Ehlonna
Ehlonna, the foremost deity of nature, embodies various facets such as the hunter, Ranger, woman of the woods, and goddess of fertility. Among the elves, she is known as "Ehlenestra", and goes by titles like the Lady of the Forest, the Supreme Ranger, and the Sylvan Matron. As a neutral good goddess, Ehlonna presides over autumn, forests, and forest beings like dryads, serving as the patron deity for druids and rangers across different pantheons.
An ancient entity, Ehlonna's concern extends to all aspects of woodland life, acting as the patron saint for those who derive their livelihood from the forest while emphasizing respect for its flora and fauna. She imparts teachings of living in harmony with the woodland environment, advocating for the utilization of its resources with restraint and gratitude. According to Ehlonna, the forest's abundance is a sacred gift to be treasured, not exploited for personal gain.
While gentle and benevolent, Ehlonna displays firm resolve against evil humanoids and marauders who threaten the sanctity of the wooded regions. Possessing a good-humored disposition, she exudes confidence in her actions and is fiercely loyal and protective of her allies. However, she exercises caution in forming friendships, prioritizing loyalty and trust. Unlike Silvanus, she demonstrates compassion by intervening to heal injured creatures, unable to bear their suffering as part of the natural cycle of life.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Clergy, Temples and Worshippers
Ehlonna serves as the revered patron of all individuals aligned with goodness who hold a deep affection for the forests. Her worshipers encompass a diverse array of forest-dwellers, including hunters, trappers, foresters, rangers, woodcutters, and more. Particularly attuned to Ehlonna's domain are brownies, elves, gnomes, and halflings, who readily offer their assistance in her service. Known as Ehlonnai, many of Ehlonna's clerics reside within forested regions, maintaining amicable relationships with local rangers, druids, elves, and fae. They stand as vigilant guardians against the incursions of malevolent forces, loggers, and others intent on exploiting or despoiling the woodlands. Initially adopting a gentle yet resolute approach when confronting intruders, Ehlonna's clerics may escalate to ruthlessness if met with persistent hostility. A significant number of her clergy also undertake endeavors such as teaching woodcraft, planting trees, or both. The church of Ehlonna holds a favorable reputation in wilderness areas, where rangers often serve as the primary defense against frontier perils. While perceptions may vary, many view her clergy as more inclined toward achieving a harmonious coexistence between settlement and environmental preservation compared to the followers of Silvanus or the forest-dwelling elves. Additionally, her church is deemed essential in counterbalancing the feral brutality often associated with the Lord of the Beasts devotees.Priestly Vestments
The Ehlonnai usually wear practical clothes to roam the woods, women only wearing dresses for certain ceremonies. Whatever the outfit adopted, the dominant color is always light green. While Ehlonnai's ceremonial attire includes trousers, brown boots, and a short cape made by dryads from spider silk, dyed with natural colors. The cape conceals armor, typically chain mail, during wartime. Seasonal colors vary, with each featuring a base color and accent. A unicorn's head emblem of Ehlonna is always worn over the heart.Hierarchy
The most experienced priests are content to supervise the youngest, while they really get to know the forest, and to coordinate large-scale actions.Temples
Ehlonna's sacred sites typically manifest as humble clearings, encircled by towering trees and open sky serving as the sole canopy. Yet, scattered throughout forest settlements, one may stumble upon modest chapels, their presence blending seamlessly into the woodland surroundings. Deep within the heart of the forest, concealed cabins provide sanctuaries of worship. Here, healers and rangers stand prepared to escort travelers safely through the wooded expanse. Additionally, within villages adjacent to expansive forests, small shrines frequently adorn the landscape, offering spiritual solace to local inhabitants.Rituals
Clerics and spellcasting rangers devoted to Ehlonna engage in prayer for spells during both the morning and evening, honoring the rhythms of dawn and dusk. Through meditation and deep reflection, they attune themselves to the subtle murmurs of the woodland, gaining insight into nature's whispers. Once a month, each cleric or druid fulfills the Song of Trees ritual, summoning a dryad or treant to aid them in humble tasks for a day. Religious gatherings feature modest meals, often comprising forest fruits and berries, accompanied by wine and music from flutes, pipeaus, and lyres, with bards adding to the ambiance whenever possible. Prayers to Ehlonna highlight the forest's positive attributes, emphasizing fertility and the interconnectedness of life. Ceremonies are conducted amidst the woodland backdrop whenever feasible, incorporating rituals that honor the various facets of fertility, with children taking part in the more innocent aspects of the rites.Day-to-Day Activities
Ehlonna's clerics focus on safeguarding nature, particularly forests, against threats of evil and ignorance. They travel among rural communities bordering forests, advocating for the preservation and reverence of trees and woodland life. By promoting responsible forest stewardship, they strive to curb further expansion of civilization into pristine woodlands. When necessary, they defend the forests with martial prowess. Rangers of the faith aid and defend the clergy while also supporting the followers of Soryna and Silvanus. They oppose practitioners of fire magic and encourage urban and rural dwellers to see forests as havens of tranquility and natural beauty rather than untamed wilderness to be feared. The church of Ehlonna comprises scattered members who seldom gather in large assemblies for extended periods.Tenets of Faith
- Living in harmony with the wild does not necessitate its destruction.
- Hunting is for the soul and balance of nature, never for greed.
- Embrace the wild without fear, acknowledging its inherent goodness.
- Maintain balance and seek understanding of life's hidden ways, emphasizing the positive aspects of the wild.
- Prevent unnecessary deforestation and forest fires.
- Reside in the forest as an integral part of its natural order, avoiding unnecessary conflict.
- Safeguard every tree and defend forest life, striving to restore disrupted harmony.
- Educate others on coexisting harmoniously with nature and condemn hunting for sport or cruelty to wildlife.
- Ensure future generations inherit a world where the wild thrives under responsible stewardship.
Holidays
The Four Beasts
The most sacred ceremonies within the faith, termed the Four Festivals, align with the equinoxes and solstices. During these occasions, adherents assemble in woodland sanctuaries to embrace the sensory pleasures of life, extolling the Lady of the Forest with harmonious hymns. The celebrations during Greengrass and Midsummer night mirror the essence of the Four Festivals, enriched by planting rituals and the thrilling Wild Ride, granting devout believers the rare chance to ride unicorns bareback through the forest.Turning Ceremony
In many rural communities, a longstanding festival continues to draw crowds. Children, typically aged 7, are led into the forest, where they are blindfolded and separated from one another, walking barefoot. Their challenge is to find their way back to the village, guided only by songs and a grand bonfire illuminating the path. Upon their return, each child stands before the fire, whispering their true name, believed to have been discovered during their journey. Rangers, priests of Ehlonna, and sometimes elves silently ensure the children's safety throughout the forest. Spotting one of these guardians is regarded as a positive sign.Festival of the Hunt
Unlike the holidays of Menas, these holiday is a celebration of a special hunting of a monster, or perhaps a culling of endangering species which are poised to imbalance the natural cycle of an area. In the rare cases, this is also a call for action against the Wild Hunt. Few members of the circles of druids, rangers, use those festivals for crusades against enemies of nature.Seasonal ceremonies
Winter ceremonies - Winter Solstice
These rituals honor nature's resilience in the face of winter's harshness. With lambing season underway, milk offerings are customary. As the sun begins its ascent anew, mirroring the birth of lambs, the start of a fresh year is heralded.Spring ceremonies - Spring Equinox
These rites celebrate the rejuvenating power of the sun. Grand fires illuminate the procession of common folk, who lead their cattle and scatter grain, symbolizing the sun's vitality and its role in safeguarding against disease among herds.Summer ceremonies - Summer Solstice
These celebrations exalt the vitality and splendor of nature. They are the pinnacle of the year's festivities, inaugurating vibrant fairs where people adorn themselves with flower garlands, offerings to the nature deities.Fall ceremonies - Fall Equinox
These observances honor the bountiful harvest and inspire grand festivities. Communities gather to present their first fruits to the gods, accompanied by lively dances and libations. Bonfires blaze atop hills, ensuring abundance to stave off winter's hunger.Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Ehlonna is portrayed diversely as either an elven or human figure, often seen alongside unicorns and other sylvan beings. In her human guise, she manifests as a brunette woman, while as Ehlenestra, she embodies a golden-haired elven maiden. Her eyes range from deep blue to striking violet. Attired either in the functional attire of a ranger or the opulent gown of an elven royal, she wields a longbow that unfailingly finds its mark.
In her human form, Ehlonna possesses a unique influence over horses, while as Ehlenestra, she commands unicorns with similar mastery.
Other Manifestation
Ehlonna manifests in two favored avatars. As the Supreme Ranger, she embodies a tall woman of robust stature and fluid grace, moving akin to a leaping buck or prowling panther. Her flowing russet hair cascades around her shoulders and down her back, complementing her large, deep brown eyes. Clad in practical leather armor typical of rangers, she dons attire of muted greens and browns. In her alternate form as the Sylvan Matron, she assumes the guise of a youthful maiden adorned with hair of golden moss and leaves. Wrapped in diaphanous robes of yellow and green, she is often accompanied by summer songbirds, even in the coldest of seasons. Regardless of her chosen manifestation, Ehlonna stands at a towering height of 10 feet (3 meters), her voice resonating in a rich, low purr. She moves gracefully, seemingly walking on air, leaving no trace or sound behind. While occasionally adorned with stag's antlers, she has displayed them less frequently since the adoption of black antlers as Baisha's symbol. When not assuming one of her favored avatars, Ehlonna often manifests in the form of a luminous white unicorn, gracefully traversing the skies of Theras with an ethereal glow. This celestial steed possesses the ability to teleport at will across the realm, communicate telepathically with all living beings, and channel magical energies through the touch of its alicorn. Alternatively, she may appear as a shimmering, floating light, radiating hues of blue-white or green, gold, and rust, enabling her to speak, manipulate objects, and wield her mystical powers. In subtler encounters, her presence is felt amidst the enchantment of unicorns and within the hearts of those who walk in harmony within the woodland realms. Among her faithful, it is believed that Ehlonna's most prevalent manifestation is her gentle voice, forever resonating through the forests in the rustling of leaves. Through periods of meditation and introspection, devout followers may attune themselves to these whispers, finding wisdom and guidance within. Some bards and rangers endeavor to transcribe these messages, although the content varies with each attempt, generally imparting lessons on forest preservation and wildlife conservation. Prolonged exposure to these whispers purportedly enhances one's skills in tracking, survival, and zoology. In her divine work, Ehlonna may dispatch a retinue of mystical beings such as dryads, satyrs, sprites, swanmays, treants, and unicorns, along with various forest creatures like hawks, wolves, and songbirds.Special abilities
Ehlonna's tracking abilities surpass even those of Menas, making her an unparalleled master Ranger and Druid proficient in all aspects of survival, hunting, and wilderness lore. She possesses exceptional skills in bowmaking and excels in combat against her favored enemies: undead, shapechangers, dragons, giants, and animals. Instantly attuned to any threat against the forests, she remains vigilant against actions that despoil or endanger these sacred realms.
With the exception of necromancy and illusion spells, Ehlonna wields magic from all schools and spheres, excluding the reversed, harmful forms of healing and necromantic sphere spells. Immune to necromancy spells and their harmful variants, her touch annihilates undead. She enhances spells from the animal and plant spheres, doubling their potency and resistance, and commands the full spectrum of spells and powers from the Animal, Good, Plant, and Travel domains.
Through her divine influence, Ehlonna can effortlessly summon treants by touching any tree and summon twelve forest creatures of one type every two minutes, commanding their unwavering loyalty. She has dominion over vast packs of wolves, flocks of hawks, or even unicorns, and can communicate with animals, bestowing upon them increased size or intelligence or inducing sleep. Shielded from all forms of mind-altering effects within her presence, she possesses a formidable psionic defense known as intellect fortress.
In combat, Ehlonna demonstrates prowess with twin scimitars, known as her hornblades, and archery, although she prefers hand-to-hand combat when necessary. Her arrows, imbued with life-giving energy, transform the land where they strike, fostering the rapid growth of forest vegetation and entangling adversaries in their midst.
Specialized Equipment
When in battle, Ehlonna sometimes fights with her two scimitar-sized hornblades, known as the Hornblades, which she sometimes loan to mortal rangers who embark on great quests on her behalf. She also has her longbow, named Hartsong.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Ehlonna wasn't always one of the greatest power of the Theras. She had begun as a Demi-Power, being a daughter of Silvanus and she took a less than a neutral stance within the world.
She was always an advesary of enemies of nature and also Menas. By 630 AB, she along with The Forest Cleaners had ventured into Land of the Hunt and in a battle of wits and discipline, managed to become an intermediate deity while preventing Menas from achieving Greater Power status by becoming the main power of Hunting.
By Dissolving of the woods, Ehlonna received some of the divine essence of Silvanus and managed to strengthen her position, by making peace with the Elemental lords, Istishia, Grumbar, Kossuth and Akadi, resulting in the foundation of the The Circle of Elemental Harmony.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Ehlonna embodies peace and advocates kindness toward all living beings, using her healing abilities altruistically, irrespective of their identity. Often perceived as reticent, she exudes a gentle demeanor.
Despite her affable nature and self-assuredness, Ehlonna exhibits reluctance in formal settings and leading large gatherings, reserving her full confidence for intimate circles. She forms friendships cautiously but fiercely defends and safeguards those she holds dear, reflecting the quintessential traits of a ranger.
While acknowledging death as a natural aspect of existence, Ehlonna cannot passively tolerate suffering or loss among animals or allies. Instead, she proactively administers healing to alleviate their distress, rejecting the notion of leaving them to succumb to the cycle of life embraced by Silvanus.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Ehlonna is the daughter of Silvanus and sister of Soryna. Cedelia serves her, and Lurue the Unicorn is her mount when she rides into battle. Ehlonna is friendly with Atgeldes and Helios and opposes evil-aligned deities, particularly Menas, Garyx, and Ella'li.
She was known to cooperate with Sarenrae and their clergies as well, are cooperating more by divine decree.
Titles:
Guardian of the Wilds;Ehlenestra;
Patroness of Nature;
Arboreeal Sovereign;
The Forest Queen;
Our Lady;
The Supreme Ranger;
Sylvan Matron;
Daughter to Silvanus;
Divine Classification
Religions
Alignment
Neutral Good
Realm
Children
Other Affiliations
| LG | NG | CG |
| LN | N | CN |
| LE | NE | CE |
Orders
Ehlonna Druids
Druids embody their goddess's love for forests, nurturing the flora and fauna while opposing the depredations of evil humanoids. They form alliances with Sylvan creatures to safeguard woodland realms. Although they maintain a neutral alignment, their actions often lean towards the side of good, drawing both admiration and criticism from fellow druids.Unicorn's Grace Order
The Unicorn's Grace Order, a small religious society, comprises traveling healers dedicated to providing aid to the wounded, whether people, animals, or plants. Their devotion to Ehlonna aligns them with the Church of Ehlonna and the Greenward Knights.Greenward Knights
As a quasi-religious knighthood of the woods, the Shadoweirs are zealous activists committed to defending sacred forests. They aggressively promote the restoration of ancient woodlands threatened by civilization's encroachment, staunchly opposing its relentless assault on their ancestral lands.Woodland Guardians Alliance
Dedicated to safeguarding the many woodlands, this group operates with a flexible organizational structure, lacking formal leadership. Members convene periodically to share information on potential threats and recruit and train new defenders. Each member swears an oath to protect the forest and typically worships a deity of good alignment, often Ehlonna.
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