Church of Silvanus

The Church of Silvanus was the main organization of worship of the god Silvanus. Spread throughout Faerûn and loosely organized, nevertheless the greenleaf priesthood was far stronger than people thought.

Activities
Urban worshippers of Silvanus were gardeners who tried to create a space of wilderness within the broader city. They also dispensed sweetsap drinks, such as maple syrup, sweetroot brews, and mint teas, in order to attract followers. Clergy of Silvanus preached about the peace and purity of wild lands.

Clergy of Silvanus were expected to protect forests, plant new trees whenever possible, and banish disease. They also were friends of Dryads, and were expected to seek them out and serve them whenever possible. While expected to kill only when necessary, they were fierce enemies of those who would harm the forest with axe or fire. Silvanites should use violence only when the situation or hostile enemy leaves no other option.

The most common activities of Silvanites were counteracting land clearances, brought by extensive farming or overhunting. The underlying cause of these incursions against nature were often population growth and the pressures this brought. Silvanites often tried to slow or redirect such development of civilization in order to protect nature and the sacred Balance. This even led them to sometimes covertly sponsoring brigands, or placing and selectively breeding predators to curtail human expansion. They did this secretly in order to preserve their good reputation with nearby human settlements.

Silvanites aided in wildlife breeding, nursing sick animals, and replanting shrubs and trees.

Rituals
Most rituals to Silvanus take place atop a hill with a stand of ancient oak trees crowning the top. Worship of Silvanus always involves sacrifices, but never blood sacrifice, instead something wooden must be ceremonially broken and buried, but never burned. Wooden carts, wagons, or chairs were examples of items suitable for sacrifice.

Call of Oak, Ash, and Thorn
In this ritual the supplicant to Silvanus gathers the leaves of Oak, Ash and Thorn trees. The leaves are then floated on still water, and Silvanus is entreated to hear the worshipper's prayer.

Vigil of Silvanus
For more serious concerns, the worshipper of Silvanus can participate in a Vigil. This can be used to converse with a servant of Silvanus, or to receive godly favors or magical powers. The worshipper anoints their body with powder of crushed acorns and mistletoe leaves mixed with either rainwater or springwater. Once anointed, the supplicant must spend the night either lying down upon or in contact with a growing tree. This must take place for most of the night. In addition, some part of the supplicants bare flesh must be held in contact with green, growing moss. These requirements made moss-covered giant trees commonly used for Vigils.

Song of the Trees
The Song of the Trees was one of the more powerful and holy rituals of the Silvanites. It was a droning, repetitive chant that could sound haunting, that would leap from sharp to flat pitch. The power of the ritual would increase the more worshippers who participated. When the ritual was performed, woodland creatures would surround the worshippers and watch in silent witness. The creatures would not prey upon or fear one another, leaving aside their natural instincts. The Song of Trees also healed diseased, scarred, or burned trees. In rare moments of special favor with Silvanus, even fallen or felled trees could be restored.

Dryad Dance
The Dryad Dance was another powerful and holy ritual of considerable widlness that drew out Dryads and Hamadryads. It involved considerable dancing, piping, and carousing. Dryads and Hamadryads were empowered by the dance for a month, able to to walk far away from their trees as long as the magic from the ritual lasted, although they were unable to use their Charm abilities while far from their trees. Dryads and their trees were revitalized and healed by the ritual. It was common for matings between humans and dryads to occur during the ritual, which caused the rapid spread of new oak trees and the birth of new dryads.

Thorncall
A grim ritual, this ceremony allowed thick walls of dangerous thorns to be raised out of the forest soil. The thorns had to be raised over the body of slain servant of Silvanus, or if such a servant had shed much blood in the vicinity. Sadly, this was the ritual performed the most often by Silvanites. It was used to protect the forest and wild lands from further incursion and despoliation and to protect the Balance. The thick walls of thorns were as permanent and labyrinthine as the Silvanite clergy wished. Worshippers of Silvanus, or servant creatures such as stags, if slain or harmed, could form the basis of the ritual.

Holy Days
While the Silvanites worshipped the Forest Father at all times, they had several holy days.

Night the Forest Walks
This festival could occur at any time of the year. During this festival, when Silvanus is restless, the forests and trees themselves move about. Streams and ravines can change and caves can appear or disappear in the forest. Forest magic is particularly strong and wild, and monsters who live in the forest become very active.

Priestly Vestments
Clothing for the Silvanite church was divided into ceremonial and regular dress. Ceremonial dress for both clerics and druids was a suit of armor made of overlapping leaves. The leaves could be made of metal plates, functioning as scale male, or green-tinted leather, functioning as leather armor. In addition, the Silvanite also wore green breeches and a green shirt. The outfit was completed with a large film featuring wings shaped like oak leave.

In urban areas the standard dress was simplified. A verdigrised-copper pin was worn on the breast of a priest whenever they were not involved in High Ceremonies.

When adventuring, druids and clerics may wear their ceremonial dress, or eschew it in favor of something more inconspicuous. Silvanites could be very practical in their dress, choosing their clothing depending on the situation and mission at hand.

Druids of Silvanus in wilder areas tended to wear a loose brown cloak. These cloaks were dusty and made of old hides. Each day they were adorned with feathers and carefully watered, woven-in clumps of moss. Sightings of druids and priestess of the Forest Father in such clothing has given rise to tales of wild women of the woods in many parts of Faerûn.

Base of Operations
The clergy of Silvanus were spread throughout Faerûn. They were present in large communities, such as Waterdeep, but tended to favor small communities. Druids were the most favored by Silvanus, especially if they lived in wild forests and in harmony with the land.

Major Centers
The main center of worship of Silvanus of Faerûn was Old Oak Dell in the heart of the Forest of Tethir. This was due east of Mosstone. Another major center of worship was Lyon's Oak south of the River Icehilt in Impiltur, which was rising in importance to challenge the supremacy of Old Oak Dell. Yet another major center and contender for the head of the church was the House of Silvanus on Ilighôn in the Vilhon Reach, the home of the Emerald Enclave and most prominent temple of Silvanus in the area.

Other Locations
The druidic enclave of Cedarsproke deep in the Gulthmere Forest was founded by druids of Silvanus. There also were large temples in Alaghôn, Hlondeth, Ormath, Lachom, Ormpetarr, Arrabar, and Reth. Shrines to Silvanus could be found in groves and small villages throughout the Vilhon Reach. Shrines could also be found in Iljak, Hlath, Nun, Urml, Ulver's Lance, Banathar,Dauntshield, and Swordslake Creek.

The church of Silvanus was very strong in the Vilhon Reach. This was in part due to the belief that the Forest Father was the only god that stuck by the people of the Reach during the terrible plagues that assailed them. These terrible diseases remain strong in the memory of folks in the Reach, with the pain of them growing the more the stories are told. Accordingly, the church of Silvanus was at least a small temple in every town and major city throughout the Vilhon Reach. Silvanite clergy advise rulers throughout the land on how to slow and stop the spread of disease. In addition, the magic users of Silvanus use their magic to purify the waters and sewers of the land, which they do free of charge.

Organization
The church of Silvanus was often called the 'greenleaf priesthood' due to their use of the oakleaf symbol of their deity. There were no knightly orders affiliated with the church of Silvanus.

Members
Shinthala Deepcrest was a powerhouse in the church in the late 14 century in addition to being a leader of the Emerald Enclave.

Dogma
A central creed of the Silvanites was to preserve the Balance. Fire is balanced with ice, wild water balanced with drought, and life balanced with death. The clergy of Silvanus tended to see the big picture, thinking about a given particular affected the wider balance of Faerûn. Silvanites preferred to keep their distance, take in the totality of the situation, and avoid rushing to conclusions or adopting ideas that are currently popular. While they tended to not take sides, the clergy of Silvanus were strongly on the side of nature, which they would defend readily. This was in part because they viewed the power of civilization as encroaching on wild spaces, and they sought to balance this by siding with nature. This commitment to Balance made so Silvanites often fought for one side on one day, only to join the opposing side the other day. The greenleaf Church was unconcerned with the particular ruling families, leaders or governments of the nations around them, viewing the rise and fall of various countries with indifference. They always meant to keep the Balance. And as long as nature survived, the balance would remain.

Another part of their creed was to fight disease. Plant new flora. Stop the felling of forests.

Part of the teachings of the church of Silvanus was to study nature. Silvanites were expected to learn from instruction but also make their own observations throughout their lives. The clergy of Silvanus were expected to closely observe and grow to understand the cycles of nature, the interconnection of all the living things of Faerûn, and the great balance upon which all life depended. This would enable the Silvanite clergy to plan for the long term by watching, anticipating, and quietly manipulating the wider world. Careful study and taking the long view would also help the Silvanites avoid making a mistake which would imperial or worsen the Balance. The clergy of Silvanus were very patient and took the long-run view of how to deal with challenges facing them. Greater natural knowledge, patience, and ability to anticipate were the features of a worthy follower of Silvanus. They also made Silvanites a deadly foe, thinking four steps ahead of their opponents. Silvanites were encouraged to help others see this balance and interdependence.

Silvanites resorted to violence only when pressured by time or aggression. While they were furious enemies of those that would despoil nature, they were accepting of those who repented of their actions and began protecting nature.

The clergy of Silvanus worked to fight the workings and servants of Malar.

Seek out dryads, learn their names.

Relationships
The church had connections to several orders of rangers who served Mielikki. Also, many of the holy groves and forest pool shrines of the church were guarded by the seldom-seen priests of Eldath along with Silvanite clerics and druids.

Relations between the greenleaf priesthood and the Emerald Enclave were anything but apparent, with many Silvanites elsewhere in Faerûn thinking the Enclave was too radical. Not all priests of Silvanus were members of the Enclave and vice versa. In particular, the Church of Silvanus feared that the aggressive and violent actions of the Emerald Enclave could spark a backlash against the Silvanite religion in the future. The Church of Silvanus preferred a slower, more patient, and far-looking approach to dealing with threats to nature and the Balance than the more activist Emerald Enclave. However, in the Vilhon Reach political leaders were aware of the distinction between the two groups of nature followers, and did not retaliate against the Church of Silvanus for the aggression of the Enclave. Political leaders of the Reach knew that to attack the Church of Silvanus would be to invite plague and disease into their cities, as the greenleaf priesthood would cease their cleanup operations. Even townsfolk of the Reach knew that the Church of Silvanus was distinct from the Emerald Enclave. Yet the clergy of Silvanus knew that, though their methods were different, the Enclave must operate with the Forest Father's approval, else they would not be able to cast magical spells.

The greenleaf priesthood also had ties to the Harpers. The Harpers goals to stop the rise of great powers capable of reshaping Faerûn was in harmony with the Silvanite desire to defend nature and the Balance.

History
A Silvanite druid enclave named Cedarsproke was established deep in the Gulthmere Forest in the.

During a ceremony on Midsummer's Night in the the House of Silvanus was founded on Ilighôn. It was established for powerful druids who could Shapechange to fly over to the island. It also was a way for the greenleaf priesthood to keep an eye on ships traveling through the area.

In the, the Silvanite druids of Ilighôn and Cedarsproke sent a delegation to Alaghôn in Turmish to protest the excessive logging occurring there. The druids asked such lumber operations be ceased, as the forest could not replenish itself as quickly as they were being cut down. The Lord of Turmish, Arton Githsberry promised the druids he would bring the matter to discussion in an open forum, but in truth this was a delaying tactic meant to appease the druids, and no promises were exchanged. The situation had not improved by the, with the rulers of Turmish bickered amongst themselves, and the angry rhetoric of the druids steadily increasing.

Oakengrove Abbey, a temple to Silvanus about seventy miles west of the Standing Stone was established in the.

The Stag king of Tethyr and renowned druid Strohm II founds Mosstone in the.

The conflict between the rulers of Turmish and the church of Silvanus came to a head in the. The druids of Ilighôn, calling themselves now the Emerald Enclave, entered into open conflict with The Windlass, a conclave of wizards who had come to power in Turmish. The Windlass, desiring to strike the druids in their base at Cedarsproke, ordered a portion of their army to cross the dangerous Orsraun Mountains. On route, the Turmish army was ambushed by the Emerald Enclave and their giant allies. As this was occurring, the Turmish navy sent to attack Ilighôn was destroyed by Water Elementals that rammed the ships into the surrounding treachrous reefs. The Windlass suffered tremendous losses in these battles, with many wizards slain. The victories of the newly founded Emerald Enclave cemented their reputation as a mighty power in the region, a reputation that would endure until their decline during The Wailing Years. Following these victories, the Emerald Enclave established bases in the Chondalwood and Winterwood, expanding their influence around the Vilhon Reach and demanding that nearby nations respect the forests and Balance of Silvanus.

The two surviving wizards of The Windlass resumed hostilities in the. They hoped to purge Ilighôn of the druid's influence, and prepared many spells and magic items to aid in the war effort. These magic items did not work on the sacred island, however, and The Windlass was finally destroyed and the last of the wizards slain. Some of the warriors who followed the wizards into battle were allowed to live and return to their homelands, to be able to tell the tale of their defeat to others.

Members
Both clerics and druids had a strong base in the church of Silvanus, with clerics in the urban areas and druids in the more wild lands. Silvanus showed favor on both classes, but had a preference for druids. He even had a few shaman worshippers among nomadic and barbarian tribes.