Corellon Larethian

Creator of the Elves, The Protector, Protector and Preserver of Life, Ruler of All Elves, First of the Seldarine, Coronal of Arvandor

Symbol: Silver crescent moon
Home Plane: Arborea (Arvandor)
Alignment: Chaotic good
Portfolio: Elves, magic, arts and crafts, music, war
Worshipers: Elves, Alfar (half-elves), bards
Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG
Domains: Arcana, Life, War
Favored Weapon: Longsword

Corellon Larethian is the leader of the elven pantheon, and the very race of elves is said to have sprung from his blood during his many battles with Gruumsh of the orc pantheon. The Creator of the Elves embodies the highest ideals of elvenkind, and he is the patron of most aesthetic endeavors, including art, magic, music, poetry, and warfare. He is venerated by all the Fair Folk, except the drow and those who have turned to Lolth and other dark powers. Corellon is especially popular with elf and half-elf mages, musicians, and poets. When need be, he works as a powerful war deity with his longsword Sahandrian (which is made from a star).
The deity of elves, Corellon Larethian (core-eh-lon lah-reth-ee-yen), usually appears as an androgynous elf clad in a sky-blue cloak and armed with a longbow and longsword. He also wears a large, circular amulet that bears his crescent moon symbol. He has a lithe and swift look about him, and his movements are both swift and graceful.

Appearance, Manifestations

Corellon usually appears as an androgynous male elf (although he can assume the form of either sex), with long blond hair. He is the epitome of elven elegance, unearthly beauty and grace. Despite his obvious strength, the primary impression the Creator of the Elves radiates is that of litheness and swiftness, and he is possessed of incredible speed and reflex. He always wears a sky-blue cloak, a large amulet about his neck with a crescent moon motif within a large circle, and a pair of dazzling battle gauntlets.
While Corellon shares the elven trait of pride that may border arrogance, this never gets the better of him. He is a god with an endless willingness to learn from others and acts on it, even using mortals to discover new information, methods, and philosophies.

Relationships & History

Corellon is the elven pantheon's leader and was generally close with all of them, except Fenmarel Mestarine (who was once Lolth's lover). He was married to Sehanine.
He was allied with various deities from human pantheons who dealt with nature or magic as well with the leaders of the dwarven, gnomish and halfling pantheons, because to Corellon, human expansion was a source of fear.
Corellon had a long list of enemies, including Gruumsh and the Dark Seldarine (Lolth, Vhaeraun). Other enemies of his were the goblin and orc pantheon and many evil human gods.

Dogma The song of joy and the dance of freedom shall ever soar on the wings of those who dare take flight. Guard against the slow death of stultifying sameness by seeking out new experiences and new ways. Ward against those who seek only to destroy in their inability to create and commune with the natural and mystical world. Be ever vigilant in force of arms and might of magic against any return of the banished darkness, and also be strong in heart against the corruption from within which allowed the Spider Queen to foment chaos and evil.
Corellon spurs his people toward self-reliance, vigilance against danger, and appreciation of the world’s beauty. It is Corellon’s influence that leads elves to study magic and swordplay for the duration of their long lives, to serve as guardians and caretakers of the forests, and to appreciate aesthetic pleasures in spite of their warrior heritage.

Worshipers, Clergy & Temples

Priests of Corellon are expected to serve actively in the defense and artistic development of elven communities and to work to mediate disputes that arise among the Fair Folk or between the elves and other sylvan deities. In service to the Protector, many Corellite priests serve in the armed forces of their homeland, defending elven territories from the relentless expansion of other races and training their fellow elves in combat skills and magic. Others work closely with elven artisans and craftsmen instructing them in the skills they need to create works of wondrous beauty, as well as using their own creative talents in similar pursuits. Finally, members of Corellon's priesthood are often called upon to act as diplomats and arbitrators between the various clergies, the various subraces of elves, the various classes of elven society, and even between elven communities. While few priests of the Coronal of Arvandor actually serve as rulers or councilors, many work behind the scenes to ensure the smooth functioning of government. Among Corellon's worshipers are elves, eladrin, and their descendants, as well as many bards.

Vestments

Ceremonial vestments consist of azure robes made of gossamer and embroidered with silver quarter moons. Silver circlets engraved with the Protector's symbol are worn on the brow. The holy symbol of the faith is a silver or mithral lunate pendant worn on an slender chain hung from the neck.
When adventuring, Corellon's priests generally favor sky blue cloaks, elven chain mail, long swords, and long bows in conscious imitation of their divine patron. Clerics, restricted to bludgeoning weapons, favor clubs, slings, staff slings, and staves, although maces and flails are employed as well. Leather, studded leather armor, or elven chain mail is favored in situations requiring stealth, in addition to elven cloaks and boots, whereas elven chain mail or elven plate mail are favored in situations requiring direct melee combat.

Hierarchy

Novices of Corellon are known as the Faerna. Full priests of the Protector are known as the Faernsuora. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Corellite priests are Aegisess (Protector), Adoness (Peacekeeper), Kerynsuoress (Holy Warrior), Ivae'ess (Lightbringer), Avae'ess (Joy-bringer), Syolkiir (Wildstar), Lateu'suoress (Crescent-Moon blessed), Araegisess (Great Protector), Aradoness (Great Peacekeeper), and Ark-erynsuoress (Great Holy Warrior). High-ranking priests have unique individual titles but are collectively known as the Cormiira (Blessings of Corellon). Specialty priests are known as Feywardens.

Temples

Corellon is venerated in rocky areas of natural beauty, always with a special place for viewing the moon and stars. Temples of the Protector are rare, however, since the elves are individualistic when it comes to his worship. Shrines are more common, but they are little more than clearings with a good view of the sky. His temples are shaped from great natural geological formations, including shallow caves entered from above, natural amphitheaters, and great rock spires. Trees and other plants are woven into such edifices, resulting in great natural cathedrals woven of stone and plants.

Rituals

Prayer times for his clerics are at night, preferably when the moon is highest in the sky.
Corellon's faithful celebrate a great number of holy days, most of which are tied to astronomical events and occur only once every few years (such as Shieldmeet) or decades. Of particular import, once per lunar month, when the crescent moon softly illuminates the night sky, Corellon's faithful gather in moonlit glades to celebrate the gifts of their deity in a festival known as Lateu'quor, the Forest Communion of the Crescent Moon. Devotees of the Protector offer up their praises through music, song, dance, and the offering up of their most beautiful creations. True works of art are sometimes brought up to Arvandor so as to be appreciated by the spirits of those elves who dwell among the Seldarine, while others are kept within Corellon's shrines and temples so that the Fair Folk of Faerûn may wonder at the fruits of Corellon's greatest gift, creativity.
On rare occasions such revels spontaneously unleash a glorious magical ceremony whose results are guided only by the Creator of the Elves. Sometimes the landscape is reshaped, and the site is thereafter considered sacred to the Protector. At other times, the communal magic coalesces into an item-usually a sword, long bow, set of cloak and boots, suit of elven mail, or musical instrument-of unearthly beauty. Such items are then enchanted by Corellon's senior-most priests and are thereafter considered holy relics of the faith.

Orders

Corellon is the divine patron of many knightly orders, many of which claim to trace their heritage and membership hack to the Time of Flowers. Such orders are typically composed largely of crusaders, warriors, and wizards (particularly fighter-mages), but their composition has varied widely over the millennia and from culture to culture.
Notable orders in ages past have included the Knights of the Golden Wyrm, the Blade of Sahandrian, the Fey Staghorns, and the Swords of the Seldarine. Outside of elven homelands, the most frequently encountered agents of an elven knightly order belong to the Fellowship of the Forgotten Flower, a loosely structured organization dedicated to the recovery of lost elven relics from long-abandoned elven realms.

Divine Classification

Elven Greater Deity