Kotala

The Mother of Spring, the Daughter of the Woodlands

Kotala is a goddess of nature. She represents the creation and nurturing of new life and the preservation of life. She can be found in the birth of a new generation, the blossoming of spring, the planting of a new crop, and the healing of the sick.

Divine Domains

Kotala's domains include Nature, Family, Healing, and Passion.
She is the patron god of the Wood Elves, but other races will recognize her for her blessings. Mothers may pray for a healthy child while farmers may pray for a bountiful crop. She is the primary deity of Halfling culture. Many human cultures worship her, including the Skjoldr, who place her among their pantheon, and in many Lurian cultures she is a secondary goddess worshiped after Absyun.
This broad range of interpretations makes her a popular goddess across cultures, but can also lead to tension between different interpretations of her teachings. For instance, someone who sees Kotala primarily as a goddess of wilderness might struggle with someone who understands her as a goddess of agriculture.

Divine Symbols & Sigils

The symbol of Kotala is a blossoming flower.
Her holy spaces are in the natural world - quiet glades of wildflowers, groves of ancient trees. In cities, gardens are often dedicated to her alongside shrines.
Kotala does not have organized churches or doctrines as some religions, with the notable exception of some druidic orders. Worship of her tends to be more communal or individual, with a spiritual leader and place of worship, but no church hierarchy.
Kotala is depicted in multiple forms - the young maiden, the devoted mother, the caring elder - typically combining features of Elves, animals, and plants in a fey-like manner.
Her holy weapon is the shortbow. Many of her devout also train in the longbow and spear.

Tenets of Faith

Life is sacred. Kotala worshipers believe that the creation of life, from planting seeds to giving birth, are sacred acts. They believe in preserving life through healing and aid.
Life exists in a cycle. Spring naturally leads to winter, and birth naturally leads to death. Plants grow, and then they are eaten by the animals, who are, in turn, often eaten by predators. Kotala worshipers do not see death as inherently bad, but as part of this cycle. They abhor those who would disrupt the cycle of life and death through necromancy and other dark magic.
Life should not be taken lightly. Kotala worshipers recognize that some life must be given for others to live - the grass grows so that the deer may eat it, and the deer grows so that the wolf may eat it. However, needless death beyond this necessity violates the sanctity of life. They condemn those who kill for sport, murderers, and war.

Holidays

The Green Festival is commonly celebrated in Atathian and Lurian societies to mark the beginning of Spring.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Kotala is the daughter of Kimula. She was born when the world was created, alongside her siblings Wakash, Teratharok, and Sakira. She has several minor gods and archfey as her children, including Verenestra, Queen of Dryads and Daikitsu, Lady of Foxes.
Verenestra was missing for thousands of years, with some speculating that she had been killed, or had quietly retired. Secretly, she had fought a great battle against a demon deep within the Underdark, where she was gravely wounded. Her wounds kept her in a state of repose for millenia. Her essence, in the form of amber, was harvested and used by the ancient Amber Order. Verenestra's physical form appears as a massive dryad.
Daikitsu is perhaps the most wayward of Kotala's children. She is known to be capricious, even for an archfey. Sometimes, she is known to be benevolent, protective, and loyal; alternatively, she can be described as cruel, vindictive, and devious. She is associated with wealth, luck, and trickery, making her a popular choice of worship for thieves. She resembles her children, the kitsune, and like them is able to appear as a fox or a humanoid with fox features.

Divine Classification

Major God

Alignment

Neutral Good

Gender

Female