Rontra, Goddess of the earth

Grandmother, Venerable, the Earth, the Wellspring, the Earth Mother, the Foremother

Holy orders of the faith

Places of worship

Myth;the Fate of Durgas the Unmerciful

Rontra (RAHN-tra) is the lawful good goddess of the earth, plants, farms, dirt, gems, metals, farmers, miners, and all others who revere the earth. She seeks the greatest good for the greatest number of her children through an ordered and structured society. Grandmother Rontra says, “You do not cast your seeds to the wind and hope they grow; you must plan, and plan well.”
Associated not only with the earth above, upon which all things grow and live, but also with the places beneath the earth, Rontra stands for the fertility of the land, as well as the people that inhabit it. She is the grandmother of all people and of the gods themselves, having grown the great tree Eliwyn in her soil. She is therefore the patron of grandmothers and old women. She is known as the Foremother, as she offers the gods and mortal races the loving embrace of their ancestral mother.
Rontra is often linked with the animals of the deep places and caves of the earth, including moles, voles, wolves, and cave bears. Of all the animals of the earth, though, she is most closely associated with rabbits and hares, which live in warm homes in the earth. They are gentle and fertile creatures, just as Rontra is gentle and stands for the fertility of all the creatures and plants of the earth, and they desire nothing but peace, yet they will not hesitate to protect their young, even against impossible odds. Among mystical creatures, she is often associated with treants, which some say are her children, but were born of the blood of druids (see the church of Eliwyn). She is most closely tied to the divine and gentle celestial animal spirits called pookas that sometimes aid humans in need. They usually appear as monkeys or rabbits, and stand at the good counterparts to rakshasas.
Rontra has been depicted in icons as an elderly woman of the race worshiping her. Whatever the race, she has grey hair, approaching silver, and in her face, thousands of wrinkles lie like the furrows of the earth and the farm. She is usually depicted in robes of flowing white, though when she is prayed to for fertility, she is shown in robes of red. Her feet are always unshod, to remain ever in contact with the earth. Her eyes are black as coal with flecks of gold, silver, and iron.
In ancient times—and some of these icons and primitive statues remain—Rontra was shown as a heavyset woman with five exposed breasts. These represented the five mortal races; further, they represented fertility and life, signifying that mortals suckle at her breasts and take life-giving sustenance from the earth. The symbolic representations of Rontra’s church vary slightly, with different regions using different symbols to honor the earth. Those who revere the strength of the soil and its life-giving power represent Grandmother Rontra with a bundle of corn, or another crop appropriate for the locale. Miners use the symbol of a sparkling diamond, shining as if lit by a bright light, to represent the treasures of the earth. All groups recognize the simple shorthand of a single majestic mountain on a field of white, however, and if there is a “universal” symbol of her church, this is it, rendered simply as a tall triangle. Rontra is worshiped by farmers and others who work the soil, who pray that their fields will yield a rich harvest.
Miners honor her for her gifts of precious metals and wondrous gems. Women pray to her when they desire children, because it was within the bosom of Rontra that the great tree Eliwyn grew and gave birth to the wondrous diversity of life in the land. Her worship is popular among all five races, though for different reasons—the elves love her natural splendor, the dwarves love her deep and rich caves, the gnomes love their homelands in her hills, and the halflings love her rich soil for farming. Humans love her for all these reasons and more, depending on their culture. Half-orcs rarely worship Rontra, as they are considered unnatural by her church. Any character who comes from a farming community is likely to have been raised worshiping Rontra, though most of her adventurer worshipers are rogues (who specialize in scouting), rangers, barbarians, and druids who honor the gods, not impersonal natural forces..
The worship of Rontra, Morwyn, and Anwyn are all very closely integrated, as they are three generations of the same line of women, and are often shown together: the grandmother, the mother, and the maiden. While Morwyn is the patron of pregnant women and those giving birth, it is Rontra to whom people appeal when they desire children, for the Grandmother is the giver of fertility. Similarly, while Morwyn is the patron of mothers and those raising children, it is Anwyn, the daughter, to whom they appeal for a quiet and restful home.

Nurture the World

Rontra has seen what strife and hatred can do to the land and its people. She knows only constant vigilance can make certain that the gods, as well as mortals, do not turn to destruction and death over petty squabbles. To this end, she views herself as an advisor and nurturer of her people. She counsels her grandchildren and shows them the paths of righteousness. Together with Morwyn, she is the conscience of gods and mortals alike.
For Rontra, there is only one way, and that is the way of moral good, no matter how difficult its demands. In this, she is uncompromising and does not equivocate, nor does she believe good ends can ever justify ill means. That said, Rontra is the most “natural” of the gods, for while she mourns the terrible events and crimes of the world, she does little to stop them. As is shown in the myth of Durgas, Rontra might warn and cajole, she might plead with the wicked to find the right path, but she rarely opposes them. As the earth, she sees all things happen for a reason and all in the world is part of a great cycle of life, even destruction and war.
Rontra protects life in all its forms, through subtle means whenever she can. Legends are filled with families strangely overlooked by marauding armies because a small copse of trees obscured them, or a cave they had never noticed suddenly appeared near their home and gave them shelter from the raiders. Of all the gods, Rontra moves in the most mysterious ways, rarely showing her hand or making her intentions clear. But those who worship her and study her ways know she values all living things, from the least insect to the greatest god, as sacred and worthy of her attention. Whenever life is taken for granted or wanton destruction is spread, her agents are there, offering an alternative and attempting to convince those who destroy that the path of life holds more value.
If there is anything that Rontra does actively oppose, it is the unnatural forces that pollute her lands. The Earth Mother despises the undead and their masters. They represent unnatural life not born from the earth. Her servants seek them out, to return them to the peace of death.

The Foundations of Rontra

The foundations of Rontra, where the Rontrans worship, can be found throughout most lands, for her followers are quite numerous. In rural areas, where farming and living off the land are a necessity, there is almost always a Rontran foundation present. Farmers offer prayers there daily, so Rontra might bless their crops.
In cities, the foundations of Rontra are far less common. When found, they are most likely concerned with her fertility aspect. Women of all social classes pay homage to the Wellspring of Life, hoping they will be able to “bear fruit,” as the tree of Eliwyn did through Rontra’s grace. Quite often, the churches of Rontra and Morwyn are linked, as they are considered the grandmother and mother of the people, respectively. In Great Church cathedrals, their altars are always found together. The main goal of Rontra’s church is to sustain life and the earth that supports it. Those who kill and maim for no reason, or pillage the earth without cause, are enemies of the Rontran faith.
Priests of Rontra view themselves as counselors more than leaders of the people. They provide guidance to the faithful and maintain the health of their flock through wisdom and advice. They lay down their lives if necessary to defend the land and the living things that derive sustenance from it, but they rarely tell people what they should or must do.
Most Rontrans take pleasure in the treasures of the earth, such as gems and precious metals. They often make these into beautiful works to honor their goddess. There are many within the Rontran faith who are expert at such matters, and in mining societies the worship of Rontra is closely tied with worship of Korak, the artisan, who taught mortals to craft such wonders.
The foundations of Rontra are always constructed from stone or brick, derived from the strength of the earth. The Rontrans never raise their buildings more than one story above the ground, and often construct many subterranean levels and chambers. The floor of Rontran foundations is always bare earth. Those entering the temple must remove their footwear out of respect and walk barefoot. Thus, they are always in contact with the Earth Mother. Many faithful Rontrans avoid wearing shoes for this reason.
Rontra has never believed in actively influencing events or telling mortals what to do, even in the time of the div, but since the Compact, she has become even less involved in the daily lives of mortals. Though she is as bound to the sphere as the land itself, she observes mortals from afar. She is pleased with most aspects of what her church has become, although she thinks that more focus should be put on the overall welfare of people throughout the world. She believes her faith has become too focused on farmers and those that work the land.
While she appreciates the reluctance of her faithful to instruct others and lead them toward the right path—they are taking a page from her book, after all—she does pressure the most powerful of her followers to assume a more active role promoting peace among all people. When she can, she sends servants such as the Shepherdess or the Miner into the mortal sphere to right a grievous wrong, stop the wanton destruction of the earth, or (most commonly) subtly influence mortals to do it for themselves.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion