Arhah, King of the Wilds

The Fourth Brother of Oros

(a.k.a. the Staglord, Old Man of the Willows)

Holy Books & Codes

• The Almanac: A collection of works released by the church of Arhah that provides long-range weather predictions, calendars and articles on topics such as lunar movements, folklore, natural remedies, detailed gardening and animal husbandry advice, and the best days to do various outdoor activities. Each new year’s collection is published by the church at the end of Harvesthaul of the previous year and contains sixteen months of weather predictions broken into zones for each of the cullic kingdoms, as well as seasonal weather maps for the winter and summer ahead.
• Signs & Symbols: A treatise on how to divine the meaning of one's dreams. Includes detailed sections on interpreting symbolism in dreams, the workings of the ethereal plane, and instructions on how to encourage lucid dreaming and prophetic visions.
• Ardvan's Flora Esoterica: The work of a monk who spent his entire life on a pilgrimage to catalogue all of the rare, strange, and bizarre plant life of Edras. Each entry contains comprehensive information on the plant's physical characteristics, habitat, uses, and symbolic significance. 

Tenets of Faith

• Don't worry about it; working too hard or stressing myself out will not help me overcome a challenge. I must remain serene and calm.
• When I see others who feel trapped by their responsibilities, I will do everything in my power to remind them of the simple pleasures in life. Peace is easier to find when it is all around you.
• The world is filled with problems, and worrying about them keeps the world from finding peace. The details can cloud your sight like pipe smoke, so air them out; the simplest solution is often the best solution.
• Mend what is broken, and heal what is wounded. I will endeavor to make whole the people, places, and things that cross my path - whether it be soothing a man’s soul, splinting a horse’s leg, or clearing disease from an ancient tree.
• Life is sacred and the act of creating new life is the purest form of worship. I will spread life wherever I roam.
• My enemies are those who would defile nature, twist dreams into nightmares, and spread disease. Those that cannot be dissuaded from their dark intentions must be pruned from the vine, the wheat must be separated from the chaff.
• Dreams are fed by the imagination. I will stoke the fires of imagination through story and song, that I may inspire the dreams of others. I will impress upon myself and others the wonder of all things and the endless possibilities that lie before them.
• Those who we call evil are often simply lacking in good company. I shall never assault another being without first attempting to engage them through diplomacy, and I shall always accept a request for parley. I come first with a rose and act to prevent conflict before it blossoms.

Holidays

• The Harvest Festival: This festival, common throughout all of Edras, celebrates the ending of the yearly harvest and gives thanks to Arhah for the year's crops. Folk of noble and common birth alike partake in the events leading up to the day, even going so far as to help with the gathering of the harvest. Preparations often start a whole tenday before, as crops are harvested, vegetables are pickled or preserved, and meats are salted or smoked, to ready for the coming winter months. Children make wreaths of twigs, feathers, and fallen leaves, men compete in contests of strength, and groups of women sew together large, intricate quilts themed for the season. Stalls of traders line the main streets, decorated with autumnal colors, selling favored seasonal goods such as spiced cider, straw dolls, locally crafted martial weapons, and small trinkets made of wood. Scarecrows are gathered from the now empty fields, and thrown into a huge pile in the center of an open field or square, along with kindle and large logs. Once the sun goes down, a massive bonfire is lit, and the folk hold hands and dance around the flames, singing the Song of Harvest.

Temples & Shrines

Sites dedicated to Arhah are simple affairs, even in more civilized locations. Typically found on the outskirts of settlements, or in the true depths of the wild, they usually consist of a glade surrounded by sacred trees with a pool of water at its center. Shrines are usually little more than a wooden building or home that serves the local community of the faithful. Just as Arhah emphasizes the simple things in life, his shrines focus on providing for his follower's more practical needs rather than ostentation or awe. Ceremony and formality are often abandoned in such locations, which instead act simply as a place to pray, eat a simple meal, or to sleep.
Those rare temples of Arhah that can be found amongst the sprawl of well-populated cities are marvels of his sylvan majesty, usually appearing as great trees with trunks wide as a city block and hollow within. Urban parks tend to spring up around such temples, forming small islands of wilderness in the heart of civilzation.

Providence

Arhah generally communicates with his followers through dreams, sending images, feelings, or even prophecies that stick in the recipient's mind after waking. If there is not enough time for dreams, or they are otherwise unsuitable, he will send a stag with horns covered in moss to deliver his message.
His favor is frequently seen in the blooming of new life, the healing of wounds, and the simple joy of peaceful rest.
When displeased, he can withhold a restful sleep, inflict sore feet, cause a travel to become hopeless lost in the wilds, and even blight crops of entire settlements.

Rituals

• A seeker who desires dreams of prophecy or counsel must undergo a vision quest by traveling into the wilds and finding a place blooming with life, there he must imbibe a hallucinogic tincture made from the wahakaya mushroom
• A seeker who prays for the blessing of crops must plant five perfect seeds in fertile earth, spacing them out in the shape of a circle, then mark the ground with Arhah's sign and say a prayer for the health and safety of the communities in the area and those who may be in need of Arhah’s guidance; the plants that grow from those seeds must be harvested, burnt, and their ash spread on the fields that are to be blessed
• A seeker who wishes to ensure the healthy birth of a child (or animal) should seek out an enemy or a stranger in need (physically, financially, etc.) and meet that need without giving any explanation or accepting any thanks
• A seeker who wants to ward off nightmares should make a poultice from a strand of the dreamer's hair, moss gathered from the eastern facing side of a stream, and ground elk horn; the poultice should be soaked in wine and then burned in the sleeping area, making sure that the smoke from the pouch touches each corner of the dreamer's bed

Scions

• Arawynn Eldercrown, Scion of Growth
• Kezaehneh, Scion of Birth
• Tikku, Scion of Reconciliation
• Duchess Davisa Imesha, Scion of Slumber

D&D 5e Rules

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Domains: Life, Nature, Dreams, Peace
Favored Weapons: Scythe, Harvester

Pathfinder 2e Rules

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Domains: Dreams, Family, Healing, Nature
Alternate Domains: Repose
Follower Alignments: CG, NG, LG
Favored Weapons: Scythe
Cleric Spells: 1st: sleep, 2nd: false life, 5th: tree stride
Divine Ability: Constitution or Wisdom
Divine Font: Heal
Divine Skill: Nature

Holy Symbol

Divine Classification

Deity

Religions

• The Brisingelion

Alignment

Neutral Good

Current Location

Sanctum, the Dwelling of Deities

Realm

Sasona, the Bashful Twin

Parents

Oros, the Infinite Spirit

Gender

Male

Ruled Locations

• Sasona, the Bashful Twin

Sworn Enemies

Evil Plants, Oozes, Quori, Night Hags

Sacred Animal(s)

Elk, Deer, Caribou, & Moose

Sacred Color(s)

Green

Patron Kingdoms

The Kingdom of Eglarest, Iolrath Vale

Common Worshippers

Farmers, Herbalists, Doctors, Mediators

Preferred Offerings

Bonsai, Pipes (and tobacco), Soil from Far Away Lands, Poems, Dreamweavers