Silvanus

Silvanus was the Celtic and Faerunian power of nature, and one of the oldest and most prominent gods in the pantheon. Formerly considered only the god of wilderness and druids, the Forest Father was often seen as the wilder counterpart to Chauntea the Earthmother.

Description
His avatar often took the form of a long-limbed humanoid male, in particular long legs, dressed in a suit of armor made of leaves and wielding a wooden mallet.

Personality
Silvanus was chiefly concerned with nature itself, caring very little for maintain a proper balance and paying no attention to the machinations of mortals and other deities.

Abilities
His avatar was capable of controlling any number of animals and forest creatures with the sound of his voice. He could also make plants grow or shrink at any rate he willed.

Possessions
His avatar typically dressed in a +5 suit of leaves armor, which offered protection equivalent to plate mail, and a +5 wooden mallet.

History
Silvanus originated as a member of the Celtic pantheon.

Around the time of the rise of Netheril, a wave of planar immigrants came from another world and settled on Toril. One of these groups of people came from a rugged land with a culture tied to nature, the sea, and the warrior history of its dozen-king greater god. They brought along with them their own style of society and faiths, the worship of Celtic deities, such as Silvanus. As was a common practice in the Celtic pantheon whenever it established itself on a world, Silvanus would go on to join one of the local pantheons.

Realm
The divine realm of Silvanus varied depending upon the cosmology that one used. In the Great Wheel cosmology, it resided in the Celtic pantheon's realm of Tir na Og. It stood in the deepest reaches of that realm, going by the name of Summeroak or Deep Forest.

Relationships
Silvanus did not have many allies, nor did he have many enemies. In the Faerûnian pantheon he was allied with and served by fellow nature deities Eldath and Mielikki. At times he would work with Chauntea and Lathander in their efforts against the Gods of Fury.

Worshipers
Silvanus had both clerics and druids in his faith, though their presence varied by location, with druids being the more prominent due to his narrow focus on nature without concern for balance. He was also frequently worshiped by barbarians. His clergy often worked together with the clergy of his allies, Mielikki and Eldath, towards common goals.

The church of Silvanus had a pervasive influence on Toril, especially across the continent of Faerûn. His worshipers protected places of nature from the encroachment of civilization with vigor and were implacable foes of industrious peoples. Non-worshipers often viewed the church unfavorably due to its tendency to disrupt expansion into woodland, sometimes with violence. Examples of rituals for worship were entreaties for spells at sundown or in moonlight. The Dryad Dance was a replenishing ritual of wild, wayward dance that called out dryads to join the ritualists for mating. Most Silvanite clerics, sometimes referred to as Forest Masters, also functioned as druids or rangers.