Goddess of Singing Waters, the Quiet One, Mother Guardian of Groves, the Green Goddess, the Mother of the Waters
Holy Symbol: A waterfall plunging into a still pool without causing any disturbance of its waters, or a circular, sky-blue disk fringed with green ferns
Peace can only come from within and cannot he taught or imposed; it must he readied through thought and meditation. Nurture and aid and do not restrict or punish. Work violence only to defend, and slay no thing of the forest save to prevent it from slaying itself or another under your protection.
Give assistance to, support, and shelter displaced forest dwellers and those who work to defend ponds, marshes, and streamside woods everywhere. Swear to take no thinking life save in direst need and to share with all beings the beneficial things that grow in or come from running water that all may know and praise Eldath.
(You need to abide by these as clergy, not as a worshiper)
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Cleric, Druid, Ranger, or Shaman
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Any race
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You must not harm the innocent
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You must not use torture or cause any unnecessary injury
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Non-Cleric Initiation: You must heal a sick or injured person or animal by the side of a natural pool or stream, nursing them to health through non-magical means; then, let them free.
(You need to abide by these as clergy, not as a worshiper)
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Level 1 Spell: Sanctify Weapon
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Know peace.
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Level 3 Spell: Animate Dead/Spirit Guardians
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Know peace.
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Level 5 Spell: Contagion
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Know peace.
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Level 7 Spells: Harm, Sever, Mark of Death
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Know peace.
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Level 9 Spell: Plague
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Know peace.
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(If you wish to become clergy of this god, you must take only one vow from those below—if you violate it you lose any moves, spells, and any other benefits granted by this god until you atone.)
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Peace (Forbidden: Reducing anyone to or below 0 hit points)
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Healing (Forbidden: Allowing someone who is sick, injured, or otherwise in need of healing to suffer or die, unless it is by their own hand, including enemies—provided they are not a threat; heal any in need)
Eldath (EL-dath) is the guardian of druid groves, and her presence is felt every place where there is calm. Her druids and clergy often aid other druidic faiths in establishing a grove and sanctifying it. In religious art, Eldath is often depicted as a dark-haired woman dressed in shimmering green or as a dryad or wild elf with blue and green hair. Her singing is heard in every babbling brook and waterfall.
Eldath is a pacifist and usually takes no hostile actions even when threatened. This is one of the reasons that Eldath is almost a forgotten power; most think of Mielikki, Silvanus, or Chauntea in relation to nature before they think of her. Eldath is enigmatic and speaks seldom. She seems shy, but possessed of unknown depths of character and an unexpressed resolve that cannot be broken. When challenged, she gives before challengers who only later discover that her apparent acceptance and retreat merely drew them out into an untenable position where they are surrounded, out of their element, and their reinforcements have been converted to her side.
Home Plane
House of Nature
Portfolio
Peace, quiet places, springs, pools
Favored Weapon
Net
Myths
Eldath's Waters
Any waters blessed by Eldath are known to cure sickness and madness. They can also calm the dying, giving them peace and a natural passing.
History
Relationship with other gods and churches
Like Mielikki, Eldath sees Silvanus as a father figure, but is careful to remain removed from him, often finding his robustness intimidating to her retiring nature. Mielikki and Eldath have a very close relationship
While Eldath opposes all that Tempus stands for, she does not consider him a personal foe. He in turn, is said to consider her naive, but to respect her convictions and generally ignore her.
Associated Lesser Deities
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Many people come to Eldath for desperate healing, or else for help in overcoming memories of a violent past: a single event that affected them, or an accumulation of violent experiences.
Rites and Duties
Eldath's clergy members pray on a personal and individual basis when bathing or floating in ponds or streams, when standing under waterfalls, and in small chambers, caves, or forest bowers given over to regular meditation. Many forest paths in woods dwelt in by Eldathyn cross streams by means of log bridges bearing tiny huts with holes or nap doors in their floors, permitting modest clergy to immerse themselves for prayer or bathing. These arc the most favored meditation spots for Eldathyn.
Prayers must be performed upon awakening, at sunset, and at least once during the dark hours, and may be performed at any other time as personally desired. In woodlands and remote wilderness areas, worship to the Green Goddess should be done unclad or as close to it as is possible in a given circumstance. Startled woodsmen tell of certain adventurer-priests standing naked in pools to pray with their weapons drifting in the pool around them so as to be ready at hand if danger came upon the scene.
The only calendar-related ritual of Eldath, the Greening (Greengrass) is also the only regular gathering and festival of the priesthood. It is preceded by Firstflow, a festival held at different times in different locales as the ice-breaks up and the waters begin to flow. The only other occasions upon which Eldathyn gather in large numbers are consecrations of new places as open-air temples or shrines of the goddess. At such consecrations, the assembled clergy perform the Chant of the Fastness. An avatar of Eldath always appears to bless her worshipers' efforts, though she may not always speak or work magic other than making any spring or water in her new sacred place into water of Eldath for a tenday thereafter and giving it the power to regenerate and heal all creatures immersed in it until the dawn following the day other appearance.
Eldathyn usually spend their lives tending unspoiled places to ensure that they survive and even flourish in the face of Human and other depredations. Priests of Eldath replant burned areas, purge areas of plant diseases, construct boulder firebreaks, irrigate wooded areas, and clear streambeds to make rivulets flow more swiftly or create dams to slow runoff and encourage the life created by small pools. They even make bargains with nearby foresters to cut only in certain areas and leave other woodlands alone.
Eldath has a hatred of indiscriminate and greedy woodcutters, those who use fire as a weapon, and avaricious millers and careless beings who foul rivers and other waters. Her clergy are pledged to work against such individuals by whatever means seem most prudent for long-term success. They rarely resort lo any sort of open confrontation for as long as possible as it tends to bring attacks down on the clergy - but hidden priests can work in opposition unhindered.
Eldathyn are also charged with observing and recording what sort of birds, beasts, and plants dwell in what places and the changes in the amounts and locations of such flora and fauna over the years. They are to report such things to their superiors on a regular basis so that the senior clergy members, working with those of Silvanus and Mielikki, can interpret long-term trends in regional ecologies.
To raise funds for personal and church support, priests of Eldath may act as water-dowsers by employing an infallible water divination spell known to the church, as herbalists, gardeners, or as potion-makers. Few Eldathyn live-in large settlements, but many dwelt in springside cottages-often with trained guard animals-within an easy ride of cities or large towns so as to be able to serve the local populace as sources of medicines and potions. Clergy of Eldath are all taught to swim, and often teach this skill to nonbelievers in return for small offerings to the church and the goddess of food and coins that the priests can use.
For Cleric/Wizards
When you gain a level from 2–5, you may choose a single Domain. A full list of domain spells and moves is under Choosing a God in Advanced Play Guides.
When you gain a level from 6–10, you may choose a second Domain.
If you choose the primary domain for your god, you also get the Primary Domain Move of that domain and take +1 to cast spells from the domain.
Clerics/Wizards
If you are a Cleric or Wizard (and your god permits your class), choose from the following domains. You add all spells of the chosen domain to your spell list, up to level 7 (once you meet the mana requirements) or up to level 9 (if it's the primary domain and once you meet the mana requirements).
Primary Domain
Peace (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells, this Primary Domain Move, and this level 9 spell)
Primary Domain Move
Benevolent
Free
Take +1 forward to your next casting of any Cure Wounds spell.
Level 9 Spell
Mass Cure Light Wounds | Level 9
On up to 3 living creatures of your choice near to you (including yourself) heal 1d8 damage; on all undead creatures of your choice, do 1d4 damage. This cannot be augmented by any other moves or other spells.
Secondary Domains
Compassion (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells)
Protection (Gain this domain's level 1-7 spells)
For Non-Cleric/Wizards
When you gain a level from 2–5, you may choose a single Domain. A full list of domain spells and moves is under Choosing a God in Advanced Play Guides.
When you gain a level from 6–10, you may choose a second Domain.
If you choose the primary domain for your god, you also get the Primary Domain Move of that domain and take +1 to cast spells from the domain.
Non-Cleric/Wizards
If you are not a Cleric or Wizard, you gain access to all spells of your chosen domain up to level 3 and can cast them using the Cast a Spell Cleric move (you do not however gain any spells from the Cleric spell list). You can also gain a secondary domain move from that domain, in addition to the domain spells.
Primary Domain
Peace (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells, this Primary Domain Move, and a Secondary Domain Move)
Primary Domain Move
Benevolent
Free
Take +1 forward to your next casting of any Cure Wounds spell.
Secondary Domain Moves (choose 1):
Good Touch
When you use cure wounds, heal +1 HP, even if your spell fails (thus healing 1HP).
A Good, Clean Fight
You gain the Monk move Fistmaster General. If you already have Fistmaster General you may take another Monk move instead. When you are the storyteller for the Last Gasp taken by a Standard race, you must always render them unconscious (not dead), unless they are undead. If you ever kill someone not listed above or wield a weapon other than your fists in battle you lose this move permanently.
Secondary Domains
Compassion (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells and this Secondary Domain Move)
Secondary Domain Move:
A World of Gold from a World of Iron
When you undertake to substantially improve someone’s outlook or lot in life (e.g, free a slave, rebuild someone’s razed farm), take +1 ongoing while you assist them; you must succeed in the span of a single encounter. If you fail in this undertaking, or they end up worse off than they started, take -1 ongoing until you find someone else to assist.
Protection (Gain this domain's level 1 and 3 spells and this Secondary Domain Move)
Secondary Domain Move:
Man the Boundaries!
You can deputize someone to protect something or someone else in your place. Designate someone you trust; they cannot fail a roll to Defend—a 6 or lower counts as 7-9 for them. You can only deputize one person at a time; you can't deputize another Paladin or Commoner who already serves in your clergy. If the person you chose diverts from or is distracted from their duty until it is completed (or failed), they lose this bonus, and you take -1 ongoing until the duty is completed (or failed).