Silvanus
God of the Wilds (a.k.a. Oakfather / Father of Forests)
Silvanus, the Oak Father, is the High God of Nature and the Druids. He is one of the most powerful deities on Gaia and the fierce counterpart to Chauntea.
Silvanus' worshippers are reclaiming nature from civilization with force and tremendous effort. The Church of Silvanus is spread all over Gaia and can be found almost everywhere. But usually only the faithful can find the places of worship. Mostly holy places can be found in forests, where it is quiet and peaceful.
Most clerics of Silvanus usually hold their rituals and prayers at sunset or in the moonlight, and rituals are usually held in the treetops of solitary trees, preferably when they are still standing alone on hills and are as old as possible.
Silvanus is always invoked with an offering, but never with a blood sacrifice. Instead, an object made from the wood of felled trees is broken and solemnly buried. The simplest invocation of the god is the invocation of oak, ash and firethorn. This involves collecting leaves from these three trees and throwing them into a flowing stream while praying to Silvanus. For larger matters, a night vigil is usually organized, during which the supplicant rubs himself with a paste of crushed maple seeds and mistletoe leaves, mixed with rain or spring water. During the vigil, one naked part of the body must remain in contact with a piece of living moss and one with a living tree, so that large, moss-covered trees are often chosen for this purpose.
The two most sacred rituals of the Silvanites are the Song of the Trees and the Dance of the Dryads. The first consists of a hypnotic chant that draws out forest creatures to heal and care for them when the need arises, the second a wild revelry, also dominated by song, in which the dryads leave their forests and join the revelers - mating between forest creatures and humans has also been reported. Sadly, probably the most commonly performed ritual is that of the Thorn Call, where a thick barrier of prickly thorn bushes is magically grown to protect a specific area. It can only be performed if a member of Silvanus, a believer or a creature associated with Silvanus, e.g. a deer, has died in this area. Silvanus has long been allied with Chauntea, despite the differences between their clergy. He is also allied with Lathander and Malkima, who many believe to be his children. Silvanus detests the attitude of Talos, the Stormlord, and Talona, the Lady of Poisons, as they destroy nature through their actions and act against the natural order Silvanus stands for. Silvanus has an ambivalent relationship with Malar, as the two sometimes defend the wilderness together, but the oak father disapproves of the beast lord's thirst for blood.
Silvanus is always invoked with an offering, but never with a blood sacrifice. Instead, an object made from the wood of felled trees is broken and solemnly buried. The simplest invocation of the god is the invocation of oak, ash and firethorn. This involves collecting leaves from these three trees and throwing them into a flowing stream while praying to Silvanus. For larger matters, a night vigil is usually organized, during which the supplicant rubs himself with a paste of crushed maple seeds and mistletoe leaves, mixed with rain or spring water. During the vigil, one naked part of the body must remain in contact with a piece of living moss and one with a living tree, so that large, moss-covered trees are often chosen for this purpose.
The two most sacred rituals of the Silvanites are the Song of the Trees and the Dance of the Dryads. The first consists of a hypnotic chant that draws out forest creatures to heal and care for them when the need arises, the second a wild revelry, also dominated by song, in which the dryads leave their forests and join the revelers - mating between forest creatures and humans has also been reported. Sadly, probably the most commonly performed ritual is that of the Thorn Call, where a thick barrier of prickly thorn bushes is magically grown to protect a specific area. It can only be performed if a member of Silvanus, a believer or a creature associated with Silvanus, e.g. a deer, has died in this area. Silvanus has long been allied with Chauntea, despite the differences between their clergy. He is also allied with Lathander and Malkima, who many believe to be his children. Silvanus detests the attitude of Talos, the Stormlord, and Talona, the Lady of Poisons, as they destroy nature through their actions and act against the natural order Silvanus stands for. Silvanus has an ambivalent relationship with Malar, as the two sometimes defend the wilderness together, but the oak father disapproves of the beast lord's thirst for blood.
Divine Domains
Nature
Tenets of Faith
Silvanus sees everything and keeps everything in balance, distributing wild water and drought, fire and ice, life and death.
Keep your distance and take in the big picture instead of clinging to the conventional idea of what is best.
Everything is in a cycle that is skillfully and beautifully balanced. It is the duty of the believer to see this cycle and sacred balance as clearly as possible.
Make others see the balance and work against those who would disturb it.
Observe, anticipate and manipulate silently. Only resort to violence and open confrontation when time is of the essence or hostile action is imminent.
Fight against deforestation, drive out disease wherever you find it, defend the trees and plant new crops wherever possible.
Seek out the dryads, serve them, befriend them and learn their names.
Kill only when necessary, destroy fire and its wielders and beware of those who bring axes into the forest.
Divine Classification
God
Alignment
Neutral
Children
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