Alvara

## Deity

### Titles

Guardian of Life, The Green Healer, Keeper of the Last Sanctuary, Springmother, Owlmother

### Symbols

An owl carrying a lavender sprig, an owl head surrounded by eight feathers, an oak leaf attached to an acorn, a dragon made of plants

### Worshipers

Druids, farmers, and forest-dwellers, ranchers and people who care for beasts, sailors near shore

### Domains

Nature, Peace, Animals (especially birds), Healing, Preservation

### Cleric Domains

Life, Nature, Tempest, Protection

Alvara is the foremost deity of Nature in the pantheon, and is widely worshipped across all realms. She is typically depicted as female. She is a benevolent goddess, and seems to care most for those creatures that have no-one else to care for them.

***The Sanctuary.*** Alvara's realm in the Heavens is known as the Sanctuary, and it is a place of peace and healing. Appearing as a wide, forested valley surrounded by sheer mountains, it is home to beasts of every kind - predator and prey alike - which all live peacefully within its bounds. Alvara's Grove grows on the highest peak, overlooking her valley, guarded by her most powerful sentinels.

## Tenets

Alvara teaches that it is the duty of all people to care for the world they inhabit.

* Care for those in need, with what you have.
* Sentient or not, all natural creatures deserve respect.
* One may hunt or kill for necessity, not for pleasure, hatred, or for irrational fear.
* Do not take too much; livestock must not overgraze, crops should be rotated, etc.
* If a tree is cut down, another should be planted elsewhere.

## Religion

Worship of Alvara is rarely formalized with any sort of church or widespread institution - she prefers the quiet prayer of a sincere heart. Druids, clerics, and others who align themselves with her usually meditate in secluded places in nature, mirroring her sanctuary. When a farming village convenes for a festival, they light incense in little shrines to her and say a short informal prayer to thank her before beginning their event. Hunters whisper a quiet prayer after making a kill or when leaving their home or shelter, and even people who follow other religions can sometimes be heard to mutter a quiet thanksgiving to Alvara before a meal.

***Shrines.***  Small shrines are often constructed in her honor, usually a single standing stone marked with runes either carved or drawn with charcoal. Shrines are always constructed outdoors, and offerings include incense, feathers, woven or carved artwork, and harvested crops or goods; these offerings are left for beasts and birds to take, or are ritually burned.

***Sacred Groves.*** The most sacred places to Alvara's followers are ancient druidic sites, which can be found scattered throughout the Material Planes, and are marked by standing monoliths of stone and a single, mystical tree in the center. These groves were created by druids in older ages and are still maintained by her faithful. Their power is obvious - Any beast that approaches becomes docile and peaceful, and evil creatures avoid them altogether - but they are also said to be portals to Alvara's Sanctuary for creatures whose need is great and whose faith is sound.

 Cleric Domains
Grave •
Forge •
Knowledge •
Life •
Light •
Nature •
Protection •
Tempest •
Trickery •
War