Page 39 - D&D - Player's Handbook

the goddess of night, secrets, loss, and forgetfulness. breath to all the world. Many of his faithful oppose the
She represents pains hidden but not forgotten, and ven- expansion of settlements into wild places, and consider
geances .carefully nurtured away from the light. She is excessive consumption of natural resources to be not
said to have the power to make folk forget their pain or only wasteful but blasphemous.
become inured to a loss, and many people in distress Silvanus often receives veneration from travelers in
pray to Shar for such a blessing. wild lands, explorers, and residents of rural communi-
Shar is revered by those who must venture into dark ties far from the protection of a local lord or a great city.
places and so pray to her for protection, such as miners, The oak leaf is Silvanus's symbol, and a grove of oak
as well as by those who have fallen into melancholy and trees within a village or on its outskirts is often dedi-
despair, who wish to forget something, or who have lost cated as a shrine to him. In rural places where oak trees
something and wish to recover it. Priests drawn to serve don't grow, an oak leaf etched into the bark of another
Shar often nurture their own deep wounds or dark se- kind of tree signifies a sacred site.
crets, which in their minds makes them best suited to
console those who suffer from a similar ill. Throughout SUNE
the world's history, many followers of Shar have done
Lady Firehair, the Lady of Love, the Princess of Passion
dark deeds in her name- most notably the shadovar of
Sune Firehair is a deity of passion and the delights
Netheril, an entire society dedicated to Shar. The trag-
of the senses. She is the goddess of beauty in all its
edies and losses brought about by the fanaticism of her
forms-not just pleasing sights, but also enchanting
followers have caused many places to outlaw her wor-
sounds, luxurious tastes and scents, and the exquisite
ship and thus driven most of her priests into secrecy, but
pleasures of the flesh, from a lover's caress to the brush
such prohibitions only heighten the priests' umbrage at
of silk on the skin. Her worshipers seek out these plea-
authorities and make the faithful a focal point for rebel-
sures in life, not out of mere decadence, but because the
lion and revenge against whoever rules.
experience of pleasure is the touch of Sune herself.
SILVANUS The followers of Sune have a reputation as hedonists,
and so they are, to a degree. More than that, her priests
Oak Father, the Old Oak, Old Father Tree
foster beauty in the world. They do so by creating art, by
Silvanus represents the entirety of nature, deserts as acting as patrons for promising talents, and by investing
well as forests, sharks as much as deer. But folk in the in merchants who bring luxuries to far-off places that
North, who contend with the dangers of forests, moun- have never seen satin or tasted a luscious wine.
tains, and plains, see Silvanus more as a god of those Her priests consider loveliness to be one of their
places. Silvanus is thought of as a grim and severe greatest callings, and all are trained in comportment,
father figure who metes out flood and drought, fire and fashion, and cosmetics. Indeed, so talented are Sune's
ice, and life and death in the wilderness. In legends he priests in the creation of beautiful appearances that
often commands other nature deities, dealing out re- many take pride in their ability to present themselves as
wards and punishments to them as is fitting. stunningly attractive examples of either gender.
Nature and its impartial fairness is central to the But beauty is more than skin deep, say the Sunites; it
dogma of Silvanus's faith. His priests seek to know the issues from the core of one's being and shows one's true
total situation, to view the macrocosm; their viewpoint face to the world, whether fair or foul. The followers of
isn't confined to one person's or one nation's idea of Sune are believers in romance, true love winning over
what is best. The loss of a farming community to goblin all, and following one's heart to one's true destination.
raids is a tragedy for some, but the event provides an Fated matches, impossible loves, and ugly ducklings be-
opportunity for the wilderness to grow up and make coming swans are all in the purview of Sune.
the land fertile again, which in turn provides new chal- Temples dedicated to Sune are common in human
lenges for those who would return to tame it. lands, and they frequently serve as public baths and
The creed of Silvanus dictates that nature's glory must places of relaxation. A temple usually features a mir-
be preserved not merely because nature is beautiful, but rored and well-lit salon where folks can primp, as well
because wild nature is the true state of the world. Its ex- as see others and be seen. Where a temple doesn't exist,
panses refresh and revitalize the mortal soul, and give or in a large city where the nearest temple might be too

SYM BOL OF SILVA NU S

S YMB O L O F SU NE