Church of Mielikki
Structure
Much like the Harpers, the church of Mielikki has no formal hierarchy but is instead led by the most senior clergy of the faith. Elder clerics, druids, and rangers gather about them a network of allied individuals who share information and come together to achieve the church’s ends. In recent years, the church has organized into three branches: the Heartwoods (dryads and treants), Arms of the Forest (clerics and druids), and Needles (rangers). Mielikki has dictated this to ensure the continued vitality of the faith and preserve the ancient ways of the forest.
Culture
The members of Mielikki’s church are widespread and rarely collect into large groups for any length of time. There are few temples to the Forest Queen; most worship takes place in glades or at small shrines. Temples always include a small stand of trees if not actually constructed in a grove. Most have at least one oak, which serves as both altar and the home of a dryad. Small forest creatures are always welcome within such houses of worship, and many reside therein year-round.
History
Mielikki very rarely directly revealed herself to her followers. One of the few events where she had a direct influence was in the events of the Spellplague in 1385 DR, when an avatar of her, or at least one of her servants, took Catti-brie and Regis away to a private paradise called Iruladoon she had prepared for them that would remain untouched by the turmoil of the Spellplague to follow. This was presumably done as a favor to Drizzt Do'Urden.[15]
Demography and Population
Druids, fey creatures, foresters, rangers, clerics
Tenets of Faith
Intelligent beings can live in harmony with the wild without requiring the destruction of one in the name of the other. Embrace the wild and fear it not, because the wild ways are the good ways. Keep the Balance and learn the hidden ways of life, but stress the positive and outreaching nature of the wild. Do not allow trees to be needlessly felled or the forest burned. Live in the forest and be a part of the forest, but do not dwell in endless battle against the forest. Protect forest life, defend every tree, plant anew where death fells a tree, and restore the natural harmony that fire-users and woodcutters often disrupt. Live as one with the woods, teach others to do so, and punish and curtail those that hunt for sport or practice cruelties on wild creatures.
Clerics and druids of Mielikki are oriented toward protecting nature (especially forests) from the forces of evil and ignorance. They often wander among small communities nestled at the edges of forests both great and small, encouraging the inhabitants to care for and respect the trees and the life beneath their leafy boughs. They try to prevent further encroachment by civilization on the remaining great forests by teaching careful forest husbandry. When called upon, they defend the trees with force of arms if necessary. Rangers of the faith protect and support the clergies of Eldath and Silvanus, and they aid the Harpers in defending, renewing, and even extending forests and forest life. They oppose those who deal in fire magic (notably the Red Wizards) and encourage both city and farm-dwelling folk to view woodlands as pleasant refuges for renewal and enjoying natural beauty, not deadly wilds to be feared and fought.
Worship
The church of Mielikki is well-regarded in wilderness areas, where rangers are often the only shield against the dangers of the frontier. Correctly or not, most see its clergy as far more willing to seek an equitable balance between settlement and preserving nature than the faithful of Silvanus or the elves who have long stalked the forests. Moreover, her church is seen as a necessary counter to the bestial savagery of the Beastlord’s followers.
Clerics, druids, and spell casting rangers of Mielikki pray for spells in the morning or evening but are required to observe both. They listen to and understand the whispers of the woods after a period of meditation and extended introspection. Once a month, each cleric or druid is required to perform the Song of Trees, a ritual that calls forth a dryad or treant, and then serve the creature by performing small tasks for a day. The church’s most holy rituals, called the Four Feasts, take place on the equinox and solstices. They celebrate the sensual side of existence and involve singing praises to the Lady in forest depths wherever possible. Celebrations on Greengrass and Midsummer night are similar to the Four Feasts, but they also include planting rites and the Wild Ride, where herds of unicorns gather and allow the faithful to ride them bareback through the forest. On years when Shieldmeet follows Midsummer, the Ride continues for that day and night if desired. Almost all clerics of Mielikki multiclass as rangers or (to a lesser extent) druids. Her druids may use armor and weapons allowed to rangers and not be in violation of their sacred oaths.
Mielikkian ceremonial garb consists of trousers, brown boots, a short cape (woven by dryads from spider silk and tinted with natural dyes), and a tabard that is long-sleeved in winter and sleeveless in summer. Capes cover armor (typically chain mail) in times of war. Colors vary with the seasons, each season having a base color and an accent. Winter is white with green accents, spring green with yellow accents, summer yellow with red accents, and fall red with white accents. The unicorn’s head of Mielikki, carved of ivory or bone or stitched in silver thread, is always worn over the heart.
Priesthood
Much like the Harpers, the church of Mielikki has no formal hierarchy but is instead led by the most senior clergy of the faith. Elder clerics, druids, and rangers gather about them a network of allied individuals who share information and come together to achieve the church’s ends. In recent years, the church has organized into three branches: the Heartwoods (dryads and treants), Arms of the Forest (clerics and druids), and Needles (rangers). Mielikki has dictated this to ensure the continued vitality of the faith and preserve the ancient ways of the forest. Almost all clerics of Mielikki multiclass as rangers or (to a lesser extent) druids.
Granted Divine Powers
Her druids may use armor and weapons allowed to rangers and not be in violation of their sacred oaths.
Clerics of Mielikki have the ability to cast Charm animals and plants
Sects
Church of Lurue is a sect of the Church of Mielikki because Lurue serves under Mielikki
Church of Mielikki is divided into 3 branches: the Heartwoods (dryads and treants), Arms of the Forest (clerics and druids), and Needles (rangers)
Order of the Unicorn's Horn: The Order of the Unicorn's Horn was a small society of itinerant healers who brought solace to injured people, animals, and plants.
Shadoweirs: The Shadoweirs served as a type of religious knighthood of the woods. Members were activists who proselytized with zeal and were willing to go on the offensive on behalf of their sacred forests. They sought to advance the regrowth of ancient forests reduced by civilization, and to halt the endless assault of civilization on their ancient homeland.
Type
Religious, Divine Host
Leader
Subsidiary Organizations
Deities
