Nylea, god of the hunt
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.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.Divine Domains
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, including Tyrael who was spirited away to never know the truth of his parentage.Holy Books & Codes
MYTHS OF NYLEA
Most of the myths about Nylea are cautionary tales about the fate of mortals who profane her sacred forests. 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- her partner- 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. If Phenax is bound, his magic will cease to hold Arasta in her monstrous form. The players can track her down, stalking a forest by command of Phenax to anger and annoy Nylea. There they can begin battle with her to weaken her, upon doing so Phenax will descend into an avatar form, angry that the players have threatened to destroy his plaything. They can from there bind Phenax and watch as Arasta transforms back into her original form. This will draw Nylea to them, crossing into the mortal world for the first time, and she will be endlessly grateful. She will then reveal the truth about Tyraeal, and she will also deliver the Bow of Nylea- a divine weapon that can be used to bind the other Gods.Divine Symbols & Sigils
Four arrows
Tenets of Faith
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.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
- 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.Holidays
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.
In truth, she has never visited the mortal realm because she fears Erebos tracking her movements and inadvertently lead him to Tyrael. In rare moments, she does send messages to her followers in dreams and may send some to Tyrael.
Divine Goals & Aspirations
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 Classification
God
Alignment
Chaotic Good
Realm
Children
Related Plots
Ruled Locations
