Church of Chauntea

The Church of Chauntea was the primary religious organization of the followers of the deity Chauntea, the Great Mother.

Dogma
"Let no day pass in which you have not helped a living thing flourish..."

- Dogma of Chauntea

Beliefs
Faithfuls believed that Chauntea was as old as the world itself. They saw her as one that gave life to natural creatures and plants, and that gifted humanoid races with the secrets of agriculture.

Land owners and farmers hit with unproductive harvests visited her clerics for divine suggestions. If at any time plague or drought struck the crops, farmers looked to the goddess, since they hoped she would save the harvest due to her love of nature.

Attitudes
Practitioners of the Chauntean faith cared about the fertility of the earth, the growing and reaping of plants, and the eternal cycle of life.

Considering destruction and leveling without rebuilding as a disgrace, they avoided using fire and planted a seed of a small plant at least once per tenday.

Members of the clergy were quiet and patient, emulating the qualities they saw in their goddess. They were known for their wisdom, and for their willingness to help with agricultural work, taking a hands-on approach especially when farmers were ill of injured.

Clergy
People of all races joined the church, and many were females. They were united in their profound love for the land, the balance of nature, and the beauty of plants. Most were gardeners or farmers by trade, an well-versed in the ways of herbalism and agriculture. Clerics usually tended to the faithful in civilized areas, such as towns and cities, while druids handled more rural areas.

Internal allegiances
While cordial, relations between clerics and druids were sometimes difficult: druids considered themselves the "true clerics of Chauntea", and saw city clerics as upstarts; while clerics viewed druids as a thing of the past, still useful in wild lands but destined to be replaced by a more professional and organized clergy.

Monks always allied themselves to the leader of a temple or druidic circle, whereas mystics and shamans were fiercely independent, reporting to their goddess directly.

Titles

 * Titles (in ascending order of rank)
 * Close One &bull; Watchful Brother / Sister of the Earth &bull; Trueseed &bull; Harvestmaster / Harvestmistress &bull; High Harvestmaster / High Harvestmistress &bull; Onum

Celebrations
"See to the fertility of the earth, but let the human womb see to its own..."

- Dogma of Chauntea

Bases
"Protect trees and plants, and save their seeds so that what is destroyed can de replaced..."

- Dogma of Chauntea

Large temples often doubled as granaries, and places of worship as seed-storage&mdash;ensuring the prosperity of the nearby communities. While a couple very large temples existed, most were of a modest size.

Despite the existence of temples and shrines, it was common for services to be provided in open fields or druid groves.

Temples

 * Many large temples shared a similar name, the "Bounty of the Goddess". Notably, such temples could be found in Archenbridge and Voonlar.

Chauntean Magic

 * Clerics, mystics and shamans following Chauntea were immune to poisonous plants and mushrooms.
 * Although clerics could access most elemental spheres normally, they were barred from using fire spells.

History
"Nurture, tend, and plant wherever possible..."

- Dogma of Chauntea