Erastil

Erastil (pronounced eh-RAS-til) is one of the oldest gods still worshiped in Avistan. His religion dates back to before the Age of Darkness when small farming communities and hunter-gatherers prayed to him for bountiful harvests and successful hunts. He is a god of the hunt and of farming, leading his followers by example and good deeds rather than flowery rhetoric. Jala Highstepper maintains a shrine to Erastil at the Farmer's Guildhouse.

History

Erastil is an elder deity, his worship hearkening back to the time when mankind first set about harnessing the wilderness and mastering nature. Legends claim that it was Old Deadeye himself who crafted the first bow and gifted it to humans, a gift to assist them in overcoming the challenges of the world. Even as the accomplishments of civilization mount, Erastil continues to embrace and represent the simpler pleasures life has to offer.

Relationships

Erastil teaches his followers to embrace traditional and simpler ways of life, free of the constraints of modern civilization, a trait that often results in disagreements with more progressive deities such as Abadar; this difference in opinion leads to increasing conflict between these deities' respective clergies.
Unlike many other good deities, Erastil does not send his followers out into the world to fight and crush evil. Eschewing crusades and other ventures that take his followers away from their homes, Erastil watches over those who devote their lives to family and community. He is primarily an agricultural deity, specifically focusing on those aspects of nature that either can be tamed or are of use to his followers. His domain encompasses the plants and animals that farmers, hunters, and ranchers deal with in their everyday lives. While he is a protective deity, Erastil steps in only when quiet, pastoral lives are threatened. He desires his followers to live their lives in peace, with no risk of being conscripted into armies, devoured by monsters, or destroyed by magic.

Appearance and Emissaries

Depictions of Erastil are commonplace in the homes of his followers. Such images usually portray the Ulfen deity as either an aged human with the bow and gear of a trapper, or as an elk-headed humanoid. These depictions often show Old Deadeye holding fast against various beasts and animals of the wilds. In times of need, Erastil has also been known to appear to lost hunters in the form of a stag.

Servants

Creatures held in high esteem by Old Deadeye include elk, deer, and other hooved animals. Those who please Erastil are often rewarded by increased yields, both from farm and field, while earning his disfavor can lead to damaged or ruined crops and poor hunting. Erastil's herald is known as the Grim White Stag. It has the appearance of a gigantic white stag with branches in place of its antlers and vines wrapping around its legs. The following extraplanar allies can be summoned through planar ally. Because many of Erastil's priests are low-level, his servants have responded to summons through summon monster or summon nature's ally spells.
Arangin
This servant is a ruby-toned heavy horse that understands Common but does not speak.
Blackfeather
This servant is an eagle-archer that has the power of shape-shifting.
Proudsnout
This servant of Erastil is a divine boar.
Scorchbark
This minion is a young treant who possesses a rather brash temperament.

Church of Erastil

Erastil teaches his followers to embrace tradition and the old ways. Many of Old Deadeye's faithful never even enter a city, and his faithful can be found in nearly any wild or untamed region across Avistan; his worship is particularly well established in the nations of Andoran, Cheliax, Galt, Isger, the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, Molthune, Nirmathas, the River Kingdoms, and Varisia.

Worshipers and Clergy

The faithful of Erastil can be found in nearly every wilderness community in Avistan. They usually choose to live simple lives and practice his teachings away from the complications of more advanced societies. The members of Old Deadeye's clergy are active in their respective communities, leading by example and serving in various capacities as needed by those that live around them. The clergy's formal dress is kept simple to reflect their deity's tastes; a simple cloak of fur or leather, usually accompanied by Erastil's holy symbol burned into the hide or worn as part of a wooden clasp.

Temples and Shrines

Sites dedicated to Erastil are simple affairs, even in more civilized locations; shrines are usually nothing more than a wooden building or house serving communities of his faithful. Just as Old Deadeye emphasizes the simple things in life, his shrines focus on providing for his follower's more practical needs. Ceremony and formality are often abandoned in such locations, which instead act simply as a place to pray, or to sleep.

Holy Texts

Parables of Erastil
This book acts as a guide and almanac for the followers of Erastil; it includes information on strengthening one's family, farming, and wilderness skills.
Holidays
Erastil's worshipers celebrate Planting Week on the Vernal Equinox, Archer's Day on the 3rd of Erastus and Harvest Feast on the Autumnal Equinox.

Titles
Old Deadeye Edicts
Care for your home and family, fulfill your duties, keep the peace, protect the community Anathema
Abandon your home in its time of need, choose yourself over your community, tarnish your reputation, tell lies Areas of Concern
Family, farming, hunting, and trade

Constellations