Chruch of Nature

The church of nature generally keeps to itself in AvLee. The church hierarchy is organized regionally and divided into branches, as each type of cleric serves a specific role. The druids and clerics who compose the bulk of Rillifane's clergy tend to the health of the forests and those who dwell within, fiercely contesting any attempt to further reduce forests and animal populations that remain. Many clerics serve as ambassadors of the faith, working outside the communities of wood elves to educate other races and even other elven subraces how to better dwell in harmony with nature. In times of war, however, the leaders of each region unite the branches of the faith and wood elf warriors into a single force. Rillifane’s clerics are deadly enemies of those who hunt for sport or those who harm trees maliciously or unnecessarily. In particular, Rillifane’s clergy is charged with rooting out and destroying sentient plants whose nature has been twisted by external forces into a warped perversion of nature.

Rituals

Clerics and druids of Rillifane pray for their spells at dawn, when the first rays of the life-giving sun spring over the horizon. Rillifane’s faithful gather twice yearly at the equinoxes to hold fey dances in large groves of oak trees deep in the heart of great forests. The Budding is a joyful celebration of new life celebrated through dance and song and preceded by an extended period of fasting. A ritual hunt of an ancient and noble hart is undertaken on this day, from which the venison serves to break the fast of the Leaflord’s faithful. This ritual honors Rillifane’s bounty and reminds his followers of the natural cycle of life. The Transformation marks the arrival of autumn and the vibrant hues that bedeck the canopies, around this time. Wood elves and elves of other subraces who seek a form of spiritual rebirth or a major change in their lives gather to celebrate Rillifane’s eternal promise that the trees will bloom again and that life is a process of continual renewal.