Temple of Aerdrie
The Temple of Aerdrie
History
The Aerdrie has been an established part of the elven pantheon, or the Seldarine, since time immemorial. While her worship is often not popular enough to warrant an entire temple to be dedicated to her, elven communities are sure to have shrines for her worships. These are either small, independent shrines maintained by a handful of devotees, or a dedicated alcove within a larger temple, such as one to the Angharradh or the entirity of the Seldarine.
Aerdrie is a member of the Angharradh, a triune of goddesses that first formed during the War of the Seldarine to defend Corellon from the assassination attempt by Araushnee (Lolth). Aerdrie, Hanali, and Sehanine merged their forms a to create a single entity, the Angharradh, and their combined power was able to defeat their treacherous queen. In the aftermath, the Angharradh was pronounced as the new Queen of the Seldarine, turning Aerdrie into Corellon's consort.
The Bothniel Revolt
One of the most noteworthy historical events involving the Temple of Aerdrie was the Bothniel Revolt a few centuries ago. Within the Elven Kingdoms, a sect of the Temple of the Angharradh gained prominence in the Bothniel region. Contrary to millenia of orthodox teaching, these clerics taught that the worship of the individual goddesses of Aerdrie, Hanali, and Sehanine was blasphemous to the Angharradh. While the goddesses may have been individuals at some point, they ceased to exist after they formed the Queen of the Seldarine. This sect became extremely zealous in their views, to the point that even temple elders and devout adventurers that had made interplanar pilgrimages to Arvandor and met deities of the Seldarine were dismissed as perpetuators of blasphemy.
A group of local nobles saw the zealots as an opportunity to seize control of the region and establish their own independent kingdom. They encouraged the radicalization of the zealots, leading to temples being seized and orthodox clergy being exiled or martyred. The nobles eventually led armies of zealots against neighboring kingdoms, forcing the Elven Kingdoms to intervene. The resulting war ended with the most of Bothniel's clergy and nobility slain in combat or later executed.
Consipiracy theories abound of the failed revolt. Some focus on the cause, attempting to find links between the early zealots with such evils as Lolth or Amodeus. Others focus on the idea that a cabal of survivors might still influence politics in the region. Either way, this heretical sect of the Temple of the Angharradh and their teachings is still referred to as the Bothniel Heresy.
Recent Events
Within the past few decades a group of craftsmen and merchants have formed a guild titled the Avian United Trade Federation. Composed primarily of avian races like aarakocra and kenku, most members have an affinity with temples associated with air dieties, such as Aerdrie, Akadi, and Syranita. These relationships are encouraged to increase their local standing and to gain access to certain magical resources.
The AUTF has also been experimenting with primitive flying machines, such as lighter-than-air crafts and magically powered gliders. Results have been mixed, such as when the lost control of a newly christened airship in inclement weather outside of Darrum City. The crash started a massive fire that ruined several farms, but fortunately neither the crew nor farmers suffered any major injuries. Whether or not flying machines will catch on in the Verdant Vale remains a matter of debate.
Clergy and Worship
As a fertility and weather goddess, Aerdrie is a very popular among elves that live in rural areas or near the inland sea. There are very few temples dedicated to Aerdrie in the Verdant Vale or even the Elven Kingdoms. Most clergy dedicated to her worship use small shrines or the temples of the Angharradh as their focal points. From these sites they would frequently explore the coastline, countryside, or mountains as necessary to aid rural elven villages and maintain good relations with sentient avian species.
Aerdrie is popular among sailors desiring favorable weather as well as druids and rangers in the mountains or coast. As a goddess of childbirth, she is popularly worshiped by midwives and expectant parents. Clerics of Aerdrie often draw on the domains of Life, Tempest, and Trickery for their power. Many of her more inventive followers also attempt to emulate the ability to fly, either through magical or mechanical means.
Outside of elven communities, Aerdrie is popular among the sentient avian races such as the giant eagles, good or neutral aligned harpies, kenku, and especially the aarakocra. High in their mountain aeries, the aarakocra often describe receiving visions of Aerdrie in the form of a brilliant white bird. Feathers from these visitations are treasured relics and heirlooms believed to offer protection and good fortune. Interplanar adventurers also describe how some djinn pay her homage, dedicating a mosque to her in the twin cities of Qaleat Aljalid and Qaleat Minalsulb in the Elemental Plane of Air.
Priests and priestesses observe the holy days of the Dance of the Swirling Winds, held semiannually on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. These days are to celebrate the changing of the seasons, with the winds on such days being seen as portentous of future events. Celebrants provide offerings of beautiful feathers and flowers with the clergy performing a ceremonial dance accompanied by the music of wind instruments. Often, the dancers will seek aid, either magical or mechanical, to achieve the effect of flight during the ceremony’s climax.
Tenants
Creativity. Do not let your worship or expression be suppressed. Your songs and praises will carry on the wind to the Flying Fey above.
Flexibility. Change is beautiful and chaos can birth new life and possibilities. The ever-changing heavens are her gift.
Freedom. Ascend and relish the freedom that the Flying Fey bequeaths to her followers. The open air is her liberty.
Harmony. With dominion over the heavens, the Flying Fey extends her love and protection to all good creatures that soar the skies. The windswept sky is her embrace.
Religious Habit
Clergy of Aerdrie do not have a specific uniform, usually wearing simple but durable traveling clothes or robes. On occasions of special significance or when they are conducting services alongside priests and priestess of other temples, they will don simple robes in appropriately sky themed colors, such as blues, grays, and whites. The holy symbol of Aerdrie typically depicts the silhouette of a bird in flight against a cloud and is often worn as a silver or pewter amulet or an embroidered emblem on the robes.Relations with Other Faiths
Corellon & the Seldarine. As a consort of Corellon, she has a strong maternal interest in all of his children, including Eilistraee despite her association with the Dark Seldarine. Outside of her role as part of the Angharradh, she prefers to distance herself from her fellow Seldarine unless absolutely necessary.- Darahl. Her younger son by Corellon, he is the demigod of earth, fire, and the forge. He is generally a recluse, preferring to craft in his hidden mountain smithy to interacting with other Seldarine. He is closest to his parents, Tarsellis (demigod of mountains and wilderness), and his half-brother Tethrin (demigod of bladesingers and swordsmanship).
- Fenmarel. The reclusive god of contemplation and outcasts, he once attracted the attention of an elf maiden. Attempting to allieviate his solitude, Aerdrie taught the enamored mortal an alluring song to seduce the god. When this failed, the mortal eventually turned to Mother Frostrot for aid and was transformed into the first harpy. Fenmarel has come to view Aerdrie as a busybody and actively avoids her.
- Rellavar. Her older son by Corellon, he is the lesser god of snow and winter. He is also closely associated with Tarsellis. He is worshiped among the reclusive snow elves, their level of devotion raising his power enough to challenge the threat of Auril (evil goddess of winter) and Thrym (god of the frost giants) to his followers.
- Eilistraee. The drow lunar goddess of dance and redemption, she joined the Dark Seldarine with her father’s blessing to help redeem the Drow from her mother’s corruption. Despite initially believing that she betrayed her father and incapacitating her during the War of the Seldarine, Aerdrie made amends after realizing the true treachery of Lolth and Eilistraee’s willingness to sacrifice herself for the sake of the Drow.
Akadi. The goddess of air, speed, and flying creatures, she is popularly worshiped by cultures that do not have a specific air deity in their native pantheon. Some humancentric philosophers have argued that ‘human’ deities will manifest aspects for other races, therefore prayer to Aerdrie is pointless since Akadi is the true deity. However, most orthodox theologians subscribe to the belief that the deities of all pantheons are equally valid manifestations of divine power.
Grandmother Frostrot. An archfey hag of the Unseelie Court in the Feywild. She interfered with Aerdrie's attempt to help a mortal maiden seduce Fenmarel, leading to the creation of the first harpies. Aerdrie blames the hag for her matchmaking failure and has vowed vengence against her and her covens.
Syranita. The demigoddess of the aarakocra, due to her race’s few numbers and her relatively weak divine power, she has strong alliances to other air deities. Some aarakocra clerics even treat their patron goddess as subservient to Aerdrie or Akadi.
Yondalla’s Children. The halfling and elven pantheons have long been considered friends. Aerdrie has particularly strong alliances with Cyrrollalee, the goddess of the hearth and home, and Sheela, the fertility goddess of agriculture and nature.
Other Deities or Entities. Aerdrie has many allies outside of the Seldarine including the following:
- Kori-Eru. Demigod of the kirin.
- Lurue. An archfey with dominion over awakened beasts and beastfolk of the Feywild.
- Milil. Demigod of poetry and music.
- Remnis. Demigod of the giant eagles.
- Shaundakul. God of travelers and portals.
- Auril. Goddess of winter.
- Malar. God of bloodlust and evil lycanthropes.
- Talos. God of storms.
- Umberlee. Goddess of seas.
Comments