Iallanis (pronounced: /ˈiəlɑːnɪs/ EE-uh-lan-is[7] 
listen) was the gentle giant goddess of peace and mercy. Represented by a garland of flowers, she was the symbol of love across giantkind and hoped that one day they could all live in harmony.[3][7][11][12]
Description[]
Iallanis appeared as a graceful, fair-skinned giantess of variable height, at times appearing as only 13 ft (4 m) tall and at others towering at 25 ft (7.6 m). She wore a short, bright, green dress from which living flowers grew. As was typical for many goddesses of love, one could recognize her avatar as such by the fact that it was always bare legged and bare footed.[7][13]
Manifestations[]
Iallanis sometimes sent omens to her faithful in the form of pleasant scents (often floral) tinkling sounds (often tinkling winds), rare flowers, and similarly gentle signs.[7][13]
Personality[]
Iallanis was an advocate for beauty, mercy, and love, hating no part of her father's creation and never turning away a good-natured or formerly evil but repented giant.[7][13] Despite this general beneficence however, creatures below at least 4 ft (1.2 m) tall generally fell beneath her notice.[14]
Powers[]
Iallanis's avatar was a potent druid immune to poison and disease-causing spells and those that drained energy and induced blindness, as well as cause wounds or harm spells. She could charm people (including giants) at will, which was twice as effective against the giants. She could also cast remove curse on any mortal thrice a day.[13][7][8]
Realm[]
Iallanis's realm of Florallium was a place of quiet gardens and crystal springs, located in either the 1st layer of Arborea in the Great Wheel cosmology or Jotunheim in the World Tree cosmology.[5] It was tacitly acknowledged as neutral territory for the residents of Jothunheim, god or petitioner, where peace could be negotiated in times of war and celebrations could be had during times of peace.[5][9]
Activities[]
Iallanis often sent an avatar to celebrate important events of joy and delight alongside giantkind. These included the wedding of a leader, the consecration of a magnificent temple or other building, the completion of a grand work of art, or the ending of a war. She always sought to harmoniously reunite the disparate giant races,[3][13][7] her ultimate goal being to bring together all the Jotunbrud and reestablish Ostoria as a kingdom of not only ambition, but benevolence and learning.[7]
Relationships[]
Like Memnor, Iallanis was a "singleton" deity, a child of Annam not part of a larger grouping like her siblings Stronmaus and Hiatea, Surtur, Thrym, and Skoraeus, or Grolantor and Karontor.[10] She was among her father's favorite children,[7] though often stood in Hiatea's shadow.[10] Her mother was the unnamed sky goddess who had given birth to several of her other siblings.[15]
Despite their conflicts with the giant gods in the past, the Seldarine refrained from driving her out of Arborea, although they lacked much respect for her.[12] She had a close friendship with the swanmay goddess Fionnghuala for reasons unknown.[13][7]
Worshipers[]
Iallanis had taken over some of Annam's role as the god of fertility, with a usually small but growing cult across many worlds.[10] Among the giant races, she had worshipers among cloud giants, storm giants, small firbolg groups, and a smattering of voadkyn, and also received acceptance among stone giants for her fair face and kind nature.[13] The stone, cloud, storm, and giant-kin of the Ice Spires particularly adored her.[7] While the worship of the druids and clerics of the elephantine loxo was focused on their vision of Hiatea, some favored an aspect (potentially a male one) of Iallanis for their strength and healing ability, and clerics might venerate one or both.[16]
Iallanis turned down no good creature from her priesthood. She accepted any true giant on equal terms and would include giant-kin among them if not for Annam and Stronmaus forbidding the policy as an Ordning violation, forcing her to limit the power giant-kin followers could receive. Ironically this meant that her giant-kin followers could not advance as far as ordinary mortals, who themselves could not reach the heights of power under her than true giants could. Notably storm giants could achieve even higher power than all those previously mentioned. In any case, only a priest or shaman who was happily married could advance very far.[7][13]
Iallanis offered the power to charm people (including giants) to her lower level priests, charm monster to intermediates, and symbol of persuasion to the most powerful, each once per day. Priests were capable of turning undead, though were not particularly adept relative to their overall power.[8][13] Iallanis also offered a unique spell known as throwing arm of Iallanis making it easier to hurl stones at one's enemy, though creatures below 4 ft (1.2 m) in height could not benefit from it.[14]
Dogma[]
Priests of Iallanis were tasked with creating things of beauty (including things like artistry, crafts, and gardens), keeping the Jotunbrud united, dispensing mercy and absolution to all in need, working with all other good creatures, and striving to bring all giantkind itself into the fold of goodness. Only the honor of the gods was to be placed before that of mercy and only mercy's honor outweighing that of beauty. No deed, good or bad, was to go unrewarded or unpunished respectively. They believed that from life arose passion and from strength came kindness.[8][13]
Rituals[]
Priests of Iallanis always prayed over any meal or gift they were given. Even when the priests of other deities were involved or the giants in question were of the evil alignment, they also conducted nearly all marriages between two Jotunbrud members. On every first day of spring, all of them assembled in a giant steading for a grand celebration. A marriage would be performed at the party's height whenever possible, an honor so great that the most important members of Jotunbrud society would wait until the spring to wed.[8]
Clothing[]
Priests of Iallanis could not keep any worldly possessions beyond those needed to maintain their own humble lives. They could wear leather armor and were allowed to wield quarterstaffs, nets, mancatchers, and bows.[13][8]
History[]
Iallanis was introduced to giantkind and its struggles while still an adolescent, assuming her spot in the Ordning shortly after. In mythology her birth followed Annam's acceptance of his eldest daughter and her own sister, Hiatea, and the All-Father's subsequent willingness to allow himself female offspring.[10][7]
At some point in history, Corellon led the Seldarine from Ysgard to Arborea to claim the land from the giants. The giants lost the war against the glory-seeking elven gods and were driven out before Arvandor was founded. Unlike her brothers, Iallanis did not fight the invaders but stayed at home and so was allowed to stay.[12]
When shamanic giants of Memnor developed dragon dowsing rods to kill and enslave metallic wyrmlings, a coalition of priests of Stronmaus, Hiatea, and Iallanis stole the formula to counteract their activities, rescuing the dragons and turning them over to the Talons of Justice.[17]
Trivia[]
Ialllanis featured in one of the images of Annam's mythical axe, Sky Cleaver, where she joined the hands with Memnor and Karontor in brotherly love.[18]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Faiths and Pantheons page 221 gives the battleaxe as Iallanis's favored weapon. This is a mistake made by Sean K. Reynolds as he explains and corrects here: http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/we/ZZZcorrectedmonsterdeitytable.html
References[]
- ↑ Mike Mearls, et al. (November 2016). Volo's Guide to Monsters. Edited by Jeremy Crawford, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 19. ISBN 978-0786966011.
- ↑ James Wyatt et al. (August 2023). Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants. Edited by Janica Carter et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 27. ISBN 978-0-7869-6898-5.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Rich Redman, James Wyatt (May 2001). Defenders of the Faith. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 96. ISBN 0-7869-1840-3.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd, Erik Mona (May 2002). Faiths and Pantheons. Edited by Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 221. ISBN 0-7869-2759-3.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 160. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
- ↑ David Noonan (May 2004). Complete Divine. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 124. ISBN 0-7869-3272-4.
- ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 52. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 53. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 175. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Carl Sargent (May 1992). Monster Mythology. (TSR, Inc), p. 74. ISBN 1-5607-6362-0.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, et al. (November 2016). Volo's Guide to Monsters. Edited by Jeremy Crawford, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 20. ISBN 978-0786966011.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Wolfgang Baur and Lester Smith (1994-07-01). “The Book of Chaos”. In Michele Carter ed. Planes of Chaos (TSR, Inc), p. 39. ISBN 1560768746.
- ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 Carl Sargent (May 1992). Monster Mythology. (TSR, Inc), p. 78. ISBN 1-5607-6362-0.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Eric Cagle (April 2006). “Spellcraft: Alien Blessings”. In Erik Mona ed. Dragon #342 (Paizo Publishing, LLC), pp. 75–76.
- ↑ Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 42. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
- ↑ Thomas Reid (October 2004). Shining South. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 14, 68. ISBN 0-7869-3492-1.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd, Eytan Bernstein (August 2006). Dragons of Faerûn. Edited by Beth Griese, Cindi Rice, Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 127. ISBN 0-7869-3923-0.
- ↑ Troy Denning (September 1995). The Titan of Twilight. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 16. ISBN 0-7869-3798-X.