Araleth Letheranil (AIR-ah-leth leh-THAIR-an-ill)

The Prince of Stars, the Twilight Rider

One of the younger generation of elven deities, Araleth Letheranil is the adventurous power of starlight and twilight. He is a deity of the night, but not a deity of darkness; he represents the beauty of a starlit night, and shining a light into the dark to keep hidden evils at bay. He is earnest and somewhat impetuous, always ready to combat those who threaten elven peoples.
Araleth is one of a group of younger elven deities called the "Second Born," so named because their emergence into the pantheon came after the great formative events from Corellon's battle with Gruumsh and the banishment of Lolth. He is typically seen as a child of Corellon and Sehanine, and thus referred to as the Prince of Stars. As with most of the elven deities, however, there are contradictory myths on his origin, with some portraying him as having sprung fully formed from the starlight that witnessed the elven grief and anger over the Descent of the Drow. The aftermath of those events has had a great influence on Araleth's formation, for he has become among the most militant of the elven powers. His myths are full of tales of daring exploits and desperate combat with the foes of the elven races, and these myths have inspired many an adventuring band over the centuries.
Araleth's most famous myth varies in the telling, but always culminates in a battle with Lolth herself, which leaves him with a visible scar from her poisoned bite. In some versions, he and a number of other young elven deities decided to capture the Demon Queen of Spiders and deliver her to Corellon. This version always carries a moral about being overconfident and overcome with hubris, as Corellon and other elder members of the pantheon must intervene to save the youngsters. The tale is not without inspiration, for the bravery and skill displayed by the Second Born deities are praised, leaving no doubt that their heart was in the right place. A less moralistic version of this myth is not as common, but still holds important lessons. In this version, Araleth is a part of a mixed group of deities that often includes Muamman Duathal of the dwarves and Brandobaris of the halflings as they are exploring some ancient ruin or cave. Within they discover a massed army of drow led by Lolth herself, ready to invade the surface world at any moment. Seeing that there is no time to spare for gathering allies or warning others, the band uses their skills to disrupt and delay the army, while sneaking into the command tent to battle Lolth herself. They manage to put her to flight and scatter the army long enough to then summon allies, but not before Araleth is grievously wounded and leaving him with his scar.
Araleth is on good terms with the rest of the Seldarine, and swiftly aids them if their followers are threatened by enemies of the elven peoples. He is closest with the other younger members of the pantheon who often work together as a cohesive group, but the deity he is most strongly allied with is Shevarash the Black Archer. The two share an eagerness to fight the drow that most other members of the pantheon don't feel, and both are the most militaristic of the elven deities. Araleth's determination to fight the dark elves and their gods is not due to revenge; instead, he sees them as an existential threat to surface elves. The Prince of Stars does not share the Black Archer's antipathy towards Eilistraee, either; Araleth respects her efforts to change the drow and appreciates the good she does in the dark of night and the tunnels within the earth. Outside of the elven deities, the Twilight Rider is on excellent terms with the more adventurous powers and those who offer protection against evil in the dark of night. In a similar vein, he stands firm against those deities who use the cover of darkness to commit their evil acts. He has established a firm friendship with the Oeridian power of stars and wanderers, Celestian. Both revel in the unique beauty of a star-filled night sky, and enjoy sharing that beauty with their mortal followers.
Araleth is fairly active, often sending avatars to aid elven communities against the depredations of drow and other night-borne threats. His avatars make comparatively common visits to elven settlements in wildspace, and it is said his avatar made a personal appearance in more than one major battle of the First Unhuman War. When he is not sending avatars to protect elven lands or combat threats they face, he is known to travel to worlds with exceptionally beautiful night skies.

Manifestations

Araleth appears as a dusky-skinned elf with eyes that sparkle like stars, or sometimes a radiant gold. He wears his silver hair short, and is usually dressed in warrior's clothes and leathers of shimmering white. He often appears riding a twilight-hued steed with eyes that sparkle like his own, named Twilight. Araleth never uses spells that create darkness, however, and his followers known as the Twylar have sworn to emulate this.
Araleth wields a mighty spear called Starlight that can elongate into a pike or transform into any sort of lance instantly. It is known to have special effects against undead that are made of shadows.
Other Manifestations
The Twilight Rider's manifestations typically take the form of a glittering, starry aura around a creature or object. This aura renders an object completely immune to drow magic of any sort, and inflicts 6d4 points of damage to a non-good drow who attempts to touch the object. When this aura appears around a creature, it grants a complete immunity to poisons of all sorts, and the creature gains magic resistance against drow magic. Further, any contact between this aura and magical darkness instantly nullifies the effect. Less commonly, he makes a particular star glow brightly, even during the day, in order to lead a follower to safety or a specific objective.
The Seldarine call on agathinons, asuras, and ancient treants as their preferred servants, but Araleth is also served by aasimar, constellates, eladrins (particularly ghaeles and shieres), firestars, radiance quasielementals, radiant dragons, starfly plants, stellar dragons, and sunflies. He displays his favor through the discovery of onyx, star rose quartz, star sapphires, and other gems displaying asterism, as well as night-blooming cestrum and other night-blooming flowers. His displeasure is shown through the appearance or discovery of pitch-black night birds, black cats, black tourmalines, jet, and other pure black stones, as well as a seemingly starless night.

The Church

CLERGY: Clerics, Twylar, cavaliers
CLERGY’S ALIGNMENT: NG, CG, N, CN
DOMAINS: Arcana, Knowledge, Nature, Stormazîn

Araleth's church is not particularly prominent on most worlds, although small communities of followers can be found in large elven nations, especially those with standing armies. Over the centuries he has gained in popularity somewhat with elven youths, especially those for whom the draw of exploring and adventuring is strong. This has earned the Twilight Rider's church a slightly unfavorable view among older and more conservative members of elven society, who hold that the clergy encourages youthful rebelliousness. Exceptions to these views do exist, however.
Temples dedicated to the Prince of Stars are built to have high domed ceilings in the central worship area, with quarters and offices radiating out from the center. The upper reaches of the dome are painted black or dark blue, and set with clear gems enchanted to glitter like stars. These gems are usually set to match the constellations in the night sky at the spring equinox. Windows are rare in the worship hall and any that do exist are opened only at night, so as to keep the hall illuminated as a starlit night. Stellar observatories can often be found attached to long-standing temples, used for studying the night sky by astrologers and astronomers, who are held in equal regard within the priesthood. Shrines dedicated to Araleth are usually simple box-like structures with a quarter dome decorated with a portion of the night sky. Clear gems may be found in more luxurious shrines, but simple white paint suffices for most common worshipers.
Novices in the service of the Twilight Rider are called the Starry-Eyed. Full priests of the Prince of Stars are called Celestial Watchers. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by the Aralethian clergy are preceded by the phrase Light of the Morning Star, Light of the Evening Star, Light of the Wandering Star, Light of the Nova Star, Light of the Asterism, Light of the Constellation, and Light of the Zodiac. High-ranking priests have unique individual titles. Specialty priests are called Twylar. The clergy of Araleth includes high elves (56%), grey elves (31%), sylvan elves (4%), half elves of those ancestries (8%), and a small number (1%) of avariel, dark elves, lythari, sea elves, and half-elves of those ancestries. Araleth's priesthood includes clerics (50%), including multi-classed half-elven clerics, specialty priests (35%), and crusaders (15%). The clergy is well represented with males (51%) and females (49%).
Dogma: Darkness hides much evil that would do harm to elven communities; be the light that illuminates and repels that evil. The beauty of the stars brightens the night even when the moon is dark, and guide wanderers and travelers to their destinations. Revel in the beauty of the night, but always be vigilant for the dangers it hides.
Day-to-Day Activities: Araleth's clergy are often found among the militaries or martial organizations of elven society, as they believe it is their duty to shield their homelands from harm, as well as being the spears that destroy the enemies of their people. They are also common aboard sea-going vessels, whether they are martial or commercial in nature, where they are often navigators. Many choose a life of adventure as well, although most "retire" from this lifestyle as they get older and join the military or sign on to a sailing vessel. Members of Araleth's clergy make their prayers when the first stars start appearing at dusk.
Important Ceremonies/Holy Days: The most important holy day in the Aralethian church falls on the spring equinox. Starting at dusk, the clergy holds a ceremony called the Balance of Night's Beauty. This ceremony starts with the entire priesthood singing in a choir about the beauty of the nighttime stars; this usually lasts until twilight becomes full night. At this time, a circle of starlight is created with starry illusion spells and each member sacrifices an item of beauty within the circle. Any item may be sacrificed, but items of silver and personal creations are favored, although there is no stigma for those without artistic talent to sacrifice objects others have made. At the conclusion of the ceremony, a final prayer is held, asking Araleth to grant them the wherewithal to continue fighting for their lands and peoples.
Major Centers of Worship: Small temples dedicated to the Twilight Rider can be found in prominent cities in most major elven nations. The Lendore Isles have many shrines and small temples dedicated to the Prince of Stars, but they have fallen into disuse due to the increasingly favored church of Sehanine Moonbow. Still, there are many elven sailors who pray to Araleth before they sail, and his cultic center in the Asterhall Tower has been somewhat insulated to this pressure compared to the other temples and shrines. Only time will tell how the clergy responds to this change in the religious landscape of their society.
Most prolifically, temples to Araleth can be found in the Kingdom of Celene and in the regions around Highfolk. There is reputedly a beautiful tower dedicated to him somewhere in the Vesve Forest but reliable first hand reports of this have not been confirmed.
Affiliated Orders: The church of Araleth sponsors only one military order, known as the Riders at Twilight. Contrary to the name, the order is not specifically a cavalry force, although some branches are trained that way. Consisting primarily of fighters, cavaliers, and clerics, this martial order focuses on fighting in darkness or dim light in order to better take the fight to the foes of elves. Rarely consisting of more than 20 individuals in most elven nations, there are fairly substantial branches throughout the elven worlds associated with the Elven Imperial Navy, often reaching 100 strong.
Besides this order, a great many elven and half-elven adventuring companies are sponsored by the church of Araleth or look to his tenets as guiding principles. In addition, various guilds or collectives of astrologers and astronomers pay homage to the Prince of Stars throughout the elven nations.
Priestly Vestments: The ceremonial raiments of Araleth's clergy consist of white robes with silver fringes and small polished rock crystal stones on the torso, with the number signifying rank. A white skull cap is sometimes worn by both genders, although this varies from temple to temple. The holy symbol of the faith is a rock crystal gem carved and polished to resemble a multi-pointed star with one long point projecting diagonally down to the left. Alternately, any polished gemstone showing asterism (star rose quartz, star diopside, star sapphire, etc.) can be used as well.
While adventuring, the clergy of the Twilight Rider favors armor that allows freedom of movement, such as mail. When using shields, they use plain shields that are simply painted white and are otherwise unadorned. Spears, bows, and swords are the weapons most commonly used, although clerics typically use maces and slings. Members of the priesthood wear colors suited to their fancy, although black and very dark shades are frowned upon and seen as minor transgressions unless a situation requires such garb, such as wearing the colors of a noble house out of respect or needing to blend into the darkness for stealth purposes.

Twylar Domain

Clerics of Araleth may select the Twylar Domain instead of the Knowledge or Nature Domains.

DOMAIN SPELLS

Cleric Level	Spells
1st	feather fall, lance of starlight*
3rd	protection from poison, starry strike*
5th	clairvoyance, fly
7th	dimension door, and the stars shall guide*
9th	far step, wall of light

*indicates a new spell described below.

Requirements

Twylar must be elves or half-elves and need a minimum Constitution of 12 and Wisdom of 13. Twylar are also not allowed to multi-class.

Bonus Cantrips

At 1st level, Twylar gain light as an additional cantrip.

Channel Divinity: Strong Sight

At 2nd level, Twylar may use a Channel Divinity as a reaction to gain advantage on any saving throws against any magic or attack that affect their vision. This can be used for themselves or an ally that they can see.

Impenetrable Sight

Starting at 6th level, Twylar become immune to blindness, no matter if it's caused by spell or other magical effect. However, this does not allow the Twylar to see in darkness or other types of obscurement.

Poison Resistance

Upon attaining 8th level, Twylar gain advantage on all saving throws against poison and acquire resistance to poison damage.

Divine Strike

Starting at 8th level, you can imbue your weapon with divine power. Once per turn when attacking a creature with a weapon, you can inflict an additional 1d8 points of radiant damage. At 14th level, this will increase to 2d8 points of damage.

Foe of the Drow

Starting at 17th level, Twylar gain advantage on all saving throws against spells cast by drow or driders. Further, drow no longer gain magic resistance against any spells cast by the Twylar. Furthermore, Twylar are immune to any poison damage inflicted by drow or driders. Lastly, the Twylar and use a Channel Divinity to bestow these benefits onto a willing ally.

Twylar Spells

Lance of Starlight

1st level evocation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous

When cast, this spell conjures a shaft of solid starlight to pierce a single foe. The target is allowed a Dexterity saving throw to avoid the shaft of light, with a success indicating the lance of starlight missed altogether. A creature struck by this light suffers 2d6 points of piercing damage. Creatures of shadow or darkness (shadows, slow shadows, shades, shadow dragons, etc.), plus vampires and creatures summoned from the demiplane of Shadow, suffer an additional 2d6 points of damage. Any illusory creature created with a spell that is struck by the lance of starlight is instantly dispelled, whether or not the caster is aware of their nature. Because of the piercing nature of this spell, creatures that suffer reduced damage or are immune to piercing attacks gain that benefit against this spell.
At least one star must be visible in the sky in order to cast this spell, although normal overcast skies are not sufficient to prevent the casting. It cannot be cast underground, inside buildings with no windows, or during full daylight hours, but stars visible through a window and morning or evening stars at dawn and twilight are sufficient to allow the use of the lance of starlight.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.

Starry Strike

2nd level enchantment
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1 minute

With this spell, the caster enchants a bladed weapon to emit motes of starlight. This grants no combat bonuses, but if used against creatures of darkness and shadow, the weapon deals +1 point of extra damage per caster level, to a maximum of +10. Further, undead shadows and slow shadows struck by a weapon enchanted with this spell are treated as if a turning attempt has been made by a cleric of equal level to the caster. Lastly, the caster can sweep the enchanted weapon through a field of magical darkness in order to destroy it, with the same probability of success as if dispel magic had been cast. A weapon affected by starry strike is treated as a magical weapon for determining what it can hit.
The material components for this spell are the priest's holy symbol and a small clear gem worth 10 gp.

And the Stars Shall Guide

4th level divination
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Special
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1 hour per caster level

By means of this spell, the caster calls upon the stars to act as a guide to a specific location. A single star in the night sky will glow brightly for the caster, and up to one additional companion per two caster levels; this star will indicate a straight-line path to the location desired. The location need not be familiar to the caster, but it must be a place, rather than an object or creature within a place. For example, this spell could lead the caster to "the nearest inn" or "the stone bridge along the King's Highway where it crosses the Blue River," but not "the remains of the hero Callis" or "the nearest green dragon lair." The star will guide the caster and his companions regardless of terrain; it does not take into account hazards such as swamps, mountains, or deserts and will not lead the caster around them. At least one star must be in the sky for this spell to function; it will brighten a hidden star at dusk or dawn sufficiently for the caster to follow it, but it cannot make any stars visible during daylight. This spell does not function underground. This spell functions on any planes other than the Prime Material Plane, so long as there is a night sky and stars; it cannot lead across planar boundaries or lead the caster to a planar portal.
The material component for this spell is the priest's holy symbol.

Lesser God

Elven Pantheon

Titles
The Prince of Stars, the Twilight Rider
Sphere of Influence
Light, starlight, twilight
Alignment
Chaotic Good
Symbol
A white shaft of light, small at the top and largest at the bottom
Home Plane
Arborea
Arvandor/House of the Glowing Stars

Superior
Corellon Larethian
Allies
Artemis, Brandobaris, Celestian, Eilistraee, Muamman Duathal, Sehanine Moonbow, Shevarash, Xan Yae, the Seelie Court, the Seldarine
Foes
Cegilune, Cyric, Erythnul, Hecate, Lolth, Malar, Mask, Nerull, the Queen of Air and Darkness, Shar, Shargaas, Talos and the gods of fury, Tharizdun, the drow pantheon (except Eilistraee), the goblinkin pantheons
Worshipers
Elven and half-elven clerics, twylar, cavaliers, and those who revere the stars
Worshiper's Alignments
LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN
Domains
Knowledge, Light, Twylar