Intermediate Deities
Symbol: Globe with a Sprouting Leaf
Home Plane: The Plane of the Elements
Portfolio: The Twin Goddesses of Nature and the Elements
Worshipers: Druids, Farmers, Rangers, Scouts, Foresters, Hippies
Cleric Alignments: N, NG, CN, NE
Domains:Air, Animal, Earth, Fire, Plant, Water, Storm, Ocean
Favored Weapon: Scimitar – Flora, Greatclub – Fauna
Names: The Twin Goddesses, The Twins, The Earth Mothers
High Priest: Silvanus of the Arcane Hierophants
They are the soil. They are the wind. They are the sky. They are the animals. They are the trees. The planet of Alduras, as a whole, is made from the flesh of two twin goddesses. When the All Father created Alduras, he bode Metis forward, and requested he create guardians for the lands he would gift to his children. Metis thought hard and long on this duty and thus split the duty between two beings. Fauna, who was the soul of the living creatures of Alduras, and Flora, who commanded the elements of the world.
Wild and feral, the twins were a force to be reckoned with. Mountains rose, seas came force, creatures of all sizes and shapes came into being. The Twins would then grow bored and start over again with lustful vigor. Eventually, Metis stepped in and put a stop to it.
“You must let things lie, my daughters, let them grow. Let them take root.” As he said this, he produced a seed from his very flesh and cupped it into his hands. The Twins watched on in rapt attention as the seed sprouted into the first tree and took root into the battered earth. With cries of joy, the twins began to carefully and meticulously create the world. Taking special care to make sure it would all grow and intertwine together.
While the world thrives under their watchful rule, their lust and temper are well known. When and if a mortal tries to court with them, only chaos ensues. It is said that Fitztier charmed each of them at one point without the other knowing. The result was his island home of Dokkin swallowed by the seas. The God-to-Be escaped somehow with his life, but he had learned a valuable lesson that day.
When wives or lovers in Alduras are spurned, it is popular to say that you’ve invoked the Wrath of the Twins.
Dogma:
The Twins balance the elements and creatures of the world. The world is subtle and chaotic, but you are balanced and insightful.
Everything that is and will be is part of the cycle. It is your duty to make sure that cycle is not broken and that nature runs its course. Share with others the importance of this balance and to stop those who mean to disrupt it.
Watch, learn, guide, manipulate. When confronted, use your mind and reason to avoid conflict. When there is no other way, keep calm and do not let the lustful rage of the Twins overcome you. Only they are allowed such luxury.
Protect against the destruction of the wild. Dispose of the diseases that plague the creatures of the land. Always replace what has been harvested. Befriend the Dryads and learn their names, for they are the daughters of our Twins. Kill only when necessary. Fire must be extinguished as quickly as it comes.
And most of all, remember that you are sons and daughters of The Twins. If Alduras is destroyed, they too are lost.
Clergy and Temples:
The temples of the twins aren’t exactly grand in scale like the other deities of Alduras. The earth itself, the quiet forests, the tunnels beneath the ground, the mountain tops where wind blows, these all echo the influence of the Twins.
The only real temples are the groves of the great druids who worship through ceremony and continuing vigil protecting the forests of the world.
In the deep forests of Lollen’del beneath a great tree, there lies a citadel that is the focal point of natural energies of the country of Forin, where Silvanus sits upon his oaken throne watching the planet with his enhanced sight. While he holds no authority over the druids and arch druids of the realm, he is revered and sought out for council. Every year in the spring, the druids meet for a moot under the great tree and present sacrifice to the Twins to urge them awake from their hibernation from that winter.
Recently, two druids have begun an institution of higher learning of the natural world dedicated to the twins. Buildings made entirely of living trees surrounding a circle of power from the olden times. It is said one of the Druids in charge of this venture is a favorite of Fauna’s, drawing the jealousy of her twin.