Mielikki

Mielikki, also referred to as the Forest Queen, was the neutral good goddess of autumn, druids, dryads, forests, forest creatures, and rangers. Her symbol was a gold-horned, blue-eyed unicorn's head facing left.

Description
Mielikki's preferred manifestation was that of the Supreme Ranger, a tall, robust, and shapeful woman that moved with lithe grace. Her clothes were muted green and brown in color, and she was clad in the leather armor commonly used by rangers. Her russet hair reached down to her back, hanging freely about her shoulders, and her large eyes were like deep brown pools. Mielikki could also appear as the Forest Queen, a young maiden garbed in robes of sheer green and yellow with golden moss and leaves for hair and summer songbirds surrounding her person.

No matter her chosen form, Mielikki was tall, her voice a low, rich purr, and she always walked on the air, never quite touching the ground, and thus didn't leave any tracks. Sometimes she appeared with stag antlers either already growing from her forehead or slowly growing as mortals watched her, though she had seldom done this since Beshaba started using black antlers as her symbol.

Personality
Mielikki was cheerful, quick to smile, and confident in her actions, although while she conveyed that confidence well in small groups, she disliked formal speaking or leading larger groups. While she knew death was a part of life, she found the injuries of animals and other friends hard to endure, and often healed beings that Silvanus would allow to fuel the circle of life. She did not consider people her friends lightly, but she demonstrated fierce loyalty and protectiveness to those who were.

Divine Realm
She resided in the Grove of the Unicorns, located within the House of Nature in the World Tree cosmology.

Relationships
Mielikki was not the daughter of Silvanus, although her followers sometimes referred to her with the honorific "Daughter to Silvanus". She considered Silvanus a father figure, and thought of Eldath like a sister. She was the superior of Gwaeron Windstrom, Shiallia, and Lurue. She was friends with Shaundakul and Lathander and was an enemy of Malar, Talos, Talona.

Worshipers
The clergy of Mielikki included clerics, druids (Forestarms), and rangers (Needles). Generally, druids of Mielikki took on the abilities of rangers, including the ability to wear all kinds of armor usable by rangers, including metal armor (unlike other druids who were not allowed to wear metal armor).

Divine spellcasters following Mielikki prayed for spells in either the morning or evening, but were required to observe both events. Once a month, clerics and druids were required to perform the Song of Trees, calling forth a dryad or treant and performing odd jobs for it for a day. Mielikkians also held the equinoxes and solstices as holy days, called the Four Feasts.

Under her Khalreshaar's aspect she was mainly worshiped by a growing cult of half-elves. They believed her to be the daughter of Silvanus and Hanali Celanil, and as such, the first truly half-elven deity. Under this aspect she serves Rillifane Rallathil.

Orders

 * Order of the Unicorn's Horn: The Order of the Unicorn's Horn was a small society of itinerant healers who brought solace to injured people, animals, and plants.
 * Shadoweirs: The Shadoweirs served as a type of religious knighthood of the woods. Members were activists who proselytized with zeal and were willing to go on the offensive on behalf of their sacred forests. They sought to advance the regrowth of ancient forests reduced by civilization, and to halt the endless assault of civilization on their ancient homeland.

Notable Worshipers

 * Drizzt Do'Urden, an ex-worshiper of Mielikki
 * Catti-brie
 * Montolio Debrouchee
 * Lander
 * Pikel Bouldershoulder
 * Florin Falconhand
 * Jeryth Phaulkon
 * Emperel
 * Karel Mahorne
 * Walnut Dankgrass

History
Mielikki very rarely directly revealed herself to her followers. One of the few events where she had a direct influence was in the events of the Spellplague in 1385 DR, when an avatar of her, or at least one of her servants, took Catti-brie and Regis away to a private paradise called Iruladoon she had prepared for them that would remain untouched by the turmoil of the Spellplague to follow. This was presumably done as a favor to Drizzt Do'Urden.

Background
Mielikki is based on a Finnish forest goddess of same name, originally appearing in the 1-edition Deities & Demigods, page 60.

Connections
Mielikki