Pantheon Elfico

[DM Artemis]

Solonor Thelandira

Keen-Eye, the Great Archer, the Forest Hunter

Intermediate Power of Arborea
CG
PORTFOLIO: Archery, hunting, wilderness survival
ALIASES: None
DOMAIN NAME: Olympus/Arvandor
SUPERIOR: Corellon Larethian
ALLIES: Chauntea, Cyrrollalee, Emmantiensien, Eldath, Eilistraee, Ferrix, Fionnghuala, Gwaeron Windstrom, Oberon, Mielikki, Nobanion, Shaundakul, Silvanus, Skerrit, Tirania, the Seldarine, various Animal Lords
FOES: Bhaal (dead), Gorellik, Grankhul, Grolantor, Malar, Moander, the Queen of Air and Darkness, Talos, the drow pantheon (except Eilistraee)
SYMBOL: Silver arrow with green fletching
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN
Solonor Thelandira (SOE-lue-nohr Theh-LAN-dih-ruh) is the elven god of hunting, archery, and survival in wild and harsh places. The Great Archer's prowess with the bow is unmatched by any other power venerated in the Realms. Solonor is concerned with the integrity of nature and the balance between exploitation and agriculture on one hand and fallow, wild terrains on the other. Like Corellon Larethian and Fenmarel Mestarine, the Great Archer watches over the boundaries of elven lands. He instructs the Fair Folk in the art of hiding in and moving through natural foliage so as not to be detected as well as the art of archery and hunting. Solonor is primarily revered by elven and half-elven rangers, hunters, woodsmen, and fighters.
In particular, elven hunters appeal to him for better catches ot game and elven warriors trapped in hostile territory call on him for aid. In recent centuries a few humans, primarily hunters, have joined his faith as well.
Solonor is allied with all the powers who collectively compose the Seldarine. In particular, the Great Archer works closely with Corellon Larethian, Fenmarel Mestarine, and Shevarash to defend the borders of elven homelands. In many tales, Fenmarel is said to be the brother of Solonor, and despite the former's estrangement from the Seldarine for which Solonor holds Lolth responsible, the Lone Wolf and the Great Archer are still close allies. Solonor has served as Shevarash's mentor since the green elf's apotheosis, and the two are united in their hatred of the Spider Queen and her followers, the drow, although the Great Archer is not as consumed with vengeance as the Night Hunter. Solonor and Rillifane Rallathil work closely to preserve and protect the natural world. Although the Great Archer is more tolerant of the slow growth of civilization than the Leaflord, a philosophical difference that sometimes spills over into the relations between their two faiths, they are united in their efforts to preserve the great forests of the Fair Folk from the relentless expansion of humankind. Solonor and Eilistraee are true kindred spirits, with some myths depicting them as half-siblings and other myths suggesting a burgeoning romantic relationship (much to the dismay of both Shevarash and Fenmarel). Among the nonelven powers, Solonor is closely allied with other powers concerned with the natural world, including Mielikki, Lady of Forests, another goddess with which he has been romantically linked, Silvanus the Oakfather, Skerrit the Forester, and the various Animals Lords, particularly those concerned with hunting such as the Cat Lord and Wolf Lord. Solonor despises powers that favor despoliation over nature, and actively opposes the efforts of such gods and their followers. Solonor's greatest foes are Malar and Talos, followed closely by Lolth and members of the Unseelie Court. The Beastlord's eternal, unquenchable bloodlust is a vile perversion of every principle Solonor holds dear. Likewise, the Destroyer's hunger for destruction works to tear apart the delicate balance the Greater Archer has striven to forge and maintain. The Queen of Air and Darkness, much like the Spider Queen, embodies the corruption that can take root even in the hearts of even those of fey ancestry and against which the Great Archer stands ever vigilant.
Solonor is always in pursuit of quarry, and he rarely remains in one location for very long. Unlike many hunters, the Great Archer stalks prey only out of concern for the overall balance between the species and to destroy evil-doers, particularly the drow. His serious, sometimes grim, demeanor reflects the difficulty he faces in forging a workable compromise between the competing forces of civilization and wilderness, instinct and knowledge, and savagery and domesticity. Solonor's word is his bond, and his pledge is never given lightly. Solonor does not close to do battle with an enemy, but tracks and pursues instead, firing arrows from a never-empty quiver. The favorite tactic of this deity, should he anticipate battling a particularly dangerous foe, is to physically touch that being and then retreat. Once by himself again, he can then manufacture a special arrow of slaying designed especially to kill that one opponent, should it strike home. He then hunts his quarry relentlessly, hoping to bring him down in a single shot. Many fiends from the Lower Planes have felt the bite of Solonor's deadly arrows.
The Church
CLERGY: Clerics, rangers
CLERGY'S ALIGN.: NG, CG, CN
TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, R: No
CMND. UNDEAD: C: No, R: No
All clerics (including multiclassed half-elven clerics and elven cleric/rangers, a multiclassed combination allowed to elven priests of Solonor) and rangers of Solonor receive religion (elf) and reading/writing (Espruar) as bonus nonweapon proficiencies.
Single-classed clerics of Solonor must select a weapon proficiency in either the long bow or short bow, at twice the regular cost.
While Solonor is well regarded throughout elven society, most of his worshipers are drawn from those Fair Folk who live outside the great cities in small forest communities. His worship is particularly prevalent among green elves and moon elven commoners involved in the day-to-day realities of living in harmony with nature and preserving the environment in the face of the destructive impulses of other races. While some gold elves drawn to the simple appeal of living in direct harmony with the woods may be found in Solonor's church, for the most part the Ar-Tel'Quessir and even the haughtiest Teu-Tel'Quessir nobility romanticize the teachings of the Great Archer while contemptuously dismissing those who compose the ranks of the Great Archer's faithful as base and worthy of a small measure of scorn.
Temples of Solonor can be found at the heart of deep forests, only accessible via carefully hidden and guarded woodland paths. The Great Archer's houses of worship are a mixture of natural and carefully sculpted features emphasizing the competing principles that Solonor tries to balance. Most temples are cultivated in a grove of trees carefully tended from seedlings to form two or more concentric rings of forest giants. Each tree is grown so as to form one or more natural hollows within its trunk at various elevations, and vine rope bridges are threaded through each tightly packed grove to connect the chambers in the heart of each tree. At ground level, roots, rocks, earth, plants are woven into near impregnable defensive fortifications to ensure the sanctity of the temple perimeter. Earthen chambers are hewn from the dirt beneath the grove, nestled among the tightly woven root structures. In the surrounding woods, trees are carefully planted so as to create narrow, spokelike paths radiating outward from the central grove. Although not immediately obvious to casual observation, the plant growth along such paths is cultivated so as to impede movement but permit the flight of arrows, thus forming natural shooting galleries in which invaders are easily targeted. Solonor's temples contain both ceremonial chambers adorned with hunting trophies and hollows with more practical applications such as crafting and repairing bows and arrows, the curing of venison and other meats, the tanning of hides, and the carving of bones to form tools and figurines.
Novices of Solonor are known as Fledglings. Full priests of Keen- Eye are known as Hawkeyes. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Solonoran priests are Fletcher, Bowyer, Archer, Gray Wolf, Snow Tiger, Grizzly Bear, Blood Hawk, Fire Falcon, and Gold Eagle. High-ranking priests have unique individual titles. Specialty priests are known as rangers. The clergy of Solonor includes moon elves (33%), green elves (28%), gold elves (22%), half-moon elves (8%), half-green elves (3%), half-gold elves (2%), lythari (3%), and a handful (1%) of elves and half-elves of other ancestries. Solonor's clergy includes rangers (36%), cleric/rangers (33%), and clerics (31%), including half-elven multiclassed clerics other than cleric/rangers. The clergy is almost equally divided among males (52%) and females (48%).
Dogma: Walk in harmony with nature and oppose the efforts of those who would disturb her delicate balance. Preserve the wild places from excessive encroachment, and work with those who would settle the land to preserve the beauty that first attracted them. Hunt only for sustenance, culling the old and the weak from the herd so that all species may prosper. Like an arrow in flight, it is difficult to arrest the consequences of an action. Choose your targets carefully, for an ill-considered action can have a long-reaching impact.
Day-to-Day Activities: Solonor's priests serve as scouts and archers in elven armies, as bowyers, fletchers, and archery instructors in elven settlements, and as hunters and providers for far-flung rural communities. Among those Fair Folk who largely eschew the trappings of civilization, members of Solonor's priesthood preside over initiation ceremonies into adulthood. Hawkeyes serve the Great Archer by working to maintain the balance of nature. Solonor's priests are deadly enemies of those who worship Malar, Talos, or Moander, and they often join forces with those who serve the Leaflord in order to exterminate followers of those evil gods whenever they make their presence known.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies : Solonor's faithful generally eschew frivolous celebrations, considering them unnecessary distractions to the tasks at hand. Once per lunar month, under the soft light of the full moon, the Great Archer's faithful assemble to give thanks for the skills Solonor has taught and the bounty thus provided. Hunters sacrifice hunting trophies that cannot otherwise be employed, and unbroken arrows engraved with the symbol of Solonor are fired into the sky to poke holes in the firmament and allow the light of Solonor's teachings to shine forth on his people (these arrows are never fired in a direction that would cause them to fall where they might hurt someone, including straight up). Each Shield-meet, known to the Fair Folk as Cinnaelos'Cor (the Day of Corellon's Peace), the followers of Solonor assemble to compete in great archery meets. The winners of such contests are said to receive the Keen-Eye mark of the Great Archer, a blessing that confers a +1 attack bonus on all attacks made with a bow until the next Shieldmeet.
Major Centers of Worship: Moondark Hill is located in the Vale of Evereska-discussed in greater detail in the entry for Hanali Celanil-on the eastern fringes of the moon elven city at the base of one of the greatest peaks of the Shaeradim.
Eastpeak's shadow cloaks the low knoll in darkness for much of the night when the moon is full, giving rise to the hill's name.
The Great Archer's faithful gather to worship their god when the full moon rises above the top of Eastpeak and its light washes over the hilltop like a wave of silver. Built into the steep western slope of Moondark Hill is the Hall of the High Hunt, a great openair pavilion encircled by a tightly packed colonnade of ancient shadowtops. A pure mountain spring rises in the heart of the hill and winds through a series of natural caverns before exiting at the heart of the Shadowtop Glade. When in residence, Solonor's clergy dwell in the caves of Moondark Hill amidst the great hunting trophies of the faithful. The leader of the priesthood is High Huntsman Pleufan Trueshot, an ancient moon elf who is said to have hunted in the Far Horns forest that once covered much of the Backlands. Much to the dismay of much of the Evereskan moon elven nobility, Pleufan has invited human and half-elven followers of the Great Archer-most of whom are Harpers or Heralds-to worship at the Hall of the High Hunt during the monthly ceremonies whenever they wish. Some haughty Teu- Tel'Quessir have gone as far as to move their estates to the far side of the valley in response.
The moon elven village of Ssrenshen, known to humans as Moonrise Hill, is located in the northern reaches of Deepingdale between Lake Sember and the Glaemril at the foot of Moonrise Crag in an old, thickly grown stand of ash, duskwood, and oak trees. Like the elven village of Velethuil (Bristar) to the southwest, it is the source of many skilled elven archers in the army of the Dale. The archers of Moonrise Hill are known for their amazing feats with the bow-such as hitting the eye of a bird in flight a mile away-and the Fair Folk attribute the prowess at archery of the village's in-habitants to the blessings of Solonor and an ancient tradition dating back before the fall of Myth Drannor. In the Year of Old Crowns (-91 DR), the Moonshadows, a company of rangers, fighters, fighter/mages, and even a few wizards known for their skill at archery, were formed to guard the forests of Semberholme and its environs.
While the elven presence in the woods enveloping Lake Sember is much reduced today, the ancient traditions of the Moonshadows are continued by the elven archers of Ssrenshen and they continue to patrol the region. In the center of the village is the petrified stump of an ancient oak tree nearly 50 feet in diameter whose branches once towered over both the village and bald-topped crag millennia ago. A great hollow has been carved out of the heart of the tree, and it serves as both the chapter-house of the Moonshadows and as a sacred temple of Solonor. Moonrise Hollow, as the temple and hall is known, consists of both the hollowed out stump and the earthen cellars dug amidst its ancient roots. Many of the greatest hunting trophies and tombs of the greatest archers of Cormanthor may be found in these earthen catacombs, as can the Greenshaft, a holy relic of the Solonoran faith said to be the first arrow shot from the bow of the Forest Hunter in the Elven Woods in a time before the Fair Folk walked beneath the endless forest canopy.
Affiliated Orders: Solonor's church is affiliated with a large number of military orders, few of which number more than several score warriors. The Stag Hunters, the Fellowship of the Fleeting Hart, the Wolves of Dawn, the Shadowsheafs, the Knights of the Green Bow, the Keen-eyed Hunters, and the Archer Knights are particularly famous examples of bands of elven rangers, fighters, and/or priests dedicated to serving the Great Archer. Many less renowned bands stalk the shadowed forest paths of Faerun as well, guarding the woodlands, the Fair Folk, and their allies who dwell within.
Priestly Vestments: The ceremonial garb of Solonor's clergy consists of suits of silvered chain mail-elven chain mail, if avail- able-with silver cloaks and leaf green hoods. The holy symbol of the faith is either an oversized arrowhead at least three inches in length embossed on both faces with Solonor's symbol, a silver medallion embossed with the head of a stag, or three feathers attached to a leather disk hung from a leather cord.
Adventuring Garb: The silver cloaks with green hoods are exchanged outside of ceremonial occasions for leaf green hooded cloaks and leather boots (or elven cloaks and boots, if available).
Solonor's followers favor bows of any sort (except crossbows), daggers, knives, and long swords, spears. Elven bows are particularly prized, as are magical bows and arrows, bracers of archery, and quivers of Ehlonna (known as quivers of Mielikki or as quivers of Solonor in the Realms). Most members of Solonor's priesthood wear leather armor, studded leather armor, or silenced elven chain mail. (The last is detailed in the entry for Erevan Ilesere under the heading Adventuring Garb.) During their years of experience, elves have found that often archers are attacked without much chance to defend themselves.
They have therefore created the elven bow (either a long bow, short bow, or composite long or short bow), designed to fire with the same rate and accuracy of a normal bow of its type, and yet the elves can use it to fend off attacks until they can defend themselves with a better weapon or spell. The elven bow is a beautiful piece of work, carved mostly from wood, highly decorated and polished, with substantial metal inlays.