Rillifane Rallathil

The Leaflord, The Wild One, The Great Oak, The Many-Branched, The Many-Limbed, The Old Man of the Yuirwood (a.k.a. Bear, Eagle, Raven, Wolf, Relkath of the Infinite Branches, Magnar the Bear)

Rillifane Rallathil (RILL-ih-fane RALL-uh-thihl) is protector of the woodlands and guardian of the harmony of nature. He is often likened by his priests to a giant ethereal oak tree, so huge that its roots mingle with the roots of every other plant in the Realms, that stands at the heart of Arvandor, the High Forest of Olympus. The great tree draws into itself all the ebb and flow of seasons and lives within the woodlands of the green elves. At the same time, it defends and sustains those lands against disease, predation, and assaults of all kinds. The Leaflord is the patron of the Sy-Tel'Quessil and revered by many voadkyn.
When the Sy-Tel'Quessir settled the Yuirwood, the Seldarine merged with the ancient gods of the Yuir, transforming them into aspects of the various powers of the elven pantheon. Both Magnar the Bear and Relkath of the Infinite Branches, also known as Many-Limbed, Many-Branched, and the Old Man of the Yuirwood, became aspects of the Leaflord. Relkath easily merged with and slowly reinvigorated a primitive facet of the Leaflord's nature that had been slowly overshadowed over the ages by the increasingly tamed way of life of the Fair Folk, even among the Sy-Tel'Quessir. As a result of this subtle change of heart, in the centuries since absorbing Relkath, Rillifane's primordial spirit has returned to the fore to great effect.
Concurrently, the Sy-Tel'Quessir and Cha'Tel'Quessir (half-elves of the Yuirwood) have rediscovered the ways of their most primitive ancestors and reforged their tribal cultures, eschewing the formation of successors to the great green elven civilizations such as Illefarn, Thearnytaar, Eiellur, and Syorpiir. In contrast to the obvious impact of the absorption of Relkath by the Leaflord, Magnar the Bear was almost totally subsumed after being absorbed, and this aspect of Rillifane is little remembered even among Cha-Tel'Quessir. The half-elves of the Yuirwood speak only of Magnar's Great Sleep, a centuries-long hibernation from which the Bear has yet to emerge.
Much like Ubtao, Ulutiu, and Uthgar, Rillifane is served by a host of great spirits including the primeval Bear (comingled with Magnar the Bear by the Cha-Tel'Quessir), Eagle, Raven, and Wolf, among others. These aspects of the Leaflord are recognized only by the Sy-Tel'Quessir and a few Cha-Tel'Quessir and not by the other elven or half-elven subraces. Unlike those other powers' worshipers, however, Rillifane's followers do not venerate any one great spirit exclusively, although they may have done so in the distant past. Instead, the Leaflord's faithful call upon one or more spirits associated with their god as appropriate for the situation at hand. Rillifane is on good terms with all the Seldarine, as well as most sylvan and faerie powers. The Leaflord's primary concern is that all creatures have the opportunity to act out their roles in nature without abusing them, a concern Rillifane shares with Corellon Larethian, the great creator and protector of the Fair Folk. Solonor Thelandira and Rillifane work together closely to preserve and protect the natural world, but they do differ fundamentally on the issue of hunting. In the spirit of the alliance that binds the Great Archer and the Leaflord, Solonor does not permit his priests and followers to hunt within the woods where Rillifane's brooding, forbidding presence cautions against this, unless their need is great. While Rillifane permits hunting for food by hungry folk, he detests hunting for sport. Rillifane is closely allied with Emmantiensien the Treant-King and Silvanus the Oak Father.
The trio's conversations are many and seemingly endless to others, as none of the three is given to hasty thought or expression. Rillifane is always a respected guest at the Seelie Court, and aside from Emmantiensien, he is friendliest with Skerrit the Forester and often romantically linked with Verenestra the Oak Princess.
Rillifane is quiet, reflective, and enduring over eons unchanged. He is the least flighty of all the Seldarine, the least likely to act on a whim, and often grave and self-absorbed. The Leaflord rarely sends an avatar to the Prime, disliking direct action and preferring that his priests carry out his wishes. Rillifane's avatar appears only when major destruction of a Tel'Quessir (usually Sy-Tel'Quessir) habitat is threatened. The appearance of such an avatar is heralded by sudden gusts of wind shaking leaves from the trees, a sign unmistakable to his priests.

Divine Domains

Nature

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Oak tree

Tenets of Faith

The Great Oak draws energy from all the living creatures of the world and nourishes, sustains, and protects them from outside threats. Live in harmony with the natural world, allowing each living being the opportunity to serve out its natural purpose in life. As the Leaflord's countless branches, his faithful are to serve as his mortal agents in the natural world. Defend the great forests from those who would ravage their riches, leaving only destruction in their path. Contest both the quick and the slow death of Rillifane's bounty and hold strong like the great oaks in the face of those who can see only their own immediate needs.

Holidays

Rillifane's faithful gather twice yearly at the vernal and autumnal 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 that plays out beneath the Leaflord's boughs. The Transformation marks the arrival of autumn and the vibrant hues that bedeck the canopies of the Leaflord around this time. The Sy-Tel'Quessir 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.

Divine Goals & Aspirations

Day-to-Day Activities

The church of the Leaflord generally keeps to itself, extending itself only to help fellow elves and other sylvan beings. The church hierarchy is organized regionally and divided into branches, as each type of priest serves a specific role. The druids 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 those forests that remain. Many clerics serve as ambassadors of the faith, working outside the communities of the Sy-Tel'Quessir to educate other races and even other elven subraces how to better dwell in harmony with nature. The few mystics found within the clergy act much as individual druids do, eschewing the formal organization of the circles. In times of war, however, the leaders of each region unite the branches of the faith and the Sy-Tel'Quessir warriors into a single force.
Rillifane's priests are deadly enemies of those who hunt for sport or those who harm trees maliciously or unnecessarily. In particular, all priests of Rillifane have a great hatred for the priests of Malar, since the followers of the Beastlord often make elves the object of their hunts and their ethos is anathema to those who serve the Leaflord. Rillifane's priesthood is charged with rooting out and destroying sentient plants whose nature has been twisted by external forces into a warped perversion of nature. In particular, they seek to destroy hangman trees, obliviax, death's head trees, black willows, serpent vines, and any form of evil treant, including dark trees.

Priestly Vestments

The ceremonial garb of the Leaflord's priests includes a laurel wreath worn on the head and armor fashioned of tree bark. Dark green dyes are rubbed into the armor to show rank within the church, with the darkest hue reserved for the high priests of the faith. Tree bark armor provides protection equivalent to leather armor, but the wearer incurs a -1 penalty for all saving throws against fire. The holy symbol of the faith is an acorn enclosed in amber.

Adventuring Garb

When adventuring, members of Rillifane's clergy favor armor and weapons made from natural materials such as wood and animal parts, including those with magical enhancements.

Symbol: Oak tree
Home Plane: Arvandor
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Portfolio: Woodlands, nature, wild elves, druids
Worshipers: Druids, rangers, wild elves
Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG
Domains: Nature
Weapon: "The Oakstaff" (quarterstaff)
ALIASES: Bear, Eagle, Raven, Wolf, Relkath of the Infinite Branches, Magnar the Bear
ALLIES: Baervan Wildwanderer, Cyrrollalee, Eilistraee, Eldath, Emmantiensien, Mielikki, Sheela Peryroyl, Silvanus, Skerrit, Oberon, Osiris, Titania, Verenestra, the Seldarine, various Animal Lords
FOES: Malar, Moander (dead), Talos, the Queen of Air and Darkness, the drow pantheon (except Eilistraee)

Divine Classification

Power