The Four Trees

## Overview

In the “Old Land”, from whence **Kaia** and her followers originally came, the people believed that a multitude of spirits and ancestor flames guided and watched over them from inside the land itself, having joined the **Green** in both spiritual and bodily fashion. In doing so, the most worthy became new minor deities, all of which served the four **Archtrees**, representing the different aspects of life and the world around them.

## The Archtrees

In this religion, four deities reign supreme over all others, comrprising what is now called as the **Old Pantheon**, or the **Oak Pantheon.** These deities are: **Lopalo, Nobara, Ullar,** and **Syragna.**

### Lopalo, the Golden Shadow

Oldest of the Archtrees and leader of the Old Pantheon, Lopalo is the elder brother of Nobara, Ullar, and Syragna, as well as the deity of War, Summer, Knowledge, and Justice. Also known as the “Eternal Father”, the “Vengeful One”, or the “Golden Shadow”, Lopalo is seen as a strict father, who rewards those brave and intelligent enough to achieve their goals through either strength or cunning.

Often depicted as either an Elk, an Owl, or a wooden giant, Lopalo can be either a fierce protector, or a vicious enemy.

### Nobara, the Silver Light

Goddess of the forests, rivers, mountains and even the ocean and the Moon; second oldest of the four Archtrees, Nobara is the queen of all beasts and Bringer of Spring, as well as protector of nature itself. Often depicted as either a Deer or a Doe with wooden branches for horns, Nobara is also known as the “Green Lady”, “Tree of the East”, or the “Silver Light”.

While she is most known as a caring mother for all things, having a domain of aspects such as Love, Fertility, and Sight, her fury is just as legendary, with heavy sacrifices being required from those that affront the natural order of the world.

Kaia chose to focus her worship on Nobara for the new land as she viewed her as the most peaceful of her people’s deities, and wished for blessings of bountiful harvests and gatherings, so that raids would no longer be necessary.

### Ullar, the Bronze Hammer

Ullar, also known as the “Old Bear”, the “Great Architect”, or the “Bronze Hammer”, is the deity of craftsmanship, the forge, navigation and Autumn. It is believed that he first gave humanity the secrets of fire and steel, as well as the knowledge to build greater constructions.

As his titles imply, he is usually depicted as either a large brown bear, or as an incredibly old blacksmith, wearing the skin of a bear as a cloak.

### Syragna, the Pale Messenger

Youngest of the Archtrees, Syragna [Anagrama com Syringa (Lilás)] is the deity of death, peace, and winter. Often depicted as either a she-wolf or a woman with a lilac veil covering her face, Syragna is the guardian of the Eternal Rest, where those that lived simple, yet faithful lives are guaranteed to spend the rest of eternity.

## Minor Deities

While the four Archtrees are the pillars of this religion, hundreds of other minor gods and goddesses exist, called the Oaks. Some are deities of minor aspects, while others are more famous. The following are the most well-known **Oaks:**

## The Old Land

Now called only the “Old Land”, the original land of Kaia and her people was a place of constant conflict and struggle, as the land was hard and dry, and difficult to sow. Instead, many sailed to raid other lands, returning home only when they had enough to survive its harsh winters.

After a civil war that killed thousands, including innocents, Kaia, a maiden warrior from that land, grew tired and disillusioned with the violent ways of her people and took any that would follow her to the seas, seeking a new home.

## The Mad Occultists

When the **Death Plague** first hit Grotheim, the decades old divide between those that had converted to the **Faith of the Glorious** and those few who remained loyal to the **Archtrees** gained new weight. Those that converted (as well as some priests) claimed that it was divine punishment against the heretics that had yet to accept the world of the **Lord**, while the other side believed it to be the vengeance of the gods, especially that of **Nobara**, coming to free them from the tyranny of these colonizers.

As the Plague became more and more widespread, these conflicts grew exponentially throughout all four **islands**, with neighbors becoming increasingly suspicious and violent of one another, even leading to a violent display now called the **Bloodbath of Vardi**, which then resulted in the annihilation of almost fifty people, all in the name of the **Glorious**. With such a display of fanaticism and violence, coupled with the horrors of the Plague, most, but not all, that followed the Archtrees, began to leave their villages and head into the forests and swamps of **Dark Waters**, joining together in a **cult** that believed the betrayal of their ex-brothers and sisters had not only infuriated Nobara, but actually killed her, transforming the once graceful deity into a corrupted version of itself, now intent on destroying all that had forsworn her.