Minos

Minos, known as Minar in some southern regions, is one of the more popular deities, enjoying both a large clergy and following among the merchant class of most cities. Politically powerful, Minos is one of the younger gods and is often viewed as too interested in material gain by more philosophic deities. He is favored by his father, Pavor, God of Travel, and enjoys a close alliance with Vitulus, God of Cities.

Despite his commercial interests, Minos encourages his worshippers to be fair in their dealings, though a contract is considered inviolate regardless of how fair it is. Because of this, Minos is often at odds with Amphitritus, who often covets the Merchantlord’s political and economic power, as well as his own mother, Bellona, who encourages theft and trickery as a means to amass one’s fortune.

Minos

God of Commerce

Descriptive Info

Gender: Male

Avatar: Minar; Treliste of the Golden Hand

Consort(s): None

Allies: Adrasteia, Goddess of Rivers and Streams (paternal grandmother); Baelthor, God of the Earth (paternal great-grandfather); Furinus, God of Wine; Gyges, God of Thunder; Innus, God of Friendship; Pavor, God of Travel (father); Terpsichore, Goddess of Language; and Vitulus, God of Cities.

Foes: Amphitritus, God of Greed; Bellona, Goddess of Wealth (mother); Britomaris, Goddess of Thievery; Clementia, Goddess of Mercy and Taltos, God of Water.

Spiritual Info

Rank: Intermediate

Nature: Harmonious

Ethos: Agathocacological

Major Influence: Commerce

Minor Influence(s): Contracts, Mercantilism, Teamstering

Spheres: Creation, Travel, Mercantilism, Messenger

Servants

Saint Amandus the Venerable, Saint Pomerius the Young

Doctrine

The doctrine of Minos holds that commerce is a sacred force binding the world in order, and that all contracts - whether written or spoken — are inviolable under divine law. Worshippers are expected to deal fairly, work diligently, honor their debts, and treat wealth as a means to build community rather than an end in itself. Guilds are seen as holy institutions, and trade is a universal language that transcends borders. Fraud, sloth, and dishonorable conduct are spiritual failings, while accountability, prudence, and integrity are the virtues of the faithful. To serve Minos is to uphold the sacred balance of exchange in all things.

This doctrine is detailed in the Ledger of Golden Weights , a revered text that combines sacred parables, trade law, ethical guidance, and economic philosophy. It is said to have been compiled and annotated by Saint Amandus the Venerable, the first great prophet-accountant of Minos, during the early First Age of Man.

According to church tradition, Saint Amandus received visions from Minos while reconciling merchant disputes in a port city during a famine. Each vision revealed a “weight of the soul” in metaphorical balance against contracts, honesty, and duty. The resulting book consists of 14 chapters with titles such as On the Binding of Words, Of the Just Measure, The Tables of Trade, and Debtors in the Dust.

The Ledger of Golden Weights is not merely scripture — it is often physically shaped like a merchant’s account book, bound in leather with gilt edges and ruled lines for notes, inviting readers to “balance their own lives as they balance their books.” Copies are kept in every temple of Minos, and guildmasters are expected to read from it during the Spring Summit and Saint Amandus’ Fair.

The Ledger sets out the Credo, a collection of Seven Directives all faithful of Minos are enjoined to observe in business as in their personal lives:

The First Directive: Honor Every Contract

“The word given is the weight carried.”

Every deal, agreement, or binding word is sacred. This includes trade agreements, delivery promises, partnership terms, and guild charters. Breaking a contract, even if it proves inconvenient, is a spiritual violation unless formally dissolved following the method written in the contract or by mutual agreement of all parties involved. Promises to friends, spouses, and kin are no less sacred. A vow to raise a child, help a neighbor, or keep a secret is considered a personal contract. One’s word defines their integrity, and to renege is to incur moral debt.

The Second Directive: Balance the Ledger

“What you owe, pay. What you are owed, forgive wisely.”

This refers to both literal and metaphorical balance. Keep books clear, debts current, and accounts honest. A merchant who lets their debts grow without acknowledgment risks spiritual corruption, just as one who overcharges or manipulates accounts is seen as guilty of the sin of avarice. Balance applies to emotional and social debts: give as you receive, and don’t let guilt, resentment, or unspoken obligations grow unchecked. Resolve conflicts, express gratitude, and atone for wrongs before they fester.

The Third Directive: Maintain Honest Measure

“Let your weights be true, and your scales steady.”

Use honest measures, fair prices, and transparent practices. Do not manipulate quality, packaging, or language to gain unfair advantage. Cunning is permitted, but not deceit. Guild inspections often invoke this Directive. Be honest in judgment and fair in assessment. Don’t exaggerate, slander, or misrepresent others. In relationships, this means listening without bias, correcting others gently, and admitting your own faults in equal measure.

The Fourth Directive: Labor With Purpose

“To do nothing is to rob the world.”

Idleness is considered a theft of opportunity. Merchants and craftsmen are expected to contribute meaningfully to their trade and community. Innovation, initiative, and continuous improvement are acts of worship in themselves. Each person is born with talents and responsibilities: whether managing a household, raising children, or healing the sick, one must work toward betterment of self, of others, and of the world. Sloth is seen as a spiritual decay.

The Fifth Directive: Uphold the Guild and Market

“No trader thrives alone. The stall stands by the square.”

Support for guilds, trade laws, and market towns is a sacred duty. Guild dues, apprenticeships, dispute mediation, and civic participation strengthen the wider community and honor Minos’ order. This Directive calls for civic responsibility, community involvement, and mutual aid. Worshippers are encouraged to support local governance, aid neighbors in need (at a profit, of course), and resolve disputes through lawful and cooperative means.

The Sixth Directive: Let Trade Be Free

“When the winds are loosed, the sails fill fastest.”

This Directive affirms the sacred value of free and open markets. Guilds and lords are warned not to overburden trade with excessive tolls, protectionism, or stifling regulation. Merchants are encouraged to seek new markets, innovate in goods and services, and allow price to be governed by demand rather than decree. Monopolies are suspect unless granted by divine or civic cause. It teaches the faithful to trust in the wisdom of exchange — to offer their skills and time where they are most needed, and to let others do the same. It also encourages open-mindedness: welcoming of strangers, new ideas, and foreign customs, so long as trade is fair. The Church of Minos often invokes this Directive during trade disputes between rival city-states, urging them to remove embargoes and restore the “blessing of open exchange.”

The Seventh Directive: Cultivate Worth

“Value is not in gold alone, but in what endures beyond the counting.”

This Directive teaches that true commerce is not measured solely in profit, but in lasting value: in the quality of one’s goods, the strength of one’s reputation, and the prosperity left behind. A faithful merchant does not chase fleeting coin, but builds networks, teaches apprentices, crafts goods that outlive them, and invests in ventures that endure. Contracts are short; worth is lasting. Cultivate it in every exchange. Treat others not as means to gain, but as partners in shared endeavor. Leave behind not just children, but wisdom, stories, and honor. Time is a coin that must be spent, but let it be spent creating something worthy. Whether you mend shoes or govern cities, live so that your deeds hold value long after you’re gone.

The Mortal Deficits

In the theology of the Church of Minos, sin is not framed as abstract evil but as imbalance. These are called the Mortal Deficits: violations of sacred commerce, broken promises, and the erosion of worth. They are understood as spiritual and societal debts that corrupt the soul, bankrupt reputations, and poison communities. Just as a merchant must avoid insolvency, the faithful must avoid falling into these seven Deficits, which, left unchecked, will mark them as Forfeit, unworthy of contract, a punishment that carries both religious damnation and economic exile.

To be placed under Divine Forfeiture is to be marked by the Church as “void of credit, in ledger and in spirit.” Those under Forfeiture are barred from guild membership, denied the rites of temple arbitration, and cannot enter into sanctified contracts or oaths until they have made full restitution — often through public acts of reparation, pilgrimages, or temple-imposed penance. In some regions, the term is recorded in both temple and civic rolls, with the stigma affecting inheritance rights, trade access, and social standing.

It is said in the Ledger of Golden Weights: “The Forfeited soul shall wander as coin without stamp — cast, but not counted.”

The Mortal Deficits are: Fraud, the deliberate distortion of truth for gain; Neglect, the failure to fulfill obligations or tend to one’s responsibilities; Avarice, the endless hunger for profit at the expense of justice or humanity; Default, the abandonment of debt or duty; Treachery, the betrayal of trust in business or fellowship; Conceit, the overvaluation of one’s own worth at the expense of community; and Sabotage, the deliberate undermining of others' honest work. To indulge in these deficits is to bring imbalance to the marketplace and to oneself—causing not only spiritual decline but the decay of society’s shared prosperity. Temples to Minos offer rites of restitution, but some debts, particularly Treachery and Sabotage, result in placement under Red Forfeiture, a full excommunication from the Church, and can only be cleared by acts of extraordinary public restitution. Many nations consider those under Red Forfeiture Outlaws and followers of Minos consider it divine service to kill such apostates.

Virtues

Integrity, Diligence, Equity, Accountability, Prudence, Initiative and Respect

Vices

Fraud, Neglect, Avarice, Default, Treachery, Conceit and Sabotage.

Mission

The mission of the Church of Minos is to uphold divine order through commerce, ensuring that every promise given, every contract sealed, and every trade undertaken serves as a sacred reflection of balance, equity, and mutual obligation. The faithful believe that Minos’ divine purpose is not merely to enrich, but to bind the world together through the just exchange of value, whether material, social, or spiritual.

Theological Mission

Church of Minos seeks to spread the Golden Order: a harmonious network of fair trade, ethical labor, accountable guilds, and transparent markets that serve the common good. Temples act as arbiters, recordkeepers, and spiritual auditors settling disputes, sanctifying contracts, and guiding both merchant and magistrate toward righteous prosperity. By ensuring the integrity of exchange, the Church believes it sustains civilization itself, for without trust in trade, law, or labor, no society can endure.

Thus, the mission of Minos is twofold:

• To sanctify commerce as covenant, reminding all that value exchanged in good faith honors the god.
• To cultivate Worth in all things, that every person, craft, and coin might serve a greater balance.

In this pursuit, the Church of Minos sees no border, no race, no creed that cannot be uplifted by righteous trade. All may enter the marketplace of the divine—if their measure is true, and their word unbroken.

Social Mission

The social mission of the Church of Minos is to foster stability, opportunity, and dignity through structured commerce and mutual obligation. While its theology elevates the sanctity of contracts, the Church’s practical role in society is to act as a mediator between wealth and justice, ensuring that prosperity is accessible, earned, and sustainable across all classes.

At its heart, the Church of Minos believes that no one thrives alone. Markets must be fair, guilds must be strong, and individuals must be empowered to rise through diligence, initiative, and honest craft. Temples to Minos often function as a central meeting place for guild leadership, arbitration courts, debtor sanctuaries, and apprenticeship sponsors, providing the infrastructure necessary for both social mobility and economic order. The Church educates the poor in numeracy and bookkeeping, aids failed merchants in regaining solvency, and ensures that the powerful honor their obligations to workers and peers alike.

In cities and towns, Minos' priests serve as guardians of the civic marketplace, advocating for transparent laws, regulated weights and measures, and the fair treatment of labor. In rural regions and frontier outposts, the Church becomes a stabilizing force, bringing coin, order, and opportunity where chaos or barter once ruled.

Ultimately, the social mission of the Church of Minos is to:

• Create a society where every person has the chance to prosper through just labor and fair trade.
• Bind individuals to community through contracts that uplift, not exploit.
• Ensure that wealth, though uneven, flows with purpose and returns to the common good.

To the faithful, a thriving market is not a sign of greed, but of grace. A well-fed child, a fair wage paid, a guildmaster elected by merit: these are the daily miracles of Minos.

Geography

No geographic information available on Minos

History of the Church

No historic information available on Minos

Organization

No information available on the Organization of the Church of Minos

Central Authority

(central authority)

Regional Authority

(regional authority)

Temple Heirarchy

(temple heirarchy)

Priesthood

(priesthood)

Garments

(garments)

Religious Practices

(worship)

Calendar

Accounting

Original article: Accounting

Eanaire 14

Observed by: Common in urban areas and regions where Minos is particularly honored

Accounting, which takes place on Eanaire 14, is a high holy day for Minos, god of commerce. On this day, merchants and craftsmen observant to Minos are expected to balance their books, pay any remaining debts past due and submit their accounting to the nearest temple to Minos, where it is recognized and recorded (and often sent to the local lord to determine appropriate taxation and fines). Failure to comply with the tradition is, at least, considered disrespectful to Minos and, in some regions, considered an attempt to avoid paying taxes, subjecting the merchant to arrest and imprisonment for failure to pay his debts.

Saint Amandus' Fair

Original article: Saint Amandus' Fair

Sultain 15-21

Observed by: Commonplace

Saint Amandus' Fair is a week-long autumn market fair holy to Minos as a week to honor Saint Amandus the Venerable. As with most of the Minoan Fairs, the Fair takes place in a designated Market Town where merchants from nearby countries gather to sell and trade. Traditionally, Saint Amandus' Fair is when new Guildmasters are elected to office by trade guilds, retired guildsmen are honored and deceased guildsmen of import are recognized. Saint Amandus' Fair ends on Sultain 21st with a sunset service at the local temple to Minos.

Saint Pomerius' Fair

Original article: Saint Pomerius' Fair

Beltain 1-7

Observed by: Commonplace

Saint Pomerius' Fair is a week-long market fair holy to Minos as a week to honor Saint Pomerius the Young. As with most of the Minoan Fairs, the Fair takes place in a designated Market Town where merchants from nearby countries gather to sell and trade. Traditionally, Saint Pomerius' Fair is also when new craftsman or merchant Apprentices are judged and, if they pass the tests placed on them by the Masters of their crafts, are chosen for Apprenticeship. It is also a time when many new contracts are initiated between merchants and craftsmen. Saint Pomerius' Fair ends on Beltain 7, with a morning service at the local temple to Minos where new Apprentices are presented to the congregation, followed by the Spring Summit among local guildmasters.

Spring Summit

Original article: Spring Summit

Beltain 7

Observed by: Commonplace

Spring Summit is a holy day of Minos where local guildmasters are expected to gather at the nearest temple to Minos to discuss plans for the following year, set prices (where it is legal to do such) and settle any inter-guild disputes from the previous season. It takes place on the last day of Saint Pomerius' Fair, which is why guildmasters observant to Minos are generally absent from the Market Towns during that festival.

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