GodGod Name: Anaria'tal
Title: Goddess of Nature and Growth, Mother of Forests, Tal vas'est(High Queen of the Trees), The Green Mistress
Gender: The Embodiment of Females
Alignment: True Neutral
God Appearance: Anaria's main form is that of a beautiful woman, gorgeous and pure. She has long red hair and turquoise eyes. She has an extremely feminine body, well curved and beautiful, an envy to any mortal, even many gods. Her skin is fair and soft, not resembling that of her children at all. She is regularly seen being covered by vines and leaves, not wearing conventional clothing. She can take the shape of most plants as well, trees, flowers, anything like that.
Personality: Anaria was once the most caring goddess one could imagine, she was loving and cared for every creature in Pandeum, but at the beginning of the Young God's rebellion, when the war machines and such were being made, she felt each and every swing of an axe into her trees, every scorched blade of grass, each unborn seed in salted fields, she felt the pain and sorrow of it all. Tens of thousands of deaths, all felt by a single body. This pain, coupled with losing control over her remaining children, have scarred her deeply. She has become wholly apathetic to most things in the mortal plain. She speaks only to her avatar, and spends her time tending to the children she can. the only thing she truly wants in the world, is to once again watch over the land and see it grow. She understands the necessities of the world, the need of her children's bodies. And accepts it. She cannot condone disrespect of them. She is not as a mother bear is to her cubs, she is respective of the cycle. The mortals require housing and heat, so they use her children. They require protection, and her children provide it. They require food, and they provide. Because of all this, Anaria cannot understand why any would disrespect her and that which she created. Without her the mortals wouldn't be alive, they wouldn't thrive, they wouldn't have existed beyond a day. She bore them fruit, she bore them shelter. She despises humans that do nothing but take and take and take, they disrespect the cycle of the world, the give and take, the live and die. She once preached nothing but peace, but now, she will kill those that come to uselessly harm her children. Lone survivors whom venture into the Arro'est tell tales of the trees coming alive and devouring their comrades. She takes no pleasure in this, she sees it as protection.
Opinion of mortals: Anaria's respect for mortals hinges on their respect for her children, for the trees, the grass, the flowers, all of it. She has great respect for gatherers and farmers, those that can stimulate growth, and especially, those that appreciate her children, from the smallest blade of grass to the largest tree. However, those that come with axes and fire to cut down her love, or whom pillage fields and salt them, destroying growth, those are the mortals she once hated, but the loss of her children numbed her to the pain, now she feels little towards them.
God’s Domain: Anaria once claimed domain over all forests in the land, but sadly, that honor was lost during the Great Conflict. She now only has domain over the great forest of Arro'est, a forest hundreds of miles in diameter. Anaria's first children, her first trees were created here, and there they remain, at the heart of the forest. None but Anaria herself truly know all that dwells within it. On one side there is a large rocky coast, and the forest is surrounded by wide plains. Rivers crisscross throughout the forest, but there is one large river that runs into a Delta that splits the forest nigh-evenly in two.
Avatar Name: Andrasta'anna
Avatar Appearance: Andrasta has long brown hair and dark brown eyes, she is quite pretty, but not quite the picture of beauty that Anaria is. She is slender but strong, unnaturally so. She has the long ears of her people(longer than elves, which is the only real distinguishing feature of dryads versus elves). She wears short pants and a small top that reveals most of her midriff.
Personality: Andrasta is extremely devoted to Anaria, despite Anaria's apathy to most things. Andrasta is noble and virtuous and she tries her best to be the greatest leader she can be. She does what she thinks Anaria would do, she truly believes that she is the Voice of Anaria, Anna i'Tal. She would follow Anaria to her death, she would slit her own throat if Anaria asked. Andrasta si devoted not just to Anaria, but to the ause of the Dryad's and Fae within her domain as well. She is just and fair in ruling them, but she is also too trusting of her fellow priests. She trusts all of those in the church, as each member must have been touched by Anaria in some way
Magic Abilities:Nature's Command: Andrasta can commune with any plant, from the smallest blade of grass to the largest tree, she can feel what it needs, wants, hates, she can feel it all. She can even make them do things for her, not to the level of Anaria, but still she can control vines, branches, even make flowers grow.
Becoming Nature: Andrasta can meld into the plants around her, completely hiding herself within them, she can still be injured in this state, but if someone didn't see her meld into the nature, she becomes practically unseen. it takes all her concentration to do this however, so she cannot be hurt too badly, or do anything while maintaining it.
Aspect of Nature: Andrasta can make her body have the aspects of certain plants, she can grow vines from her limbs, turn her skin into bark, even spout thorns from her flesh.
Healing: Andrasta can heal any small wound quickly, using up a lot of her energy. And if given enough time she can heal large wounds as well, but this would drain her, it is quicker and less intensive for her to just grow more herbs to use on a battlefield.
Hero:Orell'thanRank/Reason:High Priest of Anaria, lover of Andrasta
Personality: Orell'than has been told his entire life that he was special, and he was. Completely in-tune with nature(even so powerful with the druidic arts to control fire, nature's enemy) Orell is the High Priest of the Church, as well as the head of the Druids. This has not made him cocky though, quite the opposite it has humbled him. He is a good man, yet understands the nature of the forest better than anyone but Anaria herself, he is a talented warrior, scribe, seer, and politician. He has one fatal flaw though, he does not want to die. He wants the forest to stay as it is and to live within it forever. He has kept with the isolationist policies of his predecessors, out of fear of invasion, as opposed to wanting to protect his people.
Hero:Zalar'tanRank/Reason:Priest of Anaria
Personality: Zalar'tan is High Priest of the largest settlement in Arro'ell. He is a fair man and a just ruler. He, however, sees the Fae as lesser than the Dryads, as they are less in tune with the nature around them, therefore making them less important in the eyes of Anaria, in his opinion.
Hero:Niela'tenRank/Reason:Priestess of Anaria
Personality: Niela'ten is the main military tactician in Arro'ell. She commands all the logistics of the military and is a fearful foe in combat. She is a harsh woman, and sees most situations as a military encounter, even with her own family.
Hero:Gianna Salfar'tenRank/Reason:Priestess of Anaria
Personality: Gianna Salfar'ten is the highest ranking Fae in the Church, she is a fair woman and tries to see to the needs of the Fae, she wants them treated fairly and seen equally as the Dryads, which they are for the most part.
Terrain Preference: Forests
Name of Theocracy: Arro'ell, meaning Holy Land.
Capital: Arro'al - The Capitol of Arro'ell, Arro'al(meaning Holy Temple), is less of a city, and more of a meeting place for the leaders of the Church. There is a large temple formed through the roots of dozens of trees, their roots bend and curve into the halls and rooms, it is a one-of-a-kind site, and one of the most holy sites in all of Arro'ell. The High Priest meets with the Avatar here, and the Priests converge for important meetings at this place. few have ever laid eyes upon it, even those in the Arro'est(Holy Forest).
Major Cities: Silfa'al - Largest group of peoples within Arro'ell, the houses range from treetop manors to hovels in the ground, there are thousands living in this city.
Alka'al - Main military outpost of Arro'ell, contains mainly warriors and their families.
Kelay'al - This city contains the largest group of Fae in Arro'ell.
Society:PeopleDryadsThe Dryads are the main populace of Arro'ell, it's culture, policies, even language are that of the Dryad. They are a soft spoken people, highly devoted to their cause and to Anaria, whom they refer to as Tal vas'est, Queen of the Trees. They honor all the nature and have great hatred towards all that dishonor it, despite Anaria's new found apathy. The Dryad's have long lives which they give to the populace as a whole, there is no I in the Dryad code, they are communal creatures, whom love deliberation and co-operation. This is not to say they know not of conflict, or how to deal with it. Many a foolish army has ventured into the woods of Arro, only to never be heard from again. The druids are masters of blending into nature and taking out their foes in a guerrilla style warfare, taking them out without being seen while hiding in the woods. Their bowman ship in nigh-unmatched, along with their bow crafting, they use sacred tree branches and hemp from the forest to craft their masterpieces, they are the envy of any marksman. The Dryad's plant fruit-bearing bushes in sun-lit areas and rely on the few fruit trees in the forest to provide them food, which they have in excess, starvation is not present in Arro'ell. Dryads look at situations with an open mind, a calm mind, and they don't let their emotions interfere with most of their duties. That is not to say they don't feel, just that they are reserved.
FaeThe Fae are the minority populace of Arro'ell, they are short-lived creatures of emotion, never living to be more than 40. They possess weak ethereal wings that can barely let them fly to the top of a tree and glide. they have their own language, and customs, but most all have forgotten them and have completely gone over to the dryadic ways. The Fae are omnivores, they need meat to survive. Anemia is a problem in some of the Fae communities. Most can get enough meat through small hunts, but larger communities(especially the Fae district in Arro'al) have trouble getting enough for everyone. On average, Fae are not warriors, they are creatures of strong emotion, acting upon love and desire, more than duty and respect. The few Fae that are warriors are among the most fearsome among them, they are fast, agile, and their wings give them an edge-up on any opponent.
DruidsThe Druid Order is an exclusive order of Dryads who are so in tune with nature that they can commune with it, sense it's feelings and needs. The greatest of these can even control nature itself, just as Anaria can. Many druids tend to join the temple as well, becoming priests, yet some live by themselves in secluded areas of the forest, communing with the trees and the plants.
Church of Anaria'talThe Church of Anaria'tal is the main governing body of Arro'ell. It is the only accepted faith within the forest, all whom dwell in the forest worship Anaria. The Priests are also the government officials, they control everything from the faith to the military. The ranks, starting with the highest, are Anaria'tal herself(tal meaning Goddess or High Queen), the Avatar, 'anna(meaning voice, when used a a suffix it mean voice of the goddess), High Priest or Priestess, 'than or 'then(meaning High Priest or Priestess), Priest or Priestess, 'tan or ten(meaning Priest or Priestess), and finally the Clerics, 'zan or 'zen(meaning Cleric, zan being male, zen being female).
Tal'vaston:The Tal'vaston, or Arrow of the High Queen, are the most exclusive order within Arro'ell, they are the main warriors and are completely devoted to Anaria'tal. They are easily recognizable by their elk mounts. They do not have a home, and do not take lovers until they are done with the Order. The Tal'vaston are all hardened warriors and some of the best marksmen in Pandeum. However, there are never more than a few hundred at a time. In the woods, these few hundred are better than thousands of normal soldiers, but their offensive capabilities outside of their natural environment are not as amazing. They are still amazingly strong and fearsome, but they are at their best in the forests.
LanguageThe Dryad Language is very formal and difficult for those whom use the common tongue to learn. The main thing that outsiders notice about the language is their use of suffixes when saying someone's name. It is only out of complete disrespect that one ever refers to someone without using a suffix. Suffixes are a major part of their language, even words can be completely changed with a suffix only one single letter apart.
The Fae language is short and simple in most regards, yet they have hundreds of words to describe emotion, words that are impossible to translate to any other language.
EconomyAlthough Arro'ell is very isolationist in it's border policy, but they do still trade with the outside world. They use their own caravans, never allowing outsiders within their borders(the few foolish enough to venture within the forest are told forcefully to leave, if they refuse they are shot and their bodies are found hung outside of the forest, disemboweled, as a message). All that they export are herbs and medicinal plants they gather from the forest, because of Anaria's omnipresence within the forest the plant life as growth and properties that are unseen anywhere else, plants grow thicker and fuller, trees grow taller and stronger. Every now and then when the coffers of the country run low they sell their handcrafted bows, but that is very rare. using the funds from their exports, they import iron, cloth and leather. Everything else is self-regulated within the forest. Food is found in excess, young trees are cut down, with much ceremony, for materials, almost all they need is within their borders.
PoliticsArro'ell is best described as a Theocracy. The Priests and Priestesses of Anaria are the ruling bodies of each major settlement, all of whom answer to Andrasta, voice of Anaria. All whom live in Arro'ell are expected to be devout and love the goddess Anaria and to respect her children. The plants, the trees, the fruit they eat, all of it. Those whom disrespect it are banished from the forest, never to again be allowed entry, but this is rare. The Fae, whom are less in-tune with nature than the dryads, are given no leniency with this law, and make up the majority of those who are banished. The druids have respect for the Fae, but do not like to mingle with them too much. The Fae's fast paced nature conflicts with the inner-peace and such of the long-lived Dryads.
Their foreign policy is nearly completely isolationist, aside from their caravans. They do not allow foreigners in and keep them out very well, their druids can sense intrusions in their borders from miles away(as most of their villages are far from the border itself). Most know never to venture into the forest, as few ever return.