“Enjoy the hunt, not the hunted.”
Symbol: serpent
Alignment: Neutral Good
Portfolio: animals, travel, hunting
Worshippers: hunters, rangers, druids
Cleric Alignments: NG, CG, CN, TN
Domains: animal, travel, protection, luck
Favored Weapon: short bow
Animal Totems: tigers, stags, serpents
The followers of Elinthar feel a deep connection with the animals of the world. They worship all animals, and give their thanks for each life that falls to support them, be it for food or clothes or decorations. The church of Elinthar ensures that animals are not over-hunted, that they multiply and are plentiful, and that the 'creations' of the Storm Wars are eliminated from from Nature, for they are not a part of Nature's way. (Many followers of Elinthar are at odds with mages for this reason.)
For humans, he is portrayed as a short, rather hairy man with intense green eyes and long brown hair. His clothing is usually well treated furs and leathers, and his weapons are either a longbow with quiver, or a long spear. Always nearby are various animals, and most artists incorporate a visual hunt – finding the spider hidden in Elinthar's hair, or the spear that is actually a snake.
When the Shield first went up, locking away all of the old gods, Elinthar's prophets rose quickly. The Prism Wars had unleashed power beyond reckoning, and the animals themselves had changed, becoming powerful and unafraid of man. Elinthar's followers were originally hunters in the plains and forests of Gaeleth, but the deity spread to other places, from the tanners within a city, to the druids in a distant wilderness. The god of the hunt was originally more of a neutral animal god, but the trials of the Shaping Wars and the Storm Wars slowly swung the pendulum towards the side of good.
History swallowed up many of the original stories of Elinthar's Relic. During the Shaping Wars, Elinthar's Chosen contested with a demon summoned by Argunas' follower Dekthumal. The demon managed to slay the Chosen, but the act of grasping the Relic of Elinthar cursed the demon with pain and torment beyond the fires of the Abyss. Hoping to assuage the heat and flame, the demon slew Dekthumal, and plunged itself into the waters off Hobrimeth. The Relic has been lost within the barrier reef on the west side of the continent ever since, despite numerous attempts to find it.
Because of its druidic origin, the political center for the Church of Elinthar is a sacred mountain in the region of the Tanki Forest in Chilleth. Built on top of again and again, the mountain has literally risen in height through the eons. The temples scattered all over the mountain are approachable by anyone, though few may ascend to the top, where the Chosen of Elinthar maintains the ancient temple of Aruie. Incidentally, the mountain takes its name from the temple, and thus it is Mount Aruie. The Disciples of Elinthar are nominally allegiant to the Chosen, with temples of their own scattered over the mountain. Loosely organized and highly mobile, the other members of the Church of Elinthar travel wherever they feel the Church has dealings. The Disciples deal mainly with the katals (high ranking rangers) and esparases (high ranking druids). Though many other Churches may consider the Church of Elinthar somewhat weak and clumsy, it is never-the-less highly effective. In the centuries after the Storm Wars, it has primarily centered itself around eliminating the magical creations that appear to be animals, and are not.