Book of Pure Thought

Thick felt or velvet covers the canon known as “The Way of Love,” usually in a light pastel color. Its pages bear copious illustrations tailored to the tastes of the artist. Pictorials cover erotic art in great detail, but images also represent familial love and non-romantic love. Friendship and the other aspects of The Pure One are present as well.

Seven chapters, called Epics, divide The Way of Love. Each Epic is a love story that describes the main subjects’ lives from meeting to death. While no author is credited, scholars believe that at least five of the Epics are the works of different writers, while one writer penned two Epics (Parent-Child and Generations).

Each Epic covers one major aspect of love. They appear roughly in order as the aspect would be encountered in life. The Epics are: Parent-Child (including mother-son, mother-daughter, father-son and father-daughter), Sibling, Familial (covers Aunts, Uncles and cousins), Friendship, Animal (covers pets, mounts and the like; dogs are particularly revered for their unconditional love), Romantic, and Generations (grandchild-grandparent relationships). The second longest and most popular is the Tale of Romantic Love. Overall, worshipers rate Parent-Child a close second in heartwarming content, and it is the longest of the Epics.

As in other canons, the Way of Love proscribes certain actions and requires others. Anything that prevents a loving couple from being together is evil, although infidelity to a loving spouse is also considered evil. The Way of Love encourages married couples to continually renew their romance so that neither of them ever desires another.

The Way of Love is available from any temple to The Pure One as well as in certain of its allied temples, such as the House of Solace, depending on area and inclination of the allied leader(s). It costs 45 gp.