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The Bounty of the Goddess was a temple and garden complex dedicated to Chauntea in Voonlar.[6][7]
Location[]
Voonlar was a trading town and farming community located in the southwest corner of the Moonsea region of north Faerûn.[1][8] The temple itself stood at the intersection of the North Ride and Shind Road in the center of Voonlar.[1][6]
Description[]
The temple and extensive gardens were surrounded by walls and took up about a third of the town proper.[2][3] The gates were circular in design and made of thick iron bars overgrown with flowering vines and moss. The frame around the gates bore a design of sheaves of wheat.[4][5]
The main temple was a beautiful edifice with multiple slender bell towers. The grounds of the compound were a maze of flagstone paths that passed by lush flower beds and blooming shrubbery interspersed with pools and trellis-covered benches. These bowers could be lit at night with dancing lights. There were also three guesthouses and several greenhouses all connected by tunnels used for heating and irrigation pipes.[4][5]
Activities[]
The Bounty generated some revenue by selling quince and persimmons, herbs and spices, seeds, and herbal elixirs that had various healing properties. They kept a small supply of healing potions but sold these discretely,[4][5] unlike the Lathanderites of the House of Holy Light who made it a lucrative business.[9][10] There was also a small brewery run by one of the Trueseeds, but it is unknown if the barley beer was sold or given away as gifts or favors.[2][3]
Adventurers on the run from local law enforcement, the Zhentarim, or the Cyricists from the Dark God Reformed could sometimes find shelter in the guesthouses and extensive tunnel system in the gardens of the compound.[4][5]
Despite the animosity between Voonlar and Shadowdale, the Bounty of the Goddess enjoyed a close relationship with its counterpart in Shadowdale, the House of Plenty. Lady Shrae exchanged news and information, such as intelligence about impending raids, and the activities of the Cyricists and the Zhentarim, with High Harvestmistress Glamerie Windbough via messengers with armed escort.[6] Under Lady Shrae's tenure, her messenger was Trueseed Rolivar Brimbruir, typically accompanied by at least eight mounted temple guards.[2][11]
Defenses[]
The guards of the temple were mainly farmers and drovers, known as Harvestrods, who could be called upon to don leather and chainmail armor and defend the Bounty of the Goddess, typically against acts of vandalism, thievery, and arson by the local Cyricists. The guards had training in the broadsword, dagger, and mace.[2][3]
History[]
When the walls around the Bounty of the Goddess lands were first constructed, there was strong opposition from Bron Buorstag Hlammythyl, the elected sheriff of Voonlar. He later completely reversed his stance and became a supporter of the project.[4][3] As part of the project to build a wall around the temple grounds, the Bounty donated a large tract of their gardens north of Daerndrean Street to the town, essentially tripling the size of the Common Gardens that adjoined them.[2][3]
The temple also sold a guesthouse it owned on the North Ride near the outskirts of town to a Sembian gold merchant from Yhaunn named Ornar Harlathar who converted it into a hunting lodge. This action pleased Bron Buorstag because more hunting in the woods meant more chances to kill or drive away raiders from Shadowdale or Harper spies.[2][3]
In the Year of Rogue Dragons, 1373 DR, the city of Voonlar was attacked by the fiend army of the dreaded Order of the Crippled Fang that plagued the region. During the crisis caused by the order in the Moonsea, the Bounty of the Goddess suffered financial losses and was forced to sell its goods and services to the needy instead of having the available to the defenders of the city of free. Lady Immithra Shrae was leading the temple through that tumultuous time.[12]
Rumors and Legends[]
It was speculated that the Bron's sudden change of heart about building a wall around the temple was precipitated by a suggestion from someone in a superior position within the Zhentarim who felt that the wall would make it easier to contain and observe the Chaunteans and their visitors.[4][3]
It was said that the iron bars underlying the flowery wooded gates to the Bounty of the Goddess compound were of ancient dwarven craftsmanship.[4][5]
Inhabitants[]
The most well-known of the clergy at the Bounty of the Goddess were:[2][3]
- Ardethra Murmarand: Watchful Sister; expert herbalist for humans and livestock.
- Erlan Faerlnar: Watchful Brother; soil and nutrients expert.
- Haronstin "Leatherjaws" Garulth: Close One; seed-seller and carter; elderly, relaxed, high tolerance for alcohol.
- Immithra Shrae: Mother of the Harvest; high priestess of Chauntea; soft-spoken, kind, and pleasant.
- Jhalanessa Brithlar: Watchful Sister; expert herbalist; mischievous and passionate.
- Lauratha Delrym: Trueseed; prim but nosy; knew everyone in town and what they were doing.
- Lothan Maergh: Watchful Brother; expert with bulbs, seeds, and grafting.
- Rolivar Brimbruir: Trueseed; boisterous and burly brewmaster; even Cyricists laughed at his jokes and appreciated his beer.
Many of the lay servants were the mothers of the active clergy.[2][3]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
- Video Games
- Neverwinter Nights: Tyrants of the Moonsea
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (August 1987). “Cyclopedia of the Realms”. In Karen S. Martin ed. Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (TSR, Inc.), p. 87. ISBN 0-88038-472-7.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Ed Greenwood (April 2001–May 2003). Elminster Speaks archive (Zipped PDF). Elminster Speaks. Wizards of the Coast. p. 10. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2016-09-03.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Ed Greenwood (2001-04-04). Part #8: To Venerate The Great Mother. Elminster Speaks. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2016-09-13.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Ed Greenwood (April 2001–May 2003). Elminster Speaks archive (Zipped PDF). Elminster Speaks. Wizards of the Coast. p. 9. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2016-09-03.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Ed Greenwood (2001-04-04). Part #7: The House of the Helm. Elminster Speaks. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2016-09-13.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 John Terra (January 1995). “Reference Guide”. In Allison Lassieur ed. The Moonsea (TSR, Inc.), p. 22. ISBN 978-0786900923.
- ↑ John Terra (January 1995). “Player's Guide”. In Allison Lassieur ed. The Moonsea (TSR, Inc.), p. 10. ISBN 978-0786900923.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 161–162. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (April 2001–May 2003). Elminster Speaks archive (Zipped PDF). Elminster Speaks. Wizards of the Coast. p. 8. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2016-09-03.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (2001-04-04). Part #6: Local Faith. Elminster Speaks. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2016-09-13.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (2001-04-04). Part #9: Voonlarran Religious Politics. Elminster Speaks. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2016-09-13.
- ↑ Ossian Studios (August 2019). Designed by Luke Scull. Neverwinter Nights: Tyrants of the Moonsea. Beamdog.