Baervan Wildwanderer

Baervan Wildwanderer: The Masked Leaf, the Forest Gnome, Father of Fish and Fungus

Symbol: Raccoon's face
Home Plane: Dothion/the Golden Hills (Whisperleaf)
Alignment: NG
Portfolio: Forests, travel, nature, forest gnomes
Domains: Animal, Gnome, Good, Plant, Travel
Worshipers: Gnomes, druids, rangers, tricksters
Aliases: N/A
Cleric Alignments: LG,NG, CG
Favored Weapon: Whisperleaf (halfspear)

History/Relationships: Baervan Wildwanderer (BAY-ur-van WILD-WAN-der-er) is the god of forest-dwelling gnomes and their communities, travel, and the outdoors. He loves oak trees and all forest animals and is guardian of the wild. Baervan gifted forest gnomes with the ability to communicate with forest animals, and taught them to how to hide in and move through wooded environments without being detected. The Masked Leaf is the patron god of forest gnomes, but he is well loved by all of the gnome subraces. He is even revered by the svirfneblin as the Father of Fish and Fungus. Baervan is worshiped by those who love the woodlands, as well as many wanderers, thieves, fighter/thieves, and fighters, particularly those who prefer living in the outdoors rather than in a city all the time.

Baervan's friend and constant companion in his escapades is a giant raccoon named Chiktikka Fastpaws, who is highly intelligent but prone to act before he thinks. Many stories are told of the adventures that this duo has shared, often started by Chiktikka's humorous ability to get into trouble by borrowing something valuable, such as a minor artifact. Baervan is closely allied with the other gods of the gnome pantheon, with the notable exception of Urdlen. He works closely with Segojan Earthcaller, for both gods are concerned with the natural world.

Traditionally, their portfolios are divided between caring for forest animals and plants for Baervan, and burrowing animals for Segojan. Baervan sometimes accompanies Garl, or even Baravar, on their mischievous escapades, and the trio's shared interest in mischief embodies and encourages this aspect of the gnome psyche. Baervan's carefree nature and penchant for jests strains the patience of Gaerdal Ironhand, albeit not to the extent that the pranks of Baravar Cloakshadow do. Baervan is closely allied with many of the sylvan powers of the Seelie Court. His passion for oak trees has led to his endless, if so far fruitless, pursuit of Verenestra's affections. The Masked Leaf is a frequent participant in the councils of Emmantiensien, Rillifane Rallathil, and Silvanus, though he rarely has the patience to sit through an entire discussion with these slow-speaking woodland giants. Baervan has few foes aside from Urdlen, although the Beastlord has earned his ire for hunting forest gnomes under the Masked Leaf's protection.

Baervan is gentle, good-natured, and mischievous. His penchant for good-natured pranks rivals Garl Glittergold. Except for Chiktikka's company, he tends to keep to himself. Though Baervan sometimes plays jokes on others, it is hard not to like him. The Masked Leaf's tricks are often designed to serve some purpose, unlike the mischief typical of Forgotten Folk. If Baervan wants to send someone a message, he does so in the form of a joke. Baervan dispatches avatars to help repair severe damage to nature, though sometimes just to create mischief.

Dogma: The great forests of the outdoors await those Forgotten Folk daring enough to venture forth from their burrows. Wander the great woodlands in search of excitement and sylvan sites of incredible beauty. Befriend and protect the creatures of the forest. Care for and nurture the woodlands where you live. Be ever curious, and follow life wherever it may lead. Defend your community and yourself against the incursions of goblin-kin and other brutish races.

Avatar/Manifestations: The Masked Leaf may manifest as an amber radiance to settle over a worshiper or any type of plant. This manifestation can confer upon a favored worshiper the benefits of a spell such as 'barkskin', locate plants and animals, pass without trace, plant door, speak with plants, or tree or coalesce into a handful of goodberries. Baervan’s manifestation can animate a tree as a treant for up to seven rounds, create a spike growth effect, or act as combined entangle and plant growth spells.

Agents/Petitioners: Baervan is served by forest animals of all types (particularly raccoons and giant raccoons), amber dragons, dryads, earth elementals, faerie dragons, feystags, hamadryads, hybsils, leprechauns, nature elementals, singing trees, sprites, swanmays, treants, wild stags, and wood giants. He demonstrates his favor by permitting his faithful to discover acorns, pieces of amber, emeralds, oak leaves or the sudden growth of plants on a welltrodden trail where such would seem out of place. The Masked Leaf indicates his displeasure by causing a tree branch to gently strike the target of his disaffection or by causing small animals to behave oddly (like pelting a gnome with acorns).

The Church of Baervan: The church of the Masked Leaf is well regarded among most gnome communities, particularly forest gnomes, for Baervan and his followers are a likable bunch. Baervan's penchant for getting into trouble has long been a source of amusement and pride for the Forgotten Folk, and they generally embrace his mischievous nature as portrayed in the behavior of his clergy. Among other races, the church of Baervan is little known save among other elven and sylvan deities. The Fair Folk, particularly the Sy-Tel'Ques-sir, view the cult of the forest gnomes with great affection, as they do the followers of the Seelie Court. Baervan's worshipers assemble in forest clearings to venerate their god, preferably sylvan glades ringed by a circle of ancient oaks, although such arboreal menhirs are not required. Longstanding shrines of the Masked Leaf are transformed into woodland chapels with the circle of broad trunks growing closer together and the canopy of intertwined limbs and leaves forming a natural roof.

Novices of Baervan are known as Acorns. Full priests of the Masked Leaf are known as Wildwanderers. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Baervanian priests are Chipmunk, Squirrel, Opossum, Hedgehog, Marten, Red Fox, Lynx, and Wolf. High-ranking priests have unique individual titles. Specialty priests are known as fastpaws. The clergy of Baervan includes forest gnomes (65%), rock gnomes (33%), and deep gnomes (2%). His priesthood is split almost evenly between males (55%) and females (45%). Baervan's clergy includes specialty priests (45%), cleric/thieves (35%), clerics (12%), cleric/illusionists (6%), and fighter/clerics (2%).

Day-to-Day Activities: Members of Baervan's priesthood are found mostly in aboveground gnome communities in the great forests of the Realms. Individual priests often wander far afield, typically accompanied by a raccoon (or giant raccoon) companion. All members of the Masked Leaf's clergy are concerned with the protection of nature (and the gnomes who dwell in harmony with it). They are actively involved in driving off evil creatures, particularly spriggans.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Baervan's priests gather monthly in sylvan glens under the light of the full moon to dance, hurl acorns at each other, and sacrifice magical trinkets or other treasures to the god. If a follower has been unable to acquire any magical gift to offer to Baervan over the course of the last three tendays, a knickknack of some value temporarily enchanted by means of some minor magic (often a light spell) is commonly offered up to Baervan.

Major Centers of Worship: The Forgotten Forest is a mature wood filled with huge oak, walnut, and shadowtop trees. Nestled between the Greypeak Mountains, the Lonely Moor, and the Marsh of Chelimber, few travelers have even circumnavigated the edges of this mysterious and over grown forest. The woods are known primarily as the home of Fuorn, the legendary treant king of the Forgotten Forest spoken of in the few bard tales that discuss this land. A large and thriving nation of forest gnomes is hidden beneath the forest canopy, reveling in the arboreal isolation of their sylvan home. Only the Fair Folk of the Vale of Evereska and the Greycloak Hills are welcomed as visitors, and it is through these frequent guests that this greatest concentration of followers of Baervan in the Realms conduct limited trade with the outside world.

At the heart of the Forgotten Forest, near Fuorn's favorite place, stands a circle of twelve great chime oaks (transplanted centuries ago from the eastern starwood of the great forest of Cormanthor) whose trunks have grown so close together that only a Small-sized creature can pass between them. Oaksong Tower, so named for the melodies of the chime oaks and the towerlike natural cathedral formed by the ring of trees, is the central chapel for a community of 100 or more priests of the Masked Leaf who dwell in the surrounding forest. Baervan's followers work closely with their kin throughout the forest as well as the great treant-priests of Emmantiensien to nurture and protect the forest and defend its borders against interlopers from the surrounding dangerous regions. While leadership roles in the temple are shared by the senior priests of the faith, the current high priest is Briar Farwalker, a venerable forest gnome who recently returned from a decades-long trip to the Chondalwood.

Affiliated Orders: The Wild Wayfarers are a loosely organized band of rogues, priests, and cleric/thieves found in both city and sylvan settings. Members of this fellowship share a love of travel, new experiences, adventure, and good times. Many serve their communities as far-ranging scouts who keep tabs on emerging threats in the region, while others bend their talents to a life of adventuring. Their experiences with the world at large encountered during their travels serve both to entertain and enlighten their home communities of the Forgotten Folk.

Priestly Vestments: The clerical garb of Baervan's priests includes a green cap (always worn at a jaunty angle), and wood brown clothing (leather armor will do in a pinch). The holy symbol of the faith is an oversized acorn, carefully tended so it achieves triple the normal dimensions before is it ritually harvested by asking the tree that bore it for its use in Baervan's name.

Adventuring Garb: When adventuring, members of Baervan's priesthood favor woodland armor, such as leather armor and wooden shields, and weapons of the forest, such as clubs, slings, spears, and staves.