The Elven Gods
Teriethae may have led us in our naive youth, but Fhaarauth is the god of a race whose eyes have been opened to the brutality of an ungrateful world.
One of the oldest civilizations of The Shattered Continent, the elven people have suffered greatly in the last few millenia. Gods are shaped by their worshippers as much as the faithful are shaped by their belief, and the elven gods are no exception to this rule, and the trials that their people have endured has shaped them as well.
A family divided
The elven pantheon is centered around the gods Fhaarauth and Teriethae, husband and wife who each represent a different aspect of nature. Fhaarauth embodies the strength and destructive potential of nature, while Teriethae represents the lifegiving and nurturing side. They, along with their children, were once worshipped together by the elven people, but gradually their worship diverged.
For the last several millenia, the elves have swung between worshipping one or the other nearly exclusively. The fact that Fhaarauth and Teriethae are married has gone from common knowledge to only being known by particularly well read scholars, with the common belief being that they are bitter rivals. Even their children are commonly believed to be allied with just one of their parents, and are often even regarded as the offspring of just their 'allied' parent.
Trials and Tribulations
Prior to the rise of the serpentfolk, the elven nations dominated the lands which would one day become The Shattered Continent. While they had once worshipped Fhaarauth and Teriethae together as opposing but complimentary aspects of nature, Fhaarauth had become viewed as a remnant of their more primitive past. As a mature civilization they believed that they had moved past the need for brutality, and instead lived by the teachings of Teriethae, mentoring the younger races and passing on their accumulated knowledge. Even the more savage races were viewed as children in need of guidance rather than enemies to seek out and destroy, and the elves were powerful enough to treat them as such, ignoring the fact that it was the teachings of Fhaarauth which had made them strong.
When the serpentfolk swept across the continent, the elven nations resisted them for longer than most, but were largely helpless to do more than watch as the younger races that they had mentored were crushed and scattered before the might of the serpentfolk. Some sought shelter with the elves, but they could only take in so many, and before long the elven cities began to fall as well. As the closest thing that the elves had to a war god, worship of Fhaarauth began to become more common, quickly surpassing Teriethae as the most worshipped god among the embattled elves.
By the time of The Cataclysm, the elves had been reduced to only a handful of hidden cities, and their numbers were a fraction of their peak, a disaster for the long lived but slow reproducing species. After the Cataclysm, while the elves began to slowly expand into the areas around their cities, the humans were expanding across the reshaped continent at a tremendous rate; tribes changing into kingdoms, constantly expanding and warring among one another. When the elves began to reach out to the humans seeking to resume their relationship as mentors, they were universally rudely rebuffed and treated as little more than potential rivals for territory and power. Unwilling to engage in a pointless war and risk further reducing their population, the elves retreated back to the areas surrounding their remaining cities and adopted isolationist stances, fiercely defending their territory against all comers. The rejection by the humans served as the final strike against Terithae, and relegated worship of her to the fringes of elven society.
The Gods
Teriethae - The Nurturing Grove
One of the two primary gods of the elven pantheon, Terithae is a nature god who represents the nurturing, lifegiving aspect of nature, as well as the creation of art, importance of family, and need to spread knowledge rather than hoard it. Today her worship has fallen out of favor among the elves, but she is still widely worshipped among half-elves and the hînoidór.
Alignment: Neutral Good
Favored Weapon: Staff
Domains: Knowledge, Creation, Family, Nature
Fhaarauth - Nature's Might
Currently regarded as the main god of the elven people, Fhaarauth is one of the two primary gods of the elven pantheon along with his wife Terithae. Representing the primal strength and destructive power of nature, the worship of Fhaarauth, once nearly totally abandoned, has become dominant within the surviving enclaves of the elven people. A tiny fraction of their former numbers, and reduced to a relatively small number of cities across the continent, Fhaarauth represents the strength that they aspire to regain and believe that they will need to survive in a much changed world.
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Favored Weapon: Elven Curve Blade
Domains: Nature, Might, Zeal, Destruction
Tairna - The Moonlight Sentinel
The eldest child of Fhaarauth and Teriethae, Tairna is the goddess of fate and healing, and she is strongly associated with the moon. Considered by most to be closely alligned with Teriethae, Tairna is portrayed as a kind and gentle goddess, looking over the world from her position high in the night sky and deeply occupied with divining the future. Dreams were once considered to be within her sphere of influence, but after the rise of the serpentfolk she became obsessed with unraveling the threads of fate, determined to both find a resolution to the current crisis and uncover future threats.
Alignment: Neutral Good
Favored Weapon: Spear
Domains: Fate, Moon, Healing, Repose
Fayeth - The Blade in the Night
Fayeth and her followers represent the darkest side of duty and service, setting ones own morality aside to devote oneself to the greater good. Her worshippers are those who have devoted their entire lives to the betterment of the elven people, abandoning personal ambition in service to their society. Fayeth was once a fiery and passionate goddess, representing the darker side of the outwardly friendly and passionate elven people, allowing their passion and zeal to turn into bloodlust and revenge killing. Today her followers pledge themselves to their cities, governments, and rulers in penance for blindly fulfilling their bloodlust against the serpentfolk at the expense of the war effort. They serve as knives in the dark, dealing with threats to the elven people with cold efficiency and unwavering determination.
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Favored Weapon: Dagger
Domains: Darkness, Void, Death, Duty
Umreainn - The Light of the Stars
The elves believe that magic comes from the heavens, associating constellations with different schools or types of magic, and their god of magic, Umreainn, reflects this. God of magic and the stars, he instilled in his followers a belief in the superiority of the elves over all other magic users, but the war against the serpentfolk shook this to its core. The utter defeat of the elven wizards by the arcane power of the serpentfolk's casters lead Umreainn and his followers to blame themselves for the fall of their civilization, and gave them a new drive. Today, Umreainn's worshippers seek to attain nothing less than perfection in their magic, and to truly attain superiority in the arcane arts over all others.
Alignment: CN
Favored Weapon: Staff
Domains: Magic, Perfection, Ambition, Star
The Elven Pantheon
Edicts
Defend, strengthen, and maintain the elven people and their culture, respect nature, work to regain what was lost.
Anathema
Betray or cause any harm to the elven people, irreparably damage the natural environment
Areas of Concern
Advancement of the elven people, Nature
Follower Alignments
NG, CG, LG, N, CN, LN
Pantheon Members
Teriethae, Fhaarauth, Tairna, Fayeth, Umreainn
Devotee Benefits
Divine Ability
Dexterity or Intelligence
Divine Font
heal
Divine Skill
Survival
Favored Weapon
longbow or shortbow
Domains
Creation, Nature, Moon, Stars
Cleric Spells
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