Silvanus
Known as the Oak Father, Green Father, Old Father Tree, Tree Father, or simply Silvanus, he is the Astoran god of wild nature, standing in contrast to the more ordered, agrarian nature represented by the goddess Chauntea. Originally an interloper deity of the Tuatha De Dannon pantheon, Silvanus has gained the respect and kinship of the Astoran Pantheon, and is the only god in the realms permitted to maintain a permanent realm on Astora.
His old form is known as the Old Father. It takes the form of an old, bearded human male face, either floating midair among trees or sprouting from the trunk of an especially large and old tree. The flesh of this form is always brown, gray, and fissured like old wood.
His young form is known as the Young Strider. This is a young, long-limbed humanoid male, with particularly long legs, dressed in a suit of armor made of leaves and wielding a wooden mallet. He most often assumes this form when a sacred grove is threatened or a circle of druids is attacked during their worship.
Another form he is known to manifest as is the Horned Hunter, an entity similar in appearance to his fellow Sebaste god Cerunnos. This form is an always silent man with burning white eyes, sporting a set of stag antlers and shaggy brown fur that was almost bark-like. This form always appears among the trees, often just to indicate something by a gesturing, nodding, or pointing before disappearing.
He is chiefly concerned with nature itself, specifically wild nature, in both its natural beauty and fierce savagery. He cares very little for maintaining a proper balance with civilization, being wrathful towards those who threaten wild places. He pays no attention to the machinations of mortals or other deities beyond how they may affect his realm.
He has a special hatred for those who use fire carelessly or with deliberate intention to cause destruction.
There is much speculation over the nature of this duality, whether the realms are truly linked, binding the Concordant Domain of the Outlands to the Prime Material Plane, or if they are separate places, or even if the Savage Wilds is not truly Silvanus' domain but rather simply a realm of great interest to the insular deity.
Whatever the case, the realm of Silvanus is one of untouched nature, teeming with trees, plants, insects, and animals of all forms, many of whom no longer exist outside his domain.
His followers often work together with the clergy of his allies, Mielikki and Eldath, towards common goals. The followers of Mielikki and Eldath are instructed to support, protect, and (if the need arose) obey the clergy of Silvanus. These include protecting the wilderness from further encroachment by civilization, fighting the spread of diseases, encouraging new growth, and fighting those who do the bidding of Malar.
He has a special hatred for those who use fire carelessly or with deliberate intention to cause destruction.
The Chosen of Silvanus are insular in nature, and rarely interact with outsiders unless necessary. Druids are chosen from amongst those who make pilgrimage to Silvanus' lands seeking a connection to nature that cannot be found within the trappings of civilized life.
In the Astoran Pantheon he is allied with and served by several fellow non-evil deities of animals and nature, including Eldath, Mielikki, and Shiallia.
Other allies of Silvanus include Chauntea and Lathander — though such alliances were really in name only, as Silvanus rarely left his realm and even more rarely involved himself in the affairs of the other gods. He was also once allied with Ki, nature goddess of the Untheric Pantheon
He considers Moander, Malar, Talona, and Talos to be his enemies, as their love for destruction often upsets the balance of nature.
Over the millennia, Silvanus lost most of his following amongst the Sebaste people, as the focus of his dogma turned ever more towards his realm on Astora. While still a member of the Tuathe De Dannon pantheon, he largely holds that role in name only today, and there are few outside his realm that direct their worship towards him.
Description
Silvanus has both an old and young avatar form that he is known to manifest in.His old form is known as the Old Father. It takes the form of an old, bearded human male face, either floating midair among trees or sprouting from the trunk of an especially large and old tree. The flesh of this form is always brown, gray, and fissured like old wood.
His young form is known as the Young Strider. This is a young, long-limbed humanoid male, with particularly long legs, dressed in a suit of armor made of leaves and wielding a wooden mallet. He most often assumes this form when a sacred grove is threatened or a circle of druids is attacked during their worship.
Another form he is known to manifest as is the Horned Hunter, an entity similar in appearance to his fellow Sebaste god Cerunnos. This form is an always silent man with burning white eyes, sporting a set of stag antlers and shaggy brown fur that was almost bark-like. This form always appears among the trees, often just to indicate something by a gesturing, nodding, or pointing before disappearing.
Personality
Typical of nature deities, some describe Silvanus as being wild and unpredictable, much like nature itself.He is chiefly concerned with nature itself, specifically wild nature, in both its natural beauty and fierce savagery. He cares very little for maintaining a proper balance with civilization, being wrathful towards those who threaten wild places. He pays no attention to the machinations of mortals or other deities beyond how they may affect his realm.
He has a special hatred for those who use fire carelessly or with deliberate intention to cause destruction.
Divine Realm
Silvanus' realm is binary in nature, existing simultaneously in the Tuatha De Dannon realm of Tir na Og and in Astora. This puts Silvanus in the unique position of being the only god whose realm exists permanently on the material plane. In Tir na Og, his realm goes by The Deep Forest, or Summeroak. In Astora, his realm covers the vast expanse of wilderness known as the Savage Wilds.There is much speculation over the nature of this duality, whether the realms are truly linked, binding the Concordant Domain of the Outlands to the Prime Material Plane, or if they are separate places, or even if the Savage Wilds is not truly Silvanus' domain but rather simply a realm of great interest to the insular deity.
Whatever the case, the realm of Silvanus is one of untouched nature, teeming with trees, plants, insects, and animals of all forms, many of whom no longer exist outside his domain.
Activities
Silvanus was rarely seen outside his own realm, and his activities within it are unknown to all but his followers (and even then only amongst the highest ranks). What little involvement he had in affairs beyond his realm were often delegated to Eldath and Mielikki.Worshipers
Outside the Chosen of Silvanus, there are few who dedicate their faith to him. Several barbarian tribes bordering the Savage Wilds are led by shamans who dedicate themselves to Silvanus' teachings, and some rangers similarly dedicate themselves to him. There is also a small but devoted following of hermits and wilderness dwellers in the wilds surrounding his realm.His followers often work together with the clergy of his allies, Mielikki and Eldath, towards common goals. The followers of Mielikki and Eldath are instructed to support, protect, and (if the need arose) obey the clergy of Silvanus. These include protecting the wilderness from further encroachment by civilization, fighting the spread of diseases, encouraging new growth, and fighting those who do the bidding of Malar.
Dogma
Silvanus teaches a great care for maintaining a balance between growth and decay, water and drought, fire and ice — the natural cycles of life. He is often emotionally distant in these teachings, leading some to view them as heartless, though in reality he values all life dearly.He has a special hatred for those who use fire carelessly or with deliberate intention to cause destruction.
Clergy
At the core of Silvanus' following are his druids, those deemed the Chosen of Silvanus, or Wardens of the Wilds. Many druids within Astora worship Silvanus, and all of them serve with the singular purpose of protecting his realm of the Savage Wilds. There are a select few clerics who choose to worship him, and those that do typically take the role of emissary to the civilized lands that border his realm.The Chosen of Silvanus are insular in nature, and rarely interact with outsiders unless necessary. Druids are chosen from amongst those who make pilgrimage to Silvanus' lands seeking a connection to nature that cannot be found within the trappings of civilized life.
Temples
The wilds themselves are considered hallowed grounds to the followers of Silvanus, and as such no temples are erected in his name. The most sacred places of worship are the druidic groves, scattered around the border of the Savage Wilds.Rituals
The rituals performed by Silvanus' Chosen are known to few outside their ranks, and they hold their rites and ceremonies as secrets to be shared only amongst themselves.Relationships
Silvanus does not have many allies, nor does he have many enemies.In the Astoran Pantheon he is allied with and served by several fellow non-evil deities of animals and nature, including Eldath, Mielikki, and Shiallia.
Other allies of Silvanus include Chauntea and Lathander — though such alliances were really in name only, as Silvanus rarely left his realm and even more rarely involved himself in the affairs of the other gods. He was also once allied with Ki, nature goddess of the Untheric Pantheon
He considers Moander, Malar, Talona, and Talos to be his enemies, as their love for destruction often upsets the balance of nature.
History
Silvanus originated as a member of the Tuatha De Dannon pantheon, coming to Astora during The Godswar to bring aid to his people, the Sebaste. Being a neutral deity and well respected amongst his pantheon, he proved to be instrumental in arranging an accord with the existing gods of the realm and garnering their acceptance amongst the native Pantheons. Shortly thereafter, he was accepted by the Astoran Pantheon as one of their own, the first of the Interloper Pantheons of The Godswar to do so, and was granted domain over the lands that would come to be known as the Savage Wilds.Over the millennia, Silvanus lost most of his following amongst the Sebaste people, as the focus of his dogma turned ever more towards his realm on Astora. While still a member of the Tuathe De Dannon pantheon, he largely holds that role in name only today, and there are few outside his realm that direct their worship towards him.
Legends, Myths, and Rumors
Some myths claimed that Silvanus had fathered the goddess Mielikki with the goddess Hanali Celanil. This legend sprung off from a desire by some to explain why Mielikki's worshipers were giving her the honorific "Daughter of Silvanus," which had originally come about due to her close alliance with Silvanus.
Silvanus
Greater deity
Basic Information
Titles
Oak Father
The Old Oak
Old Father Tree
The Forest Father
Treefather
God of Wild Nature
Green Father
The Old Oak
Old Father Tree
The Forest Father
Treefather
God of Wild Nature
Green Father
Adjectives
Silvanite
Pantheons
Served By
Attributes
Alignment
True Neutral
Symbol
Green living oak leaf
Realm
Portfolio
Wild Nature, Druids
Favored Weapon
Great Mallet of Silvanus (maul)
Following
Worshipers
Druids
Dwellers of the forest
Dwellers of the forest
Alignments
NG, LN, N, CN, NE
Domains
Animal (Fur)
Plant (Leshy, Growth, Thorns)
Protection (Defense, Solitude)
Scalykind (Saurian)
Weather (Seasons)
Plant (Leshy, Growth, Thorns)
Protection (Defense, Solitude)
Scalykind (Saurian)
Weather (Seasons)
Favored Aspects
Animals/Plants
Badgers
Deer
Deer
Monsters
Atomies
Brownies
Dryads
Pixies
Satyrs
Sprites
Treants
Unicorns
Brownies
Dryads
Pixies
Satyrs
Sprites
Treants
Unicorns
Manifest-
ations
An oak leaf blown out of nowhere
A fire-quenching, eerie green glow that's always accompanied by the sounds of faint whistling wind and running or dripping water
A fire-quenching, eerie green glow that's always accompanied by the sounds of faint whistling wind and running or dripping water
Children
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