Fenmarel Mestarine

Fenmarel Mestarine: The Lone Wolf

Symbol: A pair of Elven eyes in the darkness
Home Plane: Arvandor (Fennimar)
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: Feral Elves, Outcasts, Scapegoats, Isolation and Isolationists
Domains: Animal, Chaos, Elf, Plant, Travel
Worshipers: Druids, Elves, Outcasts, Rangers, Rogues, Spies, Wild Elves
Aliases: N/A
Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, CE
Favored Weapon: “Thornbite” (Dagger)

History/Relationships: Fenmarel Mestarine (Pronounced FEHN-muh-rehl MESS-tuh-reen) is the eternal outsider, the solitary god who holds himself apart from his fellow Elven deities. He is venerated by outcasts from Elven society, many of whom have withdrawn voluntarily in response to perceived slights, as well as by Elves who have been isolated from the main body of their race and live in wild, relatively uncivilized areas. Although he does not actively seek the worship of mortals, Fenmarel Mestarine serves as the teacher and protector of those who turn to him, one who is silent and subtle, instructing his people in survival, spying, camouflage, deception, and secrecy.

Fenmarel dislikes the company of other powers, and he avoids relationships of any sort-whether they be alliances or mutual enmities- whenever possible. The Lone Wolf is even somewhat of an outcast among the Seldarine, his nominal allies, although he supports them in their endless war with the Spider Queen and her followers. He has removed himself to Limbo voluntarily, although he does have an entire realm in Arvandor that he still maintains, and occasionally inhabits.

Fenmarel was once Lolth's lover, and one of the first to be seduced by her power and promises. It is said that because Henali Celanil spurned the Lone Wolf for Erevan Illsesere that Fenmarel Mestarine turned to Lolth. No matter how he actually fell in league with her, he eventually turned away from the Spider Queen before completely slipping over to the dark side. Lolth has not forgotten that she almost ensnared Fenmarel Mestarine, and has never stopped hating him for escaping. Likewise, neither has Fenmarel Mestarine forgiven Lolth, for her breach of faith with the Elven race.

The Lone Wolf gets along well enough with Solonor Thelandira, who is said to be his brother, and Shevarash, both of whom join him in actively combating the plots of the Spider Queen and defending the Fair Folk against her depredations. However, Fenmarel's relations with Corellon Larethian are somewhat strained by his perception that the Protector still somehow holds the younger god at fault for succumbing to Lolth's entreaties long ago. In actuality, Corellon Larethian does not feel this way, and instead, he sympathizes with the Lone Wolf, because he understands how it feels like to have been manipulated and betrayed by Lolth. Only the kindheartedness of Sehanine Moonbow can occasionally draw the Lone Wolf back to Arvandor, for brief periods.

Other allies of the Lone Wolf include Eilistraee, Gwearon Windstrom, and various Animal Lords. Other enemies of the Lone Wolf include the rest of the Anti-Seldarine.

Fenmarel is eternally sullen and serious, a perfect counterbalance to fun-loving Erevan Ilesere. He has no interest in communicating with members of other pantheons or N'Tel'Quessir unless absolutely necessary, and when he does speak, he is usually bitter and cynical. Although he tries to avoid commitments of any sort, the Lone Wolf always abides by his word, no matter how reluctantly it is given.

The Lone Wolf’s deific realm, Fennimar, greatly resembles his personality. For the most part, the realm is entirely deserted, filled with quiet glades, quiet valleys, and other features that would make it attractive for anyone who simply wanted to be alone and think.

Dogma: The world is a harsh and unforgiving place, with uncompromising demands on those who would forge their own path. Rely not on others for protection, for betrayal comes easily, but on you own skills and those taught to you by the Lone Wolf: the skills of camouflage, deception and secrecy. Follow the way of the Lone Wolf, for his is the path of self-sufficiency. Fear not hard work, for the fruits of your labor prove your worth to yourself.

Avatar/Manifestations: Fenmarel Mestarine appears as a male Elf clad in leaves and scraps of clothing. He has no definite skin color, since it changes with the environment. His skin tone varies from green to brown, and anything and everything in-between. Leaves, mud and twigs all adorn the Lone Wolf’s head, stuck in his tangled black hair. He also has tribal tattoos of black, brown, white and red all along his body. Fenmarel frequently dispatches his avatar to patrol the Elven borders of disappearing woodlands, jungles, and similar environments, much like Corellon Larethian, who is said to do the same in more sizable Elven homelands.

Fenmarel manifests in subtle and secretive ways that are easy even for his followers to miss. He often provides his faithful followers with elusive clues that assist them in finding sustenance, or in defeating those who would disturb them. For example, the Lone Wolf might cause a small gust of wind to disturb some leaves that have recently fallen to the ground just as a follower was looking in that direction, thus both drawing attention to the spot and enabling the worshiper to spot the footprints that were previously hidden beneath the leaves.

Agents/Petitioners: Fenmarel does not work through the actions of mortal creatures, except to direct predators away from Elves under his protection, and toward the borders to deter intruders. He conveys omens and warnings of threats to his priests through their divine rituals, using leaves, animal bones, sticks, and like symbols. The majority of his agents and petitioners include Wild, Wood and Lythari Elves.

Fenmarel Mestarine has a few proxies, though most are hidden from prying eyes. Oddly enough, the one proxy he has made known to the multiverse is a Human, and not an Elf, named Avery Arrinson. The Lone Wolf has blessed his proxies with the ability to hide in underbrush perfectly. As long as they do not move, they cannot be seen, or even smelled, by any creatures, barring divine entities.

The Church of Fenmarel Mestarine: The Church of the Lone Wolf can be loosely divided into two different branches. There are the Elven outcasts, and the Wild Elves. Elven outcasts hail from any Elven subrace. They, for whatever reason, are loners by nature, who have either removed themselves, or have been removed, from the rest of Elven society. The Wild Elves are isolated, savage Elves who worship Fenmarel Mestarine.

Among most of Elven society, Fenmarel Mestarine’s church is looked at with hostility, and suspicion. Most of his followers are considered either outlaws, or primitive savages. Most Elves pay the Lone Wolf some respect, because he is a part of the Seldarine, but otherwise find him a savage deity who is better left undisturbed. Only in Wild Elf societies is the church of the Lone Wolf afforded much respect.

Neither camp regularly builds temples dedicated to the Lone Wolf. As a result, there are very few temples dedicated to Fenmarel Mestarine in Faerûn. Both Wild Elves and outcasts create shrines dedicated to the deity, however. The composition of these shrines varies from individual to individual, but most share some kind of common element and/or theme. Most are located in hidden hollows, and are decorated with bones, leaves, plants, teeth, claws, or something else that represents the Lone Wolf’s savage nature. Exiles often include some kind of personal token that symbolizes the reasons for their separation from mainstream Elven society.

Novice priests and priestess’ of Fenmarel Mestarine are known as the Lost. Fully ordained priests and priestess’ are known as the Unbowed. Individual titles vary from person to person, from tribe to tribe.

The majority of his church is made up of Wild Elves. The rest of his clergy is made up of Wood Elves, Moon Elves, Half-Elves, Lythari and Sun Elves. There are slightly more males in the service of the Lone Wolf than there are women, but the ratio between priest and priestess’ is still very even.

Day-to-Day Activities: For the most part, members of Fenmarel's clergy are found only among hands of Wild Elves in the wilderness. Outcasts from Elven society, who make their way among other cultures, whether they be Elven or not, are typically lay followers and not clerics of the Lone Wolf.

Members of Fenmarel Mestarine’s clergy instruct their fellows in the skills first taught by their god, including how to spy, survive on their own in the wilderness, engage in deceptive and guerilla tactics, and how to use poisons to take down enemies with subtlety. Otherwise, they have few formal responsibilities aside from ensuring their personal survival.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The church of Fenmarel does not celebrate widely recognized holy days. Instead, each individual or band venerates the Lone Wolf in personal worship services of their own devising. Many outcasts mark the day of their personal banishment with private contemplation, while tribes of Wild Elves mark anniversaries of important events in the group's oral history. Many of these events are correlated with astronomical events that easily perceived by the naked eye.

Major Centers of Worship: The Misty Vale is a largely unexplored, thickly overgrown, stiflingly hot jungle tucked between the Dun Hills, the Cliffs of Talar, and the Bandit Wastes, due east of Lapaliiya and the Shining Sea. Of all the Seldarine, the Fair Folk of the Misty Vale venerate only Fenmarel Mestarine, for they turned away from the rest of the Elven pantheon millennia ago, out of feelings of both personal guilt, and abandonment by their gods.

While the feral Or-Tel'Quessir have built no temples to their god, shrines dedicated to Fenmarel Mestarine can be found wherever the jungle is thickest and most tangled.

Affiliated Orders: The Fenmaren church has no affiliated orders for obvious reasons. Among the Or’Tel'Quessir, every able-bodied adult of the tribe fights for the Lone Wolf. Thus, in a sense, every tribe is a different order affiliated with Fenmarel Mestarine and his church.

Priestly Vestments: The ceremonial garb of Fenmaren priests and priestess’ in primitive tribes deep in the wilderness consists of mud, leaves and sticks that cover the body. In most cases, the priests or priestess’ are completely nude, except for these choice materials.

Among more civilized groups, Fenmaren priests garb themselves in hide armor adorned with bones, teeth, and crude drawings of wild beasts. The holy symbol of the faith is a talon or fang of a wild beast slain without any assistance by the priest who bears it.

Adventuring Garb: When adventuring, priests and priestess’ of Fenmarel Mestarine prefer weapons and armor constructed through the use of skills taught by their god, although they employ the best armor and weapons available if need be. Commonly employed weapons and armors include primitive arrows, wooden weapons, and hardened bark and mud for armor.