Arvanos, the Arch-Heart (AR-van-Os)

Arvanos, or more fully known as Arvanos Arch-Heart, whose titles include the Creator of the Elves and the Creator, the patron god of all elves. But he is also known as the Traveller, or the Absconding One, titles of which have divided the Elves. Before the Calamity, when the Elves were at their highest point, and upon Lolth's betrayal, Arvanos disappeared from the hopes and prayers of the Elves, and seemingly from the universe altogether. Not even the other deities know where the Arch-Heart has departed. The elves believe that he has become one with the universe, and have practiced a pantheistic worship of their deity, for he is the essence of the universes magic. Others believe that he is travelling across the universe, and is going beyond where even the Gods hold their domain. Others, mainly the dark elves, apostates and heretics, believe that Arvanos has truly given up on his creation and has abandoned his children. Arvanos is known to all as the God of Elvenkind, of Magic, Change, Beauty and Art.
He is the creator and the preserver of elves, having granted them their elegance and beauty, their longevity of their lifespans and their talent for magic - governing those things that are held in high esteem amongst the elves, such as magic, arts, poetry, and warfare. During his existence long ago, it was known that he approved of those that kill orcs and followers of Lolth, blesses those who aid others, and becomes angered at those that defile the dead, or flees from their foes.

Church of Arvanos

Worshippers

Among his followers are the elves, eladrin and their descendants, as well as many bards and wizards that wish to learn the elven High Magic. But his believers are divided to the true nature of his being.

• The Pantheists, believe that he is in fact part of the universe and cannot intercede in mortal affairs, but grants the occasional boon and gift of power to those that remain devoted.
• The Enlightened, who believe that Arvanos still remains present in the universe, but does not remain seated in one place, his restless curiosity has bidden him to look into other universes and realms unseen and forgotten by the gods themselves, and shall make his return with many gifts and stories to their people, and bring the eternal salvation for the elves with a new home for the truly devoted.
• The Abscondists, an apostate branch of worshippers who believe that he is an arrogant and truly selfish being, seen as a unloving parent to the Elves that never wanted nor desired their love. He has truly abandoned the Elves to achieve their whims, and that they are no longer needing of his love or attention and has since fled the universe and remains hidden.

Orders

Temples

Arvanos clerics often wear blue-green cloaks. They serve as leaders, teachers, diplomats and generals in elven communities. They train others in the arts of combat and magic and honing their own skills, and they serve as mediators in any disputes that may arise from the elves independent lifestyle. They usually seek to maintain cordial relations with other good, sylvan creatures.
His temples can be located anywhere that elves reside. Usually in sylvan woodlands. Though always beautiful and designed to blend in with the surrounding landscape, they are invariably both sturdy and defensible. They are often placed on hilltops, river crossings, and other locations of strategic significance. Living plants and trees are always included in a temple of Arvanos, either as decoration or part of the same structure.

Realm

Arvanos once lived in his realm of Arborea, but he controls the whole layer of Arvandor. Taken from the Giants in ages past. Now chaperoned by the Great Steward of his realm.

Divine Domains

Arcana - Knowledge - Trickery - War.

Holy Books and Codes

The faith of Arvanos holds three books as holy:
The Book of High Magic
The Book of High Magic is said to be the spell book of the first user of elven High Magic and holds every spell and ritual ever created by that school of magic. Others believe that the book was actually written by Arvanos himself and was gifted to the elves to teach them his sacred magic.
The Book of Creation
The Book of Creation appears in many different faiths and religions and is said to hold the secrets of creation and the way to create life. The faith of Arvanosian believes that it was either used or written by him when he created the elven race.
The Elven Way The Elven Way is a book that could be considered the "bible" of the Seldarine Pantheon and holds all kinds of religious texts, sacred rites and teachings.

Divine Symbols

Eight-pointed sunburst star.

Tenets of Faith

• Create, inspire, and find beauty in all that you do.
• Follow the echoes of lost magics, forgotten sites, and ancient art, for within these lie the Arch-Heart's first works.
• Combat the followers of the Spider Queen wherever they may be.

Dogma

Arvanos concerns himself with all aspects of elven welfare. He also remains alert to any taint of evil among the elves, and he seeks to stamp out any evil influence the moment it appears. But much like war, it can be brutal, cruel and unforgiving - but also kind, just and righteous. He holds no qualms in taking advantage of any and every possible method, especially in arcane warfare. Arvanos plays a leading role in the schism that ultimately resulted in the banishment of the Drow underground and he wants this to remain the status quo.
Arvanos spurs his people toward self-reliance, vigilance against danger, and appreciation of the world's beauty. Arvanos inspires his followers to be adaptable and flexible in their perspectives, to comprehend things that others cannot and from different viewpoints, in order to take full advantage of the choices and paths one takes throughout their lives. It is Arvanos' influence that leads elves to study magic and swordplay for the duration of their long lives, to serve as guardians and caretakers of the forests, but also as agents of change, and to appreciate aesthetic pleasures in spite of their warrior heritage. One must live their best life, experience all things and watch the world grow, but also be part of it. "The world is not beautiful because it is so large, but because it is filled with endless small moments. One must appreciate these things while they exist."

Divine Goals & Aspirations

While Arvanos shares the elven trait of pride that may border arrogance, this never got the better of him. He is a god with an endless willingness to learn from others and acts on it, even including mortals to his sources of discovering new information, methods, and philosophies.

Personal History

Arvanos coalesced as the first being within the Great Founding, as the First Prime Divinity - where there was nought but darkness, and the Elemental Chaos and the Material Plane.
It was he that realigned the cosmos and the planes with his power and formed it through the channels of magical energy in the universe - dividing and separating the energies, interchanging them into the Outer Planes and the Material Plane. He was the one that banished the Dark Powers into the Shadowfell, and met with the Primordial Green, intermingling with the Spirit Tree Gwynndrassil and Gazenaroc, and was sprouted with inspiration, and sensed the powerful energies that emanated from Aetheus. Some believe that Arvanos was the first to discover the Feywild, and gave rise to the eladrin of the realm.
He saw hundreds of worlds, but his attention was drawn directly to the planet of Aetheus, divided by the Giants, the Primordial Green and the Great Linnorms & True Dragons. It was believed that through his essence, and through the birth of the Weave, that gave rise to the Great Founding and the arrival of the Prime Divinities. This was the first instance that the Abyss noticed a change in the universe, such a powerful display of creation and majesty of the birth of so many new gods, that it drew the ire of Tharizdun.
He was the first to evoke his essence to create the first mortal children - the Elves. And sought to aid in the conquering of the Giants in an alliance with the Dragons. Witnessing the death of Asgoroth, under the ploys of Zehir, the Dark Primeval, to seek control over the draconic pantheon - but then out came the twin deities Venarion and Sincainea. He played a large part in the defeat of the Giant kingdom of Ostoria, and deprived them of their astral dominion within Arvandor, banishing them far far away in a hidden world and sealed away the ancient Mor'Goron alongside Ergo, deep within the crust of the world.
It was after the Great War of Dragons and Giants, that the world began to prosper, and Arvanos sat alongside his children and gave rise to the Elven Golden Age that reigned for thousands of years. He took a consort in a divinity of fate that sprang alongside him, in Lolth. Some believe that she was made as the first elf, and took her as his bride. She fostered his children and offspring, to which he did not warm to as much, ever-changing and focused on other matters and new and greater works within the Weave.
When the Dragons became too powerful, and the elves seemed to begin to prosper - Arvanos granted the elves the power of his magic, in which they honed and harnessed for themselves over many centuries. They came to be able to cast 'High Magic' - magic that could change and bend reality. Through these means, the Elves summoned power to create the greatest magical artefacts known as Mythals - permanent locations around their great empires and kingdoms. One group of elves created a great Mythal to limit and weaken the power of the dragons and disrupt their ever-changing elemental energies, and tied with the rise and fall of the Eclipse - where it would send the dragons into a terrible rage and devastate one another in a great civil war. Already, they were divided between Sincainea and Venarion, but the elves expedited this rivalry by creating the Dracorage Mythal. With this, came the Rage of Dragons that sent the dragons into a great civil war that resulted in many dragons going into hiding, only for the Dragonborn & Kobolds to rise in their remaining Dragonaughts. With this end of the dragons supremacy over the world, the Elves began to prosper and spread their empire across the world.
From the Elven Golden Age, the elves were led into a great and advanced civilisation, hoping that they would maintain themselves... but as time went on, he visited his children less and less and disappeared for a great number of years into the unknown. Each time he would return with new gifts and boons for him and his children, each time being celebrated and each time the elven kingdom soared. But each time he left, the balance between the elves waned and their lives waxed, disrupted and disputed between one another. Each time Lolth would take command and guide them through hardship and promise that he would return, burdened with great purpose, she sought to grant them control over their lives, only to be undone and forgotten upon Arvanos's return. To which she had had enough, and after one point, she asked for the same divinity as Arvanos - to be his equal, and to also go with him on his journeys together. But he denied her this, reminding her that her place was with the Elves, and that they needed her guidance. A furious debate followed, to which, Arvanos granted her her wish, and made her into a divine power, but denied her the chance to follow him on his ventures. This is what most believe led Lolth to begin plotting her betrayal, believing that she could take his place, and bring control to the elves. Until Lolth's dark betrayal and attempts to usurp Arvanos and wishing for elven dominance against the Dragons and other rising folk. It gave him a great injury, and (as the Abscondists believe fulfilled his wish to abandon the elves) burdened by their incessant immortality and ever-changing shape, he bid the elves to fit into a mortal frame as Lolth had desired, and then she struck, aided by the Young Orc god Lorkhan, launching the elves and orcs into disarray and discord. The strike was said to have cut the connection between Arvanos and his elves, dividing their souls from Arvandor and the mortal realm - but Arvanos and Lorkhan competed in a great melee until both foes were left nearly broken and exhausted, until Arvanos temporarily blinded the young god and took his frustration upon Lolth, the one he realised had manipulated events to achieve an ulterior motive. Instead of punishing Lolth, Arvanos punished the Dhaerow, or Drow servants of Lolth, their queen, and forced them below the ground into the Underdark. Some say he was being kind, and that he did not want his children to see their gods bicker, but let others who he knew were strong enough bare witness. Despite this, he rescinded the elves to hold mortal lives by this point, tethering their souls to return to Arvandor upon death, so should they be worthy. Lolth was banished into the Abyss for her tribulations, fearing retaliation, so it is believed, from Arvanos. From there, Arvanos left the known divinity and is believed to have wandered the realms once more, alone - perhaps tending to his wounds and his sorrows, and enjoying his newfound freedom across the planes and even in the great beyond. Before his departure, he had set the scales and structure of the universal magics of the realms, and tasked his nameless follower, only ever referred to as the Steward, with watching over the affairs of the magic cycle, and left the elves. His life-force became tied to the magics of the world.
The elves have ever since mourned his passing and abandonment, though they believe that one day he shall return and grant them the heaven they believe they deserve to interlink their lost immortality and inheritance of Arvandor within Arborea. From then on, all elves began to rescind within dreams of Arvandor, of their second lives in the immortal plane, to wake once more in the mortal realm. The Elven Golden Age had ended, their civilisations, now crippled by the fear of death, lost power and deteriorated. Faced with possible extinction, the elves devoted themselves to preserving their once great power, and to weigh anchor around newly devoted cities, known as 'Arks' that were said to transport them to their awaited paradise.
Arvandor has not been seen, nor heard of, since this point. Though many believe that they see him in their prayers and dreams, on the rare occasion.

Physical Description

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