Alignment: Neutral GoodPortfolios: hunting, animals, journeys by land Races: human, elven, tomanth Animal Totem: tiger Physical Description: 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. History: 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 pendelum towards the side of good. Relic: 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. Church: 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. Incidently, 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. Druids: Although all druids are bound to the Grand Druid and the Druidic Circle, there are those that worship Elinthar. These druids have amazing abilities with animals, and are more apt to shapeshift. In addition to their normal duties to the Druidic Circle, they serve as advisors to large land owners such as barons and kings. These druids are more prominent in hunting-dependant lands such as arctic tundra, high mountains, arid deserts, and the like. As such, they help the locals maintain a balance with their hunts, and also aid in the hunts. Rangers: Like the druids that worship Elinthar, rangers have amazing abilities with animals. Such rangers are far more apt to have the animal handling or animal training proficiencies, and are uncanny trackers. In the aftermath of the great wars, and the War of the Undead, many creatures and animals stalked the surface of Gaeleth that did more than hunt for survival; as such, the rangers were needed to protect the wilderness areas, and hunt down those creatures that infiltrated more habitated environments. Most rangers of Elinthar report directly to the Church with matters of importance, and can be rallied for great causes. Clerics: There are actually few true clerics of Elinthar. Most are dual or multiclassed individuals who incorporated the abilities of the cleric into a greater whole, either in combination with a ranger or some other nature-oriented class. Though members of the Church of Elinthar, clerics are the furthest outside of the political structure of the Church. They tend to be self-made individuals, especially as their spheres of influence do not allow for animals or other nature-oriented spells. Specialty priests: Although they strongly resemble druids in their powers, they are not as oriented towards the balance that the Druidic Circle attempts to maintain. Many specialty priests of Elinthar are former druids, who left for one reason or another. They do not wear armor they cannot themselves make, and they cannot wield weapons they cannot make for themselves. Very independant, they must be able to survive in their native environment; thus, they are required to take a survival nonweapon proficiency. Some can fashion metal armor or weapons for themselves, but they must also be able to mine it and smith the raw ore on their own, although they may borrow an anvil and forge from another. The independance of these followers of Elinthar requires Wisdom and Intelligence scores of 12, and a Constitution of 13. Their most needed spells give them major access to the All, Animal, Divination, Healing, Necromantic, and Summoning spheres. The other spells they need give them minor access to the Charm, Creation, Guardian, and Protection spheres. Elinthar grants these devoted followers the following abilities: 1) they can cast form's flow (see spell below), 2) no creature with an Intelligence of 2 or less can use its special attacks or defenses on the specialty priest, including gaze attacks, poisons, toxins, surprise attacks, and the like, and 3) they unerringly know their direction of travel, and the direction of their destination, unless beset by spells or equivalent factors. Shamans: In the more distant lands, the shamans of Elinthar are the backbone of the Church, although the formal politics of the Church are distant to themselves. They exist in many of the more primative and distant hunter gatherer tribes. Their ties with the spirit world allow them to work with the spirit aspects of animals in particular, and thus maintain communications with the other priests of Elinthar. The spirits also keep them aware of the goings on in distant lands, and in contact with the Druidic Circle.
Sphere: Animal Range: 0 Components: V, M Duration: 1 mark Casting Time: 1 Area of Effect: the Caster Saving Throw: None Specialty priests of Elinthar can assume the shape of animals who spiritual endurance is similar to their own. This basically means that the priest can shape change into animals of equal or lesser Hit Die than the priest, gaining that creatures features, senses, and movement rate. The animals cannot be sentient, and they must be natural. (The DM will decide what animals are natural, or not; as a guide-line, animals with special gaze attacks or breath weapons, extraordinary regenerative abilities, or the like, are not considered natural.) Form's flow requires little attention on the part of the priest -- merely a special prayer given to Elinthar, while holding his holy symbol. His clothing, equipment, and all other items are changed with him, and magical items with passive protection or activation can still be effective. The priest can end the flow at any time, but if after one mark the priest has not reverted, he reverts back to his original form automatically. Some priests light time candles, sing special songs, or recant mantras, so as to keep track of time. A rat in a tunnel could very messily revert to a priest in an area far too small for a human -- killing him. Once the priest reverts to his original form, he is usually rather weak and exhausted. Additionally, Elinthar rarely grants prayers for one mark after granting this spell, perhaps to afford the priest introspection of the form he had flowed into. Next God from Gaeleth's Gods |