Grandmother,
Venerable,
the Earth,
the Wellspring,
the Earth Mother,
the Foremother
Rontra (RAHN-tra) is the lawful good goddess of the
earth, plants, farms, dirt, gems, metals, farmers, miners,
and all others who revere the earth. She seeks the greatest
good for the greatest number of her children through an
ordered and structured society. Grandmother Rontra says,
“You do not cast your seeds to the wind and hope they
grow; you must plan, and plan well.”
Associated not only with the earth above, upon which
all things grow and live, but also with the places beneath
the earth, Rontra stands for the fertility of the land, as
well as the people that inhabit it. She is the grandmother
of all people and of the gods themselves, having grown
the great tree Eliwyn in her soil. She is therefore the
patron of grandmothers and old women. She is known as
the Foremother, as she offers the gods and mortal races
the loving embrace of their ancestral mother.
Rontra is often linked with the animals of the deep
places and caves of the earth, including moles, voles,
wolves, and cave bears. Of all the animals of the earth,
though, she is most closely associated with rabbits and
hares, which live in warm homes in the earth. They are
gentle and fertile creatures, just as Rontra is gentle and
stands for the fertility of all the creatures and plants of the
earth, and they desire nothing but peace, yet they will not
hesitate to protect their young, even against impossible
odds. Among mystical creatures, she is often associated
with treants, which some say are her children, but were
born of the blood of druids (see the church of Eliwyn). She
is most closely tied to the divine and gentle celestial animal
spirits called pookas that sometimes aid
humans in need. They usually appear as monkeys or rabbits,
and stand at the good counterparts to rakshasas.
Rontra has been depicted in icons as an elderly woman
of the race worshiping her. Whatever the race, she has
grey hair, approaching silver, and in her face, thousands
of wrinkles lie like the furrows of the earth and the farm.
She is usually depicted in robes of flowing white, though
when she is prayed to for fertility, she is shown in robes of
red. Her feet are always unshod, to remain ever in contact
with the earth. Her eyes are black as coal with flecks of
gold, silver, and iron.
In ancient times—and some of these icons and primitive statues remain—Rontra was shown as a heavyset
woman with five exposed breasts. These represented the
five mortal races; further, they represented fertility and
life, signifying that mortals suckle at her breasts and take
life-giving sustenance from the earth.
The symbolic representations of Rontra’s church vary
slightly, with different regions using different symbols to
honor the earth. Those who revere the strength of the soil
and its life-giving power represent Grandmother Rontra
with a bundle of corn, or another crop appropriate for the
locale. Miners use the symbol of a sparkling diamond,
shining as if lit by a bright light, to represent the treasures of the earth. All groups recognize the simple shorthand
of a single majestic mountain on a field of white, however,
and if there is a “universal” symbol of her church, this is it,
rendered simply as a tall triangle.
Rontra is worshiped by farmers and others who work
the soil, who pray that their fields will yield a rich harvest.
Miners honor her for her gifts of precious metals and wondrous gems. Women pray to her when they desire children,
because it was within the bosom of Rontra that the great
tree Eliwyn grew and gave birth to the wondrous diversity
of life in the land. Her worship is popular among all five
races, though for different reasons—the elves love her natural splendor, the dwarves love her deep and rich caves, the
gnomes love their homelands in her hills, and the halflings
love her rich soil for farming. Humans love her for all these
reasons and more, depending on their culture. Half-orcs
rarely worship Rontra, as they are considered unnatural
by her church. Any character who comes from a farming
community is likely to have been raised worshiping Rontra,
though most of her adventurer worshipers are rogues (who
specialize in scouting), rangers, barbarians, and druids who
honor the gods, not impersonal natural forces..
The worship of Rontra, Morwyn, and Anwyn are all
very closely integrated, as they are three generations of
the same line of women, and are often shown together:
the grandmother, the mother, and the maiden. While
Morwyn is the patron of pregnant women and those
giving birth, it is Rontra to whom people appeal when
they desire children, for the Grandmother is the giver of
fertility. Similarly, while Morwyn is the patron of mothers
and those raising children, it is Anwyn, the daughter, to
whom they appeal for a quiet and restful home.
Nurture the World
Rontra has seen what strife and hatred can do to the
land and its people. She knows only constant vigilance
can make certain that the gods, as well as mortals, do
not turn to destruction and death over petty squabbles.
To this end, she views herself as an advisor and nurturer of her people. She counsels her grandchildren and
shows them the paths of righteousness. Together with
Morwyn, she is the conscience of gods and mortals alike.
For Rontra, there is only one way, and that is the way
of moral good, no matter how difficult its demands. In
this, she is uncompromising and does not equivocate,
nor does she believe good ends can ever justify ill means.
That said, Rontra is the most “natural” of the gods, for
while she mourns the terrible events and crimes of the
world, she does little to stop them. As is shown in the
myth of Durgas, Rontra might warn and cajole, she
might plead with the wicked to find the right path, but
she rarely opposes them. As the earth, she sees all things
happen for a reason and all in the world is part of a great
cycle of life, even destruction and war.
Rontra protects life in all its forms, through subtle
means whenever she can. Legends are filled with families strangely overlooked by marauding armies because
a small copse of trees obscured them, or a cave they
had never noticed suddenly appeared near their home
and gave them shelter from the raiders. Of all the gods,
Rontra moves in the most mysterious ways, rarely showing her hand or making her intentions clear. But those
who worship her and study her ways know she values all
living things, from the least insect to the greatest god,
as sacred and worthy of her attention. Whenever life is
taken for granted or wanton destruction is spread, her
agents are there, offering an alternative and attempting
to convince those who destroy that the path of life holds
more value.
If there is anything that Rontra does actively oppose,
it is the unnatural forces that pollute her lands. The
Earth Mother despises the undead and their masters.
They represent unnatural life not born from the earth.
Her servants seek them out, to return them to the
peace of death.
The Foundations of Rontra
The foundations of Rontra, where the Rontrans worship,
can be found throughout most lands, for her followers are
quite numerous. In rural areas, where farming and living
off the land are a necessity, there is almost always a Rontran foundation present. Farmers offer prayers there daily,
so Rontra might bless their crops.
In cities, the foundations of Rontra are far less
common. When found, they are most likely concerned
with her fertility aspect. Women of all social classes pay
homage to the Wellspring of Life, hoping they will be
able to “bear fruit,” as the tree of Eliwyn did through
Rontra’s grace. Quite often, the churches of Rontra and
Morwyn are linked, as they are considered the grandmother and mother of the people, respectively. In Great
Church cathedrals, their altars are always found together.
The main goal of Rontra’s church is to sustain life and
the earth that supports it. Those who kill and maim for
no reason, or pillage the earth without cause, are enemies
of the Rontran faith.
Priests of Rontra view themselves as
counselors more than leaders of the people. They provide
guidance to the faithful and maintain the health of their
flock through wisdom and advice. They lay down their
lives if necessary to defend the land and the living things
that derive sustenance from it, but they rarely tell people
what they should or must do.
Most Rontrans take pleasure in the treasures of the
earth, such as gems and precious metals. They often
make these into beautiful works to honor their
goddess. There are many within the Rontran
faith who are expert at such matters, and in
mining societies the worship of Rontra is
closely tied with worship of Korak, the
artisan, who taught mortals to craft
such wonders.
The foundations of Rontra are
always constructed from stone
or brick, derived from the
strength of the earth. The
Rontrans never raise their
buildings more than one story
above the ground, and often
construct many subterranean
levels and chambers. The floor of
Rontran foundations is always bare
earth. Those entering the temple must
remove their footwear out of respect and
walk barefoot. Thus, they are always in contact
with the Earth Mother. Many faithful Rontrans
avoid wearing shoes for this reason.
Rontra has never believed in actively influencing events
or telling mortals what to do, even in the time of the div,
but since the Compact, she has become even less involved
in the daily lives of mortals. Though she is as bound to the
sphere as the land itself, she observes mortals from afar.
She is pleased with most aspects of what her church has
become, although she thinks that more focus should be put
on the overall welfare of people throughout the world. She
believes her faith has become too focused on farmers and
those that work the land.
While she appreciates the reluctance of her faithful to instruct others and lead them toward
the right path—they are taking a page from her book, after
all—she does pressure the most powerful of her followers to
assume a more active role promoting peace among all people.
When she can, she sends servants such as the Shepherdess or the Miner into the mortal sphere to right a grievous
wrong, stop the wanton destruction of the earth, or (most
commonly) subtly influence mortals to do it for themselves.
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