Silvanus
| Silvanus | |
| |
| Tenets | Nature, Weather, and the Sea |
| Status | Active |
| Religious Symbols | |
| Animal | wolf |
| Plant | ironwood oak |
| Food | mushroom |
| Refectory | |
| Food | Ironwood Leaf Pita |
| Drink | Horn of the Wild Hunt |
| Acceptable Axes | |
Silvanus presides over the realms of the natural. Animals, plants, and other living organisms of both land and sea fall under his purview. He takes care to monitor their existence and that of their habitats with excruciating diligence.
Silvanus is angered by those who act in discordance with the continued existence of any natural habitat. He is distrustful of man-made civilizations and structures. He only accepts them because the other deities of the pantheon have demanded that he do so and even a god as powerful as Silvanus cannot resist the combined will of many deities! However, he will not tolerate unnecessary expansion of man-made cities or kingdoms, and he will use his followers liberally to block or destroy expansions he feels endanger the lives or habitats of his animal or vegetable subjects.
Silvanus abhors the enslavement of animals for man's purposes, although he encourages his followers to make friends with their fellow creatures of nature. He and his followers often request aid from such natural beings, yet they never demand it. They treat their animal friends with respect, compassion, and kindness while receiving assistance, and they will always discharge the animal as soon as the necessary task or goal has been accomplished. Followers of Silvanus encourage people to treat animals as animals rather than give human personalities to beasts.
Silvanus controls all elements of weather and he uses them to maintain the balance within the natural universe. This role often earned much respect, admiration, and gratitude from the former deity of balance, Bilanx. It is rumored that Silvanus misses his long discussions with the stoic god. Silvanus gives life to plants and animals by providing rains and by letting the proper amount of sunlight through the clouds. Periodic weather-borne "catastrophes" are used to cleanse various environments and ecosystems of stagnant life forms. This allows the process of rebirth and evolution to progress in a healthy fashion and at a regular pace.
Silvanus also holds dominion over the Seas, a role which has swelled the ranks of his worshipers over time. He listens to the prayers of seafaring mortals, and if they have been respectful of nature, he often grants such protections. For this purpose alone, clerics of Silvanus tend to be extremely popular on seaborne journeys, and many merchant sailing companies employ Silvanus' clerics merely to assure safe and swift passage.
Silvanus has a friendly relationship with Vivoria, as Silvanus is also a great lover and protector of life. Silvanus, however, understands the necessity of death to the progressive development of animal and vegetable species — a belief over which he and Vivoria have had innumerable heated, yet friendly debates. These debates are now limited by her residence in Mortis' realm, for the Silent One guards her jealously.
He works often with Tempest when the time has come for a powerful storm, especially a thunderstorm. The two gods take great pleasure in the creativity needed to conjure up a quality storm of potency and strength. In fact, the two often engage in contests — an occurrence not enjoyed by the mortals having to deal with the consequences below. For Silvanus and Tempest, a good storm is tantamount to a brilliantly written symphony.
His relationship with Vishnu is a tenuous one at times, for it is Silvanus' clouds that often limit the penetration of Vishnu's sunlight. Vishnu is always pestering Silvanus to reduce the expanses of cloud cover- always warning that Silvanus is aiding the goals of Set through his rains and his storms that impede complete illumination of the world. Over this issue, clerics of Silvanus and Vishnu often argue — sometimes degenerating into fights or even war! The arguments almost always end when someone remembers that the Light of Vishnu allows the flora in the realm to flourish and grow.
In the past, Silvanus once enjoyed a passionate affair with Erosia that resulted in an explosion of power at planting and harvest times. The energy released from that union, many claim, is said to be that which makes the growth of all plant life possible. With Erosia's devotion to Tempest, the affair has been relegated to a blood-letting ceremony between Silvanus and Erosia twice a year. It is unclear whether or not Silvanus resents this change, but some claim that the ceremony has resulted in poor crops and drought over the years. Others loudly proclaim that the union has grown more powerful by the blood of the gods being shed upon the mortal realm. Regardless of the conflicting theories, should this union be prevented from occurring, incredible suffering results in the mortal realm as a catastrophic famine and drought occur.
