| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
varyar
Seeker
97 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Feb 2012 : 14:23:19
|
I first started this up a good while ago, and just recently it resurfaced at my own end, and when Fellfire posted how he planned to use one of my creations in his game (a proud moment for me!). So I thought I'd post it and see what you all made if it. It's fanon, of course, but hopefully none of these dearly departed members of the Seldarine really clash with canon. Let me know! (Format is in the 3E deity write-up style because that's what was current when I began this way back when)
THE LOST SELDARINE
UILIA MIHUMIEN
Trailseeker
Elven Lesser Goddess
Symbol: A winged foot
Home Plane: Arvandor
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Portfolio: Exploration, travel
Worshipers: Explorers, rangers, travelers, spelljammers
Cleric Alignments: CG, NG, CN
Domains: Elf, Portal, Travel, Wanderer
Favored Weapon: "Wanderlust" (short sword)
While an obscure deity in latter days, in her (far too brief) time Uilia was a cornerstone of the elven way of life. Said to have been the child of Sehanine Moonbow and Labelas Enoreth, Uilia was the patron of the spirit of exploration and discovery of the elves. In those early days, just after the arrival of the sun and moon elves upon Abeir-Toril, elves ventured far and wide with Uilia showing them the way. Her followers were explorers and trailblazers who scouted out every inch of Faerūn - and beyond, according to the tales. These outward voyages were balanced somewhat by Uilia's urgings to know the map of your mind and heart, but the emphasis was usually on thrusting back the uncharted horizon. Uilia and her church were not content while there was even a single white spot on any map of Abeir-Toril. As such, Uilia was on good terms with Aerdrie Faenya and Deep Sashelas, and her church with theirs, for air and water were often the mediums of the greatest voyages of discovery.
The church of Ulilia was more of a society than a church in many ways. There was a hierarchy, but a small one, and the emphasis was on individual effort. The church served mainly to offer advice and guidance from its vast collection of maps and geographic lore. For followers of Uilia, the rite of passage involved being teleported to a random location never before visited and making one's way back. The voyage was often difficult, sometimes dangerous, but always rewarding. Aside from her elven worshippers, Uilia had a few followers amongst the firre eladrins of the Outer Planes, a folk whose inquisitive spirit mirrored her own. Among elves, most of Uilia's worshippers were moon elves, along with a few green and sun elves. The church was divided into three main sects: those who emphasised terrestial exploration (walkers), those who ventured into the planes (worldwalkers) and the very rare spelljammers (spherewalkers). The sects had a friendly rivalry as to which form of exploration was best. (Uilia, of course, would answer "Yes" or "All of them" when the question was posed to her, as it sometimes was.)
Clerics of Uilia Mihumien prayed at dawn when the horizon becomes visible or at sunset when the stars (useful for navigation and revered in their own right) begin to come out.
History/Relationships: Uilia was born of a primeval tryst between Sehanine Moonbow and Labelas Enoreth. She spent her youth shuffling between her mother's serene court and her father's timeless halls, earning the friendship of both Aerdrie Faenya and Deep Sashelas (his consort Trishia was a close friend), and the mysterious powers of the eladrin. It is said that it was Uilia who first discovered Abeir-Toril for the Seldarine. She spent many long years wandering the world alone before returning and reporting her discovery, then setting forth again.
As the Seldarine began to guide the first elves to Abeir-Toril, Uilia had a dalliance with Carel Vandromia (an ancient elven god of storms and lightning). It ended not long before Carel was slain by the storm god later known as Kozah, and grief over the Stormson's passing compelled Uilia to explore the darkness below the surface of Abeir-Toril. She ventured into the trackless Underdark and learned much of its ways, therein setting the seeds of her later doom. After many years of subterranean wandering, Uilia returned to the daylight world and encountered Vhaeraun, a grim god but one not yet dhaerow to the Seldarine. She taught him many of the secrets of the Underdark, but Vhaeraun betrayed the gift. He used what he learned to steal gifts (precious gems and other riches) intended for the elves. When Uilia learned of his greed, Vhaeraun was angered first for being discovered and second for being discovered pilfering gifts intended for mortals! Centuries later, after the dark elves fell, Uilia guided a great crusade of surface elves against Vhaeraun's followers in the north Underdark. Vhaeraun led his own folk deep into the hidden depths of the Underdark, using paths he had discovered thanks to Uilia, and the surface crusade fared poorly. Out of shame, Uilia manifested an avatar to battle the dark elves, but she was defeated when Vhaeraun's avatar appeared. She was greatly weakened by the epic battle, and the massacre of her great army made her shy away from encouraging even the most cursory exploration of the Underdark.
Dogma: Never let a day go by without exploring, even in your own home and garden. The fastest way to understanding the world is to see it. Seek out the mysteries of faraway lands and let the journey illuminate you. Never fear being lost, view it as an opportunity to learn instead.
Future Fate: Most loremasters believe that Uilia was hunted and ambushed by Vhaeraun while exploring the depths of the Demonweb Pits not long after the great battle with Vhaeraun's avatar. Captured by the dark gods of the drow, Uilia languished for eons, finally succumbing after countless years of torment. A spark of her divine essence is said to live on in the Arsaelouna, a powerful gate-creating artifact lost during the Fifth Crown War. Others believe that Uilia was never captured and instead simply went on a great exploration into some unknown plane, perhaps one yet undiscovered by mortals. Regardless of her fate, her servitors long ago faded away or went to the courts of Labelas or Sehanine; her domain itself (a vast floating island) is long lost and seen only in fleeting glimpses, sometimes in Arvandor, sometimes in the Elemental Plane of Water, sometimes drifting along the River Oceanus and sometimes even farther afield (it has been sighted entangled in the black webs of the Demonweb Pits many times, for instance).
WANDERER DOMAIN
Granted Power: Can cast the 0-level druid spell know direction four times a day.
1 Pass Without Trace
2 Augury
3 Create Food and Water
4 Divination
5 Plane Shift
6 Find the Path
7 Wind Walk
8 Discern Location
9 Gate
VELESIA TARMETHEL
Lord of Dawn
Elven Lesser God
Symbol: A golden sun with a brass corona
Home Plane: Arvandor
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Dawn, the sun, renewal
Worshipers: Athletes, sun elves, warriors
Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG
Domains: Elf, Good, Protection, Sun
Favored Weapon: "Silithian" (longsword)
Velesia Tarmathel was the personification of the glorious sun and the light it brought to the world. Revered by sun elves, he was was their steadfast protector and constant advocate. He was always on the hunt for a righteous battle, venturing into the dark places of the Realms to test his blade against the creatures that dwelt there. Velesia exhorted his followers to do the same; his was not a faith of quiet reflection and mysticism. As such, he had a list of divine and epic foes that would fill up a dozen scrools. It was said, with only a little exageration, that every pantheon had a power that wished him dead. (This may or may not have included the Seldarine.)
The church of Velesia was unlike most of its elvish counterparts in that it possessed a fairly strict hierarchy. Priests reported to the high priests of their city or province, who in turn reported to the grand priest of a kingdom, and they in turn to the solar hierophant in the capital of Aryvandaar. The church was also unusual in possessing an order of holy warriors, the Blades of Dawn (or Vael Kerivae). The Blades of Dawn counted a few paladins, many fighters, and not a few bladesingers in their ranks, and were much beloved by the ordinary sun elf folk for their battles with dragons and other foes of the Tel'Quessir.
Clerics of Velesia Tarmethel prayed for their spells at dawn, bowing to the east as they welcomed the cleansing light of Velesia into their spirits.
History/Relationships: Velesia's heritage is unknown amongst even the most learned elf loremasters. None can say who his parents were, although many suspect his father was Corellon Larethian. It is known he was worshipped in Tintageer, a primeval elf realm of Faerie, and continued to be revered by the sun elf survivors of that fallen kingdom. His church flourished during the First Flowering, guiding the sun elf (or partially sun elf) kingdoms of Aryvandaar and Shantel Othereier to the pinnacle of their glory. In the eyes of many noble sun elves, Velesia and not Corellon Larethian was the chief protector of their kindred.
Despite this unorthodox belief, Velesia's ties with his Seldarine kin were strong. He was especially close to Marisien Airithil, although their dalliances never resulted in offspring (a fact that was said to disappoint Velesia). Velesia fought valiantly on behalf of the Seldarine and the elvish people, battling against fiends, dark powers and dragon overlords. He was called the Bravest, and not just by his sun elf worshippers.
Dogma: Bring forth the light of justice into all the corners of the world. Never let darkness stand, let alone prevail. Always challenge evil. The sun smiles on unity and honor.
Future Fate: Velesia's fate was the most tragic of all the lost Seldarine. During the Crown Wars, Velesia was greatly swayed by the prayers of his faithful in Aryvandaar, and began his long fall from grace. He at first attempted to use his church to moderate the excesses of the Aryvandaarans, then took to pleading their case to his brethren - would not the elves of Faerūn be better served under one crown and one law? Over the centuries and millennia, Velesia more and more openly sided with Aryvandaar, justifying all their acts and proclaiming the righteousness of their cause. By the time the Fifth Crown War began, Velesia was an exile from the Seldarine in all but name. He had also dwindled to the status of a demipower, rejected by most sun elves and competing with devil lords and other fell entities for the worship of the lords of the Vyshaantar Empire. Velesia, now dwelling on Faerūn, sided with Vyshaantar and, in a grotesque betrayal, raised his mighty blade against the other Seldarine. In the end, despite his reckless bravery, Velesia was swiftly defeated in single battle by an avatar of Corellon Larethian. His sword was shattered and his body is said to lie where it fell, somewhere beneath the Serpent Hills. Some glimmer of divine energy perhaps clings to it, although nearly all knowledge of Velesia was destroyed in the wake of the Crown Wars. Not even the Eldreth Veluuthra have more than an inkling of Velesia's existence, although they would search ceaselessly for his remains if they did discover the truth.
Velesia Reborn: If by some chance the Eldreth Veluuthra learned of Velesia's final resting place, it is quite likely they would find a way to revive him. This would strengthen their group immeasurably, and also invigorate Velesia himself. Were he to be reborn as a power, it would most likely be as follows, although nothing is certain.
Lord of Dawn
Elven Demigod
Symbol: A white sun with a gold corona
Home Plane: Faerūn
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Portfolio: Dawn, honor, strength
Worshipers: Sun elves, the Eldreth Veluuthra
Cleric Alignments: LE, LN, NE
Domains: Elf, Evil, Law, Sun
Favored Weapon: "Vel Kerivae" (longsword)
|
|
|
varyar
Seeker
97 Posts |
Posted - 10 Feb 2012 : 14:25:24
|
There are four more of these minor deities to come, as follows...
Carel Vandromia - god of thunder and storms
Emanora Dekene - goddess of illusion
Marisien Airithil - goddess of evocation
Uilistil Unoroth - god of transmutation |
 |
|
|
Fellfire
Master of Realmslore
1965 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2012 : 20:43:25
|
| Can't wait to see Carel. |
Misanthorpe
Love is a lie. Only hate endures. Light is blinding. Only in darkness do we see clearly.
"Oh, you think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but.. blinding. The shadows betray you because they belong to me." - Bane The Dark Knight Rises
Green Dragonscale Dice Bag by Crystalsidyll - check it out
|
|
|
|
Thauranil
Master of Realmslore
India
1591 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2012 : 06:49:25
|
| Wow this is good stuff. Cant wait for the rest. |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
The Lost Seldarine
