Nylea

God of the Hunt

Nylea is the wild, carefree god of the hunt. She claims dominion over the whole of the natural world, particularly hunger and predation, the seasons, metamorphosis and rebirth, and the forest. Nylea is among the most gregarious of the gods, and can be spotted frolicking joyfully with her Nyxborn lynx, Halma, or her favorite nymph, Theophilia. But she also savors solitude, and on the hunt she is deadly serious, almost animalistic, in her mood. She is nearly as quick to anger as her brother Purphoros, enacting swift revenge on those who harm the natural realm.
Nylea usually appears as a green-skinned dryad with woody extremities. Her hair is made of vines and leaves that change with the seasons. She might also appear as a majestic specimen of any animal, most frequently a lynx or a wolf. When she desires stealth or solitude, she might take the form of a tree, usually an oak or an olive.

Nylea’s Influence

Nylea is worshiped by hunters, but her concerns go far beyond humanity’s ability to subsist on the bounty of the natural world. She controls the turning of the seasons. Usually, she ushers each one in and out on schedule, but when angered, she might refuse to change to the next season, or even call upon one out of its proper time. Mortals pray to her to ward off unseasonable weather, both natural and supernatural in origin. Nylea is the best archer in the world, and contests of archery are often held in her name. Those who hunt their own food pray to Nylea for success, and Nylea blesses their natural predation. Poachers and those who kill for sport, however, know that she loathes such activity, and they try to stay hidden from her at all costs. Nylea has personally slain many of those who killed wantonly in her sacred Nessian Wood.
Nylea’s association with metamorphosis makes her the target of prayers from those who seek to dramatically change their own nature or identity. She is worshiped by those who want to reform or transform society in ways less violent than those favored by gods such as Purphoros and Mogis. She is also revered by those who cherish the solitude and serenity of the forest.
Birth falls under Nylea’s influence as well, and her priests often double as midwives in their communities, blessing babies as they come into the world.

Nylea’s Goals

Compared to the other gods, Nylea’s goals are modest. She wants only to keep the natural world free and healthy, shepherd the seasons through their yearly cycle, and enjoy the beauty of the land. But in her darker moments, she realizes that the very existence of civilization on Theros is a mounting threat to nature—perhaps even an effort by the rest of the pantheon to destroy her. If it were up to her, she might well wipe away all the poleis and larger communities, leaving only scattered tribes of mortals to live in an enforced balance with nature. She isn’t out to eradicate sapient beings, blaming her fellow gods for the spread of civilization rather than the mortals themselves.

Divine Relationships

Nylea seldom comes into open conflict with the other gods, and she would say that all her clashes with them result from their encroachment on her territory. The most frequent targets of her irritation are the gods who encourage the spread of civilization. Heliod and Ephara brought law and ambition to mortals, persuading them to congregate in stone-walled cities and consider themselves separate from her realm. Purphoros oversees some of the natural processes of earth and fire that help Nylea’s realm flourish, but he also gave mortals the gift of bronze, enabling them to make axes and spears. In both his destructive and creative guises, Purphoros might threaten what Nylea holds dear. As a result, she remains wary of his designs.
Nylea is disappointed in Karametra, precisely because of the overlap in their spheres of influence. Karametra insists on transforming nature into a mockery of itself, yoking once-wild beasts and contorting plants through agriculture to feed the ever-swelling population centers.
Iroas and Mogis are harbingers of warfare, which is always devastating to the natural world. Nylea is virtually incapable of distinguishing between the “noble” and “brutal” aspects of their shared bailiwick, considering all forms of war a senseless waste of life and energy.
Nylea acknowledges death as a crucial part of the life cycle, but scorns Erebos’s obsession with the afterlife. What matters is that nature takes nourishment from the bodies of the deceased, not from the disposition of their intangible souls. She blames Erebos, Athreos, and Phenax in equal measure for the existence of the Returned, which she considers abominations.

Worshiping Nylea

Mortals all over Theros pray to Nylea when they rely on hunting or nature’s whims for their livelihood. Her most ardent followers are satyrs, centaurs, humans (particularly those who live in Setessa and in the wilds), and nymphs of all kinds, especially dryads. Few leonin worship any of the gods, but of those who do, many favor Nylea with their prayers.

Nylea blesses those who are kind to animals, considering such acts as wordless prayers. Those who must kill a dangerous natural animal or cut down trees often pray to Nylea for forgiveness, sometimes leaving food for other animals or planting new trees as atonement.

Myths of Nylea

Most of the myths about Nylea are cautionary tales about the fate of mortals who profane her sacred forests.

The First Hunt

Each spring, communities observe the festival of the First Hunt, the Protokynion. In ancient times, the festival involved hunting, but in the modern form of observance, it is a day of picnics, outdoor games, and frolicking that has little to do with Nylea except that it celebrates the full flowering of spring. Tales tell of Nylea being passingly bitter about the celebration and, annually, visiting a First Hunt celebration in disguise. If she finds herself duly honored during the revelry, she blesses the event and might personally participate. If she finds no mention of her works, she curses those in attendance, sometimes sending rampaging beasts to disrupt the event or turning participants into game animals for true hunters to stalk.

Origin of the Catoblepas, Another Perspective

When a herder boasted that his cattle were Theros’s finest because Heliod and Nylea had created them, Heliod persuaded Mogis to curse the cattle, transforming them into the first catoblepases. Heliod had hoped to win Nylea’s favor by defending her honor in this way, but she was outraged to be associated with the creation of these abominations. To this day, Nylea offers a boon to anyone who hunts down a catoblepas and brings its head to her sacred grove.

The Three Hunters

Three young men from wealthy families were hunting for sport in the Nessian Wood. Nylea accosted them before they had taken any prey and gave each man a chance to bring her a gift that would atone for his intentions. The first man killed a stag and made an offering of it in her name, so she turned him into a stag to compensate for the one he had killed. The second offered wealth from his family coffers, so she turned him into a tree clinging to a cliff face by one root. The third, remorseful, threw himself on a bed of moss, and a cerulean butterfly came to rest on his hand. Carefully, he carried the butterfly back to Nylea. She not only spared him, but blessed his house and all his descendants.

The Tragedy of Arasta

In ages long past, Nylea loved her dryad companion, Arasta, as a sister and the two spread wonders across Theros. One day, Phenax, envious of the pair and stung by some forgotten slight, transformed Arasta into a terrible monster to prove that the goddess’s love was based on beauty, not true kinship. Seeing the unfamiliar creature, Nylea was horrified and drove her away. Shattered, Arasta retreated and has terrorized the gods’ servants ever since. To this day, Nylea remains deeply pained by Arasta’s loss. Knowing that only Phenax can undo the curse he laid upon the dryad, Nylea often sends her champions to learn the secret of what might restore her friend.

Halma, Nylea's Emissary

One day, Nylea came upon an enormous lynx lounging in the shade of an olive grove, blood on its maw, the carcass of a colossal boar beside him. The boar had been one of Nylea’s favorites, and what followed was a legendary chase where the god pursued the lynx through the heart of the Nessian Wood. Whenever Nylea drew close, the great cat vanished into the forest’s shadows. Seasons passed as the god loosed arrow after arrow at the lynx, but her efforts remained fruitless. Nylea eventually abandoned the hunt, only to find the feline waiting for her at the edge of a stream the next evening. The hunt resumed, but with the same outcome. It continued like that for some time, until Nylea began to grow fond of the beast. Soon, the pair started hunting together, and the lynx, which she called Halma, became one of Nylea’s confidants.

Nylea’s Champions

Alignment: Usually neutral, often good
Suggested Classes: Barbarian, cleric, druid, ranger
Suggested Cleric Domains: Nature
Suggested Backgrounds: Folk hero, hermit, outlander
Nylea is one of the more active of the gods in the mortal realm, but she can’t be everywhere at once. Her heroes are her eyes, ears, and arrows on Theros, defending her interests anywhere and anytime she can’t.
Most champions of Nylea understand the cycles of nature—embracing life, death, and rebirth. They might commit violence when necessary but never revel in it, advocating for the proper treatment of animals, plants, and the natural world.

Nyleas’s Favor

Nylea chooses champions who will tirelessly defend the natural world, regardless of their mortal ties and associations. She cares more for consistency of actions than for vows of loyalty and expressions of devotion. Whether you are silently devoted to her or vociferous in your praise, it is your actions in her name that will prompt her to continue her support—or withdraw it.
Because her interests are often tied to natural forces, Nylea’s attentions can be unpredictable. What made the god turn her attention to you? What act of charity or feat of skill made her think you would be a good champion?

Earning and Losing Piety

You increase your piety score to Nylea when you expand the god’s influence in the world in a concrete way through acts such as these:

• Healing a sick or injured wild animal
• Stopping those who hunt for sport or profit
• Proving your worth in a contest of archery
• Slaying an aberration, a fiend, or an undead

Your piety score to Nylea decreases if you diminish Nylea’s influence in the world, fail to defend nature, or offend her sensibilities through acts such as these:

• Killing an animal for any reason other than necessity
• Dedicating a building or making a sacrifice to any god, including Nylea
• Protecting a city or farm from natural dangers

Nylea ’s Devotee

Piety 3+ Nylea trait
As a devotee of Nylea, you have proven yourself a guardian of the wilds. You can cast hunter’s mark with this trait a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Nylea’s Votary

Piety 10+ Nylea trait
You can cast speak with animals with this trait a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.

Nylea’s Disciple

Piety 25+ Nylea trait
When a beast is about to attack you, it must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature must choose a different target, or the attack automatically misses you. On a successful save, the creature is immune to this trait for 24 hours.

Champion of the Hunt

Piety 50+ Nylea trait
You can increase your Dexterity or Wisdom score by 2 and also increase your maximum for that score by 2.

A Nylea Campaign

A campaign in which the player characters are champions of Nylea will feature great feats of heroism in defense of nature. Nylea might instruct the characters to defend a corner of the Nessian Wood, pitting them against poachers, sport hunters, unnatural abominations, and ordinary people who want to develop the wood for mortals’ use. Nylea doesn’t care if the characters are opposed by simple peasants, or by monsters beyond the characters’ ability to cope with. They might need to get creative, calling upon Nylea’s own servants— such as hydras—to beat back the more powerful threats. At the beginning of the campaign, the heroes might help defend Setessa from an attack that also threatens all of the Nessian Wood, which is their main concern. Hailed as heroes even though their defense of the polis was a secondary goal, they continue to enjoy Nylea’s favor as they confront greater threats. Perhaps they will align themselves with the leaders of the polis, or maybe Setessa will eventually find itself at odds with the wild ideals of Nylea.
Nylea’s dictates are simple but inflexible, and her champions find that her favor turns to wrath if they neglect their duty to the forest. She might simply banish them from the Nessian Wood, or she might become a villain, with the characters either seeking to appease her or trying to find a new divine patron to protect them.

Nylea’s Villains

From Nylea’s perspective, her desires are benign, but her unwillingness to favor sapient beings over wild animals and plants sometimes makes her a figure of menace. Those who dwell in permanent settlements often do not understand or appreciate the boundaries Nylea sets, and can run afoul of her even with the best intentions. Nylea’s followers might obsess over the idea of wiping out civilization, turning them into agents of destruction. On a smaller scale, they might twist her patronage of the hunt into an excuse to enact vendettas against those who wrong them. Even natural creatures can become threats when the balance of nature is disrupted, and Nylea herself could send champions to intervene when her own creatures and followers turn toward evil.

Nylea as Campaign Villain

As a villain, Nylea is most likely driven by transgressions against her realm, whether by mortals or by other gods. She might begin her retaliation by barring all sapient creatures from the Nessian Wood, or by visiting punishment on an entire polis for the actions of a few citizens. From there, she could easily end up in an escalating conflict against mortals across Theros, drawing in multiple gods and threatening the idea of civilization itself. Player characters who are champions of other gods could find themselves marked for death by hunters who have a grudge against their patrons.

Forest Shrine

Forest shrines honoring Nylea are found in the woodlands of Theros. These places have few features made of stone or steel. Instead, the druids and nymphs who care for the shrines use magic to direct the growth of plants, producing beautiful natural altars, sculptures, and shelters. These creations, wondrous as they are, don’t dominate the layout of a shrine, since Nylea and her worshipers prefer to let nature flourish untamed at her holy sites. The druids that occupy a shrine sometimes leave for days at a time to go on a mission, but they never leave the place without guardians. Beasts, plants, and nymphs are always on the lookout for intruders

Forest Shrine Adventures

A forest shrine is a remote place with inhabitants who are difficult to impress. Simply finding and getting permission to enter a shrine can be an adventure in itself, since the druids and nymphs that guard the place are wary of outsiders and ready to put down those who take needlessly from the forest. Characters who are accepted into a forest shrine find it to be a guarded, peaceful place, an excellent shelter against enemies and weather. Sacred animals and hunting weapons are protected in the shrines. The druids might be willing to share knowledge and forest secrets with those who gain their trust. The Forest Shrine Adventures table offers ideas for adventures that could occur in or around such a place.