Meeting of Nature's Faithful

[Seymor]

The Meetings of the Faithful are at
4:00 PM Central US time, every Saturday.
9:00 PM GMT
The Meetings take place at the Shrine of Mielikki, North of Beregost and South of the Friendly Arms Inn

Posted at the Friendly Alliance Inn and Baldur's Gate

The meetings of the faithful are undergoing a change, one that will hopefully propel us forward in a positive direction, gone are the days when Mielikki's faithful alone can confront the dangers that confront the forests and surely the other nature's faithful are having problems of similar magnitude. In an effort to increase cooperation and increase the scope of the faithful, I am officially opening the meetings of the faithful to people who pay patronage to any diety of nature, bar the Malarites who shall not be tolerated for their destruction of all things natural.

Clerics of Nature deities are encouraged to contact Robin Silver so that we may take turns leading the faithful to a more fulfilling natural world.

I would also like to ask that any of nature's faithful help as we replant the forest around the Friendly Arms Inn. We have asked permission from Bentley Mirrorshade himself if we could turn the area into a forest and he has given us such permission, as long as it draws more people into the Inn. I would ask that the rangers protect this land and the druids nurture the trees to grow strong.

Please if you are interested or have any questions feel free to contact me. May Mielikki watch your travels through the forests and guide your path. Stay well, stay hidden, stay swift.

With Faith,
Robin Silver"

---

"Wild" Nature Dieties
Silvanus
(True Neutral) [Wild Nature, Druids]
Eldath
(Neutral good) [Springs, Pools, Waterfalls, Peace]
Mielikki
Clerics: Robin Silver
Mielikki is the intermediate power of forests, forest creatures, rangers and dryads who serves under Silvanus, The god of wild nature and druids. Together with Silvanus and Eldath, she is one of the three major good aligned nature gods on the server with her primary patronage being Rangers. She is served by Gwaeron Windstrom, who teaches Rangers how to track -- and Lurue, who is patron to magical and talking animals. The major enemies of Mielikki are Malar, Talona and Talos.
Gwaeron Windstrom
(Neutral good) [Tracking]
Lurue
(Chaotic Good) [Intelligent Creatures]
Shiallia
(Neutral good) [Forest Fertility]


Miscellaneous
Chauntea
(Neutral good) [Agriculture, Farmers, Summer]
Nobanion
(Neutral good) [Felines, good-aligned beasts]
Ubtao
(True Neutral) [Dinosaurs]


Elven Nature Dieties
Angharradh
(Chaotic Good) [Sprint, Fertility, Planting]
Aerdrie Faenya
(Chaotic Good) [Avians, Weather]
Solonor Thelandira
(Chaotic Good) [Hunting, Survival]
Rillifane Rallathil
(Chaotic Good) [Woodlands, Druids]
Deep Sashelas
(Chaotic Good) [Oceans, Seas]


Other Racial Pantheon Dieties
Baervan Wildwanderer
(Gnome) (Neutral good) [Forests]
Segojan Earthcaller
(Gnome) (Neutral good) [Earth, Underground Creatures]
Sheela Peryroyl
(Halfling) (Neutral good) [Weather, Agriculture]
Thard Harr
(Dwarf) (Chaotic Good) [Jungles]


Evil Nature Dieties
Auril
(Chaotic Evil) [Cold, Winter]
Malar
(Chaotic Evil) [Survival of the Fittes, Bloodlust]
Talos
(Chaotic Evil) [Storms, Destructive Nature]
Talona
(Chaotic Evil) [Poison, Disease]
Umberlee
(Chaotic Evil) [Ocean, Waves]

[Lambe]

*A short reply to the note is added below the message*

I am occupied with aiding the elves against the orcs. If I come out alive from all this, I will seek you in The Lady's sanctuary. That, or join me in fighting the orcs.

-Lambe

[Seymor]

Another letter is posted.

"Dear Rangers and Fellow Mielikkians,

The first meeting of the faithful shall be organized within the week. All are welcome to attend. The topic of discussion will be what needs to be done to restore the Woods of Sharpteeth after the war with the Orcs. We shall meet at the shrine to Mielikki.

With Faith,
Robin Silver"

*Below Robin's signature you see a paw print of a weasel*

/*
Since I have got literally nobody responding as far as preferred times, I'm just going to go ahead and set a time up for this to happen. I'm hoping for this to be a non-guild thing that people can attend in the middle of the week. Let's set the time to Friday at 9:00 pm central. If you don't like the time you should have PM'd me or posted in the thread.

Everybody is invited to the meeting, especially Mielikkians and Rangers. I think I would be happy if more than two people show up.
*/

[Seymor]

Robin's Notes:

Thank Mielikki -- Stress Rangers and welcome acceptance

Talk about Doron Amar War,
- Thank those who helped the elves defend the forest and the elvish home
- a village which respects the trees
- Presence in the forest (I am glad that we will not be the only presence in the forest, the only people who seek to protect our most valuable nature. The elves of Doron Amar are the first stand. Even before the faithful of the forest can confront threats the elves are there to defend. I am thankful that the elves will continue to be a presence in the Forest of Sharpteeth.)
- Ask about how war went
- What rangers have we lost
- Rangers (Those who walk amongst the forests...) will always (find) a home at Mielikki's side

Talk about the Wisps
- Glad to see the abominations gone for the forest
- Hope in the future that such breeches will not happen
- Thank those in the area for caring about the forest while combating the wisps

Talk about the Sharpteeth
- Damage
- The animals have fled
- The dryads who no longer call the cloakwoods their home
- Increase in Lycanthropes (The lycanthropes who give the sharpteeth it's name and care nothing about the balance of the forest have become more bold.)
- Inviability of reintroduction of natural animals with increase lycanthropes

Talk about repair
- The culling of damaged trees to allow for new growth
- The reintroduction of natural populations
- Ask that all try their best

Final Prayer -- Ask Mielikki to Protect the Rangers

(We ask the forest queen to protect the rangers through their hunts and that our attempts to restore the forest to it's glory before the war meet with nothing but success.)

(Rangers, Stay Well, Stay hidden and always serve the Forest Queen faithfully).

[Seymor]

Mielikki Church Problems:

It's important to remember the current year: 1348 DR.

This is firmly in first edition. For many faiths second edition material is very similar to first edition material. The notable huge exceptions are from Mielikki and Mystra. Mystra because she undergoes an alignment change and is in fact a different god in the two editions (Mystra -> Midnight, midnight takes the name of Mystra to bring the church together). Mielikki because she completely reorganizes her faith.

http://www.nj-pbem.com/data/Gods/humangods/Mielikki.htm

Druids are not of Mielikki:

In 1369 DR, Mielikki ordered the reorganization of her church and reintroduced druids among her clergy to counter the waning of her faith. What little church hierarchy the Mielikkian faith has is still almost exclusively clerics; however, druids now have joined their ranks or begun circles in the North in her name. All the faithful of Mielikki are known as Walkers of the Forest Way. They are now organized into three branches of devotion: the Heartwoods, the Forestarms, and the Needles.

This is the relevant material that suggests that Mielikki in the current time does not have any druids amongst her faith. You could argue that you can be a druid of Mielikki but without being a part of her clergy but I think that isn't the simplest answer. The simplest answer is that druids of Mielikki are not accepted until 1369, 21 years from now.

This also suggests that the organization of the faith does not exist. There are no Heartwoods, Forestarms, and Needles. The faithful of Mielikki are not known as Walkers of the Forest Way.

HOWEVER! There is a dragon which suggests otherwise.
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp? ... c20010829g
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Aerosclughpalar

Aerosclughpalar, also called "Gildenfire", Vaeros Fireshield, The Druid Dragon and the Wyrm of Golden Hue, was a neutral gold dragon who, as of 1368 DR, inhabited Tall Trees, in human form, as a druid of Mielikki.

As of 1368, there is a dragon who is a druid of Mielikki in the high forest. He is taught by a great druid who is also of Mielikki. So this suggests that there does exist druids of Mielikki. In fact, the dragon may have been serving Mielikki for up to 200 years ( A test run to compare results with his old methods ).

In fact, this dragon MAY already be a druid of Mielikki as the timestamp from the wizards website is:

And since that day, the wyrm known as Gildenfire has acted as nature’s hand, all in the long-term interests of justice and mercy. Truly, the great forest has become his most precious treasure.

parable entitled "By Gilded Fire"
attributed to Mintiper Moonsilver
Year of the Moonfall (1344 DR)

1344! That is four years in the past and we have this story about druids of Mielikki.
This, is the ambiguity of the church of Mielikki. Apparently this is relevant to the Elder Circle roleplay.

[Celduil]

Since the Elder Circle was formed by druids and rangers of Mielikki and is organised around Needles and Forestarms, I feel this issue is crucial to the Elder Circle guild. It would be excellent if Calen as a Shadowier could shed some insight into this, as well as our older members like Catam and Elohir. Most of the available information in the EC Archive about the founding of the guild suggests it is based on 3.5 rules. DMs, how should situations like this be handled? Since in timeline scale we are still in 1st edition rules (2nd edition starts in 1367, 3.5 in 1372).

[Seymor]

Karel Mahorne, the only Mielikkian of note in the Baldur's Gate area, slightly suggests that my theory about druids is correct as well.

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Karel_Mahorne

Because of her by then considerable age, during the years following the Time of Troubles and before the Spellplague, she worked exclusively from the company’s compound near Baldur's Gate.

So she was old by the time the Times of Troubles happened and it's notable that she was a cleric not a druid, but this could be coincidence.

HOWEVER! and there always is a however, the supposed source of this information is a dead link. Candlekeep has it archived but a quick find can't find any mention of Karel Mahorne. It does have some information about the Woods of Sharpteeth though. I especially like the part where Selune gets fed up and basically unleashes the forgotten realms equivalent of a nuclear weapon on a city wiping out everybody in that city and the city itself.

http://www.candlekeep.com/library/artic ... arr_06.htm

[Lambe]

The precursor for the Circle actually had rangers of Mielikki separate from druids of other deities, until a merger into the Keepers of the Elder Circle.

From the old boards:
http://theswordcoast.proboards.com/inde ... 239&page=1
http://theswordcoast.proboards.com/inde ... hread=1545

[Celduil]

4 - Rangers of Silvanus, Solonar, Rillifane Ralathil ARE accepted if they do agree to become Rangers of Mielikki. (We have a patron and I plan to keep like that)

Ok...

Well. Either way. Druids of Mielikki were still around at the time.

Thanks Lambe.

[Seymor]

This doesn't really solve the problem. I still think Mielikki doesn't allow druids to worship her for another eleven years, yielding the druids to Silvanus while Silvanus yields rangers to Mielikki. That is unless something on the server happened that changes this from lore?

http://www.nj-pbem.com/data/Gods/humangods/Silvanus.htm

Heres a bit more weak evidence:

Affiliated Orders: The church of Silvanus does not have any affiliated knightly orders. It has firm connections to several orders of rangers who serve Mielikki, since she in turn serves Silvanus, and its holy groves and forest pool shrines are often guarded by the seldom-seen clergy of Eldath along with the druids and clerics of the greenleaf priesthood. The Emerald Enclave, a large and aggressive society of druids active in the Vilhon Reach, has close ties to the church, but its members considered a tad radical by many Silvanites elsewhere in Faerûn who see their actions as likely to provoke a negative backlash against the Silvanite religion in the future. Finally, the church of Silvanus also has ties with the Harpers, an organization working against the rise of great powers, which tend to endanger all natural life and conditions around them by trying to reshape Fearun, and so endanger the Balance.

So... basically the holy groves and forest pools are guarded by druids and clerics of the greenleaf priesthood (Silvanus), clergy of Eldath, and the rangers of Mielikki. Note that Rangers of Silvanus are missing. Other places in the article do suggest there are rangers of Silvanus though.

The article on Eldath happens to mention rangers exactly zero times.

[Celduil]

This is the description of Silvanus from 1st edition.

SILVANUS (god of the forests and nature)
Greater god
CELTIC MYTHOS
ARMOR CLASS: -4
MOVE: 18" (48" through forests,)
HIT POINTS: 333
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3/2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 5-50 (+14;
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Wolfhound (see
belowj
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 30%
SIZE: M (T)
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
WORSHIPER'S ALIGN: Dwellers of the
forest
SYMBOL: A summer oak tree
PLANE: Concordant Opposition
CLERIC/DRUID: 14th level in each
FIGHTER: 13th level fighter
MAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: 19th level
illusionist
THIEF/ASSASSIN: Nil
MONK/BARD: 15th level bard
PSIONIC ABILITY: VI
S: 25 ( + 7, +14; 1:24 W: 25 D: 24 C: 25 CH: 23
Silvanus looks like a man with very long legs. He can control any number
of animals and creatures of the forest with the sound of his voice. He has
the power to make plants grow and/or shrink at any rate he wills. He
wears armor made of leaves that act like +5 plate mail and his mallet is
constantly with him. This +5 wooden weapon strikes for 5-50 points in his
hands. A giant wolfhound fights at his side (ACS, HD 10, hp 100, #AT1, D 2-
20; regenerates 5 hit points per melee round). It is so fast that no matter
how many beings strike at his master, the dog will take the damage. It cannot
block spells. ^
Silvanus is worshiped by druids and their followers, and he is a protector of
the places of the druids: their groves, their villages and colleges, and their
paths through the woods. There is a 1% chance that he wwill appear whenever
harm is done to a high level druid or his or her grove.

I think it would be fair to assume "druids and their followers" and "god of nature" would include a few rangers. He is a major god of nature while Mielikki was a minor in this present. Mielikki also works for him.

MIELIKKI (goddess of naturej "Mistress of the Forest"
Lesser goddess
ARMOR CLASS: 4
MOVE: Infinite
HIT POINTS: 322
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3/2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 50%
SIZE: M (5/2';
ALIGNMENT: Neutral good
WORSHIPER'S ALIGN: Good alignmen/
s
SYMBOL: Evergreen
PLANE: Prime Material Plane
CLERIC/DRUID: 14th level in each
FIGHTER: 10th level ranger
MAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: J2fh leve
in each
THIEF/ASSASSIN: Nil
MONK/BARD: !2fn level bard
PSIONIC ABILITY: I
S: 15 1:22 W: 25 D: 19 C: 23 CH: 23
The goddess is always dressed in a green gossamer gown, even in the
coldest of winters, and is always surrounded with summer songbirds. She
watches over rangers and all creatures of the forest (especially dryads).
There is a 1 % chance that she will aid her dryads when they are in extreme
danger within the bounds of the forest. There is a 5% chance that she will
attack those that try to destroy her domain, for whatever reason. Because
of this, men like woodcutters must plant two trees for every one that they
cut down, or eventually face her wrath.
She automatically negates all charm-type spells within a 30 yard radius of
her body. No creature that lives in the wilds is able to hurt her, even if controlled.
She is not affected by clerical spells of any type. When magic has
failed to hurt her enemies, she has been known to summon huge packs of
wolves and flights of hawks to attack despoilers of the forest.

Since she is a druid herself it may be she once had a few druid followers. The entry in the nj article says "reintroduced druids among her clergy". Here it says "rangers and all creatures of the forest (especially dryads)." This would mean at one stage, she did support druid followers, even if it was changed since for a time.

[Seymor]

Remember that first edition druids were specialized clerics. Druid followers are probably petitioners to the church of Silvanus, rather than Rangers. This is the reason that cleric/druid is combined in those stats as well, because they're basically the same thing as far as first edition is concerned.

As far as Mielikki having druid levels, I think the fact that both of them having levels in basically everything shows that they aren't meant to be fought. I agree with you though that there must have been druids to Mielikki at sometime in the past, but the reintroduction suggests there are not druids of Mielikki at the time of the server.

Here's some non-eye-bleeding material on druids (Oh boy Angelfire!)
http://www.angelfire.com/games/Oerth3/D ... ndixA.html

And heres Rangers
http://www.purpleworm.org/rules/CRH/DD05761.htm

---

So, here is the description of the celtic pantheon which contains Silvanus and will make your eyes bleed if you stare at it too long
http://www.mjyoung.net/dungeon/char/deity006.html

The gods of the Celtic mythos are all served by true neutral druids, although some may also be served by clerics of the same alignment as the god. Druids do not generally mingle with others, and may only take a mate from among the worshippers of their god. Celtic gods are very tolerant of their priests' and worshippers' actions, as long as they do not damage nature. Human sacrifices, usually of condemned criminals, are made four times a year. Services are held in specially prepared groves, planted with mistletoe and holly, and guarded by wild boars. The druids wear torcs, ornamental neck rings the value of which reflects the druid's level; and every druid has his own cauldron.

Which is pretty clear on the druids and clerics only thing.

And here is the description of the finnish pantheon which contains Mielikki, Ilmater, Loviatar
http://www.mjyoung.net/dungeon/char/deity018.html

That provides no answer to anything.

First edition had a greater divide between rangers and druids. Rangers were fighters with magic-user and druidic spells. Druid were specialized clerics. They were essentially as different as fighters and clerics are. Later editions rangers are basically the druidic equivalent of a paladin. It doesn't help with the ambiguity and I don't think we're getting much closer in on solving it to be honest.

[Catam]

This is simply a case of server lore coming into fact. Outside of the history of the BGTSCC server, Seymor is 100% correct regarding Druids of the Forest Queen. Within the server and specific to our guild, the DMs working with the Circle allowed these er to handldruids to exist. I think it was simply easier to do this than trying to mechanically try to prohibit druids from picking Mielikki as a deity. Otherwise this issue would have to be decided by the staff to change to actual lore and would negate a great deal of the Elder Circle. My suggestion is to poke the staff and see if it is acceptable to allow the re-organization to have already occurred. I think Our Lady would have wanted it that way as well.

[c2k]

Since she is a druid herself it may be she once had a few druid followers. The entry in the nj article says "reintroduced druids among her clergy". Here it says "rangers and all creatures of the forest (especially dryads)." This would mean at one stage, she did support druid followers, even if it was changed since for a time.

Well, you can translate that as, "Mielikki allowed her clergy and her druids to unite in their work." Perhaps the Druids were off caring for the forest while the clergy educated the masses.

[Seymor]

Posted at the Friendly Alliance Inn and Baldur's Gate

"Dear Rangers and Fellow Mielikkians,

Our first meeting was met with great success. Truly Mielikki herself must have looked over us to have so many rangers coming together to solve the issues that everybody faced. I propose another meeting of the faithful. A meeting so that we can discuss what issues that the rangers are seeing from their patrols of the beloved forests as well as to get to know each other better.

May Mielikki watch your travels through the forests and guide your path. Stay well, stay hidden, stay swift.

With Faith,
Robin Silver"

*Below Robin's signature you see a paw print of a weasel*

/********
Friday: 9:00 pm central -- If you have a better time please send a PM my way and I might change it.

As always, everybody is invited to attend

Bring your Rangers for character development or character exposition. We're going to be talking about issues that are important to Ranger's Daily Life -- as detailed:

http://www.purpleworm.org/rules/CRH/DD05747.htm

We will also talk about The Song of Trees
************/