Gozreh

Gozreh (GOZ-reth) is a dualistic deity of nature, a god of the storm and sky and also a goddess of the wave and surf. As the storm, he represents the power of nature and the truth that it shouldn't be taken for granted, while as the waves, she represents the wonder and glory of nature and the freedom that exploration can bring.

Gozreh is worshiped across Tanalier and also in Rexthen, by the name Ioz'om, and in Cad'Lear, where they are known as Civilitas and are a part of The Divine Triune. These three cultures worship the god in slightly different ways but Gozreh is indifferent to this discrepancy and sees no need to make their worship uniform. In Cad'Lear, both sides of Gozreh are known and acknowledged but the reality is that, predominantly, only their female half is worshiped while the male half is neglected by all but the truest devotees. In Rexthen, meanwhile, Ioz'om is only the male half of Gozreh and he is worshiped by the Cloud Giants as the father of their species. The followers of Gozreh in Tanalier try to do their best to honour both sides, or at least aim for an equitable balance in their worship. As a result, while most temples worship both sides equally, there are specific temples dedicated to one side but they know that there are also other temples out there which will be dedicated to the opposite side.

## History

No one debates the description of Gozreh as an ancient deity, although those who follow The Seen and Unseen gods Religion believe that he was created at the same time as the other 13 gods. Worshipers of Gozreh who don't subscribe to this belief, on the other hand, describe them as having existed for as long as the wind has blown and the waters have swelled, and that although they didn't have a form at the time, they even existed alongside The Elder god.

## Home

Being concerned only with nature, Gozreh ceaselessly wanders across the Material Plane and the Feywild in the form of waves or storms, keeping no permanent home in The godly Plane and caring little about other gods. Many believe that he passes between the Material and Fey worlds with so much ease that, when they're distracted by some natural phenomenon, they do so without even noticing. They are also known to pass through the Plane of Air or Plane of Water.

## Appearance

Gozreh's female form is associated with the sea and she appears as a young, beautiful, dark-skinned woman with wild green hair whose torso merges with the roiling sea. His male half represents the winds and clouds, appearing as a weathered old man with a long white beard whose lower body melds into a storm cloud. Images of Gozreh typically represent his two forms reaching up from the sea and down from the heavens to touch one another in mid-air.

## Relationships

Gozreh mostly remains neutral towards the other gods unless they bring threats to his dominion. This means that they often come into conflict with Ravagug and Urgathoa because of their destructive or corrupting influences on the world. They often find themselves butting heads with Erathis over the encroachments of civilization into nature, but these disagreements rarely escalate beyond just angry words and blustering, which often results in a compromise between the two.

They're cordial with Erastil and Sarenrae. Erastil, in particular, is considered somewhat of a friend, due to their shared respect for nature, but this doesn't equate to Gozreh interacting with him often.

Gozreh was approached long ago by Desna, who sought to understand the beauty she saw in people's dreams that was generated by nature. This relationship grew and they eventually decided to have a child called Corellon who became the god of beauty, magic, and spring. Desna, being very fickle, eventually split up with Gozreh and moved on, claiming to have seen all the beauty that nature had to offer. As they were both quite content to travel the worlds in their own company, this didn't really affect Gozreh much and it is questionable whether they even noticed her absence for the first few decades.

Gozreh is one of the seven seen gods within the Seen and Unseen gods religion and also, under the name Civilitas, they are considered one of the three gods of the Divine Triune. This means that while they are worshiped alongside some of these other gods and offerings are made to the two collectives, Gozreh is still pretty distant from the other gods.

## Providence

Gozreh shows his favour with a sudden appearance of a gentle breeze that carries with it the smell of blooming flowers, the unexpected sound of waves crashing on a shore, or dreams involving a specific and unusual-looking animal. His displeasure is seen in the sudden appearance of extremely localized storms or other bad weather, being watched or hounded by birds or beasts, or the continuous taste of blood in one's mouth.

While receiving a blessing from Gozreh's female side is great, gaining the favour of his male half is very rare and considered very impressive and a wonderful boon. On the flip side, earning the ire of their male aspect is far easier than angering the female half, so receiving her wrath implies that you must have done something very bad.

## Servants

Nature and all its creatures are considered to be Gozreh's domain, but they favour seabirds, flying fish, and frogs. The spirits of the dead who have drawn the eye of Gozreh may be brought back by them from the Greylands, but unlike most of the gods, Gozreh doesn't bring them to The godly Plane nor do they form them into unique divine beings. Rather, they bring them back to the Material Plane or the Feywild as creatures, or sometimes Magical beasts, and allow them to live a second life in this new form.

### Unique servants

Kraz'Tesh is a living Ice sculpture of a Dragonfly that changes size from a few inches to up to 20ft. Followers of Gozreh believe that if you see Kraz'Tesh and follow him he will show you an amazing natural wonder you are near to. However, his clear and fast form make him very hard to follow.

Apapfelet appears as an ancient Elemental which is a fusion of Air and Water. He acts as Gozreh's herald, particularly in The godly Plane and among other religions, but also with those who mess with the Feywild.

## Church of Gozreh

### Aliases / Worshipers

Civilitas, Ioz'om, The Sky Father, She Who Guides the Wind and the Waves, The Tempest King, The parents of Nature.

Gozreh is worshiped in Cad'Lear by the name of Civliitas where they mainly focus on their female side. She is worshiped as a god of literal freedom, represented by the open ocean and the freedom felt by the vast opportunities that chancing the horizon with a strong wind at your back can bring. As one third of The Divine Triune, her followers are also highly opposed to slavery of any kind.

In Janmier, Gozreh is one of the more popular deities. Even those who don't directly follow them often say a simple blessing to them before they eat food that has been gathered from nature, which is most of what they eat.

In Rexthen, cloud giants worship Gozreh as Ioz'om, the Sky Father, and believe that they are all his descendants. Storm giants also worship Gozreh as The Sky Father but with less reverence and diligence than their cloud cousins.

Gozreh is worshiped wherever nature is feared or held in high esteem. Places of great natural beauty often attract followers and then temples form, including in places whose dangerous elements should not be taken for granted. Most sailors pay homage to Gozreh, at least in passing before heading out to sea, praying for safe passage on their travels. Her clergy is also expected to bless new crops during the planting season in areas where Sarenrae is less prominently worshiped.

### Clergy

Priests of Gozreh are rugged folk and many are hermits. Men are expected to have long beards and women long hair. Seaweed, natural items, and strands of white cloth are often braided into the hair of the faithful. Formal raiment is usually long robes of sea-green, storm-grey, or sky blue colour, decorated with coral or pearls.

### Temples and shrines

Temples of Gozreh are always open to the sky and often contain some sort of pool or open water at the heart. There are a number of smaller temples, often in out-of-the-way places or near to naturally occurring things of natural beauty, like waterfalls or glaciers, and are typically built using only slightly-worked local materials such as driftwood and unquarried stone. Temples in cities and towns, by contrast, are often larger and are sometimes made of worked material designed to look natural rather than the real thing. These urban temples often see a higher number of attendants but their devotion is often far more inferior. This discrepancy causes a minor rift between urban and non-urban followers. Services and occasions vary from temple to temple, though most ceremonies involve offerings, prayers, and chanting. Some temples venerate either their male or female half exclusively but most focus on both sides equally. Nearly all port settlements, regardless of their size, have a temple or at least a shrine to Gozreh.

The Revered Grove is an area of great beauty and also a temple to Gozreh with little more than a single shack comprising its actual temple structure.

Lady Gozreh's Tower is a large statue of Gozreh which stands near to the shoreline in the city of Glovar.

There is a small temple to Gozreh as part of the six temples of Pelleras' Suplication in Bluelog but the main temple to Gozreh in the city is The Blue Grove Gardens in The Western Fort District. There is also The Sanctum of Fernthen to the north of Craftman's Way which is dedicated to both Gozreh and Erastil.

### Holidays

Gozreh's followers celebrate Firstbloom on the vernal equinox and Vol'erron Festival.