Avandra, the Changebringer

Also known as "She who makes the path," the Changebringer champions freedom, travel, trade, and adventure across the lands. Her will heralds open frontiers, and her call beckons her followers to discover that which awaits them beyond the known. This nature leads to few temples in direct civilization dedicated to the Changebringer, but they often can be found off the beaten path and near roads well traveled. Her worship is common among merchants, free spirits, and adventurers, with tavern cheers calling to her honor as a bringer of luck and fortune.
Avandra enjoys the winds of change and exhorts her faithful to follow where they blow. For Avandra, change represents ever-renewing opportunities. Each moment is a chance to alter the course, either personally or on a grander scale. and to take things in a better direction than in the past.
Sehanine advocates that people follow their hearts without constraint, but Avandra stands as the symbol of true freedom. She commands the domain not to protect the selfish feelings of individuals but to defend the sovereign right of all people to take control of their destinies. Avandra hopes that others use their freedom to do the right thing. and she stands against tyranny of any kind. Her followers keep alive flames of hope in oppressive societies, serving as the seeds of rebellion or peaceful reform.
Chance, coincidence, fortune, randomness—whatever you call it, luck is a powerful and unpredictable force. Avandra takes this powerful force in hand as a weapon against drab destiny and dark fatalism. For her followers, luck provides excitement and opportunity even in the face of terrible odds. She is often depicted as a young woman of dark complexion and long, light brown hair that cascades to form the road left behind her. Most art shows her in constant motion, trailblazing and ever leading into the unknown.

Divine Domains

Trickery

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Three stacked wavy lines.

Holidays

The Changebringer's holy day is New Dawn, and takes place the first day of the first month, when the old years gives way to the new. Despite her open worship being forbidden throughout the Empire, the day of New Dawn is often quietly celebrated with a midnight feast that commonly features gifts and sweets given to loved ones celebrating the changes of the past year.

THREE MYTHS

Avandra and the halflings
According to halfling legend, Melora and Sehanine created the halflings together, giving the race a love of nature and the gift of stealth. When their interest waned, Melora and Sehanine stopped looking after the race, or so the legends go, and halflings made their own way in the world. They say Avandra, the god of luck, admired their resourcefulness and adopted them, favoring them with good fortune. Not all halflings worship Avandra, but nearly all breathe a prayer of thanks to her when fortune favors them.
Avandra and the first doppelganger
When the world was young, Avandra was deeply involved in the lives of its creatures. She delighted in making their lives better. One mortal who was the object of Avandra's favor was a beautiful woman who was pursued by a cruel suitor. This suitor set his servants on her like hunting dogs. Two times Avandra helped the woman to flee or fight by changing her luck, and each time the woman praised Avandra after her escape.
The third time the woman was threatened, Avandra gifted her with the power to change her form so that she could save herself from any future threat. The woman used her power to become an assassin, killing her suitor and all who served him. When Avandra sought her out to rebuke her, the woman used her power to hide from the goddess. By the time Avandra found the woman, her children's children had given birth to many more offspring, all having the power to change shape. The goddess's gift, once given, could not be taken away. Thus the race of doppelgangers and their descendants, the changelings, were born.
From that episode Avandra learned a bitter lesson about being overly generous to mortals. Ever since then, she has been careful to help mortals only in small ways, often hiding her hand. By allowing mortals to face their own problems, Avandra provides them with the chance to discover their full potential.
The Divine Compromises
When the immortals had won the war against the primordials, they fought among themselves for dominion over various aspects of the natural world. Zehir contested with Pelor over mastery of the sky, for the sun banished darkness. Pelor in turn fought with Khala, whose icy mists and snows blocked the life-giving rays of the sun. Each of Pelor's opponents gathered allies, and Pelor had allies of his own. On one side stood Corellon, Khala, Zehir, and Sehanine, while on the other stood Pelor, Erathis, Moradin, and Melora. The two forces argued for ages to no avail, leaving hurts and grudges that linger still.
At last Avandra parlayed between the two factions. To settle the argument between Pelor and Zehir, she offered day and night. As a compromise between Khala and Pelor, she proposed alternating seasons of summer and winter. The gods, weary of their quarrels, agreed. Pelor abides faithfully by his agreement with Zehir, but from time to time Zehir seeks to shadow the sun during daytime with an eclipse. Khala is no more, but the Raven Queen-who holds sway over winter now-honors the ancient pact. Yet she also tests Pelor's resolve, seeking to end summers early and delaying springs as long as she can. In this way, autumn snows and spring thaws can come early or late.

Divine Classification

Deity