Overview
Any folk that relies on the bounties of nature must first please the goddess. Chauntea is incredibly popular in lush, fertile lands, where her followers bask in the glory of her gifts. No matter where you travel in Terrania, you will see shrines, temples and icons celebrating her.
Worship
Chauntea worshippers focus on giving thanks to her blessings, and celebrating her bounties. We celebrate her return to our world in the spring, and weep her exit in Fall. The centers of worship are known as Golden Abbeys. From here the Priests of Chauntea, The Goldenhearts help guide the locals on how to best thank her for her blessings. There are free courses and classes on the planting and harvesting of the many crops grown in Terrania. And guidance about the seasons, weather and other useful information related to cultivation. In thanks, many in the communities surrounding the Golden Abbeys donate a portion of their crops, along with coin made from the sales to help sustain the institutions. Her places of worship try to give back as much as they receive, offering food to those who can't feed themselves and opening their stockpiles in times of famine. The Abbeys are important places during the winter, as they are usually best equipped to handle the shortages of food.
There are many holidays celebrated realted to Chauntea:
The Lavas Celebration -
Lore
Chauntea is the younger sister of
Auril, Goddess of Winter and Mountains and as such came much later into our world. Prior to the coming of Chauntea lived within Lathander's Sun and our world was entirely under the domain of Auril, who filled it with ice and cold. After an agreement between the Pantheon, Lathander sent Chauntea to Terrania. It is said that when Chauntea first touched upon this plane; she brought with her the warmth this plane had never experienced before. Soon after the eternal ice cover that encased the world began to recede. This angered Auril, who demanded Chauntea leave the world to her. Chauntea argued that as an inheritor of The Eternal, she had equal right to world as Auril did. Whenever Chauntea wandered, she brought warmth, growth and blossoms to the land she graced. Auril would immediately follower her, returning the land to ice and desolation.
Silvanus and
Mielikki seeing the destruction of the land caused by the two goddess's struggle sought to bring order and balance. They pleaded with the Goddesses to share the world, much in the same way as Silvanus and Mielikki have. Reluctantly, Chauntea and Auril agreed, and thus a rotation was agreed to. Chauntea would bless the world with her warmth for half the year; while Auril would return later to cover it in her blessing. And thus the seasons were born. To help the world prepare for the coming of Auril, it was agreed the Herald of Mielikki; Novura would grace the inbetween. His coloring of the tree's let all know the rule of Auril is on the horizon.
Iconography
Chauntea is represented by the Chauntean Bloom. It is a large pinkish-red flower which has an early bloom. It is believed the more robust the bloom, the more spectacular the year's harvest will be. Therefore, many people in agriculture cultivate the flower meticulously. The various shrines and icons devoted to her are often surrounded by beds of well maintained blooms.
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