Arvoreen

Arvoreen, also known as The Defender or The Wary Sword was the closest the halflings had to a war god, but he was actually the halfling pantheon's deity of defense, guardians, and watchers.

Description
The avatar of Arvoreen appeared as a handsome young muscular halfling dressed in light clothing and chain mail. His weapons of choice ranged from two short sword to a short sword and shield. He was always accompanied by a Keeper, and he sometimes appeared to go on patrol with his worshipers.

Personality
Arvoreen was strict and preached aggressive watchfulness but only to react to aggression. He didn't support starting conflicts unless it was done to stop evil practices. Arvoreen never attacked first and didn't hold thieving to be dishonorable as long as it was against a foe. However, it was extremely forbidden to steal from the Hin (halflings) or their allies.

Relationships
The Defender's enemies were evil deities such as Bane, Cyric, the Deities of Fury, and the goblinoid pantheon. His closest allies were the rest of the hin pantheon, especially Yondalla, Cyrrollalee, and Urogalan, but he disapproved of the behavior of Brandobaris.

Worshipers
The faith of Arvoreen was strong in like-minded strongheart halflings and some isolationist halflings. Devotees followed procedures of military drills, training regimens, and building traps, signal beacons, and fortifications. Their temples were specially built keeps. This mix, along with the ideal that the enemies to the hin community mostly came from mixing with other cultures, made them less popular with lightfoots, who stayed away except in times of war.

The followers of Arvoreen also taught blade-work to the young, especially the deity's favored weapon, the short sword. The clergy prayed before dawn, before going on patrol. If able, they would also pray before battle with the Battle Hymn of the Keepers, an oral depiction of halfling military victory dating back centuries.

The vestments of the priesthood were silver-colored chain mail and helmet, along with dark blue tabards with his holy symbol. They also wore an amulet of a small silver buckler.

Specialist priest and worshipers
Novices of the church were called "Shieldbearers" and the ranks in order of ascent were: Shieldbearer, Warder, Guardian, Defender, Protector, Magistrate, Sheriff, Marshal (full priest), and High Marshal.
 * Trueswords: Specialized priests skilled in fighting with short swords, engineering, and reading and writing.
 * Keepers: Elite halfing warriors who'd fallen in battle and patrolled the Green Fields in the afterlife.
 * Arvoreen's Warders: A militaristic branch of the religion with less spellcasting ability, who made up for this drawback with tenacity and skills.

Holy Days

 * Ceremony of Remembrance: This took place during Feast of the Moon, where they remembered those who fell in the defense of the halfling community.

Affiliated Orders

 * Arvoreen's Marchers: Known for keeping anarchy from spreading during the Tethyrian Interregnum, they then became a recognized knightly order. During this time, they were active in the Purple Hills under the leadership of Estermal Talltankard. They gained a chapter-house near Barrowsmorn, called Keeperstone, and they patrolled the Purple Marches.

Trivia
There is a sling of Arvoreen found in Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn in a beholder den that states falsely that Arvoreen is female.

In the game Neverwinter Nights 2, Daeghun Farlong has an Arvoreen's amulet of aid in a chest in his room. Daeghun never mentions the amulet or how he got it. It is known that Arvoreen grants gifts to defenders of hin communities and that might be how he gained this item.