Gaea was a greater power of earth, a progenitor of the greater titans, and grandmother of the first Olympians.[2] She was also, according to some, an embodiment of every Prime Material world,[2][4] though the latter was more likely just Olympian boasting.[2] There was no evidence of direct worship for her on the Prime Material world of Toril.[5][note 1]
Description[]
In her true form, Gaea is the earth itself. Her avatar took the form of a beautiful, mature and buxom woman.[3]
Personalities[]
Over time some mischaracterized Gaea as some sort of schemer that jealously craved retaining her deific position and strength in light of the Olympian pantheon's rise to power. In actuality she was a very concerned and loving motherly figure.[2] She was also rather aloof, rarely ever meddling in the affairs of mortals, and had a liking for hideous monsters.[3]
Abilities[]
Avatars of Gaea could call upon the spheres of all, animal, charm, elemental, healing, plant, and weather for her spells. In addition, any being that looked uninvited upon her avatar could be petrified or blinded for one to ten days.[3]
Overall, the power that Gaea had at her disposal far outweighed that possessed by the Olympian deity Zeus.[2]
Possessions[]
The avatars of Gaea wielded a black sickle that had the power to instantly slay those struck by it.[3]
Activities[]
Gaea sometimes provided aid to mortals in dire need, in return for sacrifices of fruits and animals being made to her. However, she never provided aid in fighting against hideous monsters. She potentially would even provide aid to such monsters brought to her attention.[3]
History[]
According to the Olympians' understanding of how the multiverse came to be, as documented in their the tome the Great Theogony,[6] before everything began there was nothing but an indescribable roiling mass of chaos. From this chaos arose various aspects of nature,[5][6] such as the planes of Arborea and Tarterus,[5] and a handful of primeval gods that included Gaea and Eros.[5][6][7] While the Olympians' story of creation was steeped in their own egocentric biases,[6] it was true that Gaea was an incredibly old deity.[2]
Gaea would then create and marry the primeval god Uranus.[5][2][7] With their union they created a race of beings known as the Greater Titans,[3][5][8][9][10] who by some accounts numbered eleven[10][11] or twelve in total. Gaea then went on to birth more creations. Some were fair in appearance like the Titans,[6] whilst others were far more monstrous, such as the cyclopses and the hecatoncheires.[3][5][6][8] Uranus, proving to be a cruel and jealous man,[5][9] would keep all of her more monstrous children locked up[5][9][6] as he hated to look upon them.[2] Some accounts told of them being locked up inside her earthen depths,[5][9] causing Gaea pain,[3] while others told of them being locked up in Tarterus. Either way, with time Gaea grew sickened over the imprisoned state of her children.[6]
Gaea convinced one of her children, the greater titan Cronus, to overthrow his father[6] and thus avenge her mistreatment.[5][9] Cronus did so,[5][6][9] severely wounding Uranus.[5][9] The blood from his wounds fell upon Gaea, fertilizing her once more, causing the creation of the Furies and the gigantes.[2][5] The wounded Uranus then fled from the battle to the farthest reaches of the multiverse,[2] leaving his final fate unclear.[2][3]
Cronus then married the Titan Rhea and assumed command of the Greater Titans, going back on his word to Gaea that he would free her monstrous brood.[5][9][6] Furious, Gaea laid a curse upon Cronus, proclaiming that one day his own children would usurp him in turn.[6][10] Eventually Gaea's curse came to pass and Cronus was usurped by his own son Zeus, who alongside his siblings led the way for the creation of the Olympian pantheon.[6]
The newly formed Olympian pantheon's first act following this was the casting away of the majority of the Greater Titans into Tarterus.[5][6][10] Not wishing for any of her children to be imprisoned, Gaea tried to send the gigantes[2][9] and a hundred-headed dragon against the Olympians to liberate and avenge the Titans. Her creations brought the Olympians to their knees,[5][9] but the new generation of gods ultimately held up against them.[2][5][9] Despite this and some other early attempts to avenge or liberate her children,[9] Gaea remained an ally of the Olympian pantheon.[1]
In the month of Hammer, in the Year of Rogue Dragons, 1373 DR,[note 2] a group of adventurers from Ravens Bluff found themselves transported to the plane of Tarterus after defending the githzerai fortress of Tah'Darr from a tanar'ri incursion. At the urgings of the fallen paladin Elendil, the adventurers sought out Gaea's child Cronus for a way back to Toril.[12]
Worshipers[]
Unlike other deities, Gaea did not need proper direct worshipers, which led some to claim that she wasn't a proper deity. Instead, it was believed that the constant life and movement on the Prime Material worlds was equivalent. Nor did she need require temples or sacrifices, only desiring that those on the Prime treated their worlds with love and respect.[2]
Whenever Gaea had proper priests, they were always druids.[3][13] Weapons commonly wielded by them included clubs, quarterstaves, sickles, and various agricultural implements. They had access to spells from the spheres of all, animal, divination, elemental, healing, plant, and weather. Among the spells they always had access to were cure disease and divination.[3] They also were liable to know the spells control weather and control winds.[14]
The druids of Gaea oversaw tasks appropriate to her portfolio, such as animal husbandry, planting, and ministering aid to the sick. They also often served as oracles for their communities.[3]
Notable Worshipers[]
In terms of the philosophical planar factions of the multiverse, Gaea was worshiped by some members of the Sign of One.[15]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ There were no known worshipers of Gaea in the Realms. However, Gaea is mentioned in the opening pages of the Living City module No Time to Lose. For this reason, Gaea is documented in this article.
- ↑ The events of the Living City Ravens Bluff campaign took place on a timeline that advanced together with the real world's time. Even though all Living City adventures and issues of Ravens Bluff Trumpeter were dated with real-world dates, there were events that received a DR year. The Living City timeline can be derived from Myrkyssa Jelan's historic events of the late 14th century DR. Myrkyssa Jelan attacked Ravens Bluff in 1370 DR, according to The City of Ravens Bluff and Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition; these events are chronicled in an in-and-out of universe issues of Ravens Bluff Trumpeter. This places the real world year 1997 as 1370 DR, and in 1998 (1371 DR), Myrkyssa was at last arrested and tried and said to have been executed, only to reappear in 1372 DR in The City of Ravens novel. As the real world's months and the Calendar of Harptos are virtually identical, we can also date all events of the Living City Ravens Bluff as close as an in-universe month.
Appearances[]
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
No Time to Lose
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 128. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 129. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 James M. Ward and Troy Denning (August 1990). Legends & Lore (2nd edition). (TSR, Inc), p. 108. ISBN 978-0880388443.
- ↑ Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 41. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 Paul Pederson (January 2000). No Time to Lose. Living City (RPGA), p. 2.
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 116. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 James M. Ward and Troy Denning (August 1990). Legends & Lore (2nd edition). (TSR, Inc), p. 104. ISBN 978-0880388443.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Skip Williams, Rich Redman, James Wyatt (April 2002). Deities and Demigods. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 99. ISBN 0-7869-2654-6.
- ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 James M. Ward and Troy Denning (August 1990). Legends & Lore (2nd edition). (TSR, Inc), p. 105. ISBN 978-0880388443.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 James M. Ward and Troy Denning (August 1990). Legends & Lore (2nd edition). (TSR, Inc), p. 118. ISBN 978-0880388443.
- ↑ Colin McComb (December 1995). “Liber Malevolentiae”. In Michele Carter ed. Planes of Conflict (TSR, Inc.), p. 11. ISBN 0-7869-0309-0.
- ↑ Paul Pederson (January 2000). No Time to Lose. Living City (RPGA), pp. 9–10.
- ↑ Nicky Rea (1994). Age of Heroes Campaign Sourcebook. Edited by Matt Forbeck. (TSR, Inc.), p. 35. ISBN 1-56076-814-2.
- ↑ Nicky Rea (1994). Age of Heroes Campaign Sourcebook. Edited by Matt Forbeck. (TSR, Inc.), p. 36. ISBN 1-56076-814-2.
- ↑ Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 48. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.