Silvanus (Oak Father)

Silvanus[note 1] (pronounced: /sɪlˈvɑːnʌs/ sihl-VANN-us[16][19][21][27]) was the Celtic and Faerunian power of wild nature,[21] standing in contrast to the more ordered, agrarian nature represented by the goddess Chauntea
Description Silvanus had both an old and young avatar form that he was known to manifest in.[19] His old form was known as the Old Father. It took the form of an old, bearded human male face, either floating midair among trees or sprouting from the trunk of an especially large and old tree. The flesh of this form was always brown, gray, and fissured like old wood.[19] His young form was known as the Young Strider. This was a young,[26][28] long-limbed humanoid male,[21][26][28] with particularly long legs,[22] dressed in a suit of armor made of leaves and wielding a wooden mallet.[19][21][22][28] He most often assumed this form when a sacred grove was threatened or a circle of druids was attacked during their worship.[26] Another form he was known to manifest as was the Horned Hunter,[26] an entity similar in appearance to his fellow Celtic god Cerunnos.[29] This form was an always silent man with burning white eyes, sporting a set of stag antlers and shaggy brown fur that was almost bark-like. This form always appeared among the trees, often just to indicate something by a gesturing, nodding, or pointing before disappearing.[26]
Personality Typical of nature deities, some described Silvanus as being wild and unpredictable, much like nature itself.[4] He was chiefly concerned with nature itself,[18] specifically wild nature,[28] in both its natural beauty and fierce savagery.[4] Caring very little for maintaining a proper balance with civilization,[18][30] being wrathful towards those who threaten wild places.[27] He paid no attention to the machinations of mortals or other deities.[18] When it came to nature itself, he cared greatly for maintaining a balance between growth and decay,[3][4][27][28][30] water and drought, fire and ice[27][28][30] — the natural cycle of life.[27][28][31] This was considered to be his dogma[27][28] and he was emotionally distant in regards to its necessity.[27] This led some to view him as heartless, though in reality he valued all life.[30] He had a special hatred for those who used fire carelessly or with deliberate intention to cause destruction.
Relationships A gathering of the gods of nature: Mielikki and her unicorn, Chauntea, Eldath, and Silvanus. Silvanus did not have many allies, nor did he have many enemies.[18] In the Faerûnian pantheon he was allied with and served by fellow non-evil deities of animals and nature.[27] Such as Eldath, Mielikki,[24][33] and Shiallia.[34] The first viewed him as a father figure, but often found his robustness intimidating,[35] while the second had crafted the banish blight spell partially as a gift to him.[36] Other allies of Silvanus included Chauntea and Lathander[37] — who he at times he would work with in their efforts against the Gods of Fury.[24][33] As well as Ki, nature goddess of the Untheric pantheon.[38] He was considered an enemy by Moander, Malar, Talona, and Talos.[39] He actively opposed the latter three, as their love for destruction often upset the balance of nature.[27]
Worshipers Silvanus had both clerics and druids in his faith, though their presence varied by location,[21] with druids being the more prominent due to his narrow focus on wild nature without concern for balance.[27][18][22] One could even find halfling druids revering him over their own pantheon's nature deity, though this was a rare occurrence.[40][41][note 2] Some barbarians,[42] hermits, wilderness dwellers,[4] and rangers also worshiped him.[4][43] His clergy often worked together with the clergy of his allies, Mielikki and Eldath, towards common goals.[24][33][44] With the latter two being instructed to support, protect, and (if the need arose) obey the clergy of Silvanus.[44] These included protecting the wilderness from further encroachment by civilization,[4] such as the felling of trees and limiting farms or ranches to already cleared land. Also the fighting of diseases, planting new plants, and fighting those who did the bidding of Malar.[27][31] His worship was widespread across the east and south of Tethyr, especially in the Forest of Tethir,[45] in the Dalelands,[46] the Moonshae Isles, the Chondalwood of the Vilhon Reach, and the Yuirwood in Aglarond.[30]
History Silvanus originated as a member of the Celtic pantheon.[47][48] Around the time of the rise of Netheril,[49] a wave of planar immigrants came from another world[48] and settled on Toril. One of these groups of people came from a rugged land with a culture tied to nature, the sea, and the warrior history of its dozen-king greater god. They brought along with them their own style of society and faiths,[49] the worship of Celtic deities, such as Silvanus.[48] As was a common practice in the Celtic pantheon whenever it established itself on a world, Silvanus would go on to join one of the local pantheons,[50] seeing as he was being pushed out of power in his own