Rillifane Rallathil

The Leaflord, The Wild One, The Great Oak, The Many-Branched, The Many-Limbed, The Old Man of the Wood

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)

Rillifane Rallathil is the elven god of protection of woodlands and the guardian of the harmony of nature.
The Leaflord was quiet, reflective and enduring over eons unchanged. He was the least flighty of the Seldarine, the least likely to act on a whim, and often grave and self-absorbed. Rillifane's avatar manifests only rarely, disliking direct action and preferring to act through his priests. When he did, it was usually in response to an attack on an elven habitat, and was heralded by sudden gusts of winds shaking leaves from trees.
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 world, 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 wood elves.

Appearance, Manifestations

Rillifane appears as a green-skinned elf clad in bark armor and carrying a magic bow that slays any target hit by one of its arrows.

Relationships & History

The Leaflord was on good terms with the Seldarine, as well as most sylvan and faerie deities.

Dogma

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 mortal agents in the natural world. Defend the great forests from those who seek to ravage their riches, leaving only destruction in their path. Contest the quick and 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.

Worshipers, Clergy & Temples

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 cleric 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 wood elves to educate other races and even other elven subraces how to better dwell in harmony with nature. In times of war, however, the leaders of each region unite the branches of the faith and wood elf warriors into a single force.
Rillifane's clerics are deadly enemies of those who hunt for sport or those who harm trees maliciously or unnecessarily. Rillifane's clergy is charged with rooting out and destroying sentient plants whose nature has been twisted by external forces into a warped perversion of nature.

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. The holy symbol of the faith is an acorn enclosed in amber.
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.

Hierarchy

Novices of Rillifane were known as Acorns. Full priests known as Oakhearts. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by priests of the Leaflord were Felsul, Silverbark, Laspar, Hiexal, Blueleaf, Phandar, Duskwood, Shadowtop and Weirwood. High-ranking priests had individual titles, while druids also had a title which reflects their position within that branch of the faith. Certain kinds of druids who have elected to follow a particular path of Rillifane are known as Skinwalkers.

Temples

Rillifane's temples are actually huge oak trees with platforms built among the branches and vine bridges connecting them to each other and platforms in adjoining trees. Shrines of the Leaflord, always a grand oak tree deep within the depths of a forest but too small to serve as a temple of the Leaflord, are chosen by members of Rillifane's clergy after receiving a dream or vision directing them to particular tree. Such shrines are marked by the priest with a carving of a small canary in the trunk about 2 feet from the ground. With the cutting back of forests and the subsequent growth of trees selected as shrines, it is not unheard of for such symbols to be discovered high above the ground and/or on the edge of a much-shrunken woods. Should a shrine be defiled in any way, the dedicating druid (or nearest worshiper of Rillifane if the druid is dead) instantly knows of the action and is expected to do everything possible to bring about the defiler's death.

Rituals

Clerics and druids of Rillifane pray for their spells at dawn, when the first rays of the life-giving sun spring over the horizon. Rillifane's faithful gather twice yearly at the 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. Wood elves 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. Many clerics and druids multiclass as rangers.

Orders

While rangers are not typically included in the church hierarchy of Rillifane, many such elven warriors do serve in loose fellowships affiliated with individual druid circles as the militant arm of the faith. Each such band of rangers has its own name, but collectively they are known as the Order of the Oakstaff

Divine Classification

Intermediate Elven Deity