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| {{Forgotten Realms Deity|fgcolor=#fff| | |||
| image=<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: ] -->| | |||
| bgcolor=#000| | |||
| fgcolor=#fff| | |||
| name=Silvanus| | |||
| title=Oak Father, Forest Father, Treefather| | |||
| home=2E: Summeroak in Tir na Og (])<br>3E: ]| | |||
| power=Greater| | |||
| alignment=True Neutral| | |||
| portfolio=Wild, nature, druids| | |||
| domains=Animal, Plant, Protection, Renewal, and Water| | |||
| alias=| | |||
| super=None| | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Silvanus''' ({{IPAc-en|s|ɨ|l|ˈ|v|æ|n|ə|s}} {{respell|sil|VAN|əs}})<ref name="FRCS1E"/> the ''Forest Father'' is a fictional ] of the '']'' '']'' ] devised by ]. Silvanus is considered the god of wild ] and ], one of the most prominent and eldest deities in ], and the wilder counterpart to ] the Earth-Mother. His worshipers protect places of nature from the encroachment of civilization with vigor and are implacable foes of industrious peoples. | |||
| Like ], ], ], ], and others, Silvanus is among the deities described in the 1st edition ] book ''Deities & Demigods.'' Like Oghma, Silvanus is taken from the Celtic pantheon described in that book, supposedly having been active in more than one ] of existence. See also ], though he is more primarily based on the Celtic ], who was assimilated into Silvanus in Roman times. | |||
| ==Publication history== | |||
| ] created Silvanus for his home Dungeons & Dragons game, taken straight from the '']'' version of the god ].<ref name="Dragon 54">], Dragon magazine #54 - "Down-to-earth divinity" (October 1981)</ref> | |||
| ===Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)=== | |||
| Silvanus first appeared within Dungeons & Dragons as one of the deities featured in Ed Greenwood's article "Down-to-earth Divinity" in '']'' #54 (October 1981). Silvanus is introduced as Oak-Father, god of nature, patron of ], a neutral greater god from the plane of ]. His role within the cosmology is also defined: "] and ] serve Silvanus, and their priests (if such individuals value their deity’s favor above mortal feelings and conflicts) work together to further common goals," and "] and ] work together, and often do so in alliance with Silvanus and his gods ... against The Gods of Fury." Silvanus is most commonly worshipped by druids.<ref name="Dragon 54"/> | |||
| Silvanus later officially appeared as one of the major deities for the ] ], in the ''Forgotten Realms Campaign Set'''s "Cyclopedia of the Realms" booklet (1987).<ref name="FRCS1E">{{cite book | isbn =0-88038-472-7 | title = Forgotten Realms Campaign Set | author = Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb and Karen S. Martin | year = 1987 | publisher = Wizard of the Coast}}</ref> | |||
| ===Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)=== | |||
| Silvanus was described in the hardback '']'' (1990),<ref>] and ]. '']'' (], 1990)</ref> the revised ''Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting'' (1993) in the "Running the Realms" booklet,<ref>{{cite book | title=Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting | author = Ed Greenwood | year = 1993|id = ASIN B000K06S2E }}</ref> and '']'' (1996).<ref>], and Eric L Boyd. '']'' (TSR, 1996)</ref> His clergy was further detailed in '']'' (1996),<ref>Terra, John. '']'' (], 1996)</ref> and ''Prayers from the Faithful'' (1997).<ref>] and Stewart, Doug. ''Prayers from the Faithful'' (], 1997)</ref> | |||
| His role in the cosmology of the ] campaign setting was described in ''On Hallowed Ground'' (1996).<ref>McComb, Colin. ''On Hallowed Ground'' (], 1996)</ref> | |||
| His relationships with the nonhuman deities in the Forgotten Realms was covered in '']'' (1998).<ref>Boyd, Eric L. '']'' (], 1998)</ref> | |||
| Silvanus is described as one of the good deities that ] can serve in the supplement ''Warriors of Heaven'' (1999).<ref>Perkins, Christopher. '']'' (TSR, 1999)</ref> | |||
| ===Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)=== | |||
| Silvanus appears as one of the major deities of the Forgotten Realms setting again, in ''Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting'' (2001),<ref>{{cite book | title = Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting | author = Ed Greenwood et al. | year = 2001 | publisher = Wizard of the Coast | isbn = 0-7869-1836-5 }}</ref> and is further detailed in '']'' (2002).<ref>Boyd, Eric L, and ]. '']'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2002)</ref> | |||
| <!--===Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)=== | |||
| Did he appear anywhere in 3.5?--> | |||
| ===Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)=== | |||
| Silvanus, largely unchanged from earlier editions, appears as one of the Greater Gods in the ''Forgotten Realms Player's Guide'' and the ''Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide'' for this edition. | |||
| ==Overview== | |||
| Silvanus is a ] ]. His symbol is a green living oak tree leaf, his divine realm is the Deep Forest in the ], and his Third Edition ''D&D'' domains are Animal, Plant, Protection, Renewal, and Water. | |||
| Silvanus appears to mortals most commonly as a withered, timeworn, bearded man, usually levitating amongst scenes of nature, like trees, possibly springing from an old, large ]. As the Young Strider, however, he appears as a long-limbed young man covered in an armor made of oak leaves. He carries an enchanted maul hammer, "The Great Mallet of Silvanus", and mauls are his clergy's favored weapon. | |||
| ===Worshippers=== | |||
| The Church of Silvanus is a pervasive influence, especially across the continent of ]. Non-worshippers often do not view the Church favorably due to its tendency to disrupt expansion into woodland, sometimes with violence. Examples of rituals for worship are entreaties for spells at sundown or in moonlight. The 'Dryad Dance', is a replenishing ritual of wild, wayward dance that calls out ] to join the ritualists for mating. Most Silvanite clerics (sometimes referred to as Forest Masters) also function as ] or ]. | |||
| ==History & Relationships== | |||
| Silvanus has no superiors. Silvanus is a long-time ally of ], despite their clergies' differences. He is also allied with ]. He is served directly by ] and ], whom some call his daughters, and indirectly by ], ] and ]. Silvanus resents the destructive nature of the storm lord, ], and the Lady of Poison ], who encourages disease beyond what is natural. Silvanus reserves his greatest hatred for the Beastlord ] and its followers, and works against his insatiable bloodlust at every opportunity. Silvanus despises life-threatening impulses in anything. | |||
| Among the Celtic pantheon from which he emerged, Silvanus has no allies or enemies. He dwells in Tir na Og, the Celtic realm, alone in a place full of dense vegetation. | |||
| ==Beliefs== | |||
| Silvanus believes in the preservation and balance of nature. He is one of the most observational and detached gods, yet quite philosophical, believing that one should examine the whole situation of things, rather than resorting the most efficient or popular solution. He is an ], believing that all forms of nature should be preserved, and any attempts to destroy nature must be vigorously opposed. Most of his followers work to preserve Balance between all opposing forces outside of nature too, leading to most being True Neutral in alignment, like ] from the computer game '']''. | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ] | |||
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