Desna, she is the most widely worshipped deity in Golarion. Why? Because every intelligent creature dreams. While it's true that most evil, intelligent critters, are content with being what they are, they still aspire to be something more. The evil lord who craves powers and influence, the weakest demons and devils want to evolve into greater ones or be free of their torment, the forgotten vampire who languishes in his castle awaiting counting the centuries until his lost is reincarnated (yes, I went there).
Although I don't like doing it, I'll quote popular culture because logically it's the perfect philosophy for a Desnan: "What power would hell have if those imprisoned here would not be able to dream of heaven?"
All of the above are dreams and in Desna's infinite mercy she gives all the gift of hope. That's what a Priest of Desna is: hope. A walking good luck charm that carries with him/her a bounty of good fortune and the power to help the good people of Golarion achieve their dreams by putting them on the right path (via fortune telling, etc.). Now, they don't just hand out the future and make dreams come true, that's not their way. What is not started today, is never finished tomorrow, which basically means that if you don't pursue your dreams, you'll never achieve them. A Desnan will put you on the path, but you have to walk it.
RP the hope and the optimism. You are the joy of living life to its fullest surrounded by darkness, oppression, and depression. Live it up, show the people of Ustalav there is something better to look forward to. Be their dream of a better tomorrow.
Though you may walk through the valley of the shadow of Death, you will fear no evil, because you have a alien butterfly to get your back.