Aerdrie Faenya (AIR-dree FAIN-yuh)
Aerdrie Faenya is the goddess of the Avariel, freedom and impulsive joy. She also takes fondly to the Glacial Elves as they are more of a free spirit, becoming free of all 'shackles' from their previous live.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Clergy, Church and Worshipers
Like all The Seldarine, Aerdrie is venerated by all elves save the Drow. However, aside from those winged elves who remain, very few of the Fair Folk primarily worship the Lady of Air and Wind. The Queen of the Avariel is seen as flighty, even for the chaotic Seldarine, and somewhat distant, and the inclusion of the aarakocra and other avian races slightly diminishes the strength of elven devotion to her. Elves who desire certain weather conditions make the most frequent sacrifices to Aerdrie. Her small church, also known as the Aerdrian is also popular with elves who possess flying mounts, such as asperii, dragons, giant eagles, griffons, hippogriffs, and pegasi. She is also called on by elves oppressed by overly lawful creatures. The church of Aerdrie Faenya is small, with little communication or organization between its scattered temples. Aerdrie's clergy is primarily concerned with exploration and maintaining good relations with sentient avian races (e.g., giant eagles and aarakocra). With the decline of the Avariel (wing elves), few elven clerics of the Wing Mother can fly without magical aid. As a result, many Winged Siblings work to create new spells and items by which magical flight is possible, and a not a few of their more adventuresome brethren seek lost relics of yore that permit the same. Similarly, members of Aerdrie's clergy raise winged steeds employed by the aerial cavalries of elven realms and tend cotes of fanciful birds from far-off lands to dwell in formal elven gardens and to supply the molted plumage employed in elven fashions. As servants of the Bringer of Rain and Storms, Aerdrie's clerics work closely with the small groups of elves involved in agriculture and horticulture to ensure favorable weather for their crops. Winged Brothers and Sisters are also charged with destroying evil flying creatures. Clerics of Aerdrie Faenya pray for their spells are dawn, when the first hint of a breeze often drifts across the land. Aerdrie Faenya is worshiped by almost all aarakocra anywhere in Theras, and she is known to appear to them in the form of a brilliant white giant bird. The feathers that fell from her plumage during these apparitions became some of the most treasured items in an aarakocran nest. Some of the djinn of Arqmati also paid homage to Aerdrie Faenya, and she had a mosque at their Citadel of Ice and Steel.Priestly Vestments
Ceremonial garb for priests of Aerdrie consists of sky-blue robes, with those of high rank wearing the darkest shades. Feathers are used in decorating their clothing and armor, and at least one feather is worn in the hair. The holy symbol of the faith is a feather of great beauty, willingly given after molting by a sentient avian who venerates the Winged Mother. A new feather must be found at least once per year. When adventuring, Aerdrie's priests prefer light, flexible armor that maximizes maneuverability and minimizes weight and drag. Streamlined helms, carved to resemble stylized bird heads and padded to reduce concussions, are secured with leather chin straps. Missile weapons—particularly javelins and elven bows with flight arrows—are commonly employed in combat. If at all possible, priests of Aerdrie who lack wings of their own obtain wings of flying or similar magical means of flight. At the very least, they seek to train a steed capable of flight, such as an asperii, dragon, giant eagle, griffon, hippogriff, or Pegasus.Hierarchy
Novices of Aerdrie are known as Eaglets or the Tethered. Full priests of the Winged Mother are known as Winged Brothers or Sisters. Titles used by Aerdrian priests vary widely from temple to temple, with many high-ranking priests having unique individual titles. Among the priest caste of the winged elves of Mount Sundabar, commonly employed titles include Aquiline Hunter, Cloud Walker, Feathered Dancer, Rain Bringer, Rising Thermal, Silent Screech, Sky Diver, Soaring Spirit, and Wind Chaser. Specialty priests are known as halcyons.Temples
While the Winged Mother's shrines are little more than alpine ledges, accessible only to those creatures capable of flight, Aerdrie's temples are delicate crystalline spires bedecked with glass chimes whose ringing tones peal across mountain valleys, borne by swirling winds. Small open-mouthed caves, connected by short tunnels that honeycomb the peaks on which the goddess's temples rest, allow access to Aerdrie's glass-enclosed chapels and permit the wind to whistle through the heart of the peak.Tenets of Faith
The ever-changing reaches of the sky are the great gift of the Winged Mother. Take flight into her windswept embrace, and gambol amid the clouds. Honor those who dwell with the Aerdrie and cherish the birds dancing on her tresses. Change is beautiful and chaos births new life. Ascend, soar, glide, dive, and ascend again and relish in the freedom that the Winged Mother bequeaths.
Holidays
The Dance of Swirling Winds, is held semiannually on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, celebrate the changing seasons and honors the Winged Mother. The winds always blow strongly on such days, wherever Aerdrie's followers gather. Celebrants offer beautiful feathers and join in an aerial ballet danced to the music of wind instruments played by some of the participants. Those who lack wings or magical means of flight sometimes levitate as a gift of the deity herself. Many clerics and druids multiclass as sorcerers or rangers.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Aerdrie Faenya cuts an imposing figure. Tall and elven-like, her hair and eyebrows shimmer with the iridescence of feathers, constantly shifting in hue. From her back erupt a pair of magnificent wings, their plumage a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colors. These powerful appendages blur as she moves, a testament to her love for the boundless sky. Her lower body, however, remains unseen, shrouded in a perpetual swirl of mist that never quite touches the ground. Aerdrie appears to be a creature of the air itself, forever in motion.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
The echoes of the god's war still resonate. Legends whisper of a pact struck between the gods and the elemental primordials, a pact that forever intertwined Aerdrie Faenya's essence with Akadi. This truth remains veiled from most elves, a secret known only to a select few. The Avariel, however, vehemently reject even the suggestion of such a connection, branding it heresy.
Within Glacial Elves' societies, she is regarded as kind of a savior, as she offered a solution to the Nevae Kash.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Restless and ever-moving, she finds no pleasure in staying still. The wind is her song, its whispers and roars a symphony to her ears. She delights in conjuring unpredictable weather patterns, even unleashing the fury of a violent thunderstorm at times. But her greatest pleasure lies in the sheer exhilaration of rushing through the air, the wind whipping past her as the world unfolds beneath her.
A distant deity, Aerdrie Faenya rarely involves herself directly in elven affairs. More chaotic than the other Seldarine, she holds a particular fondness for the Avariel, the winged subrace of elves who most closely mirror her own love for the open sky.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Aerdrie served Corellon Larethien, working closely with the rest of The Seldarine. She opposed the Dark Seldarine, with the exception of Eilistraee. Aerdrie also works against the Deities of destruction and was allied with like-minded deities of wind, flight and rain;
Titles:
Bringer of Rain and Storms;Lady of Air and Wind;
Queen of the Avariel;
She of the Azure Plumage;
Mercy of the Glacial Elves;
The Winged Mother;
Alignment
Chaotic Good
Realm
Church/Cult
Children
Aligned Organization
Ruled Locations
| LG | NG | CG |
| LN | N | CN |
| LE | NE | CE |
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